While we continue to search for a new kitchen here is a fun little short I put together for April Fools Day! Every year, it is my tradition to make "sushi" for all my friends. Everyone gets excited/grossed out about the prospect of a delicious fish and rice combo and then get the the surprise of something completely different. As is the custom on this day of fools!
The Recipe
Candy Sushi
This recipe makes about 40-45 small sushi or 4-5 rolls
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Bag Marshmallows (about 40 large marshmallows)
5 Cups Crispy Rice Cereal
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Toppings! Gummy fish and sea creatures, chocolates, cotton candy, twizzlers
Green Fruit Rolls for 'Seaweed'
Pink Bubble Gum for 'Ginger'
Green Frosting for Wasabi
In a large pot, combine butter and marshmallow and heat on medium till melted.
Add the rice cereal and mix well to coat.
While the rice is still hot, (be careful!!) form the bottoms of your sushi, you can either press them into molds, or form them with your hands. Coat your molds or hands in oil to keep the rice from sticking.
Top the rice with your candy toppings.
Cut the green fruit rolls into long strips and wrap them around the rice and topping, securing them together.
Repeat the process until all sushi are wrapped!
To make rolls, using hot rice (be careful!!) press the rice into a mold, or using a sushi mat, spread the rice out flat and fill with toppings. If the rice is too cold, it will not roll or press into the mold well.
Roll up sushi mat or top mold with more rice and let sit till rice has cooled.
Slice with a Very Sharp knife. Chocolate fillings are easiest to cut.
With a rolling pin or your fingers, flatten out a few pieces of bubble gum for ginger (if the gum is hard, throw it in the microwave for about 7-10 seconds)
The Costume
No costumes per say in this episode. We did a closet raid and began to put together outfits getting crazier and crazier as the night went on! As I am sure many of the cosplayers out there know, we are guilty of buying things and saying "OMG THIS WOULD BE SO COOL FOR A COSTUME!" and sadly, it sits there in the closet for a while before it eventually gets pulled out and used for something completely different. So we went and found all that stuff and here is what we came up with!
The Episode
I am still in mid-move so many friends have offered up the use of their homes for my costuming and filming. Lunairetic and Poisonous Butterfly have been my adopted family for the last 13+ years. So when I made my glorious return from Atlanta back to the Baltimore area, a reunion party was of course in order. And how better to do that than with booze and silly hats?! We spent an entire day coming up with (and testing!) the cocktail recipes and starting filming the next day. Many thanks to them both for the use of their closets and liquor cabinets!
The Recipes
Remember 1 standard sized shot glass = 1 ounce
The Keep It Going
To be made in either 3 shot glasses or a martini glass.
Chocolate Sauce
1oz Irish Cream
2oz Kahlua
1oz Milk
3oz Coffee or Espresso
Whipped Cream
Drizzle your glass of choice with chocolate sauce
In a cocktail shaker full of ice combine all liquor plus the milk and coffee
Shake well and pour into glass
Garnish with whipped cream
The Pricked Finger
This recipe makes 1 shot
1/2 oz chilled peach schnapps
1/2 oz chilled vodka
Grenadine
1 Cherry on a skewer
Pour the peach schnapps and vodka into a shot glass
Gently pour the grenadine along the side of the glass and it will settle at the bottom
Garnish with the cheery
Thread The Bobbin
Here is where things get tricky, remember not to rush this one, the slower you pour the better.
If it does not layer right, fear not, it will still taste great! Plus now you have an excuse to make another!
It is ok to not be exact with the measurements on this one, feel free to eyeball it. Just remember to use mostly the rum and cassis
This recipe makes 1 shot, try and find a tall glass to make it easier to see the layers
1/3 oz Mango rum
1/3 oz Crème de cassis 1/4 oz Grenadine 1/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1 piece of Red String Licorice
In the order listed gently pour the ingredients one at a time over the back of a spoon or against the side of your shot glass.
Garnish with Licorice
The Hot Glue Gun
This one is my favorite! Remember, Flaming shots are cool as hell, but Dangerous as S*IT. So for the love of all the things, be careful. For this drink, you douse the flame by dropping it into your beer.
This recipe makes 1 drink
1/4 oz Everclear 151 - This is needed to light the shot, if you don't want to light it, feel free to omit
1 oz Ameretto
3 oz Coke
10 oz Yuengling Beer
3 white Gummy Bears (This is your "Hot Glue"!)
In a pint glass, combine coke and beer
In a shot glass add the gummy bears pour the amaretto and slowly pour the 151 on top
Now the fun part!
With a long lighter or match, ignite the shot
Raise the shot over the beer and drop it in! If you are uncomfortable picking up the flaming shot, you can put it out first with the bottom of the pint glass or suspend the shot glass over the beer with a pair of chopsticks and simply push them apart to drop the shot. DO NOT blow on the shot to put it out. It will blow fire all over you, your table and your friends.
