Introduction: Delicious Halloween Gelatin Dessert. <PIC> Easy and delicious Dessert Step 1: Ingredients:. <PIC> 3 oz. ofCrushed Cookies¼ stick of butter1 Flan Mix 1.41 oz 2 cups of milk1 orange gelatin 1.41 oz.1 cup water7.05 oz. Sweetened Condensed milk1.76 oz. White Chocolate0.7 oz. Black ChocolateFood Coloring or Orange Flavoring Step 2: . <PIC> Combine the Crushed Cookies with Melted Butter (in the micro) and put this mixture on the bottom of one or more containers, pressing very well and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Step 3: . Prepare Flan with milk as directed on the container. Pour Flan halfway into containers and refrigerate until set. Step 4: . <PIC> Prepare Orange Gelatin, use only a cup of water, add gradually the Sweetened Condensed Milk until blended well (must be careful to avoid cutting milk). Pour  Gelatin over the Flan leaving a small space before reaching the edge and refrigerate until set. Step 5: . <PIC> While curdles Gelatin, melt a little the White Chocolate in the micro (10 in 10 seconds), mix with the Food Coloring or Orange Flavoring and form a paste, put it in a bag and flatten with a rolling pin, with a clean cover or mold cut circles, these are our Pumpkins. Step 6: . <PIC> Melt the Black Chocolate in the micro (to 10 in 10 seconds) and place it in a pastry bag or in a plastic bag, cut the tip and decorate Pumpkins making your eyes, nose and mouth. Step 7: . <PIC> Use Whipped Cream and the Pumpkin to decorating, and voilà!, It serve well chilled and Happy Halloween!!!. Step 8: For More Information Check the Video.


Introduction: Vegetable Pakoras (video Recipe). Vegetable Pakoras is a very popular savoury Indian snack. Even though they are deep fried, pakoras have a  lot of nutritional value due to the variety of fresh vegetables, spices  and batter made with chick pea flour. Chick pea flour is readily  available at any Indian supermarket. It is also called “besan” or “chana  flour”. Mango powder (also known as amchur powder)  is available in small packets and gives the pakoras a wonderful tangy  flavour. You can also substitute mango powder with lemon juice.Pakoras, served with chutney, is a great party pleaser finger food!Online Cooking Classes: Spice Inspired Kitchen: Indian Cuisine 101 For Vegetarian Food Lovers Step 1: INGREDIENTS. <PIC> BATTER .05 2.5 cups chick pea flour.10 2 Tb ground cumin.15 2 Tb ground coriander.22 1 tsp turmeric powder.26 1 tsp mango powder.30 1 Tbs sea salt.34 1 tsp smoked paprika Or chilli powder .39  mix with a whisk.43 add 2 cups water.54 whisk until smoothVEGETABLES1.08 Add 5 cups chopped veggies:  1 cup thin sliced potatoes 1 cup sweet potato wedges 1/2 cup sliced eggplant 1 cup cauliflower 1 cup firmly packed spinach/kale 1 red onion, sliced1.20 Mix until evenly coated with batter Step 2: Mix With a Whisk. <PIC>  Step 3: Add Water and Whisk Until Smooth. <PIC>  Step 4: Add 5 Cups Chopped Veggies. <PIC> 1 cup thin sliced potatoes  1 cup sweet potato wedges  1/2 cup sliced eggplant  1 cup cauliflower  1 cup firmly packed spinach/kale  1 red onion, sliced Step 5: Mix Until Evenly Coated With Batter. <PIC>  Step 6: Heat 5-6 Cups Canola Oil in Wok  or Fryer (medium High). <PIC> Test to see if oil is hot (pakora should quickly  rise to surface) Step 7: Gently Drop Small Clusters Into Hot Oil With a Tablespoon  or by Hand. <PIC> Gently drop small clusters into hot oil with a tablespoon or by hand. Turn over with a slotted spoon as pakoras start turning golden in colour (about 2-3 minutes depending on temperature of oil). Remove from oil when pakoras are golden brown. Place on paper towel lined tray to drain excess oil. Repeat process in batches until all of the pakoras are fried. Step 8: Place on Paper-lined Tray . <PIC>  Step 9: Serve With Chutney. <PIC> Pakoras, served with chutney, is a great party pleaser finger food! For many more video recipes please visit our Youtube channel.


