I admit it: I’ve been depressed. Hellishly so, you might say. As such, my efforts in the kitchen of late have been… less than stellar. Lackluster. Nonexistent. I haven’t baked anything at all in a month. Would you forgive me for chocolate? Well, how about chocolate chocolate chip? From scratch?
There we go; that’s the ticket.
The Assassin’s Creed series is one of my favorite games/series that I am incapable of playing. Top Ten material, probably. With its rich storylines and gameplay I could watch someone play it for days. Also, if I could lose about half my body weight and wear Assassin’s garb full time… Yeah. That’d be great.
November’s Featured Recipe is here at last! You voted; I experimented in the kitchen. I’m proud to say that with a little patience and perseverance we were able to create something really unique! This week’s recipe:Â Bombchu Lemon Bars from Legend of Zelda! Yes, those little explosive mouse-like thingies. Are they not adorable?
This recipe comes in three parts: a buttery, slightly sweet shortbread, creamy and sour lemon curd, and complementing ABC (apple, blueberry, cinnamon) fruit leather. All from scratch, all in less than 24 hours. Cut me a little slack, fruit leather takes forever to dehydrate!
Look at the tails. LOOK AT THEM. Are you ready for this? Too late, let’s go.
It’s the most magical time of the year again! No, not bloody Christmas– Blizzcon! For Blizzard Entertainment fans around the world, it’s our gentle reminder that we’re not allowed to have money… and you know what? That’s okay. It really is. I’ll be pre-purchasing Legion any day now. Seriously, I am excited for all the things. ALL. THE. THINGS. Don’t ask me why, but I’m only able to play games produced by Blizzard relatively well. Don’t even get me started on my Spirit Beast collection. If you can’t tell, I love Blizzard. Like, A.LOT. Anyway.
For a good portion of the US, temps are starting to fall and leaves are changing color. Fall is here which means comfort food time.So really, it was a wonderful convenience that my work is having a chili cook-off tomorrow. What did I decide to make? Well…
Dragonsbreath Chili. Simple. Classic. (image from Wowhead)
Incidentally, WoW’s Dragonbreath Chili recipe calls for a 200 cooking skill to make and the skill cap is currently 700. That’s about how difficult this is to make IRL- 200/700. And really, that’s because of the peppers. Those damn peppers… I don’t want to talk about it. Nope. This is not your momma’s chili. This is not your daddy’s chili. There are no beans in this chili, because beans have no business in chili.
Ready? Leeeeeeeeeeeroyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…… JEEEEENKINSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! (For the uninitiated, educate yourself:)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know Fallout 4 is coming out next week. Of course that means I’m making a special treat! Are you prepared to set out for the wastelands and lay waste to zombies and irradiated flora and fauna? If your answer is not yes, you’re lying. But wait! Don’t go without a Mississippi Quantum Pie! Loosely based on a Mississippi mud pie, this recipe is decked out in three layers of delicious chocolate, topped off with a healthy dose of Nuka Cola Quantum-blue frosting and bottle cap candy.
Oh, did I mention the chocolate cake layer is Coca Cola cake? Boom.
Even better, I’ll be whipping up a second batch to share at the midnight launch at the Bridgewater Falls GameStop in Hamilton, Ohio. If you haven’t preordered your copy yet, well, you know which store to choose! Come out and see me; I promise I’m even more socially awkward in person. There should be a post up early next week for the event, along with some special behind-the-scenes pictures. Ready? Let’s go.
Skill Up Skillets month of Nightmare Before Christmas continues with a mouthwatering reverse whoopie pie recipe- a white cake cookie on the outside with rich, decadent chocolate on the inside. What’s even better, the center is filled with two different kinds of chocolate: homemade creamy chocolate ganache and a chocolate-chocolate chip whipped cream. The itty bitty Jack Skellington faces turned out to be rather adorable, and they’re so easy to make! Why are you not in the kitchen already?!
Don’t forget to head over to CuppaGeek to see what she has to offer for some spooky good Halloween teas. They’re simply to die for! Yes, I’m very punny, thank you very much. I think her Pumpkin King tea review would be spot-on for this recipe!
