Tag: jk rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly ‘Mallows

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The early 2000s were a time of wonderful weirdness for preteens. Maybe you made up a dance routine to Monster Mash in your friend’s basement. Perhaps you rocked a Limited Too pageboy hat on a fifth grade field trip. But I’d bet that the most accurate manifestation of preteen splendor would be your AOL Instant Messenger screen name and password.

While I wavered between Neopets and Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Cats themes, my sister was always very steadfast – the username was based on a fearless Shakespearean protagonist, and the password paid tribute to one of the most entertaining characters in literature: Peeves the Poltergeist.

The ghosts were such a phenomenal part of the Harry Potter series, and though their appearances were brief and infrequent, they were always entertaining. Nearly Headless Nick was bizarrely endearing, and Peeves was hilariously pesky. JK Rowling did a wonderful job of making ghosts – in the past classically “scary” figures – into something we all looked forward to encountering as we turned the pages of the Harry Potter books.

Like the fashion and social choices we made as preteens, these meringues represent something stereotypically scary at first glance; but when you actually dive in, they’re actually quite sweet.

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Meringue Ghosts:

3 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 oz dark chocolate chips

Instruction:

  1. In standing mixer, whip egg whites and salt until frothy. Gradually add sugar on medium-high speed and whip until you have stiff and glossy peaks.
  2. Pipe egg white mixture onto parchment paper-lined baking tray. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes, until meringues are light brown on top. Let meringues cool completely.
  3. Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between each interval. Using a toothpick or a small piping bag, pipe two dots onto the meringue as the ghost’s eyes.

Enjoy meringue ghosts with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and check in at http://warandpeach.com for future recipes and book reviews!

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkebabs

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I always associate the Harry Potter books with late summertime. My family proudly likes to claim that we were the first people in the USA to “discover” the beloved series, and I have vivid memories of my mother reading the first two books to me on hot nights in the only air-conditioned room in my childhood home.

However, my mom gave up on the series after book #2, claiming that “the weird weasel-y character” (Dobby) freaked her out. If she only could’ve continued on to the third, my favorite of the series.

As the summer quickly draws to a close, these chicken satay skewers are the perfect complement to a hot evening outdoors. Like Harry Potter’s beloved godfather, Sirius Black, the peanut sauce seems spicy and potentially dangerous, but after several bites the smooth, silky, sweetness takes over and wins all hearts.

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Grilled Chicken Satay:

4 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Marinade:

Pineapple yogurt (or plain if you prefer)

1/2 cup olive oil

Zest and juice of 3 limes

Plenty of salt and pepper

Instruction:

1. Whisk all marinade ingredients together. Coat cubed chicken in marinade, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for several hours (at least 2).

Peanut sauce:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp soy sauce

Zest and juice of 3 limes

1/4 cup boiling water

1 garlic clove

2 shakes red pepper flakes

2 shakes chipotle powder

Salt and pepper

Optional: scallions to garnish

Instruction:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender (adding hot water last). Blend until smooth.

*If sauce is too thin (depending on juiciness of limes), transfer to saucepan and simmer until thickened to syrupy consistency.

2. (Optionally) top with chopped scallions.

Assembly:

1. Soak skewers for at least an hour in water. Then skewer four or five chicken cubes, allowing excess marinade to drip off.

2. Place skewers on grill set to medium-high and lightly coated with cooking spray. Cook on one side for about 5 minutes, then flip and cook other side for 4 minutes. (This will vary depending on strength of grill and size of chicken cubes!) Serve with spicy peanut sauce.

Enjoy chicken satay kebabs with J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and check in at http://warandpeach.com for future recipes and book reviews!