Salted Caramel Death Star Popcorn Balls

Tomorrow is Star Wars Day! YAAAAAAY! (For those of you that are new here, May 4th is Star Wars Day because May the fourth be with you. Get it?)

To celebrate, I made multiple Death Stars. Out of popcorn and caramel. And then I covered them in candy. I don't think that's what the actual Death Star was made out of, because then the rebels wouldn't have needed Luke's Force-guided missile aim to blow it up. They could have just sent a couple Wookiees in to eat it. I'm sure Chewie would volunteer.

I've never actually made popcorn balls before. I mean, I've done marshmallow popcorn treats (like krispie treats, but with popcorn), and while I suppose that you could make those into balls and call them popcorn balls, I wanted to try something a little closer to the old fashioned method.

Except that the old fashioned method uses sugar and corn syrup, and I was worried that dipping them in the melted candy would make them too sweet. So I found this recipe from Food Network for caramel popcorn balls that was basically the same but used honey and brown sugar instead.

For my part, I thought the honey flavor was a little too strong, so if I made them again, I'd probably try some maple syrup or maybe dark corn syrup, but other than that, they were delicious. And fairly simple to make, providing you have the time and patience required for boiling sugar. (Never take your eyes off the stove when cooking sugar. CONSTANT VIGILANCE). Bonus, I had some extra popcorn left because the caramel had hardened too much to make another popcorn ball, so I spread it on a lined baking sheet to cool, and it made the perfect caramel corn. It was like the stuff you get in the tins at Christmas, only better because you made it.

One thing I didn't love was that the caramel, by necessity, was still pretty warm when I was shaping the popcorn balls. You have a very small window of opportunity between cool enough to not burn and hardened caramel, and I have very sensitive hands. So if you have sensitive hands like I do, use a pair of rubber gloves for that part (just spray them with cooking spray so the candy doesn't stick).

Then, when they had set, I dipped them in a mix of melted black and white candy wafers to get a dark grey, and I used some black sparkle gel to do some very simple detailing. Easy peasy.

Salted Caramel Popcorn Balls
Yield: About 12 popcorn balls

Ingredients
Approx. 8 cups popped popcorn
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/4 tsp. salt*
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
To decorate: black and white candy melts, black decorating icing

Directions
Generously grease a large mixing bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Pop your popcorn using your preferred method and place it in the bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the brown sugar, honey, and unsalted butter, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Allow it to boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until it reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the salt and baking soda. Stir in the vanilla and pour over the popcorn, stirring until well coated. Let sit until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes (it will still be very warm).

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Dip your hands in water to prevent sticking and shape the popcorn into balls about 3 1/2 inches wide. Place on the prepared baking sheet and let them sit until the caramel has completely set, about 10 minutes.

Melt the black and white candy melts together. Coat each popcorn ball in the melted candy, letting the excess drip off, then place back on the lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, or until the candy has hardened. Decorate with black decorating icing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

*Adjust this amount to suit your personal preference. If using prepackaged microwave popcorn, add only 1/4 tsp salt, since your popcorn will already be salted.

Recipe adapted slightly from Food Network

Things you may need (affiliate links):

*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links*

Other Star Wars Day Treats:

Star Wars Cake Batter Truffles

"Darth" Chocolate Cupcakes

Wookiee Cookies

Star Wars Cake Batter Truffles

So, this weekend, the FYE (For Your Entertainment) in Woodbridge Mall was doing this grand reopening extravaganza for three days.

Anyway, I was browsing Facebook the Thursday before, and a post from Her Universe caught my eye.

"Do you live in the tri-state area?"
Yes, yes I do.
"Then come meet Ashley (Eckstein, founder of Her Universe) when she judges a cosplay contest in the Woodbridge Center Mall!"
Wait, my Woodbridge? The place I was just two weeks ago helping my mother look for a dress for the brother's wedding? With the Disney store and the carousel and the Nestle shop? That Woodbridge?

I was so there.

Now, I didn't participate in the cosplay contest (I saw that Miggy Jagger from Heroes of Cosplay was supposed to be co-judging it, so I assumed that it would draw some of the epic, screen-accurate cosplayers, but I guess it just either was too short notice, or not publicized well enough. That's not to say the cosplayers that showed up weren't excellent, but there just weren't as many as I was expecting, and a couple other newbies were participating, so while I still wouldn't have had a chance of winning, TARDIS dress and top hat wouldn't have looked so out of place) so I wore my Her Universe t-shirt. Specifically, my "Come to the darkside; we have cupcakes" Her Universe shirt that was designed because Ashley loves cupcakes.

