Cute Kitchen Accessories

Good food is easy to make, but it's much more fun with a cute accessory or two!

Snow White's Poison Apple

Being the huge Disney fanatic that I am, I've always appreciated Walt's classics. Something that not many people seem to realize is that Snow White was the original Disney princess... not Cinderella. The movie was realized all the way back in 1937. That's before many of our parents were even born, yet the movie has stood the tests of time and is seen as one of the best animations in Disney history. 

One of the most noteworthy and recognizable symbols from the movie is the poison apple which Snow White stupidly takes a bite of and falls into a coma. This recipe may not be poisonous, but it IS pretty darn addicting...

"This is no ordinary apple! It's a magic wishing apple." - Evil Queen



What you'll need:
1 red baking apple
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins or cranberries
2 tbsp of butter + 1 tbsp per apple
1 tbsp light cream
160 grams white chocolate chips
1/4 cup apple juice

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Core apple, but not all the way through: use a knife to make the initial cuts, and then scoop out most of the core with a spoon.
3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and any optional ingredients.
4. Fill apple with oatmeal raisin mixture, and top with a pat of butter.
5. Place in baking pan, and pour apple juice around the apple. Bake until tender (about 30 minutes).
6. Meanwhile, make white chocolate sauce: Melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add light cream and white chocolate chips. Do not overheat! Stir continuously until mixture is smooth.
7. Remove from heat, and allow to sit until cool enough to touch. You should be able to shape the cooled ganache with your hands.
8. Shape white chocolate over stuffed apples that have been allowed to cool slightly. Use a knife or spoon to make a skull face, as pictured.
9. Enjoy cold, or warm in microwave for a toasty treat with ice cream.

I may have diverted from the queen's original recipe just a bit... but caldrons are really hard to come by nowadays. You understand, right? Once you make these bad boys a few times, they become incredibly easy. Start practicing so you can give out this semi healthy treat for Halloween!

Krabby Patties

Are you ready?! I'm ready, I'm ready for some delicious Krabby Patties straight from The Krusty Krab. Sure you might say, don't you mean a hamburger? No... I mean a Krabby Patty. There's a difference, gosh darn it. For this recipe I'm going to channel episode "Jellyfish Hunter" of Spongebob Squarepants where The Krusty Krab features Krabby Patties with jellyfish jelly. As you can see in the video below, they will make you bust out in a lovely dance from pure bliss.

Unfortunately it is vey painful and time consuming to milk jellyfish for their jelly... so maybe just pick your favorite kind from the grocery store. Personally, I like grape.

What you'll need:
1/2 of a large onion
Oil, for frying
3-4 tbsp water
2-3 tbsp grape jelly
1 egg
1/2 cup bell peppers, minced
2 tbsp cilantro, freshly chopped
1 pound ground chicken, turkey, or beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
6 mini sesame buns
6 cheese slices
6 tomato slices
Lettuce (at least three large leaves)
Pickles, for garnish
Condiments - ketchup, mayo, mustard (optional)

Instructions:
1. Chop onions into long, thin slices. Fry slices over low heat, until soft and translucent.
2. Stir in water and jelly. Mix very well until jelly combines with water.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have caramelized and most of the water has evaporated.
4. Meanwhile, make burgers by combining egg, meat, cilantro, and bell peppers. Add breadcrumbs until mixture is dry enough to shape.
5. Divide mixture into rounds and flatten into 6 patties.
6. Grill burgers on each side until cooked through. Transfer to prepared plate.
7. Layer each burger as follows:
Bottom bun
Your choice of ketchup, mayo, or mustard (or all three!)
Patty
Cheese slice
Pickles
Lettuce
Caramelized onions
Tomato slice
Top bun
8. Serve, and enjoy the taste of natural jelly.

Confession time- I am 21 years old and I still watch Spongebob on a regular basis. I'll give you a moment to judge me........ okay, done? Great. These Krabby Patties taste exactly how I imagine them to taste based off of the show. Sometimes I even cook them for my niece in an attempt to convert her to my Spongebob cult. I think it's working. 

Tiana's Kickin' Gumbo

One of my all time favorite movies- and please don't judge me- is Disney's The Princess and the Frog. I seriously have watched this movie (easily) a hundred times, and chances are I'll watch it again next week. Maybe it's because Tiana is incredibly relatable to me- both our dad's died and inspired us to work hard and follow our dreams... or maybe it's because of the movie's food.