Unlike an Irish Car Bomb where you have to chug before the drink curdles, this drink can be enjoyed slowly.
Pattern Directions
Don't be afraid, It is actually quite good. If you enjoy Dirty Martinis, you will enjoy this.
This recipe makes 1 drink
2 oz Vodka
1 oz Sweet Pickle Juice
1 Sweet Pickle
Vermouth if you so choose
Rim a martini glass with pickle juice then dip it into a sugar salt mixture (I used 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt)
In a cocktail shaker full of ice, combine vodka, pickle juice and vermouth, shake well.
Pour into martini glass and garnish with a pickle.
The Coat Hanger
A fun little creation, great for using up leftover champagne or for a girls day!
This recipe makes 1 drink
1 oz Nuvo Red Velvet Liquor
1 oz X-Rated Liquor (Kinky or Hypnotic is also acceptable)
Champagne
Fruit slice on a toothpick
In a Champagne glass, combine both liquors and top with Champagne.
Add fruit slice for garnish and enjoy!
What can I say?She is the first female playable character to appear in a 1-on-1 fighting game. It was the first time I was allowed to play video games with my brothers because "You can play The Girl." Little did they know, Chun Li was the best character EVER. Soon after that I was whooping their butts regularly and not allowed to play with them anymore... Chun Li holds a special place in many gamer's hearts especially mine and thus the costume was born. The iconic white Ox Tails (hair buns) along with the blue and gold outfit never fails to make someone's day.
Only picture of Interpol Chun Li!
Taking about 10 hours of work, the main portion of the costume is a modified traditional Chinese dress pattern and the fabric is polyester. I was never able to find boots I was completely happy with in white, so I decided to make a custom Chun Li. Omitting the sleeves made for a more comfortable temperature during Otakon, a July convention with temperatures ranging from 90-100 degrees outside. Originally the costume also sported black and gold bun covers as well as black boots and white bracelets. Over the years I have modified it to add more traditional white bun covers and black bracelets. During DragonCon in Atlanta last year It was paired with stilettos instead of boots for a bit of fun. And for a costume party it was transformed further with a police badge and handcuffs for an Interpol Chun Li. I still however quest for the perfect white boot! This is the last you will see of this Chun Li however, as of this episode it has been retired to be remade! The newest Street Fighter has released Chun Li in a brand new form with a sexy black dress and cute red shoes! But the lure of Blue and Gold defiantly calls to me. So both will be made!
The Black dress shall be made to detail while the Blue will remain a custom. Those familiar with Yaya Han will have seen her beautiful Chun Li custom (If you have not, click here!) and what an inspiration she is! I see lots of fabric in my future! The Episode Chun Li has been on my brain for the last few months what with Dragoncon and Halloween having just passed, so before I put this Chun Li into full retirement, I figured it needed one last day in the sun! I did lots of reseach about street food in China before choosing my recipes. I read lots of blogs and articals about the best places to go and which vendors to look for. From there I researched traditional and moderen recipes to use as a good base, then I scoured around for videos on proper cooking technique. Next came experimentation, I mention in the video not to worry if your first crepe does not come out perfect even though it would appear that mine did. There were plenty of recipe fails before I got it right, I was in full crepe making mode by the time I started filming! The French actually have a saying for that which is "la première, c'est pour le chien" or "The first is for the dog". The Recipes
Jian Bing
For the Crepe- 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour 3/4 cup Cake Flour 1 Tablespoon Oil 1/2 cup Whole Milk 1/2 Water For the Filling- Green Onions, sliced thin Chopped Cilantro Sesame Crackers 3 Eggs 1/4 Cup Hoisin Sauce 1/4 Cup Thai Chili Sauce Anything else you might enjoy! (shredded meat, cheese, scrambled egg, grilled tofu etc.) Directions- Whisk together the flours, oil, water and milk in a large bowl, it should resemble thin pancake batter, if it is too thick, add another tablespoon or two of milk. Combine the Thai Chili sauce and the Hoisin sauce in a small bowl and crunch up the crackers into bite sized pieces. Crack all three eggs into a bowl and beat together. Spread 1/2 cup of batter onto a large non-stick skillet or large frying pan. After about 10 seconds the crepe will set and you can spread a thin layer of beaten egg onto the crepe. Sprinkle on your cilantro and green onions and let the egg solidify (become not runny). Using a large spatula, flip the crepe over. Spread on your Hoisin mixture, sprinkle on your crackers and add any other fillings you might like. Once the crepe has turned golden brown on the bottom, gently fold up the crepe like a burrito. Serve hot! Chuànr (pronounced Cha-war) Meat- Pick your favorite! Lamb is very popular in China- about 1 pound cut into 1 inch pieces or 1/2 inch strips Seasonings- 1 Teaspoon Chili powder 1 Teaspoon Cumin Combine both in a bowl