Introduction: Fried Pi Pies. <PIC> These fried pi pies are the perfect way to ring in Pi Day, whether your oven is on the fritz (like mine) or you just want a little deep fried action.   Step 1: The Stuff. <PIC> You need:
Unbaked Pie crusts -- these can be refrigerated ready-to-use type or homemade
Pie filling -- a relatively smooth filling is best because you need to pipe it.  I made a classic chocolate filing but you can make one out of fruit (perhaps minced) if you'd like.
Deep fryer OR a medium, heavy saucepan AND oil suitable for frying
Pi template
Kitchen scissors or pastry roller
Water Step 2: Pi Shape. <PIC> Prepare your template.  You can use the image here, resized as you like it, or draw your own.  It's important that the template shape be quite fat.  Interior corners should be rounded, to make putting together the pies easier. Step 3: Pieces of Pi. <PIC> Lay out your rolled pie crust and either use a pastry cutter to trace around the pattern or mark it with food color markers and cut it out.  You need two pi shapes per pie.
Note to self: Consider commissioning the creation of large pi-shaped cookie cutters for next year! Step 4: Assembly. <PIC> Fill your pastry bag (or a sturdy zip-top bag) with your filling and cut off the tip.  I piped through a coupler to make it a little easier to handle.
Pipe filling on the center of one pi shape.  You don't need much.  Be sure it's in the center.
Use your fingers or a small pastry brush to moisten the exposed crust edges with water.
Lay another pi shape onto the first and press the corresponding edges together, making sure to push out any air pockets.  Be sure to seal it well. Step 5: Cooking. <PIC> Heat one inch of oil in your medium pan to 350 degrees.
Carefully lower pies into the oil one at a time.  Cook on one side for one minute, then turn and cook on the other side for another minute.


Introduction: Southern Fried Pizza. <PIC> I hate left over pizza. Reheating in the oven takes too long and microwaving it just makes the crust hard. Knowing this I decided to try something a little different. Being southern born and raised I instantly thought of deep frying! Now before you turn  your nose up to it... Give it a try. Step 1: Gathering Ingrediants. <PIC> I can't give exact amounts because you are making a batter, and well I've never measured anything that I put into a batter so these are approximations.What you will need:Left over pizza1&1/2Cups Milk2 Eggs1&1/4 Cups FlourSalt & Pepper (to Taste)Garlic Powder (optional)Red Pepper Flakes (also optional)Cooking oil (for frying)____________________________________________________Large Skillet or Deep FryerMedium to large bowl for mixingTongs or Fork Step 2: Lets Throw Down in the Kitchen!. <PIC> Step1: Preheat grease in large skillet (or set deep fryer) to 360 - 375 Degrees Step2: Batter up! combine eggs, milk and spices in a medium to large bowl. Stir in flour a small amount at a time until well blended. Your not making a dough so don't add too much flour. (You may not need the entire amount.) Ideally the batter should be thick sort up like pudding, well not quite as thick...You're now ready to fry some pizza! Step 3: Gettin' Hot in Here!. <PIC> Let me start by issuing this warning. Hot grease is EXTREMELY Dangerous. Speaking as a Firefighter, I've seen several instances where "Grease Fires" have ended in a large loss of personal property. Never leave a working stove or fryer unattended.Now on to the fun!Battering the pizza: Take 1slice of pizza, place it into the batter mixture and coat well. Don't worry if you can faintly see the tops of some of the thicker toppings through the batter, it'll turn out fine.Frying: Take the freshly battered slice and very carefully slide it into the preheated grease. Be sure not to splash the grease, as this will hurt you and potentially start a fire... Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. The batter should be crispy and golden brown when done. Renove from grease and place on a paper towel to drain.Serving: I suggest serving "southern Style Fried Pizza" with a side of marinara, pizza sauce, or ranch dressing.