The premise of the film revolves around Tiana's dream of opening a restaurant in her father's honor. On the way, the audience is enticed by cartoon renderings of beignets, sandwiches, and of course gumbo. After all, how can you have a film set in New Orleans without gumbo?! I don't even like spicy food, but somehow Tiana made me crave good ol' fashioned gumbo. This is a simple take on Tiana's signature dish.

What you'll need:
1 cup butter
1 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
2 quarts chicken stock
1 lb shrimp
1 package mild Italian sausage
1 package cut okra
1 lb crushed, canned tomatoes
Essence
Tabasco

Instructions:
1. Cook sausage in a covered pan until cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a small saucepan, add two parts water to one part rice over high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover, untouched, about 20 minutes.
3. In a large pot, melt butter and whisk in flour until smooth. Cook over medium heat until roux is the color of peanut butter.
4. Add chopped veggies, garlic, bay leaves, and essence. Cook about 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
5. Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Add crushed tomatoes.
6. Add sausage and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary, and don’t forget the Tabasco sauce!
7. Add peeled and deveined shrimp, cook until pink (about 8-10 minutes).
8. Serve over rice! Ta da!

This gumbo is seriously "the bees knees" as Tiana would say. It's perfect for anyone who needs to spice up their life... or their taste buds! Like I said, I really don't like spicy food, yet I'm in love with this recipe. I think you will be too! Try it out and channel your inner Tiana!

The Chronicles of Turkish Delight

When I was a kid, there were two different kinds of people- those who liked Harry Potter and those who liked The Chronicles of Narnia. Although I belonged more to the former, I have to admit that the food in The Chronicles of Narnia looks really, REALLY good. One of the most famous treats from the series is Turkish delight. Shoot, there's even an entire chapter dedicated to it! In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Edmund and the White Witch share a bite together...

"It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating," said the White Witch presently. "What would you like best to eat?"

"Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty," said Edmund.

The White Witch let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious.

Believe it or not, Turkish delight is actually a real dessert that has been around since the 1700's. There are about a million ways to make Turkish Delight, but I thought we'd go for a simple, microwavable version!

What you'll need:
2 1/2 cups of cold water
3/4 cup cornstarch, plus 1/2 cup for dusting candy squares
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tbsp. pure lemon extract
2 drops red or pink liquid food coloring
Cooking spray, or cooking oil (light taste, like canola) for greasing pan
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:
1. Pour the water into a 4-quart glass bowl. Whisk in the 3/4 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup at a time until dissolved.
2. Microwave mixture for 2 minutes; whisk smooth.
3. Add sugar and corn syrup. Heat for 5 minutes in microwave.
4. Heat for an additional 5 minutes and whisk in lemon juice and food coloring.5. Grease the 8x8 or loaf pan with cooking spray or oil and pour in candy batter. Let candy set up at room temperature until firm enough to handle. This may take several hours - mine set up in about two.
6. Cut candy with a sharp knife or scissors into even squares. You can do this in the pan or turn the block of candy out on a cutting board dusted with cornstarch.
7. In a bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup powdered sugar.

I didn't even know you could make such an awesome dessert in the microwave! It sure beats having to slave over the oven for a full blown cake. The best part about this recipe is that it makes about fifty pieces of candy- more than enough to keep you satisfied for a long while!
 

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Delicious

I'm not the type of person who usually cries while reading or watching a sad story. My mother on the other hand, rates sad movies or chick flicks by the amount of tissues she went through. Being a chick who doesn't tend to cry at movies is bad for two reasons 1) people think you're some sort of psychopath and 2) when you DO cry at a movie it is intense.

One of the very few movies/books I've felt that emotionally connected to is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. The story stars a nine year old boy named Oskar whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. While mourning his loss, Oskar finds a key that belonged to he father and adventures out to discover what it opens. I made the terrible mistake of watching the movie (before reading the book) while on a six hour flight from San Francisco to Orlando.

Between the absolutely gut wrenching, tear jerking moments there are glimmers of hope, vitality, naïvety, and love from Oskar. One of my favorite moments is when he first begins his key adventure and packs himself a basket full of essentials to take. “I put together a special field kit with some of the things I was going to need, like a Magnum flashlight, ChapStick, some fig newtons, plastic bags for important evidence and litter, my cell phone…” I find it absolutely endearing (and hilarious) that a nine year old believed that he could sustain himself on fig newtons alone.

