Butter Beer!

A Harry Potter birthday party isn't complete without some butter beer like they serve at the 3 Broomsticks!

It is easily doubled. It was a HUGE hit! I must say it's very yummy!

This is from the 'leaked' recipe that they serve at the Harry Potter park!

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda (I just bought 1 ltr bottles)

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract. (The mixture is almost like a butterscotch sauce....MMmmmm)

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each. (I mixed it all together-1 part butterscotch to 3 parts cream soda- and served it out of a pitcher. We also used smaller glasses, and got a ton of servings!)

We decided that an adult version could be made by adding a little Irish Cream or Rum...will test and report back!

Makes 4 (large servings) Many smaller servings

From: foxnews.com- Harry Potter's Butterbeer Recipe Uncovered



Aloha Lost- A Food Tribute!

Yes, we watched, we loved, we got headaches, we didn't get all of the question anwsered, we were lost, but it's time to say goodbye. After 6 years and a great show, it's time for the last show, and what better way to send off a great show than with a proper buffet tribute! Lots of thought and love went into this, some may laugh, some may think it's pretty cool. I had a blast! Enjoy and Namaste

Menu:

Pineapple/Apricot punch: This is a punch that Grandma got from Hawaii and brought back, she would always make up some for a hot summer day. It's very simple, 1 part Sprite/lemon-lime, 2 parts pineapple juice & 2 part apricot nectar. It's very nice without the Sprite in a blender with some ice for Breakfast drinks.

Hawaiian Sweet Bread: A nod to the lovely island that they filmed at! And we needed bread!

Peanut Butter: When the airplane crashed a few days later we were introduced to one of the best couples, Claire & Charlie. Claire was pregnant and all she wanted was peanut butter, Charlie produces an empty jar and they pretend that it's wonderful. Later on, they do get ahold of peanut butter. I added some pretzel sticks, makes it easier to dip!

Orange Smiles: Who could forget Locke smiling with an orange smile?

Ranch Dressing: After they found the hatch full of food, Hurley found a vat of ranch, and ate it! Notice it took every bit of me to not arrange the veggies. I made it look like it was 'thrown together' A'la Hurley food binge!

Light & Dark Kebabs: There was a constant theme of good and bad, light and dark. Hence Chicken & Steak! The steak is marinated in a mixture of  2 parts honey & 1 part soy sauce with grape tomatoes. The chicken plain with pineapple niblets. Both are very yummy and toddler friendly. The boys love them!

Light & Dark Cupcakes: Again with the constant theme. Lots of fun!

Dharma Fish Biscuts: Kate & Sawyer spent some time in animal cages, and enjoyed these treats! Mine are a little more tasty. Easy peasy, take refrigerated sugar cookie dough, mix in orange food dye by hand. If you have a fish cookie cutter this will work, if not, hand shape the cookies. With a toothpick write 'DHARMA' in the cookie. Bake according to package directions. They do get puffy so we iced them to show the fish outline. They were very large but enjoyed by all!

Papaya: It was all over the island we had to have it on the table!

Little Airline Bottles of random drinks: They were on a plane! Sawyer hid them for a while.

Fried Rice: A nod to Jin & Sun another one of the best couples in the show.

I did a search for the best fried rice...of course it's Benihana's! I love that stuff! It's fun to watch them make it and oh so yummy!

4 cups cooked rice

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 Tblsp finely grated carrot (I just chopped baby carrots very fine, but rough cut)

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup diced onion (1 small onion)

1 1/2 Tblsp butter

2 Tblsp soy sauce

salt & pepper

Once the rice is cooked, cool competely in the fridge. Scramble egg in a small pan over medium heat. Seperate eggs into small pieces. Add peas, carrot, egg and onion to the bowl of rice. Toss all of the ingredients together. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium/high heat. Dump the bowl of rice mixture into the pan and add soy sauce plus a dash of salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes over heat, stirring often. 

 This can be made ahead of time by cooking the rice, then adding the peas, carrots, egg & half of the soy sauce. Keep chilled until you are ready to fry it in the butter. Add the rest of soy sauce and salt & pepper.

I doubled the recipie, it made a TON of fried rice, would be nice with added chicken!

 Makes: 4 servings

From: a combination of many recipies from online Google search

Well there it is! Hope you enjoy. There are lots of fun foods to make and try

Strawberry Lemonade

Only on a unseasonably hot spring day would this be what I craved! And it helped that I had a 'strawberry treat' from Sharon on hand! This is a true creation, and it depends on your tastes...you can do it with other berries or limes or a combination of all of it!

Squeeze the juice of 4 lemons into a small mixing bowl (I use my small batter bowl) Press 5 large berries thru a sieve, if you have a few seeds it's not the end of the world, into the bowl with the lemon juice. With a whisk, slowly pour 3/4 cup sugar into the mixture,if it's too much sugar you can adjust it to your tastes. In a pitcher, fill with water 3/4 of the way full with cold water and stir in the juice mixture. Let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving, I don't know why but it tastes better! Enjoy!!

Makes: a pitcher of Hot day relief!

From: Poffs Kitchen

Chocolate Raspberry Martinis

After seeing this in my Season's Best book...I just had to make it!! And plan on making it often and sharing with friends!! (So double everything) ;0)

1 1/3 cups half & half (can use low fat)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 bag frozen raspberries, thawed (the original says to use frozen in syrup, I haven't been able to find this and it works just as good with out the extra sugar)
6 oz raspberry vodka, divided
2 cups ice, divided
Optional garnish: fresh raspberries, mint, chocolate shavings

 Pour half & half in classic batter bowl, microwave uncovered for 60-90 seconds, just till beginning to simmer. Add chocolate chips and whisk with the stainless whisk until smooth. Pour half of the chocolate mixture into a shaker.

This is where I go rouge: Sometimes you don't have all of the tools, so you improvise! I do this 1st because I takes a little while and it's ready so you can just measure and shake! Take the thawed raspberries and press them thru a strainer like tool using the back of a spoon, to extract the juice. Discard the seeds. If a few seeds get in it's not the end of the world!

Using a jigger, measure out 3 ounces raspberry vodka. 1/3 cup raspberry juice, and 1 cup ice into shaker. Secure lid and shake what your momma gave ya! For about 1 minute or until ice is almost melted. Divide among 3 martini glasses and enjoy! Repeat again with rest of ingredients. Garnish with fresh raspberries, a sprig of mint and a little shaved chocolate. I love using my garlic slicer for chocolate, throw a few chocolate chips and it makes a lovely shaved garnish!

Makes: 6 martinis
From: Pampered Chef Season's Best Cook Book (I can't remember year)