Harry Potter, Anyone?

This post is for all of the Harry Potter fans out there. . . The series may be over, but Harry, Hermione, and Ron will live forever in our hearts :-)

Last week my brother, sister, and I (all devout HP fans) made Butterbeer!!!! We actually made three different varieties of Butterbeer. You can find the recipes here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTn5SJLTnek

Don't worry, there isn't any actual beer in these beverages, so they're safe for the kiddos!

The first one we made was the original cold butterbeer.



This drink, made of cream soda and artificial butter flavor, was oddly satisfying. I thought the butter taste would throw me off, but it was a mild butter taste that was comforting . . . kind of like eating comfort food (and definitely not like drinking Polyjuice Potion!) However, difficulty in drinking this arose in getting through the dollop of creamy foam on top (which was delicious by the way - we were stealing spoonfuls from the bowl while we were making it)! I would give this drink 6 out of 10 chocolate frogs. Tasty, but not enough umph to get your Patronus working. . . Expecto Patronum!!! ;)

The next one we made was a frosted version of butterbeer.



This was my sister's favorite of the three. We made it in the blender and added some butterscotch to the cream soda. Again, it's tough getting through the foam, but once you get to the cool liquid it is so refreshing! This would be perfect on a summer's day when you are perfecting your Wingardium Leviosa charm. 7 out of 10 sugar quills for this one.

Last, but not least, was my favorite of the three: Hot butterbeer!



This was delicious! It just made me feel all of the wonders of a crisp Autumn day: siting on the couch, reading a book, watching leaves fall outside and enjoying the sweet taste of butterscotch and warm milk, topped with buttery goodness! You may be tempted to use the Crucio curse to get this beverage from someone. But as delectable as this hot butterbeer is, it's not worth landing yourself in Azkaban! I'd give this drink 8 out of 10 cauldron cakes.

So, are you tempted to concoct your own Butterbeer? Let me know how yours turns out!

I'll leave you with some Dumbledore wisdom:
"Ah Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them-but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you? Alas! Ear wax!"

Just kidding! Here's my favorite quote from Albus Dumbledore:
“It does not do to dwell on dreams, Harry, and forget to live.”

Until next time . . .

~Cake Batter Truffles~

It seems to me that February is the month with the most Birthdays. . . every week there are more and more people celebrating their Birthday! Maybe February really is the month with the highest birth rate. . . or maybe I am just naturally drawn to people who are either an Aquarius or Pisces and so have many friends with Birthdays in February!

So, to celebrate all of these birthdays, my husband's included, I made cake batter truffles! You can find the recipe here:

http://www.chef-in-training.com/2011/09/no-bake-cake-batter-truffles-take-2.html

Here's a picture of how mine turned out:


These little bites are super sweet! I could only eat one at the most in one sitting because they were so decadent. It actually took me a couple days to decide whether I liked them or not, because they were so sweet. I brought them over to my family's house and my family loved them. Especially my brother and uncle. They too could only eat one or two at a time, but even so the truffles disappeared pretty quick. Here is what I liked and didn't like about these cake batter truffles:

Liked:
- The almond bark coating with sprinkles (it gave a nice crunch when you bite into it than contrasts with the soft center)
- That I could only eat one. This took care of my normally very difficult self discipline issues with portion control!
- How fun they were to make and how simple they were to make!

Didn't like (at first):
- The idea of eating cake batter (even though there were no eggs). When making cake or cookies or brownies, I am okay with licking the spoon or taking a few little taste tests of the dough/batter, but to think of eating an entire 1 inch ball of batter threw me off at first. I got over that after eating the first one though :-) They won me over!
- That's actually the only thing I didn't like!

I would rate these sweet treats a 7 out of 10 - only because I wasn't crazy about them at first!

Let me know if you end up making them and what your thoughts are!

Denny's Delights!

Alright, now I know that Denny's probably doesn't rank very high on anyone's go to dessert place, however, if you're looking for something to satisfy a craving, that emulates a fancy dessert, and won't break your budget, Denny's desserts are a perfect fix!

Brandon (my husband) and I were looking for a little late night treat and decided that Denny's was the answer. My husband is not a dessert fan so I was so surprised when he decided to forego getting his usual breakfast items and order a dessert along with me to help with my blog! Here are the items we chose: Hot Fudge Brownie A La Mode and Caramel Apple Crisp.



The best parts of the Hot Fudge Brownie were the fudge and the ice cream. They were both super rich, and the combination of the warm fudge and cool ice cream tickled my taste buds! The brownie itself was more cake like and not as dense as I had hoped it to be. It had more of a store bought and microwaved quality as opposed to a baked in house, right out of the oven taste. But, hey, for around three dollars I am not complaining! The brownie also had chopped nuts in it, but I actually barely remember that detail! They kind of got lost in the mix with all the other things going on in the dessert. I'd give this dessert a 5 out of 10.

The best parts of the Caramel Apple Crisp were the crispy topping, the ice cream and caramel sauce. I almost didn't even need the apples! The apples were a bit bland and not seasoned enough in my opinion. And there was an unbalanced proportion of apples to topping (too many apples, not enough topping). The "crisp" had a brown sugar and cinnamon taste and was so delicious mixed with the ice cream and caramel. It added a nice crunch to mix in with the smooth ice cream. I'd give this dessert a 6 out of 10.

Overall, I was satisfied with these desserts. They served their purpose of providing a sense of decadence without paying a high price. They weren't the best thing I have ever eaten, but definitely hit the spot for a comforting late night treat!