On that note, I thought we'd make some.

What you'll need:

Fig Spread-
1 cup of dried figs
⅓ cup sugar
1½ cups water
Dough-
115g room temperature butter
½ cup white sugar
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla essence
1½ cups plain flour

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan, place in the dried figs and cover with water. Let soak overnight.
2. The next day, pour in the sugar, bring to a simmer. 

3. Let it simmer until the the fig has become soft and breaks apart into a goopy paste.
4. Mix together the dough ingredients, wrap and chill for one hour.
5. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, and cut strips 5cm thick.
6. Scoop a tsp of fig paste onto one end of the dough strip and roll.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to golden around the edges.

These fig newtons are so ooey gooey and delicious! Now you can cry your eyes out and enjoy a scrumptious treat while watching an incredibly powerful movie. Can you say "comfort food"?

LOTR: Lembas Bread

If you’ve ever tried to watch all three Lord of the Rings movies back to back, you know that you need to be prepared with some serious snacks to make it through. And if the famous elven lembas bread can sustain Frodo and Sam through the wastelands of Mordor, then it should be able to keep you going through all 9.3 hours of the movies. 11.4 if you do the extended editions. Might want to make a second batch for that.

What you'll need:

3 eggs

1 cups honey

3 kumquats, whole (can substitute orange zest and a bit of juice if desired)

2 teaspoon orange flower or rose water (optional)

3 ounces chopped almonds or macadamia nuts (fruits of the Mallorn tree)

¼ cup melted butter

2 ¼ cup flour (barley flour of you want to be really accurate)

½ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Put the eggs, butter, honey, kumquats, rose or orange flower water, and nuts in a food processor or blender. 

2. Blend on high for 2-4 minutes. 

3. Add 1 cup of the flour. 

4. Blend for a minute or two. 

5. Put mixture into a bowl and add the remaining flour and the salt. Whisk or stir until well blended. 

6. Bake a small amount of dough at a time on a pizzelle or iron about 15 seconds or until lightly brown, for a flat bread like texture. 

7. Wrap in a leaf and tie with a string!

They say one bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man, but feel free to come back for seconds! ...trust me, you'll want to! This stuff is slightly fluffy, but still fulfilling. I think it would be a great addition to a cup of soup or chile! This is by far one of my most requested recipes, because hey, who doesn't like The Lord of the Rings?! It's simple enough that LOTR fans of all ages can help make it, but also delicious enough that everyone will enjoy the finished product. 

RuneScape 3.14 Recipe

Happy Pi Day, everyone! This is one of my favorite insignificant holidays because 1) it alludes to food and 2) it's nerdy and kind of quirky... just like many works of fiction. To celebrate let's bake a delicious pie!

This specific recipe is from a book within one of my all time favorite MMORPGs (a type of online game), RuneScape. Seriously, let's take a moment to relive the early 2000s when online gaming was just becoming popular... it was so glitchy, overpopulated, and overall amazing. I loved this game as a kid! Between RuneScape and Neopets, I was hooked on the computer for hours everyday.

Now I know RuneScape is primarily a game, but there are novels within it and there have been books written about it. One of the books within the game is a pie book that you can purchase for five gold coins from Romily Weaklax. The book contains nine recipes, one of them being a "Redberry Pie". I thought it would be fun to recreate this recipe with raspberries.

What you'll need:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
9-inch basic flaky piecrust, parbaked
1/3 cup raspberry jam
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Whisk together buttermilk, sugar, butter, flour, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt.
2. Pour the mixture into the piecrust and bake until the center is set but still slightly wobbly, 40 to 50 minutes. 

3. Let cool, then chill until firm, 4 to 5 hours.
4. Top with raspberry jam and toasted sliced almonds before serving.

This super simple recipe create the perfect dessert for any geeky Pi Day parties you may be attending.   After all, this year is particularly special! At 9:26 and 53 seconds, both a.m. and p.m., pi will be represented to 10 digits: 3.141592653. Set your alarms, bake this pie, and have a very mathematical day!

