Party Punch

Party Punch 6 (3 ounce) packages of Jello gelatin (strawberry, lemon, lime, raspberry, etc.) 6 cups of boiling water 4 cups of granulated sugar 6 cups of cold water 3 large cans of frozen orange juice 3 large cans of frozen lemonade 3 large cans of pineapple juice 3 large bottles of ginger ale, or liters of 7-up or Sprite or any combination of them 4 quarts of pineapple or other sherbet, optional Fresh fruit, flash frozen individually, optional (see note in recipe) In a very large pot or other container, dissolve the Jello in the boiling water; add the sugar, stirring until dissolved, then add the cold water. Mix the orange juice according to the package directions and pour into the Jello mixture; stir. Repeat with the lemonade. DO NOT add the ginger ale or 7-up/Sprite at this stage!! That will be added just before serving. Stir to blend well and transfer into individual storage containers to chill. Well washed, leftover milk jugs or orange juice cartons work well for this. Chill for at least 24 hours. If making an ice ring or ice cubes, pour some of the mixed Jello and juice into the trays or ice ring mold. If desired, add in some of the freshly flash-frozen fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries. (To flash freeze the fruit, simply clean and rinse the fruit and spread out on a baking sheet in a single layer.) To freeze fruit inside a mold and have the fruit right at the top, freeze the mold in stages. Add just enough liquid to barely cover the fruit to your mold. Carefully place the fruit where you want it and transfer to the freezer. Freeze until set, then top with more of the juice. Freeze for at least 24 hours total time. To assemble the punch, run a bit of warm water over the bottom of the ice mold to unseat it. You'll see when it releases. Invert the ring over the bottom of the punch bowl to carefully pop it out. How many punch bowls you'll get out of this will depend on how large the punch bowl is. Fill the punch bowl about 1/2 full with the juice mixture, see what you have left of it, and you'll know how many bowls you'll get out of the batch. Then, add in the appropriate amount of ginger ale/Sprite/7-up and spoon in enough sherbet until top is covered. Replenish in that order - juice, ginger ale/Sprite and sherbet - as needed.