Sunday, May 29, 2011

Movie Weekend #6 June 10, 11, 12

June 8th is Best Friends Day. I couldn't find any movies specifically related to Hufflepuff best friends, so these will have to do:

City Slickers

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Movie Weekend #5 June 3, 4, 5

Did you know that June is National Candy Month? To start such an important month off correctly, let's watch one of these movies:

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (I prefer the Gene Wilder version, but feel free to substitute the newer one if you like it better - we can have some interesting discussions comparing the versions!

Chocolat

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Movie Weekend #4 May 27, 28, 29

Okay, dust off your tap shoes, because we need to celebrate Tap Dance Day (May 25).

If you're not much of a dancer, or can't find the shoes, grab your remote and honor the holiday by watching one of these movies:

Singin' In the Rain

Chicago (available to view instantly from Netflix)

Snickerdoodles? Or Cupcakes? Now you don't have to decide.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I lifted this recipe (with permission) from a friends facebook page.

Bring wet ingredients to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
(frosting & cinnamon-sugar to follow)

1 1/2 c. white flour
1 c. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 sticks butter
3 eggs
1-1 1/4 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream the butter in the bowl of your stand-up mixer, or if you aren't lucky enough to have one, in a bowl with your hand mixer.  Add the sugar and cream it into the butter.  Scrape down the bowl when necessary, but at least once.

Add the vanilla.  Add the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next.  A good tip from Ina Garten is to break the egg into a small bowl in case of stray shell or in case the egg is bad it won't ruin the whole batter.

Have your buttermilk measured and ready.  Put all your other dry ingredients into a small bowl and mix them together with a fork.

In three additions, add in 1/3 of the dry mixture, incorporating it completely.  Add 1/3 of the buttermilk, incoporating it fully.  Lather, rinse, repeat til flour mixture and buttermilk are used up.

Fill baking cups about 3/4-ish with batter.  Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and springy, and the neighbor kids knock on the door because it smells so good.

Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting
Bring wet ingredients to room temp, otherwise the butter & cream cheese won't incorporate.

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Again with the mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese.  Add the sugar & vanilla.  Taste it, add more sugar if you like. Spread on the cupcakes & top with cinnamon-sugar.

Cinnamon-Sugar

2 Tblsp. white sugar to 1 tsp. cinnamon

Make about double this and then sprinkle on top of cupcakes.
Save the rest for toast :)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Hot Cocoa Mix

This recipe was taken from Ravlery's Hot Chocolate Group courtesy of

1 cup powered sugar (Irene uses 1 Cup Splenda.)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Irene uses Hersheys Dark Chocolate Baking Powder)
1 packet of dry milk powder (the one that says it makes 1 quart, they sell 5 pack boxes and 10 pack boxes at the supermarket).
1 teaspoon cornstarch (keeps everything from clumping)
1/8 teaspoon of salt (salt brings out chocolate flavor).
You sift it all twice, and store in a jar.
Very easy, and yummy!

*I tried the powdered sugar version and liked it.  I even brought some of this mix to a friend's house.  She was unable to try it though as her kids managed to make it disappear. 

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Movie Weekend #3 May 20, 21, 22

Did you know that May 20th is "Be a Millionaire Day"? I'd like to celebrate that by winning the lottery, but just in case I don't, I'll celebrate it with these movies:

How to Steal a Million, starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole

Oceans 11 (add Oceans 12 and Oceans 13 also if you're in the mood for a marathon or possibly need some cheering up if you, too, fail to win the lottery!)

Movie Weekend #2 May 13, 14, 15

We should definitely celebrate National Train Day, which is May 9th, so let's do it by watching one of these movies:

Unstoppable, starring Denzel Washington

Throw Momma from the Train, which is available to view instantly.

Hufflepuff Movie Weekends - Spring 2011

We're going to try something different for Movie Weekends this term - TWO movies every week. Hopefully this way there will be something for everyone! Many of these movies were taken from the "Hufflepuff Favorite Movies" lists, so these movies
are chosen from among your, and your classmates', favorites

Watch the movie you like best! Watch them both! Then come chat about them on the current week's "movie weekend" thread. Tell us why your choice is the best movie, tell us all your favorite parts, tell us why we need to watch it if we haven't seen it already! Tell us about your favorite movie-watching treats, or a menu you'd choose for a movie night built around whichever movie (or movies!) you've chosen. Quote all your favorite lines. Make fun of any terrible lines. Tell us about bloopers, or parts you dislike. Tell us about an alternate ending you'd have chosen if you were in charge of the movie. Tell us why you love (or hate) the actors in it. Tell us who you'd have cast. Whatever. Just choose a movie, and come talk about it!

I'm going to try to keep the blog updated so that you'll have plenty of time to locate any movies you want to watch. I'll update it on Sunday nights, so check back often!

Okay....Movie Weekend #1 May 6, 7, 8

Let's celebrate Cinco de Mayo by watching films shot in Mexico! Your choices for the week are:

Romeo + Juliet (from Baz Lurhmann), which is available to view instantly on Netflix.
-and/or-
The Mask of Zorro!