The Hunger Games: Let's Eat Katniss

If The Hunger Games were real, I would lose... mostly because I like food way too much. Luckily, we live in a world where we can simply watch The Hunger Games at home while eating a delicious meal. On that note, let's eat Katniss.


No, I'm not talking about Jennifer Lawrence's character, Katniss. There's actually a type of small plant root called katniss that is roasted or served in stews. I thought it would be a nice addition to a common potato salad because it has an earthy, raw taste to it that goes really well with heavy carb foods.

Here's what you'll need:

2 cups fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise (about 10 ounces) 2 cups small red potatoes, quartered (about 10 ounces) 
2 cups small blue potatoes, halved lengthwise (about 10 ounces) 
2 cups katniss roots
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives 
3 hard-cooked large eggs, finely chopped 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
1 1/4 teaspoons salt 
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 garlic clove, minced

Instructions:

1. Place fingerling, katniss, and red potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. 

2. Reduce heat; simmer 15 minutes or until tender. 

3. Drain; cool slightly. Place potatoes in a large bowl.

4. Place blue potatoes in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. 

5. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes or until tender. 

6. Drain; cool slightly. 

7. Add blue potatoes, onion, parsley, dill, chives, and eggs to bowl; toss gently.

8. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients. 

9. Pour over potato mixture; toss gently to combine. 

10. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

This is going to be a perfect recipe for all those picnics you're going to have once the weather clears up. I know I'm looking forward to it! 

Share a photo of your picnic on our Facebook and you may be featured in an upcoming article!

To Cook a Mockingbird

This week on our Facebook page, we asked our viewers who their favorite, commonly overlooked fiction character is. My favorite response comes from Cara Cooley who simply said "Scout Finch". I wouldn't exactly call Scout an overlooked character... after all she is the narrator for Harper Lee's hit novel To Kill a Mockingbird, but I will admit that I never thought about basing a recipe off of her. Here goes nothing!

With Cara's comment swirling around in my head, I reflected on some of my favorite passages from the book. One of them is this little ditty from chapter 3, pages 31-32:

Perhaps Calpurnia sensed that my day had been a grim one: she let me watch her fix supper. “Shut your eyes and open your mouth and I’ll give you a surprise,” she said. It was not often that she made crackling bread, she said she never had time, but with both of us at school today had been an easy one for her. She knew I loved crackling bread. “I missed you today,” she said. 

What the heck is crackling bread? Think of the most delicious, thick piece of cornbread you've ever had and then add pork rinds to it! I think the idea is the rinds crackle as you're cooking and eating them. It's a traditional Southern dish that was cheap to make, and more importantly, Scout's favorite snack. Let's get to cooking!

What you'll need:
9 ounces (2 cups) cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 ounces buttermilk
1 large egg
1 cup pork rinds (or crispy bacon pieces)
1 tablespoon lard, butter or bacon drippings

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Put the tablespoon of fat into the skillet and put the skillet in the oven to heat.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bow.
4. Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in another bowl, then combine the wet and dry ingredients, whisking just until combined.

5. Whisk in the pork rinds.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and pour in the batter, it will sizzle appealingly.
7. Turn the heat down to 350 and return the pan to the oven. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.
8. When baked, flip the bread out of the pan so the crispy crust faces up.
9. Slice into wedges and serve, with a drizzle of honey if desired.

This recipe is not only delicious, but also just in time for the news that Harper Lee is going to write a second novel! One can only hope that it will include mentions of food that are just as yummy as this!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Getting Drunk

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. That’s not only true, it’s also a direct quote from the book. And besides being full of whales falling from the sky along with bowls of petunias, it also features what it claims to be the best drink in existence: The Pangalactic Gargle Blaster. According to the guide itself, drinking the PGB results in a feeling similar to having your brain smashed in by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. Fortunately for those of us adventurous enough to try it, there’s an official recipe:

Take the juice from one bottle of Ol' Janx Spirit.
Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V
Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture
Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it
Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract
Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger
Sprinkle Zamphuor
Add an olive


Unfortunately, mixing that recipe is illegal on planet Earth. So we’ll go with a slightly less exotic version...