Ever since I discovered that, I have totally wanted to give Ashley cupcakes. But I thought it would be kind of weird to bring cupcakes, so I thought I would make something that traveled a little better and was still kind of cupcakeish: Cake batter truffles. And what was even better about that was that I could make them in my myriad geeky silicone ice cube trays.

*INTERNALLY SCREAMING*

I very nearly wussed out at the last minute (YAY SOCIAL ANXIETY), but my mother (who I dragged with me with me, purportedly so we could look for wedding shoes afterwards, but mostly because I hate driving, and especially to Woodbridge), walked right up to her and introduced us, and kept dropping hints about the blog.

Ashley was super sweet and promised to check out the blog, even took out her phone to make a note of the name (but it's totally cool if she never does; I'm over the moon that she even intended to look it up), and was really impressed with the truffles. She asked me how I made them, and I stuttered something about homemade cake mix and ThinkGeek and ice cube trays in reply. I'm not completely sure how much sense it made at the time. My brain and my mouth aren't always on the same page.

Well, Ashley, if you're reading this, here is a much better explanation: I started things off with my Homemade Yellow Cake Mix (you could do store bought; I'm not judging, but I would have had to buy cake mix, which would be silly when I already had all the ingredients for it in my pantry). Now, I know I always say you can use cold butter in place of the butter flavored shortening, but for cake batter-y things, I feel like the butter flavoring is essential to the cake batter flavor. So if you can't bring yourself to use shortening, I would suggest adding maybe a 1/4 teaspoon of butter flavoring.

Next, I followed these instructions for the truffle filling from Take a Bite out of Boca, I just added some almond extract and upped the vanilla (since my mix was homemade, it wasn't pre-flavored) and nixed the salt (it already tasted a little salty to me). I also added chocolate sprinkles instead of rainbow. I stopped just before the rolling and chilling, since it was going into molds.

Then I melted some dark chocolate candy wafers (chocolate works as well, but the wafers just melt easier and cover better, and I already had them in the freezer). You want to fill the molds about 1/3 of the way with the chocolate and tap it a few times to get rid of air bubbles and fill in the details of your mold. Then take your truffle filling, roll it into a ball (a little less than a tablespoon was good for the Darth Vader molds. The Milennium Falcon took a lot more, maybe a tablespoon and a half? I didn't measure it). Press the filling down into the mold, until the chocolate starts to come up the sides. (Don't press too hard, or the chocolate will be too thin and break when you try to remove it). Fill the molds up the rest of the way with chocolate, give it another couple taps to get rid of air bubbles, and chill until the chocolate is firm (I freeze it, usually because I'm impatient).

Then just carefully pop them out of your molds, and give to the geeky celeb of your choice. It will still be weird, but not as weird as carting cupcakes around with you, and they might promise to visit your blog.

Cake Batter Truffles

Ingredients
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1½ cups flour
1 cup Yellow Cake Mix
1½ tsp. vanilla extract*
½ tsp. almond extract*
3-4 tbsp. milk
Sprinkles
Candy coating (I used dark chocolate flavored. Vanilla or almond would work as well. Or use your favorite chocolate)

Directions
In bowl with electric beaters, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. On low speed, add the flour, cake mix, and extracts, and mix until well incorporated. Add 3 tablespoons of milk (you may have to add more to achieve the right consistency). Stir in the sprinkles.

Melt the candy coating in the microwave or in the top of a double boiler. Fill your molds 1/3 of the way with the coating. Tap gently to get rid of air bubbles. Roll the filling into balls and press them into the molds, until the coating starts to come up the sides. Fill the molds the rest of the way with chocolate, tap again, and chill in the refigerator or freezer until the coating is firm.

*If using store bought cake mix, reduce the vanilla to 1 tsp. and forego the almond extract-- it will be pre-flavored

Recipe adapted from Take a Bite out of Boca

NOTE: I got both ice cube trays off of ThinkGeek, but it doesn't look like they have them anymore. (They're listed as out of stock, but don't show up in the general listings). You can find them elsewhere, like on Amazon or a site like Perpetual Kid

And because I know you want them: Cosplay Photos! (Sightlines were poor in the store, so I didn't get as many as I would have liked)

And finally, I feel like I should apologize for this:

Victoria Cosplay derp face

#sorrynotsorry

Icicle Candy and Reindeer Snacks #SundaySupper

This week's #SundaySupper is all about holiday music, movies, and TV specials.

