A Challenge

This is something I do anyway, but I’ve been slipping.  Slipping.  So.  In 21 days I am rewarding myself with ONE of the things on this list.  That will be Monday, November 7.  GO!

 

I need motivation!

Help!  I am demotivated!  Something I never used to experience! What is going on??  I know I should push harder to get the hubby to go back to the gym with me, but I don’t want to nag.  It feels like nagging! 

 I can go without him but I would have to beg for a spotter and then our workouts would be off because he’d want to go the next day and I will have already worked that body part so then I’d just be standing around (and spotting him, of course).  I guess I could do it that way but if I did he’d say there is no point in us going since I have already worked out that body part the day before and he’d be all fussy… blah blah blah!

I wonder if putting a pic like this in front of me would help:

Yes. That helps already!  My legs will never be that long, but that’s beside the point! I’m giving myself credit here tho: I haven’t missed much cardio training!  I do SOMETHING everyday toward my health. 

A smart woman once said “Everything you don’t do toward your health, you are doing against it”.  Did I say that right? 

Also, I read this once: Don’t give up for the moment on what you want for a lifetime. In other words, don’t do anything that would jeapordize what you want healthwise for your life,  just because you’re tempted at the moment. Or in pictures it looks like this:

I am lucky to have such smart friends! Here’s another motivator for me:

I gotta stop cheating. I can do this! i will do this!  Goddess help me!

 

 

A Pick Me Up

I subscribe to a site called TUT.  It sends you little “Notes from the Universe” that are very uplifting.  If you want to subscribe go to www.tut.com .  Here is today’s “note”:

One of abundances many corollaries is that the brighter your light, the more you attract… everything.

Moths and butterflies.

At which point you begin learning what to celebrate and what to let fly on by.

Or who,
The Universe

 

Harry Potter Treats~Weasley Twins Treats

Found on Instructables.com.  You can see step by step photos there. Below are recipes for:

 Puking Pastilles

Fainting Fancies

Nosebleed Nougat

Fever Fudge

I don’t know if these are official HP recipes, but they’re pretty cool!

Puking Pastilles

Puking Pastilles, originally appearing in the Harry Potter books as an invention of the Weasley twins, were meant to induce vomiting in order to avoid unpleasant obligations like sitting in class.  Eat the orange half of these double-sided candies and you’ll experience a strange queasy feeling due to the unfortunate combination of anise (black licorice flavor), garlic, and sugar.  Once you have felt the impacts of this gut twisting flavor, calm your tummy with the delightfully minty purple half.
What you need:
Parchment paper
Cream cheese, room temperature – 2 oz (measure by weight or use 1/4 of an 8oz box)
Powdered Sugar – 1 lb (you will only need about half of the bag but you may need extra to get the texture right)
Food Color powders, pastes, or gels in yellow, red, and blue
garlic powder – 1/8 teas
anise extract* (this tastes like black licorice) – 1/8 teas
peppermint or other mint extract* – 1/4 teas

*You can use flavor oils traditionally used in candy making but you’ll want to taste test to determine the right amount.

Place about 1oz cream cheese into each of two containers.  You can warm this up for 10 seconds or so in the microwave but it should be ok if you started with room temperature cream cheese.

In one container, add yellow and red food coloring.  In that same container, add your garlic and anise.  Stir until the color is uniform.  The color of the final product will be a slightly faded version of what it looks like now.  Adjust the color by adding more food coloring, if desired.

In the second container, add red and blue food coloring along with the peppermint extract.  Stir until a uniform color is achieved.  Adjust the color as before.

To each container, add 1 cup powdered sugar and mix until the powdered sugar is incorporated and the color is uniform.  You will probably need more powdered sugar.  The amount of powdered sugar you’ll need depends a lot on the amount of moisture you’ve introduced with the flavors and colors.  So check the consistency.  You want this stuff to be quite a bit thicker than peanut butter.  It should come together, losing a lot of its stickiness, and just short of being crumbly.  If it is not quite like this, continue to add powdered sugar until the consistency is correct.

Cut two pieces of parchment paper about 6 inches wide.  Gather one of the colors of dough into a ball.  Working on the parchment paper and dusting with powdered sugar as necessary, stretch it out into a long thick rope.  Repeat with the other color on its own piece of parchment, making it about the same size as the first.  Press each rope down to flatten somewhat.

