How (Not) To Make Creepy Blood Worms!

Somehow, my husband found this recipe for creepy looking Blood Worms. And I was looking for realistic/creepy foods for my Halloween Muffin Tin Monday meal. They looked do-able, so we made them the morning before I was going to use them.

Creepy Blood Worms

Ingredients: 
100 flexible plastic straws [She recommended bendy straws, since they add nice ridges to the 'worms']
Empty, clean 1-qt milk or orange juice carton/container. [Skinny enough there isn't much extra room after the 100 straws are put in, and tall enough to hold the extra mixture as high as possible up to the tops of the straws]
waxed paper 
rubber band1 6-oz package raspberry or grape flavor gelatin [I used black cherry]
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin 
3 cups boiling water 
3/4 cup whipping cream 
12 to 15 drops green food coloring 

Step 1: Combine gelatin packets and flavored jell-o in a bowl and add boiling water; stir until completely dissolved. Chill until lukewarm, about 20 min.
I used black cherry jell-o, thinking that it would look more blood-like, but I like how hers look better, so next time I'll try raspberry.

Step 2: While waiting, gently pull straws to extend to full length [oops. didn't do that part!] and place in tall container [place stretched-out bendy-side down.] Use a loose rubber band to hold straws together.

Step 3: Combine cream and food coloring with the lukewarm gelatin mixture. [The more thoroughly you mix, the less mottled the worms will look. I like the uneven look she got on hers. Mine were very solidly blah.]
Next time I'll try leaving sworls of cream in the mixture, rather than blending it all completely. We also added the food coloring after, so it was harder to NOT mix it all up, since we were trying to get the right shade of red. Maybe I should add the food coloring to the jell-o BEFORE adding the cream, so I can make sure I have the right red color first.


Step 4: Carefully pour liquid into container, filling straws. [It helps to have someone hold the straw clump down, as it tends to want to float.]
We didn't have a clean empty milk carton, so I had planned on using our tall skinny pitcher, but we ended up finding an old reusable plastic "Super Size" cup from McD's.


Step 5: Chill at least 8 hours, until gelatin is firm, or cover and chill up to 2 days.
We let ours sit overnight, as we were out late at a party, and I wouldn't need them until lunch the next day.

Step 6: Pull straws from container or, if you're using a carton, simply cut or tear the carton away from the filled straws. Pull straws apart. 
It was really hard to get them out. We ended up just slicing up the cup we had used. 

Step 7: Run hot tap water for about 2 seconds over 3 to 4 straws at a time 
Oops. Forgot to do that part.


Step 8: Starting at the empty ends, push worms from straws with rolling pin, or use your fingers.
We didn't run the hot water over the straws, and we hadn't pulled the bendy straws open, so we had a heck of a time getting anything out. And by the time we got something to come out, we had squished it, so it came out  all rough and textured.

 

We gave up after about 10 worms were mangled out. I did have an easier time if I blew into the straw first, but more often than not I'd still end up squishing it and making it look bad before getting it out.

Step 9: Lay worms on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cover and chill until ready to use, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Worms will hold at room temperature for about 2 hours.
We didn't bother with any of this part.

We threw the rest away. 
They tasted okay, but were so not worth the effort. Maybe if we don't skip 2 crucial steps next time, it would go easier! I didn't try cutting the straws, then peeling them off.  Nor did we try a rolling pin. And a toothpaste tube squeegee thing might work too.