I'm not gonna lie, my first instinct was to go with the Doctor Who Christmas specials, but short of a gingerbread TARDIS, there was nothing I could think of for it. And I didn't want to make a gingerbread TARDIS. So I went with my second instinct: cheesy, kiddie, made-for-TV Christmas movies. Not the Hallmark ones, because those try too hard and are unnecessarily dramatic and have no fun things to distract me from the gaping plot holes. No, I mean the ones meant for small children. The ones with magic and reindeer and Santa Claus.

My favorite in this genre is a movie called Snow. It's about Nick Snowden, a man approaching his first Christmas as the "big SC," who lost one of his reindeer, Buddy, and has to rescue him from the zoo before Christmas Eve, or Christmas will be ruined forever.

I can't say what it is about this movie that I like so much. There's storyline inconsistencies, plot devices that don't make a whole lot of sense, and they do over-cheese a couple of scenes, but I just love it. It might just be a case of the right actors with the right script, but there's just something very charming and very real about it.

It could also be that I totally get the main female lead, Sandy. I'd totally fall for Tom Cavanagh's awkwardly charming Nick, too. And there's that scene when he's on the ladder, and she gets caught looking that I think really sets her apart from others in the holiday-movie-female-lead category. Anyway, if you can catch it on ABC Family, I recommend it. And the sequel, though that has some larger plotholes.

Since the movie is meant for children, there's obviously no cursing. In fact, all of Nick's curses are holiday terms. Including when he says, "oh, icicles."

When I thought to make icicle candy, it sounded a lot better in my head than it actually was in practice. First I tried a recipe that used the microwave, no special tools required. My microwave is apparently super powered, because I burned the sugar. Badly. It was the color of coffee. Strong coffee.

So I tried this recipe(halved) from Martha Stewart. Much harder, since it uses pulled sugar, but more reliable. Let's just say, it was the first and last time I will ever work with pulled sugar. It was a pain to work with. And painful to work with. I had on some heavy duty rubber gloves, the kind that I use when washing dishes in scalding water, and my fingertips are still red and sensitive. Plus, I only got one good looking one. I was using some expletives a lot stronger than icicles, if y'know what I mean. I did get one, so it wasn't a total fail, but I do not recommend it unless you've got seriously tough hands made out of asbestos or something.

Of course, I couldn't forget about Buddy, since the movie would have never happened if he hadn't wandered off and got captured by Buck, the jerk poacher with a thing for Sandy (that apparently thinks giving illegal reindeer to her zoo is a good idea? They never really explain that). In Snow, it's Buddy's first Christmas too, but he hasn't yet learned to fly (which is why he needs Nick's help to escape from the zoo), but as he's learning, he leaps over the fence to steal a chocolate bar from the security guard. But in the sequel, Buddy's having some trouble fitting into his harness, so Nick puts him on a diet and exercise plan.

These "reindeer snacks" are actually chocolate cherry almond granola clusters, which would be a great way to satisfy Buddy's sweet tooth while giving him the energy to hoof it up on the treadmill. Reindeer like oats and plus, I think even Santa would enjoy the (slightly) healthier, but still sweet and tasty, break from all the milk and cookies.

Full disclosure: this was not supposed to be chocolate granola. I was following my patented I-don't-need-no-stinkin'-recipe method, and I added chocolate chips, not thinking that all the way through. When I went to stir the granola, it became chocolate granola. And I might be breaking some cardinal granola rules with my haphazard method, but I haven't been able to stop eating it, so I don't think I really care.

Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola Clusters

AKA Reindeer Snacks

Ingredients

1½ cups old fashioned oats

¾ cup sliced almonds

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

½ cup dried cherries

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

⅓ cup agave nectar (maple syrup would also work)

2 tbsp. nut butter (almond, preferably)

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat mat.

In a large mixing bowl mix together the first 6 ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together until smooth (warm the nut butter to make this easier). Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, and mix until well coated. Spread evenly onto the prepared pan.

Bake for 10 minutes, then stir until the chocolate is evenly distributed. Bake for another 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the oats are toasted and fragrant. Shape into clusters of the desired size, and allow to cool completely on the pan.