Sauce- 1/2 cup Honey 2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard (Chinese hot mustard is good too!) 1 Teaspoon Minced Ginger Combine all in a bowl Directions- Heat a large grill pan or outdoor grill to medium high heat. If you use seasonings, season the meat first on all sides before grilling. If you use sauce, the meat will go onto the grill first and the sauce added after it has begun to cook. Add meat to the grill, cook as desired. About 5-7 minutes per side depending on the meat and its thickness. Serves 2 Pearl Milk Tea 2 Teaspoons Light Tea (Green, White, Jasmine) 2 Cups Boiling Water 1/8 Cup Sugar or Honey 16oz glass filled with Ice 1/4 Cup Whole Milk 1/4 Cup Cooked Tapioca Pearls (Find them at most Asian Markets or at an online retailer) Directions- Brew tea for about 5 minutes or according to your tea's instructions. Coat the cooked pearls with the sugar or honey and let them sit while the tea is brewing. Add the pearls to the glass of ice and top with tea till almost full. Add the milk, more or less is always ok, and enjoy! Serves 1
This costume came together very quickly about three days after our return from Germany. It was about an hour project without a lot of sewing. Many of the pieces were grabbed from a few other costumes when the idea struck! The fun part of this costume was looking up all the different St. Pauli Girls throughout the years and watching how the costume changed year by year. Another fun part was the hair! The original bottle portray's a brunette while the newer bottles portray blonds (5 years running they were Playboy Bunnies!). I decided to go with old school, it required a lot of hair spray and curl cream! I also broke out the red lipstick which doesn't happen very often. Added a double dose of blush and some beer mugs and I was ready to go!
Jen England- 2011
The Episode
The best part of this episode was the research! I learned about the Yearly St. Pauli Girl contest, the original brewery was in Bremam, Germany right next to the former St. Paul's Monastery and the beer is made for export only and is not actually sold in Germany! And here I though it was just a great beer! My favorite food ever is giant pretzels, no joke, I could probably live off them, Haribo Gummy Bears and beer. Maybe in the future when puppies stay puppies forever... anyway, while in Germany, I at my weight in pretzels and loved every minute of it, in fact, I felt I didn't get enough so I dug out my old pretzel recipe for this episode! We also went to a restaurant where they served over sized plates of EVERYTHING. They even had an eating challenge that involved spaetzle and over 112oz of beer! Spaetzle is a German staple, it is hard to find a restaurant without it, which is why I chose to put it in this episode! Recipes Pretzel
1.5 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
2 Tablespoons Honey
1.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2 Eggs
1.5 Cups Warm Water (100 degrees is usually good)
Directions- Bloom the yeast in the warm water and honey for about five minutes, the yeast will be puffy and foamy, if it isn't, your water may have been too hot or too cold. In a large mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the yeast mixture, both flours, salt and one egg. Kneed on low for 30 seconds, then add the second egg. If your dough looks a little dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. When the dough ball comes together, dump it out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed it by hand for five minutes. Be careful not to tear or rip the dough as this will break up the gluten fibers, don't over kneed! Coat a large bowl in olive oil and add your dough ball, coating it lighting in oil as well. Let it rise till it has doubled in size (about an hour and a half). Remove the ball from bowl onto a floured work surface and kneed about three times, cut the sections for your pretzels, roll or stuff as desired (see video). Dip the pretzels in a mixture of baking soda and water (3 tblsps baking soda to 2 cups water) Cook at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes depending on size. Enjoy!
Makes about 8 Pretzels
Spaetzle
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
.5 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 of 3/4th Cup Milk (use a 3/4th measure and fill it half way...)
1 egg
Seasonings (video uses 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder and rosemary)
Large pot of lightly salted boiling water
Directions-
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Over the pot of boiling water, force the dough through a holed apparatus (colander or a skimmer spoon). Let the dough cook until they rise to the top of the water. Remove from the water and place them into a bowl with a bit of butter to keep them from sticking together. Preheat a frying pan to medium high heat with 1 tablespoon butter. Add the spaetzle and toss till golden brown all over. Serve with a bit of sour cream. Serves 2. Summer Beer Spritzer 2 Cups Lemon Lime or Ginger Soda 1 Cup of Lighter Beer, Pale Ale, Heffeweizen or Light Lager (St. Pauli Girl anyone?!) Directions-
Combine in a large mug or glass, DRINK IT!
For the younger American crowd, St. Pauli Girl makes a Non-Alcoholic beer that anyone can buy!
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