. . . followed a recipe

for a printing plate with a depth of 1/2" in this plastic thing, I determined I needed 12 packs of gelatin


dissolved in six cups of cold water, brought to a boil (like that crazy crooked wooden spoon?)


and then poured into plastic thing and put in refrigerator for 12 hours . . . so now we wait.

Doesn't this all seem a little Martha Stewart-ish or maybe Rachel Ray-esque?

These instructions are at http://harborview-arts.com/kathleen_garner/gelatin_printing.html.

This is the most cooking I've done for a long time. Someone told me once that a recipe was just a suggestion to me. I probably managed to screw this up somehow, too, but I tried to follow the directions. I was afraid the plastic would melt when I poured the boiling liquid into it, and then I would be cleaning up a gooey gelatinous mess. But I used the plastic thing so that I could just cut it away from the molded printing plate when it was set, instead of trying to turn it over. I would manage to mess that part up. Also, this gelatin smells funny, but considering where it comes from, that should not be a big surprise. My mom, back in the '50s, used this stuff for something, but I don't remember what she did with it. I think we ate it. . . ugh