Recipe by Kim

Thanks to Tammi from Momma's Meals for hosting this week. Comes see how the rest of the #SundaySupper crew is getting into the holiday spirit:

Party Appetizers & Snacks:
Oven-Roasted Applesauce Scented with Rosemary & Vanilla-Inspired by the song "Christmas in the Trenches"- Shockingly Delicious
Roasted Chestnuts Inspired by the movie "The Christmas Song" - Food Lust People Love
A Popcorn Trio Inspired by the song "Let it Snow" - Hot Momma's Kitchen Chaos
Chai Tea Abominable Snow Buddies Inspired by the movie "Rudolph" - Cupcakes & Kale Chips 
Raisin Bran Muffins for a Crowd Inspired by the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" - In The Kitchen With Audrey and Maurene
Icicle Candy and Reindeer Snacks Inspired by the movie "Snow" - Treats & Trinkets
A Christmas Carol Plum Pudding Inspired by the movie "A Christmas Carol" - No One Likes Crumbley Cookies 
Yukon Mashed Potato Cakes Inspired by the movie "Rudolph" - Cookin' Mimi
Christmas Pudding Inspired by the song "Over the River and Through the Woods" - A Kitchen Hoor 
Pumpkin Pudding Inspired by the movie "Nightmare Before Christmas" - Basic N Delicious
Elf-Inspired Christmas "Grams" Inspired by the movie "Elf" - MarocMama 
Sugarplums Inspired by the movie "The Nutcracker" - Happy Baking Days 
Chai Spiced Roasted Nuts Inspired by the song "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" - Take A Bite Out of Boca

Festive Main Dishes

Maple Syrup Spaghetti- Inspired by the movie "Elf"- Momma's Meals

Who Hash Inspired by the movie "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" -girlichef 

Ginger Orange Glazed Cornish Hens Inspired by the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" -Sue's Nutrition Buzz 

NY Hot Dog with Sabrett-style Onion Sauce Inspired by the movie "Die Hard" - Small Wallet, Big Appetite 

Classic Caesar Salad Inspired by the movie "The Santa Clause" - The Little Ferraro Kitchen 

Individuals Meatloaves & Horseradish Mashed Potatoes for Mommy's Little Piggies - Inspired by the movie "A Christmas Story" - The Not So Cheesy Kitchen 

Christmas Waffles Inspired by the TV special "A Claymation Christmas Celebration" - Curious Cuisiniere

Filthy Animal Pizza Inspired by the movie "Home Alone" - Foxes Love Lemons

Chicken Orzo Soup Inspired by the song "12 Days of Christmas" - Family Foodie

Brandied Candied Sweet Potatoes Inspired by the song "Christmas Is The Time To Say ‘I Love You’ " - Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Sweet Holiday Treats:

Gin and Tonic Cupcakes Inspired by Adam Sandler's " The Chanukah Song" - The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars Inspired by the movie "Love Actually" - Magnolia Days 

Gingerbread Marshmallows Inspired by the song "Marshmallow World" - Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies Inspired by the movie "The Gremlins" - Killer Bunnies, Inc 

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Inspired by the song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" - Alida's Kitchen 

Snowball Cookies - Inspired by the movie "White Christmas" -The Foodie Army Wife 

Penuche Fudge Inspired by the movie "Elf" - Pies and Plots

Hot Chocolate Cookies Inspired by the movie "Santa Clause" - Mess Makes Food

South Pacific Coconut Tres Leche Cake Inspired by the movie "South Pacific" -The Ninja Baker 

Cookies & Cream Fudge Inspired by the movie "Elf" - The Messy Baker

Cozy Drinks:

Toasted Coconut Hot Cocoa- Inspired by the song "Let It Snow"- Chocolate Moosey 

The Christmas Gram Inspired by the movie "Elf" - An Appealing Plan 

Eggnog Hot Chocolate Inspired by the movie "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" - Peanut Butter and Peppers 

Vermont Hot Cocoa Inspired by the movie "White Christmas" - Kudos Kitchen By Renee

Spiked Hot Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Floats Inspired by the song "Holly Jolly Christmas " -NeighborFood

This is Christmas; Wine Pairings for Holiday Themed#SundaySupper Recipes - ENOFYLZ Wine Blog

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy! You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Gifts from the Kitchen Round Up