Brush the top of one of these ropes with a light layer of water and then lay the other rope on top of it.  Press together.  Roll the double thick rope in parchment paper, giving it a round shape as you go.  Place on a tray and put it in the freezer for a few minutes to harden it for slicing.

Slice the candy into uniformly thick pieces.  I flattened mine somewhat to get the look I wanted.  Lay these piece on a rack to dry.  They could take up to several days to harden properly.  Before drying, these can also be pushed into candy molds or the disks can be cut with tiny cookie cutters.

Fainting Fancies

This version of the Weasleys’ trick sweet uses the idea of a double shock to add magic to its gummy goodness.  Firstly, the savory orange colored “fainting” side takes the eater by surprise with the completely unsweetened flavor of carrot spiced with cumin.  Then the sugar-laced yellow half, meant to revive it unconscious consumer, tastes of sour lemon.

4 Tbsp unflavored gelatin
4 Tbsp water
1/3 cup carrot juice, strained (other juices work here)
1/4 teas ground cumin
1/3 cup apple juice
6 Tbsp sugar
1 packet lemonade flavored drink mix powder, unsweetened (1/4 oz)
1 small pan*

*Total volume is 1 1/4 cup so I used a mini loaf pan 5″X3″  To see how thickly your treats will be in your own small pan, pour in 1 1/4 cups to see the final height.

Place 2 Tbsp water into a small bowl.  Add 2 Tbsp gelatin.  Set aside for at least 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, place 1/3 cup carrot juice and 1/4 teas cumin (other juices/spices will also work).  Heat on low-medium to simmering.  Add the gelatin.  Stir until gelatin is melted.

Pour into pan and place in refrigerator to chill.  Once it is set-up and cool, about an hour or so, proceed to the next step.

Place 2 Tbsp water into a small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp gelatin. Set aside for at least 5 minutes.

In a small saucepan, place 1/3 apple juice, 6 Tbsp sugar, and contents of drink mix packet.  Heat on low-medium while stiring until sugar is dissolved. Add the gelatin.  Continue stirring over low to medium heat until gelatin is melted.

Set aside while this mixture cools a little.  It should still be warm but not so hot it will immediately melt the cooled orange side.  I set it out for about 15-20 minutes but your experience may vary.  Carefully pour over orange gelatin and place in refrigerator to chill and set-up.

One the two layers are set-up, place the pan in hot water and carefully loosen sides with a knife.  Turn out onto a slightly damp cutting board (this prevents it from sticking so much).

Keep a bowl of hot water handy.  Plunge the knife into this water between cuts, allow it to be hot and wet as you slice through.  Slice off a side, as shown.  Using a knife or cookie cutter (also plunged into hot water) to cut the candy into pieces.  If uneven, trim them to even them up.

Allow these candies to sit out on a very lightly greased plate for an hour or two to lose their stickiness.  Keep packaged between layers of parchment paper in the refrigerator.  Since the carrot side is completely unsweetened, it should be kept cold.  So if you happen to make two sweet sides, refrigeration is not necessary.

Nosebleed Nougat

This is a simple nougat-style candy flavored to transform it into a muggle version of Nosebleed Nougat from Harry Potter fame.  In its magic fictional form, this candy is double-sided with the red side intended to cause nosebleeds and the other side halting them.  In this version, the red side delivers a blood-inspired flavor rather than a bloody nose.  It starts out tart and gets salty while delivering a hint of umami.  Opposite the red side is a nice vanilla banana flavor that’s a pleasant counterpoint to the sensations created by the red.

Stock your very own Skiving Snackbox using these, some delightfully nauseating Puking Pastilles, and heat-inducing Fever Fudge.

1 jar marshmallow creme (7oz.)
powdered sugar
1 teas soy sauce (balsalmic vinegar makes a nice substitution here)
1 package unsweetened strawberry flavored drink mix (Kool-Aid or similar)
1 teas salt
red gel, paste, or powdered food coloring (optional)
1/2 teas vanilla extract
1`/2 teas banana extract
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (variety of nuts is up to you)
Oil (spray preferred)
Foil

In a small bowl, mix soy sauce (or vinegar), drink mix, and salt. Set aside.

Line a cookie sheet or cutting board with foil, lightly coat the foil with oil, and set aside. Lightly oil the bowls and two working spoons (spoons are less sticky this way).

Divide the marshmallow creme into two medium microwave safe bowls.

Heat one half of the marshmallow in the microwave, about 20 seconds, to loosen it up.  Add the vanilla and banana extract to the heated marshmallow and stir to combine using an oiled spoon.