What you'll need:
1 part Everclear (or any other strong grain alcohol such as Bourbon, Moonshine, or Vodka)
1 part Bitter Lemon (or plain Tonic Water)
1 part Bombay Sapphire Gin (or other gin)
1 part Yukon Jack Perma-Frost Schnapps (or other mint schnapps, or white crème de menthe)
Enough blue food coloring to make the mixture a very light sky blue
Sugar cubes
Cinnamon extract
Yellow food coloring
Angostura Bitters
Olives

Instructions:
1. Mix the first five ingredients and chill.
2. Take a sugar cube and let it absorb 1 milliliter of cinnamon extract and 1 drop of yellow food coloring.
3. Place three ice cubes in a glass and pour the chilled liquid mixture over these.
4. Drop in the sugar cube and stir to dissolve.
5. Sprinkle the Angostura Bitters in the drink, and add an olive.
6. Drink, drank, drunk.

I wish this recipe didn't need so many ingredients, but I think it's totally worth it in the end.

After drinking this yummy drink (seriously, it's so good) you'll feel just as silly and random as the movie!

Crookshanks Meat Cakes

If you're an avid reader of the Harry Potter books, you know all about the unique abundance of food in the wizarding world. For just a few sickles (the equivalent of dollars) a witch or wizard can buy anything from jelly slugs to exploding bonbons. What we don't know is what do the pets at Hogwarts eat...

Think about it, each and every student at Hogwarts has a pet (either an owl, frog, cat, or rat), yet we never see any pet food! It's quite obvious to assume that the owls eat mice, but what about the rest of them? Not once does J.K. Rowling describe Hermione opening a can of wet cat food for her cat, Crookshanks. Part of me would like to imagine that wizarding pet food is just as extravagant and interesting as their owners food... which is why I have personally created a recipe based on simple ingredients Hermione would've been able to find at Diagon Alley... or any local supermarket. The best part is, it's cat and human friendly, meaning you can share this meal with your kitties while you watch the movies.

What you'll need:

3/4 cup of oatmeal

1/4 cup of chia seeds

1 egg

1/2 cup of chopped steamed broccoli

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef

1 tablespoon of sodium free soy sauce

1 splash of milk

Oliver Twist's Gruel

This recipe is going to have your family saying "please sir/ma'am, I want some more!" Even if you've never picked up a Dickens' novel, you know that line. Oliver Twist is a classic British movie and play which stars a young orphan boy who is fed gruel at the local parish workhouse.

Admittedly, gruel doesn't sound like a particularly delicious meal, but I pinky promise that this is the perfect breakfast meal for any day of the week! In fact, people throughout history have loved gruel. It was a staple meal among ancient Greek commoners, Aztecs in Mexico, Congee people in Asia, and now your family!


What you'll need:
1/3 cup of rolled oats
1 pint of water
1 pint of hot milk
1 teaspoon of salt

Directions:
1. Add salt to the water and bring it to a boil in the inner cup of a double broiler.
2. Stir in the rolled oats.
3. Boil for 2-3 minutes, then set inner cup in the outer cup of a double broiler which contains the boiling water. Leave it on low for three hours or longer.
4. Strain the oatmeal and add hot milk.


What I think is so cool about this is that you can make at night and simply reheat it in the morning when you're getting ready for school or work! According to Dickens, it's meant for peasants, but you and I know it tastes good enough for a king.

Bantha Milk AKA "Blue Milk"

Searching for "Star Wars" recipes online will yield some amazing results... Obi Wan kebabbi, cheese and Ham Solo sandwiches, even Jabba the humus, but I believe one of the most "far out" recipes is for bantha milk.

Bantha milk also known as "blue milk" or "Tatooine milk" is a sweet, blue colored liquid produced from a bantha's mammary glands. Let me side bar really quick to say that banthas are one of the cutest, most underrated creatures in the Star Wars universe. Okay, rant over. Anyways, bantha milk is seen or mentioned in every Star Wars movie and cartoon series and can be found on most planets across the galaxy!

To be honest, we don't really see Luke and Leia eat much during the 6+ movies. I've always wondered what the trio ate on Hoth considering there was barely any life there... Regardless, the idea of blue milk is quite intriguing. I don't know if my brain can process the idea of a colored milk. I guess we're going to find out!

What you'll need (for one cup):
1 cup of vanilla soy milk
1/2 teaspoon of unsweetened blue fruit punch mix
1 tablespoon of sugar

Directions:
Stir all the ingredients together and take a sip!