Introduction: How to Make Cola Syrup. <PIC> Coca Cola have always kept the recipe for their legendary drink under lock and key. Nobody to this day has accurately replicated the wonderful flavours that are in store bought coca cola. Over the years however it has become slightly boring to me and I've always wondered if it's possible to make something similar at home. I am a big fan of Botanical drinks and Fentimans in the UK make a wonderful botanical cola. Basically Coca Cola the company now use almost entirely chemical formulas and dried powers to make their legendary beverage but it is also possible to create a replica using actual fruits, sugars and spices. This instructable will show you how to make a Cola syrup using ingredients that are easily available in most stores and using techniques that won't baffle even the most laymen's of cooks. It's a greatly satisfying venture and I can guarantee you will be proud of the result. I invited friends over to sample the cola one summers afternoon and I can assure it went down a treat.   This instructable has been adapted from Brooklyn Pharmacy & Soda Fountain Brooklyn.  Step 1: Gather Ingredients & Utensils. <PIC> Okay so the ingredients for this are not what you'd expect to go into Cola. A couple of the ingredients are harder to source than the rest, but mostly you can get hold of them easily. Grated zest - 2 Medium OrangesGrated zest - 1 Large Lime Grated zest - 1 Large Lemon 1/8tsp - Ground Cinnamon1/8tsp - Ground Nutmeg (preferably fresh) 1 section of a star anise pod, crushed1/2tsp - Dried Lavender Flowers 2tsp - Preferably fresh Minced Ginger (I used jarred stem ginger and chopped it finely) One-and-a-half inch piece of Vanilla bean, spilt1/4tsp - Citric Acid 2 cups + 2tbsp - Plain Sugar1tbsp - Brown or Demerara SugarOptions 3/4tsp - caramel colouring The citric acid can be bought at most health food stores or the homebrew section of some supermarkets. I got mine from Tesco in the home wine making isle. Dedicated homebrew shops will almost certainly sell this also. The Dried lavender I sourced from my garden. I happen to have some lavender growing in my back garden. So I simply picked some of the flowers and dried them in my fan oven at 100•c. I left the door open slightly as to avoid burning them. I kept checking to check when they had dried and then took them out and jarred them in an old empty spice jar. If you don't have lavender growing in your garden you can source this from health food stores and other similar shops. I haven't tried this recipe without the lavender but if you fail at finding this I'm sure the syrup will still taste delicious. I didn't use the food colouring. I'm a big fan of no artificial colouring foods and drinks so opted to leave this out. It does give the cola a good dark caramel colour if you so desire, as without this the recipe makes for a very pale orange coloured cola. Utensils neededZester or fine graterTsp and tbsp measurementsHeavy based pan Large bowl SieveMuslin or cheesecloth Step 2: Boil and Simmer. <PIC> In a heavy based pot over a medium heat, bring 2 cups of water to a simmer. Add the zests, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, lavender, ginger, vanilla pod and citric acid. Reduce to a lower heat, cover and leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes.  Step 3: Whirl Sugars . <PIC> If you have a food processor to hand it is best to whirl the sugars together then transfer them to a large bowl. If you don't have a food processor simply transfer the sugars to a large bowl and mix them together with a spoon or by hand. It's being dissolved at a later stage so this doesn't make much difference. If you are using the food colouring add this to the sugars at this stage.  Step 4: Prepare Sieve and Strain . <PIC> Line a sieve or colander with a double thickness of cheesecloth or muslin. Place this on top of the bowl containing the sugars.Once the ingredients have simmered for 20 minutes pour them through the lined sieve onto the sugars.Gather up the corners of the cheesecloth or muslin and twist the top making sure to squeeze all of the lovely flavourful goodness out of the cloth. You can press the cloth against the side of the bowl with a spoon to squeeze and remaining juices as to not burn your hands.  Step 5: Stir and Dissolve. <PIC> Stir the sugars and the flavourful hot liquid until the sugars are dissolved. This can take a few minutes as there is a lot of sugar.  Step 6: Chill and Enjoy!!. <PIC> Jar the syrup and chill in the fridge. Once chilled, mix 1/4 cup of syrup with 1 cup of soda water (seltzer). It doesn't taste like store bought cola very much but the flavours in this drink seem to scream COLA!! It is very pale in colour but that's because the real stuff has dark food colourings in it. This is how it should look. It's the closest you're going to get at home using real and fresh ingredients.I'm sure if you added some extra vanilla flavouring you could make vanilla cola. And mixing it with Rum is delicious. Serve ice cold and enjoy your home made Cola.