Add 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar to the marshmallow mix.  Stir to combine.  You’ll need to use your hands to work it in well.  Grease your hands with a light coat of oil so it sticks to them less.  So if it won’t mix further and looks like there is far too much powdered sugar, it’s time to use your hands.  UKneed in all of the powdered sugar.  The desired consistency is like Play-doh (for those who aren’t familiar with it, it’s a play clay–not modeling clay).  It should come together and should be lose most of its stickiness.  Add more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

Add 2 Tbsp nuts and use your hands to mix it in evenly.

Add the soy sauce mixture to the other half of the heated marshmallow and stir to combine using the second oiled spoon. Stir to combine. It should be colored red. If the color is not dark enough, add food color to deepen the shade.

Add 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar to the marshmallow mix. Stir to combine. Grease you hands to work the powdered sugar into the marshmallow.  Continue to kneed until it is well mixed and the same consistency as the first half of the candy dough.

Add 2 Tbsp nuts and knead to mix in.

Using oiled hands, form the white dough into one, two, or three logs, depending on the size candy you’d like.  I made a 24″ long log here.  Repeat using the red dough to make the same number and size logs.

Press these logs down until they are about 1/2″ high.  Using a little bit of water and either a paint brush or your fingertip, brush one side of the white dough with a very light coat of water.  The goal is to make it sticky again, not slimy.  With clean, dry hands, maneuver one of the logs into place next to the other so the wet side of the white dough is touching red dough.  Press these logs together from the side toward the center.  Then press down the tops of the logs to make them even and make sure they are firmly stuck.

It’s easiest to cut them and/or shape the pieces right away.  You can cut them into strips, even roll them into two-sided logs.  However, I cut mine into diamonds.  When I was done cutting diagonally both ways to create the diamonds, I stuck the leftover triangles together by dampening one of the edges to be joined.

Allow to harden over night.  Flip the pieces over onto a new piece of foil, waxed paper, or parchment paper.  These can harden another day or two, or as long as you’d like to get the texture you desire before putting them into a closed container.  You can wrap the pieces in waxed paper squares if you’d like.

// Fever Fudge

//

Inspired by the inventions of the Weasley twins in the Harry Potter books, these two-sided confections are the perfect blend of hot and cool.  Eating the red half will cause the heat to rise in your head.  Cool the heat by biting into the blue half.  This version of Fever Fudge may not affect muggles as strongly as it does wizards.3 cups white chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14oz.)
Red paste, powder, or gel food color
Blue paste, powder, or gel food color
1 teas cinnamon
cayenne pepper–amount varies; 1/2 teas for low-grade fever, 1 teaspoon + for hospital wing
1/2 teas vanilla extract (mint extract can be substituted if you’d prefer a frostier cool side)
loaf pan
parchment paper or foil
spray oil

Line your pan with foil or parchment paper.  I lined my pan with a strip of parchment paper in this way to make it easier to take pictures of the process.  Grease the foil and/or uncovered areas around the parchment.

Place your white chocolate chips in a medium microwave safe bowl.  Pour sweetened condensed milk over the chips.Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in-between until the chips are thoroughly melted and the sweetened condensed milk is incorporated.

Pour approximately half of the molten fudge into another microwave safe bowl.  Set aside.

To one half of the fudge, add cinnamon, desired amount of cayenne pepper, and red food coloring.  Stir to blend in the color.  Continue to add red food coloring until the desired shade is reached.  You may also want to test spice levels as well.  Adjust the amount of cayenne pepper, testing as you go, until you get the appropriate heat level.

Pour red, spicy fudge into the loaf pan.  Tap the pan on the counter to level the top and release air bubbles.  Refrigerate until set.

One the red fudge is set, warm the uncolored half of the fudge by mircowaving and stirring as before, until the fudge is runny.Add the 1/2 teas vanilla (and/or mint) extract and some blue food coloring.  Stir until the food coloring is mixed in.  Add more blue coloring until the desired shade is reached.

Pour the blue fudge over the red and chill until set.  The heat from the warm blue fudge should be enough to “weld” the colors together at the joint.

Once fully set, remove the set fudge from the pan.  Trim the fudge to make nice squared-off edges.Slice into long strips. Lay these two-toned strips on their sides and cut into even pieces.

