Harry Potter Says Happy Birthday

This past Saturday we sang Happy Birthday six times over...my Dad turned 49 and the five puppies turned one!  Add Father's Day in the mix, and you'd expect it to be one huge celebration.  Instead, we've spent the last two days watching all seven Harry Potter movies.    We started with The Sorcerer's Stone Friday night and ended with The Deathly Hallows Part 1 this afternoon.  I'm probably one of the biggest HP nerds ever; I've read all the books and seen all the movies more times than any one person should.  But, with the final chapter coming out on July 15, our refresher course was just what I needed.  If you find yourself questioning some of the lingo from the books/films, no worries.  As I was weekend watching, I took down some notes:

• Wingardium Leviosa-charm that levitates objects.
• Stupefy-spell that puts the victim in an unconscious state
• Riddikulus-spell used when fighting a Boggart
• Lumos-creates a narrow beam of light that shines from a wand's tip
• Expecto Patronum-charm used when battling Dementors. 
• Expelliarmus-charm used to disarm another witch or wizard

Craving more Potter knowledge, well I found a site strictly devoted to J.K. Rowling's world-  http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page.

Also, if you're planning on hosting a Potter Party any time soon, be sure to buy some chocolate frogs from Honeydukes.  Try this simple Butterbeer recipe too.  When I went to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios, I couldn't get enough of this bewitching beverage.


Ingredients:

• 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 6 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

1) In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240ºF on a candy thermometer.
2) Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
3) Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.
4) In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5) To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

Well, I was in the middle of reading yet another book based in NYC, but I'll have to put my guilty pleasure read on hold.  I can't quite remember how the seventh book ends, and I'm not waiting until mid-July to find out.  As soon as this blog's posted, I'm cracking open that cover again.