Hey guys, I'm giving myself a little holiday break. Not from baking, since I'll be doing plenty of that. Mostly from photographing and editing pictures and trying to be witty as I tell you anecdotes from my life. (Although, we recently had a theft at work. Someone stole a tin of... cookies. And I've had to scour security camera footage to see if I can nab the thief red handed. Can anyone confirm the Cookie Monster's alibi? I'm starting to suspect the Borrowers, though. #caseofthemissingcookies)

But I won't leave you high and dry. If you're like me, you're not done with your holiday shopping yet. So here are some posts from the blog that make thoughtful (and great last-minute) presents. (Collages are clickable)

Homemade Red Velvet Cake Mix ● Homemade Devil's Food Cake Mix ● Apple Cheddar Scone Mix  Homemade Peanut Butter Cookie Mix ● Homemade Yellow Cake Mix ● Homemade Spice Cake Mix  Easy Homemade Gift Sets

Homemade Gummies ● Strawberry Cake Batter Fudge ● Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

Piña Colada Marshmallows ● Raspberry Red Wine Sauce ● Cookie Dough Truffles

Graham Cracker Marshmallows ● Raspberry Nutella Marshmallows ● Spicy Chocolate Spread

Cherry Almond Oatmeal Cookies (Gluten Free) ● Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies ● French Butter Cookies ● Zucchini Brownies (Vegan) ● Mini Chai Tea Cakes
Sweet & Salty Nutella Brownies ● Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies ● Fudge Frosted Brownies

Peanut Butter Nutella Slutty Brownies ● Peanut Butter Blondies ● White Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars  Jammie Dodgers ● Banana Cookies (Vegan) ● Chocolate Pudding Brownies

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

I don't know why I do this to myself every year.

I blame the internet. It's peer-pressured me into doing things I don't want to do. But at the time, I think I do want it, because I see all the pretty pictures on Pinterest, and I go hmmm, that does sound good. And then I open the can, and the smell hits me, and I don't want to continue, but I do because otherwise I opened that can for nothing.

I still don't like pumpkin, you guys. I've tried and I've tried. Every year, I get seduced by the "pumpkin ALL THE things" season. Every year I make something, and think, "this is going to be awesome because the internet has lead me to believe that all things with pumpkin taste like rainbows and sparkles." And then every year I remember, "oh yeah, I don't like pumpkin."

These marshmallows are no exception. They are very pumpkiny. Not gonna lie, it was very difficult for me to taste one. The smell of pumpkin puts me off. But they taste like pumpkin, if you like that sort of thing.

I wish I could tell you, "Oh these are the best marshmallows in the world," and "the flavors meld together because of this, this, and this." But I'd be pulling that out of my behind, and I think we know each other well enough by now to not be disingenuous, don't you agree?

They're very sweet. They're very pumpkiny. They've got a little season-appropriate spice. If you're into that sort of thing, you'll like these marshmallows. If not, come sit by me and let's commiserate over the not-liking-pumpkin-during-pumpkin-everything-season thing.

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows
Yield: 77 marshmallows (in theory)
 
Ingredients
1/2 cup cold water
3 packets unflavored gelatin (about 3 tbsp.)
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves
1½ cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
Non-stick cooking spray
Powdered sugar

Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add ½ cup of the water, gelatin, and spices and let soften. Spray a 7x11” baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar. Set aside.

In a LARGE saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, molasses, and salt. Heat on low, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Heat mixture to boiling. Let boil, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 240°F (the soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Start the mixer on low speed, and CAREFULLY add the syrup to the softened gelatin (please utilize a splatter shield, if available). Increase the speed to high, and whip until the mixture is off-white, fluffy, and tripled in size, about 10 minutes. Using a rubber spatula sprayed with cooking spray, quickly fold in the pumpkin puree and spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Let sit uncovered overnight.

Dust a cutting board with powdered sugar. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter sprayed with cooking spray, cut the marshmallows into 1 inch squares. Toss in powdered sugar and serve.

NOTE: The sugar syrup is extremely hot and can be dangerous if not handled correctly. It will boil violently, so use a large saucepan to avoid spills. Use potholders and splatter shields when necessary,
and always avoid distractions when making any kind of candy.

Recipe by Kim

Crispy Caramel Filled Chocolate TARDIS and Daleks

This month's Doctor Who Saturday is totally easy-mode. If you can use a microwave, you can make these chocolates.

You see, I've recently developed a silicone ice cube tray addiction...