Sure, you could just put blue food coloring in a cup of milk, but where's the fun in that!?

The thing I love about this recipe is that it's very sweet, but still drinkable. Plus, it's super quick to throw together and will please jedi's of any age!

Enjoy and may the force food be with you...

The Very "Yummy" Caterpillar

If you remember your childhood or have a child of your own, you probably know the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It was one of my favorites as a kid! 

The story follows a teeny tiny caterpillar who eats a ton of food and eventually turns into a beautiful butterfly. I can relate to this story on many levels. 1) I was a pudgy kid who eventually blossomed into adulthood and 2) I love to eat... chances are you do too if you're reading this blog. 

Let's turn our favorite children's book character into a delicious snack both kids and adults will enjoy! These Very Hungry Caterpillar sandwiches takes just 20 minutes to prepare and don't need to be cooked at all! (perfect for kids of all ages to help out with!)




What you'll need:
1 medium carrots or 1 medium green pepper
6 spinach tortillas (7-8 inches)
3/4 cup peanut butter or 3/4 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup grape jelly or 1/3 cup strawberry jelly
6 cherry tomatoes
cheddar cheese






Directions:
1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel carrots, Use a sharp knife to cut carrot crosswise into fourths. Cut 1-inch matchstick pieces of carrot or pepper (you should have 48 sticks).
2. Use a table knife to spread each tortilla with 2 tablespoons of the peanut butter or cream cheese and about 1 tablespoon of the jelly. Roll up tortillas to form spirals; press lightly to seal.
3. Put the rolled tortillas on a cutting board. Cut each tortilla crosswise into five pieces.
4. On each of the six plates, arrange five tortillas pieces side to side, in a wavy line, with cut side down to resemble a caterpillar. To make a caterpillar head put a tomato at the end and insert pieces of cheddar cheese in tomato for antennae. To make legs, arrange four carrot sticks on each side of caterpillar. Tada!

My niece is in love with these! She's just learning how to read and really enjoys being able to eat "the character" while she reads about him. I don't know if that's cute or morbid... either way, it makes reading fun!

This recipe was inspired by food.com

Luna Lovegood's Pudding

If you're anything like me, you've read the Harry Potter books, watched all the movies, and maybe even dressed up as a wizard a time or two. There's no doubt that Harry Potter is one of the most loved book series in the past few decades, but let's take your "Potterhead" addiction to a whole new delicious level!

Sure there's the main trio, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but my favorite character has always been Luna Lovegood. There's something about her innocence, loyalty, and sweet-tooth that connects with me. She may be one of the most underrated characters in the whole series! Who is always there to listen to someone's troubles? Luna. Who never takes revenge on the people who bully her? Luna. Who is constantly looking for pudding? You guessed it, Luna!

Although in England the term "pudding" means a general dessert, I still like to imagine Luna hoping and praying for a pink, whipped (American) pudding in Order of the Phoenix.
With that being said, here is my recipe for loony Luna's pudding!

What you'll need:

pudding base:

10 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

5 cups low fat milk

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons butter

1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract

whipped cream:

1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups strawberries, diced

2 cups blueberries, diced

1 store bought pound cake, cubed into ½ inch pieces

professional grade pink food coloring

optional:

edible glitter

Directions:

1. Place sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk into a small saucepan, whisk and bring to a simmer.

2. Stir until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

3. Whisk a small amount of the milk mixture into the beaten yolks and whisk the mixture back into the hot milk mixture.

4. Whisk until the pudding is just thick enough to sit onto top of itself.

5. Stir in the butter and vanilla until fully combined.

6. Push the pudding through a fine sieve strainer and set aside to cool.

7. While the pudding cools, place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

8. Pour the pudding into a bowl and stir the strawberries and a few drops of pink food coloring.

9. Stir together until fully combined.

10. Pour the strawberry pudding mixture into the bottom of the trifle dish and level off until smooth.

11. Next, layer ½ the cubed pound cake over the pudding and top with ½ of whipped cream.

12. Pour more of the pudding over the whipped cream and top with remaining pound cake and whipped cream.

13. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

14. Finish with edible glitter, if desired and serve.

I took mine to a Harry Potter themed picnic in San Francisco, and everyone loved it! The recipe is so light and fluffy, I could've eaten the whole bowl!

This recipe was inspired by SpoonForkBacon.com