The party is over! It was a great success. We had about 80-85 people there, and yes, tons of food left over! I planned for close to the right number(planned for 100), but of course I expected them to eat way more then they did! Here's a picture of the cake that Emi's oldest sister made for her party. This is only the second one that she's tried decorating and I think she did a lovely job. Not professional yet, but very pretty and imaginative!

There's also nothing "wrong" with placing a gelatin salad in a bowl or individual serving dishes. A mold isn't necessary - it tastes the same. I use unflavored gelatin and 100% fruit juice instead of boxed gelatin, but here are a few recipes from a Jell-O pamphlet (1985). COOL AS A CUCUMBER SALAD 1 PKG. (4-serving size) Sugar Free or regular Jell-O, lime flavor 1/4 t. salt 3/4 c. boiling water 1 T. lemon juice 1/2 c. cold water ice cubes 1/2 c. sour cream 1 c. chopped seeded, peeled, cucumbers 1 T. minced onion 1 t. (dried) dillweed or 1 T. chopped fresh dill Dissolve gelatin and salt in boiling water. Add lemon juice. Combine cold water and ice cubes to make 1-1/4 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Blend in sour cream; add remaining ingredients. Pour into individual dishes and chill, soft set in 30-minutes. 6 servings. 50 calories per serving if using Sugar Free gelatin. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MUNCH CUPS 1 pkg. (4-serving size) Sugar Free gelatin, orange or lime flavor 3/4 c. boiling water 1/2 c. cold water ice cubes 1 t. lemon juice (optional) 1-1/2 c. sliced or diced vegetables or fruit Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Combine cold water and ice cubes to make 1-1/4 cups. Add to gelatin with lemon juice, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Add vegetables and spoon into individual dishes. Chill, soft set in 30-minutes. 6 servings. 15 calories per serving. Suggested Variations: sliced celery, chopped cabbage, shredded carrot; chopped cabbage, chopped apple. WALDORF TOSS 1 pkg. (4-serving size) Sugar Free Jell-O gelatin, any RED flavor dash of salt 3/4 c. boiling water 1/2 c. cold water ice cubes 1/2 c. diced apple or pear 1 small banana, sliced 1/4 c. sliced celery (or chopped nuts, optional) Dissolve gelatin and salt in boiling water. Combine cold water and ice cubes to make 1-1/4 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any unmelted ice. Fold in fruits and celery. Spoon into individual dishes. Chill, soft set in 30-minutes. 5 servings. -Grainlady

I disagree on the dish...I think because the crackling is only on the inside it's cosmetic. Done on purpose....called grackle glazed. Is there a back stamp on the bottom? I have a lovely antique pottery pie plate that has a crackely glaze.....and when I baked a pie in it....grease oozed out of the bottom of that pie plate....dark nasty grease. It seems the crackles were through the glaze and the pottery inside was saturated with grease from years of pie baking and oozed out! I now only use the dish for decorative plating and holding a pile of apples on the counter. it has had several rides in the dishwasher but I haven't baked another pie in it! As for the chicken, the package is pumped full of nitrogen and CO2 to retard spoilage. https://books.google.com/books?id=8gfrBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=nitrogen+in+packaged+meats+to+retard+spoiling&source=bl&ots=K-h3jlBmaO&sig=ACfU3U20huJIGDafLJgkYL3FpIhc7zsh_Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJxJbXqszlAhVDSK0KHfQrBzAQ6AEwBXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=nitrogen%20in%20packaged%20meats%20to%20retard%20spoiling&f=false

I also chop/halve mine by hand, and it goes pretty quickly. This is one of my faves for cranberry bread. Cook's Illustrated Cranberry Nut Bread 1/3 cup fresh orange juice 1 T. grated orange zest 2/3 cup buttermilk 6 T. butter, melted 1 large egg, beaten lightly 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp. table salt 1 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 cups cranberries (about 6 ounces), chopped coarse 1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped coarse 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. 2. Grease bottom of 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Stir together orange juice, zest, buttermilk, butter, and egg in small bowl. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in large bowl. Stir liquid ingredients into dry with rubber spatula until just moistened. Gently stir in cranberries and pecans. Do not overmix. 3. Scrape batter into loaf pan and spread with rubber spatula into corners of pan. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees; continue to bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, about 45 minutes longer. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool at least 1 hour before serving.