*Update: The new recipe went over great at the party! It was almost all gone by the end of it. :-)*
Hey, do you remember May? I know it probably seems like it was forever and a day ago, but that was a very big month for me. My best friend Sally came to visit for two weeks, and we surprised her with a trip to Disney World. While there, we spent half an incredible day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter there in Universal Studios. While there, we had some really unique, whimsical foods.
Mmmmm, cauldron cake. Tastes like enchantment!
Okay, this isn't actually my picture. The butterbeers we bought somehow escaped being photographed. They came in mugs just like that, though, which made great souvenirs.
Pumpkin juice! How about we make ourselves some o' that goodness. Now, I know there are countless pumpkin juice recipes on the internet, but fantasy stories make me adventurous, so we're going to figure it out on our own!
But, Dana, how do you even know where to start? You can't really juice a pumpkin. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a cheater...a cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater. :-)
Look what I kept from Universal...
...and look what's there on the back of it. Granted, I don't know what most of that stuff on the tail end of the list is, but I know the first few. That should be all I need to make a decent copy.
Tadaa! In case you can't tell, that's apple cider, apricot nectar, and pumpkin pie filling. Now to figure out the amounts. Here's the part where I have to rely on my memory.
Okay, so here's my first batch. Don't worry, I kept notes.
See?
And here's the first batch. It was really good. My first guess was actually almost spot on, but not quite. It wasn't pumpkiny enough. I slowly started adding more and ended up with...
...this! 1 can apricot nectar, 1/4 cup pumpkin pie filling, and two cups apple cider. It's a wee bit thicker than juice, so you could add water if you want it a bit thinner. I also thought you could add some yogurt for a smoothie, which is also the setting I used to blend it all together. It also has enough of a pumpkin flavor that you can tell it's there, but it's not so strong that it's overpowering.
Just don't heat it up. I tried it because I love hot drinks. As you can see, it tends to boil over. It also takes on a "cooked squash" flavor, which is not very nice.
Hey, do you remember May? I know it probably seems like it was forever and a day ago, but that was a very big month for me. My best friend Sally came to visit for two weeks, and we surprised her with a trip to Disney World. While there, we spent half an incredible day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter there in Universal Studios. While there, we had some really unique, whimsical foods.
Mmmmm, cauldron cake. Tastes like enchantment!
Okay, this isn't actually my picture. The butterbeers we bought somehow escaped being photographed. They came in mugs just like that, though, which made great souvenirs.
Pumpkin juice! How about we make ourselves some o' that goodness. Now, I know there are countless pumpkin juice recipes on the internet, but fantasy stories make me adventurous, so we're going to figure it out on our own!
But, Dana, how do you even know where to start? You can't really juice a pumpkin. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a cheater...a cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater. :-)
Look what I kept from Universal...
...and look what's there on the back of it. Granted, I don't know what most of that stuff on the tail end of the list is, but I know the first few. That should be all I need to make a decent copy.
Tadaa! In case you can't tell, that's apple cider, apricot nectar, and pumpkin pie filling. Now to figure out the amounts. Here's the part where I have to rely on my memory.
When we were in Harry Potter world, Mike had asked me what the pumpkin juice tasted like, and I specifically remember mentioning that it tasted a lot like apple cider, but not. That being the case, I decided that that should make up the base of my drink.
As for the pumpkin, we're working a semi-solid into a smooth liquid. Also, pumpkin is a very pervasive flavor, so I needed to start pretty small on the pumpkin-front and move up gradually.
Finally, what about the apricot? I have never worked with this stuff, so I gave it a taste. It's pretty mild and is nice and sweet. That will be good to temper everything. This is my system.
As for the pumpkin, we're working a semi-solid into a smooth liquid. Also, pumpkin is a very pervasive flavor, so I needed to start pretty small on the pumpkin-front and move up gradually.
Finally, what about the apricot? I have never worked with this stuff, so I gave it a taste. It's pretty mild and is nice and sweet. That will be good to temper everything. This is my system.
Okay, so here's my first batch. Don't worry, I kept notes.
See?
And here's the first batch. It was really good. My first guess was actually almost spot on, but not quite. It wasn't pumpkiny enough. I slowly started adding more and ended up with...
...this! 1 can apricot nectar, 1/4 cup pumpkin pie filling, and two cups apple cider. It's a wee bit thicker than juice, so you could add water if you want it a bit thinner. I also thought you could add some yogurt for a smoothie, which is also the setting I used to blend it all together. It also has enough of a pumpkin flavor that you can tell it's there, but it's not so strong that it's overpowering.
Just don't heat it up. I tried it because I love hot drinks. As you can see, it tends to boil over. It also takes on a "cooked squash" flavor, which is not very nice.
So there it is, my own custom pumpkin juice recipe. I'm very excited about debuting it at Nova's Halloween party this weekend. I'll be sure to show off my costume and how I made it in a post next week too!
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