Peppermint Toads

I made these today for my son's upcoming Harry Potter birthday party.

• 1 lb white (or red) meltable candy beads (I use Merckens or Wilton's, available at craft stores)
• 4 candy canes, crushed
• 3-4 drops peppermint oil

Melt white chocolate, stir in crushed candy and peppermint oil. Pour into frog-shaped molds. (I got mine from Confectionery House) Harden in freezer and remove.

Tomorrow I'm using the same technique with dark chocolate for Chocolate Frogs.

Pumpkin Pasties

Also from the Harry Potter Premiere Party, (yep, that's me above, as Hepzibah Smith) though the adults seemed to like them more than the kids. Though, in my son's case above, the expression is from the vomit-flavored Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Bean he had just ingested, not the pastie.

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 lb canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 2 9-inch pie crusts

Mix eggs, sugar, spices, pumpkin and milk together and pre-bake in a greased casserole dish at 425 degrees for 15 minutes Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Roll out pie crust and cut into 4-inch circles. Put a spoonful of pumpkin filling in the center, fold and press together. Cut slits in top crust. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Butterbeer

Hot...frothy...warms you from the inside...
I'm not sure Muggles have successfully duplicated Butterbeer as described by JK Rowling, but my son enjoyed this beverage at the recent Harry Potter 7 premiere party.

• 8 oz cream soda
• 1/2 cup butterscotch syrup
• 1/2 tablespoon butter

Heat butter and syrup in microwave until hot and bubbly. Sir and cool for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in soda. Mixture will fizz. Serves 2.

Cockroach Clusters

For Harry Potter Day, of course. I made a batch of these to take to my class on Friday, before I jump into the car to drive 8 hours to take my kids to the midnight premiere. I am nuts, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

• 12 oz chocolatey bark coating
• 3 cups chow mein noodles

Melt coating in microwave, add noodles and stir to coat. Put oval-ish tablespoonfuls on wax paper to harden. Makes about 30.

I also found a recipe for butterbeer: 1 part butterscotch schnapps to 7 parts cream soda. No idea if this is any good, as I'm not much of a schnapps drinker, and my school would probably frown on me serving up a batch to students. If I go to a certain Mother's Reunion in the fall, maybe I'll let you know.