After a hysterical conversation with one of my international friends I learned that whoopie pies are an American thing. Seriously, I’d post the whole conversation here if I didn’t think she would hop on a plane to Ohio and beat me senseless with a rolling pin or something. A whoopie pie is a US baked good that is made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, or sometimes pumpkin or gingerbread cake, with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them. You can learn more about whoopie pies here, if you’d like.
Boys and girls of every age… wouldn’t you like to bake something strange (and wonderful)?
Just… don’t throw these at people. Or animals. Or anything living, really. Non-gaming violence is bad, mmkay?
I decided to fill my piñatas with a playful combination of Nerds candies and Everlasting Gobstoppers, with a few of my favorite Gym Badges and The Boy’s Pikachu Amiibo. Because Pikachu, that’s why. You either love Pikachu or you’re lying.
You spoke; we listened! September’s Featured Recipe is Mrs. Cartman’s Powdered Donut Pancake Surprise! Recently, Skill Up Skillet received a donation to the Bakeware Fund. Part of this donation went towards purchasing a small deep fryer which was used to make the donuts used in today’s recipe. Thanks for your donation!
Thank you!
DISCLAIMER: This recipe is pure diabetes on a plate. Expect one plate to feed 3-4 adults!
As you may have noticed, there’s no poll for October’s Featured Recipe. “But why, Leisel? Don’t you care about your readers?” You bet your ass I do. That’s why this October Skill Up Skillet will be collaborating with CuppaGeek throughout the month of October to throw a smashing Nightmare Before Christmas Tea Party! Details to come, but it’s sure to be a fun-filled month of “What in Zeus’ name did we get ourselves into?”
I digress. South Park. Powdered Donut Pancake Surprise. Ready? Let’s go.
A couple of months ago I was contacted by one of my readers requesting a Toad cake from Mario. Of course I couldn’t refuse! Now, cake is pretty awesome; you can never go wrong with cake. But how does one take cake to the next level? What really makes cake ‘the bomb’? Bombe cake! But what exactly is a bombe? According to research a la Google:
bombe
bäm(b)
noun
noun: bombe; plural noun: bombes
a frozen dome-shaped dessert.
a dome-shaped mold in which a bombe is made.
These ultra cute Toad bombes have a hard candy shell hat filled with two different kinds of mousse, Nutella and (because it’s summer and I’m craving fruit) peach. Not only do they look super fancy, they’re easy to make, too! Ready? Let’s go.
Did you know there are virtually no candies out in the world commemorating materia from Final Fantasy VII? Seriously. Look it up: “materia candy”. You will find some really sexy looking marbled chocolates retailing for ~$30 USD. That’s it. And while they look amazing, I’m looking for something a little more… affordable. And while we’re revisiting one of the most beloved RPG’s ever, why not do it with an additional blast from the past: button candy! The little sugary hard candy drops that always stuck to the damn paper, remember? Well. Guess what? These homemade candy buttons don’t stick to the damn paper. For the most part. Like maybe 1 in 100 will stick a bit. That’s it. And that’s worth it. I went with three colors of materia (Red/Summoning, Yellow/Support, Green/Magic), but you can get as complex with this as you’d like (blue would look amazing). I’ll also be uploading my candy button template later on today. Just save and print! Ready? Let’s go. Continue reading Materia Candy Buttons: Final Fantasy Comes To Life!→
It’s time to break out your Inner 90’s Kid with this one. Let’s go back to a simpler time: a time when Saturday morning cartoons was your first true religion. For a lot of us, Dexter’s Laboratory easily made the Top 10 Best Cartoons. If you disagree, you’re lying. But what is ‘Omelette du Fromage’ actually about? One episode, Dexter decided to learn French by playing a language tape as he slept. One problem: The tape got stuck on repeat! Poor guy, the only thing he heard that night was ‘Omelette du Fromage’. Thus one of your favorite childhood memes began:
The only sort-of-French you ever learned as a kid.
Incidentally, ‘Omelette du Fromage’ isn’t actually a thing. The correct saying is actually ‘Omelette AU Fromage’. In any case, with all this talk of breakfast floating about, who wants a strange French cheese omelette? That’s what I thought. Let’s go.
Skill Up Skillet 