Puking Pastilles
by    starshipminivan

Fever Fudge
by    starshipminivan

Fainting Fancies
by    starshipminivan

 

Harry Potter Treats~Pumpkin Pasties, Pumpkin Juice, Treacle Tart & Steak & Kidney Pie

FOUND AT:http://thewhimsicalcupcake.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/pumpkin-pasties-2/

Pumpkin Pasties
Adapted from here

For the Pie Crust:

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1/8 – 1/4 cup ice water

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse to combine until resembles course crumbs. Add ice water in a steady stream until the dough comes together, you may not need the entire 1/4 cup. The dough should stick together when pinched. It shouldn’t take longer than 10 seconds.

Shape the dough into a flattened disc, wrap into plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (The dough can be frozen for up to a month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

For the Pumpkin Filling:

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
2 cups fresh pumpkin puree OR 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs lightly. Stir in the pumpkin puree, heavy whipping cream, and light brown sugar, mixing between each addition. Add the spices and salt and stir to evenly distribute. Pour the filling into a buttered casserole dish and bake until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean, about 30 – 40 minutes.

Cool completely.

Assembling the Paties:

Ingredients:
1 egg, yolk and white separated
1 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
granulated sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Take the disc of crust dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out onto your floured work surface until about 12″ in diameter. Roll from the center out and rotate your crust quarter turns occasionally to avoid sticking. Using a 4″ circle-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many rounds as you can squeeze out of it and transfer each to wax paper or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. You can re-roll out your scrap dough to get more rounds, but be aware that over-worked dough can result in toughness. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Once the pumpkin pie filling has cooled completely, take the dough out of the refrigerator and drop about a tablespoon of the pumpkin filling into the center of each dough round. Using your finger or pastry brush, apply a thin coat of egg white to half of the edge of the round and fold the circle over and press the edges to seal. The egg white will help to keep the dough closed while baking. Crimp the edges with a fork to give a final seal. Set on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and continue the same way with the rest of your dough rounds.

Lightly whisk together the egg yolk and cream. Brush the tops and edges of the pasties with a soft pastry brush and sprinkle on sugar (if using it). Use a knife to cut three slits in the tops of each pasty. If your dough has gotten considerably warm, refrigerate for about 30 minutes; if not, continue with the recipe. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Yields about 16 pasties, depending on the size of cookie cutter you use.

Serve with some butterbeer and ice cream

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Pumpkin Juice

• 2 cups chopped edible fresh pumpkin chunks
• 2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup apricot juice (optional)
• 1 teaspoon honey (or to taste)
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice

Directions:

Grind the pumpkin pieces up in a food processor, and squeeze out juice through a fine mesh strainer or a piece of cheesecloth.

Mix all juices together in a bowl, and stir in honey and spices. Chill thoroughly in fridge.

Stir again, and pour the juice over ice to serve.

Prep time:

About 30 minutes active time

About 40 minutes time in fridge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Treacle Tart

Ingredients
2 ounces fresh white bread crumbs
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5 ounces rich short crust pastry — see note
6 tablespoons Golden Syrup — see note

a) Golden Syrup, or treacle may be substituted for light molasses or
honey.
b) You may substitute the pastry by an unbaked pie crust from your
local bakery.

Instructions
Put the syrup into a saucepan with the bread crumbs, lemon rind and juice and heat gently until just melted. Cool.
Roll out the dough and use to line an 8 in pie plate. Pour in the syrup mixture.
Roll out the dough trimmings and cut into long, narrow strips. Arrange them in a lattice pattern over the filling.
Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 ºF) for 25 to 30 min or until the pastry is slightly browned.
Serve hot or cold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steak & Kidney Pie

Ingredients:

• Pastry for 1-crust pie
• 1 beef kidney
• 2 lbs. round steak, cubed
• 2 tablespoons oil, drippings, or shortening
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups diced raw potatoes
• 6 Tbs. flour

Preparation:

Cover beef kidney with lightly salted water, cover and refrigerate overnight. Drain; cut out tubes and white membrane with scissors. Dice meat.Brown kidney and steak in hot fat. Add onions, seasoning, and 1 1/2 cup water. Simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.

Blend together flour and remaining 1/2 cup water; stir into meat mixture. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture thickens. Pour into 3 qt. casserole.

Roll out pastry slightly larger than top of casserole. Place over meat mixture and trim to overhang 1″. Fold under and flute against inside edge of casserole. Cut several steam vents in center.

Bake at 425 degrees until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
Serves 8
NOTE: You can use the milder-flavored veal or lamb kidney instead of the beef, if availiable. You can skip the soaking.