... I mean, ever since finding out how good they were for homemade gummies, I've had little reason not to buy them. So when ThinkGeek sent me an email saying they started carrying Doctor Who ice cube trays, I immediately clicked buy. I'd been thinking about doing some filled chocolates for a while, and with Doctor Who Saturday looming, and a brand new ice cube tray to play with, it was simple.

Now, you could just fill the molds with melted chocolate, stick it in the fridge, and call it a day, but I like to make things unnecessarily complicated. I wanted filled chocolate. With caramel. And crispy rice cereal. And these molds were nice and deep enough that I could do that.

So my TARDISes are filled with crispy caramel treats and timey-wimey stuff. Now, I made my own caramel, but I had some issues with it, so I don't have a recipe for you. But, you can always melt some soft caramels with a little bit of heavy cream, and mix in some crisped rice cereal. Et voila, fancy, homemade filled chocolate candies. That look like TARDISes and daleks.

And may I recommend, that if you want to color your chocolate to get a good TARDIS blue, to use candy coloring. I didn't have any, so I used icing coloring (which is water based), and it caused the chocolate to seize. I added some shortening, which fixed the problem, but it made the chocolate a bit delicate. Hence the reason my TARDIS is so battered. That and the Time War, obviously.

I'm also putting together a Whovian cosplay for New York Comic Con that I'm super excited about. That's going to be some easy-mode crafting, so I might just post a tutorial if it turns out, and I remember to take pictures. Anyone want to guess what it is? Correct guessers win a prize! And by prize, I mean my love and admiration. That's enough of a prize for anyone.

Also, if you know who's playing the 12th Doctor, DON'T TELL ME. I want it to be a surprise. I want the first time I see him to be as the Doctor. Otherwise, he's just some dude that pretends to be the Doctor. I'm really mad that they revealed it so early, since the Doctor won't be regenerating until at least the Christmas special. As far as I'm concerned, they shouldn't have even revealed that Matt Smith was leaving. For all that the Doctor and River Song are so concerned about not giving away spoilers, the BBC seems to thrive on them. I've had to avoid or unfollow pretty much everything I love on the interwebz, so I am very cranky. It shouldn't be so hard to not learn this kind of information.

For how to make filled chocolate candies, see the Wilton instructions here, or check out this episode of Nerdy Nummies.

I bought the Doctor Who ice cube tray here.

No Bake Summer Recipe Round Up

You guys know: I like to bake. Do you know what else I apparently like to do? Not bake.

With a heat advisory in New Jersey, cooling centers popping up all over the place, and the job stabbing me repeatedly in the eye, I haven't been much in the mood to write a post. So I thought, in deference to the heat, I'd do a round up of some of my no bake recipes. And hoo boy, did I have plenty.

(P.S. The collages are also clickable. I am that good.)(I hope)
(P.P.S. Doctor Who Saturday will not be this weekend. I screwed up the timing, so it will be next week.)
(P.P.P.S. Steam sale. Whaaaaaaaaat. I bought Evoland this morning for less than 8 bucks. w00t)

Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream ● Toasted Marshmallow Ice Cream ● Frozen Peach Yogurt Cream ● Peach Tea Ice Cream ● Raspberry Red Wine Ice Cream

Cookie Dough Truffles ● Raspberry Nutella Marshmallows ● Homemade Gummies ● Strawberry Cake Batter Fudge ● Graham Cracker Marshmallows ● Pina Colada Marshmallows

S'mores Mud Pie ● Peanut Butter Chiffon Pie ● Berries & Cream Pie ● Chocolate Peppermint Icebox Cake ● Pumpkin Pie Icebox Cake ● Cannoli Cream Icebox Cake ● S'mores Icebox Cake ● Black Forest Icebox Cake ● Mush Pie (Cookies & Cream Mousse Pie)

Lemon Daiquiri Ice Pops ● Cherry Limeade and Lemon Lime Ice Pops ● Easy S'mores Pudding Pops ● Pineapple Banana Mango Pops ● Frozen Nutella-Covered Bananas

Peanut Butter Banana Bread Smoothie ● Blueberry Goat Cheese Pasta Salad ● Hot & Cold S'mores ● Fizzy Kiwi Lemonade ● S'mores Milkshake (A Guest Post from The Messy Baker) ● Fiesta Pasta Salad ● Cinnamon Roll Krispie Treats ● S'mores Cereal Treats

What are your favorite ways to beat the heat?