 

Harry Potter Treats ~ Butterbeer

FOUND AT; http://www.thepastryaffair.com/blog/2011/7/14/butterbeer.html

 

These Butterbeers are rich, fun, and fizzy. Your favorite drink from the Harry Potter series is now available to muggles like you! The Butterbeers are created by mixing a butterscotch/caramel syrup into cream soda and then topping it with a healthy dollop of butterscotch infused whipped cream. When taking a sip from the mug, you will get a whipped cream mustache. Trust me, it’s all a part of the novelty. Fair warning, these drinks are on the sweeter side, so make sure to bring your sweet tooth along (not that it has ever been a problem for me!).

Butterbeer
Adapted from Huffington Post

Yields 4 servings

1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda, chilled

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar with 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, stirring occasionally. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, bring to a gentle boil and turn off the heat after about a minute of cooking.

Turn off the heat and add the butter, salt, vinegar, and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Cool mixture to room temperature before using.

In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining cream (1/2 cup) with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar syrup.

In each glass, mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar syrup with 1/4 cup cream soda. Pour in the rest of the cream soda until it is nearly to the brim of the glass. Top with whipped cream.

Serve immediately!

 

 

Harry Potter Treats ~Cauldron Cakes

 FOUND AT:http://www.thepastryaffair.com/blog/2011/7/12/cauldron-cakes.html

These Cauldron Cakes are the ultimate Harry Potter eye candy. They are easy to make, fun to eat, and, above all, delicious. Though the steps may appear long or complicated from a quick glance at the recipe below, I assure you they aren’t. In less than an hour, you can have one of these cauldron cakes in your belly. By simply flipping a cupcake over, it opens a whole new world of possibilities. These cauldron cakes consist of devil’s food cake cupcakes dipped into a rich chocolate glaze and filled to the brim with marshmallow filling. Chocolate chips form the cauldron feet, which not only keep these cauldrons looking more authentic, but stop the cauldrons from rolling around. I like to think the edible gold glitter means these cauldrons are filled with a little Felix Felicis (or “liquid luck”).

These cupcakes would also make a perfect Halloween treat!

Cauldron Cakes
Inspired by Bakingdom

Yields 12 cauldrons

12 devil’s food cupcakes
1 recipe for Chocolate Glaze (below)
1 recipe for Marshmallow Filling (below)
Approximately 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Edible gold glitter

Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons butter

In a double boiler, melt together the chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Glaze will be relatively thick. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes before use. If chocolate thickens too much, return to heat and stir until smooth and melted once more.

Marshmallow Filling
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff (or prepared marshmallow cream)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, beat together the marshmallow fluff, shortening, sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

To assemble
Using a cupcake corer or sharp knife, cut out a cavity in the bottom of the cupcake. When using a knife, I run it in a circular motion around the cupcake, while always pointing the knife towards the center (this will make the cavity cone shaped).

Dip the top of the cupcake into the chocolate glaze. Flip the cupcakes right side up and let rest until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. To speed up the process, place cupcakes in the refrigerator.

To make the cauldron feet, take 3 chocolate chips and form a small triangle, placing each chocolate chip roughly an inch from the others. Place the top of a cupcake onto the chocolate chips and push down ever so slightly so the chocolate chips will stick into the chocolate glaze. Repeat for the rest of the cupcakes.

Place remaining chocolate glaze into a piping bag and pipe a chocolate rim around the edge of the opening to the cauldron. If chocolate is too thick to pipe, heat chocolate glaze up until warm and allow to sit until glaze thickens slightly. If chocolate glaze is too runny to pipe, wait a few minutes until the glaze thickens to a pipe-able consistency. Alternatively, you could use a knife to spread the glaze around the edge of the cupcake.

Fill a pastry bag with marshmallow filling and pipe into the cavity of the cupcakes. Garnish the top with edible gold glitter.

To make cauldron handle, melt the remaining chocolate chips, stir until smooth, and place into a pastry bag. You don’t need a special tip for this step; I simply cut off the very end of the pastry bag which was sufficient. On a non-stick mat or wax paper, pipe out the handles (feel free to use any pattern you’d like). I recommend measuring the cupcakes with a ruler to determine how wide you need to make the handles before piping. Let the chocolate set until hardened, approximately 30 minutes, before very carefully peeling off of the non-stick surface and placing into the top of each cupcake.

And you’re done! Eat and enjoy.

 

Harry Potter Treats ~The Hogwarts Trolley

Found at: http://www.thepastryaffair.com/blog/2011/7/10/harry-potter-treats.html

Today’s menu: sweets from Honeydukes and the Hogwarts Express food trolley.

“Fred gave me one when I was seven, it burnt a hole right through my tongue. I can remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick.” —Ron Weasley

These acid pops make a sweet and unexpected treat for adults and children alike. Sour lollipops are coated in a thin layer of honey and covered in pop rocks. While these won’t burn a hole through your tongue, the pop rocks provide an unexpected twist on the traditional lollipop making them twice as fun to eat. The popping and crackling inside your mouth is really something to be experienced. These are also a fun treat for birthday parties.

Acid Pops
Adapted from The Leaky Cauldron

12 lollipops (I recommend using sour ones—these are acid pops!)
3-4 packages pop rocks (any flavor of your choosing)
1/4 cup honey

Unwrap the lollipops. Place the pop rocks into a shallow bowl.

Place the honey in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. The hotter the honey is, the thinner the consistency of the honey will become (and we want thin honey!). Coat the lollipops in the honey and roll in the pop rocks. If the honey thickens, heat it up again. Set the lollipops on wax paper until dry.

Assemble these as closely as possible to the serving time as the pop rocks will absorb some of the moisture in the honey and lose some of their “pop.”

On the 1st of September, when riding the Hogwarts express for the first time, Harry Potter bought every sweet available from the food trolley (including Licorice Wands) because he had never had wizard sweets before and wanted to try everything he could. And really, could you blame him?

These licorice wands are just fun. Licorice twists are partially covered in a vanilla candy coating to form the handle and sprinkled with, well, sprinkles. Even though these wands are a little floppy (especially if your licorice is fresh), it doesn’t change the fact that you can still cast spells with a quick flick of your wrist. Finally a food you are supposed to play with!

Licorice Wands
Adapted from Betty Crocker

6 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating (or white chocolate)
24 licorice twists (any flavor)
Sprinkles

Melt the candy coating in a small bowl. Coat 1/3 to 1/2 of the licorice twists in the candy coating (I filled a tall, 2 ounce shot glass with the candy coating which made it much easier to dip the licorice twists and get a clean edge). Sprinkle with sprinkles and place licorice twists onto wax paper to dry for at least 1 hour to set the coating.

What Harry Potter snack list would be complete with chocolate frogs? Chocolate Frogs are a popular treat sold throughout the Wizarding world. Each chocolate frog acts like a real frog, thanks to magic, hopping around and generally causing a bit of mischief. Each frog is packaged with a collectible card of famous witches and wizards, which many students collect and swap.

These chocolate frogs are more like bite-sized chocolates than the “real” chocolate frogs, but if you are hosting a party, this size is perfect for your guests. I found my frog mold at a local cake decorating store. If you can’t find one there, the internet is always an option.

Chocolate Frogs

Tempered chocolate, melted
Frog chocolate mold

Fill an ungreased chocolate mold with melted chocolate. Hit mold against hard surface several times to level out the chocolate and rid the chocolates of air bubbles. Freeze chocolate for 3-5 minutes (if you leave them in longer, the chocolate will lose its glossy sheen). Remove from freezer, flip over mold, and hit it against a clean surface until chocolates fall out.

Ron Weasley once thought he could fool Fred into eating a cockroach cluster if he told him they were peanuts. Cockroach clusters supposedly contain real cockroaches, making them taste as gross as they sound.

These Cockroach Clusters, on the other hand, are tasty little bite-sized cookies. Dry chow mein noodles are covered in a layer of chocolate and butterscotch—this combination may sound strange, but is delicious! These cookies are very similar to the chocolate nests I made for spring. These cookies are very easy to form into a cockroach or bug shape if you are feeling creative, or you can simply make small clusters and pretend the chow mein noodles are spindly cockroach legs. Also a fun cookie idea for Halloween!

Cockroach Clusters

Yields 12 clusters

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/2 cup dry chow mein noodles

Heat up the chocolate and butterscotch chips in a double boiler (or microwave) and stir until smooth. Mix in the dry chow mein noodles until evenly coated.

On a baking sheet covered in wax paper, drop a spoonful of noodles to form small clusters. Let cool completely and store clusters in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

The Haunting 1991

I have added The Haunting 1991 to my series of Haunted Places.  The Haunting is based on actual events! Here is the trailer.  The entire movie is availabe in 10 parts on youtube.  I love these retro horror flicks!