Introduction: Kid-Friendly Broccoli Slaw. <PIC> I hate to waste food. So in this recipe, I'll be showing how to use up the broccoli stems from my previous ible, (https://www.instructables.com/id/Cafe-Style-Broccoli-Feta-Pasta-Salad/), to make a healthy broccoli slaw. I say it’s healthy because broccoli, but the dressing probably isn’t chock full of nutrients. But hey, it’s all about moderation! I think this would be good to serve to kids. It’s crunchy, covered in dressing, and kids likely won’t notice that it’s broccoli. It tastes pretty much like regular coleslaw, and you get to feel all healthy and virtuous, because broccoli! Step 1: The Ingredients and How to Make It. <PIC> Kid-Friendly Broccoli Slaw2 stems of broccoli 2 tbsp. low-fat coleslaw dressing (creamy)Grate broccoli stems. Add in dressing and mix. And...done! Wipe the sweat off your brow and eat that slaw! Crazy easy, right? You can also check out the recipe on my blog, at http://approachingfood.com/salads-i-have-known-and-loved-because-i-hate-waste-but-not-broccoli/.


Introduction: How to Make a Peanut Butter & Pickle Sandwich. <PIC> I know what you're probably thinking right now; "Ew! A peanut butter & pickle sandwich? GROSS!" However, all I have to say is, don't knock it till you try it. Peanut butter & pickle sandwiches are actually quite delicious. I will now show you the proper way of making this awesome sandwich.Things You Will Need:- Bread (whichever kind you prefer)- Peanut Butter (crunchy or creamy; doesn't matter)- Pickles (whichever kind you prefer)- Butter Knife (for spreading the peanut butter on the bread)- Sharp Knife (for cutting he pickles)- Toaster (optional; if you want to toast your bread first) Step 1: Toast Your Bread. Technically, this step is optional (but I highly recommend doing this step to optimize the deliciousness of the sandwich).Before you begin, you want to make sure that your toaster is plugged into a working outlet. And if you would like to butter your bread, make sure you do that after you toast it! Now you are ready to toast your bread. Grab both your slices and place them in the toaster. You can toast your bread whichever way that you prefer. Unless you like to burn your toast. Don't do that, it's gross. Step 2: Lay Your Slices Side by Side. <PIC> Now that you’ve finished toasting your bread (unless you for some reason skipped that step), grab it from the toaster. Make sure you use caution; the toast can be very hot. Place both slices on a flat surface (i.e. a plate) side by side. Step 3: Spread Peanut Butter on Both Slices. <PIC> This next step is super important; unless you just want to make a pickle sandwich, then I guess you can just skip this step. It is time to put some peanut butter on your bread. Open the jar of peanut butter and put as much peanut butter as you would like on your butter knife. Now spread the peanut butter across one slice of bread. Once you are finished, repeat for the second slice. Step 4: Prepare Pickles for Your Sandwich. <PIC> Put your sandwich off to the side; we’ll come back to it in a minute. This step is when you’ll need the pickles and the sharp knife. Grab a few pickles out of the jar (pro tip: I usually end up using about 4 pickles), and place them on a surface to cut them (pro tip: I use the plate that I use for my sandwich). Then, using the sharp knife, you need to cut the pickles in half (I recommend cutting them the same way shown in the video; otherwise, your sandwich will be lumpy and weird).  Step 5: Place Pickles on Your Sandwich. <PIC> This is another really important step; your sandwich won't turn out right if you do this wrong. You need to carefully lay your newly sliced pickles on top of one of your peanut butter covered bread slices. With this step, it's kind of like you are playing Tetris™, you need to fit the pickle slices together so they don't hang awkwardly over the side of your sandwich. Step 6: Complete Your Sandwich. <PIC> Now for the final step. When you finish this, you will have a delicious peanut butter & pickle sandwich. You need to grab one of the slices of bread (I recommend grabbing the one that doesn't have the pickles on it; it'll make this a lot easier). Flip it over so the peanut butter side is down. Now gently place it on top of the other slice of bread. And voila! You now have a completed peanut butter & pickle sandwich. Enjoy!


Introduction: 100 Percent Figs and Berries Roll-ups. <PIC> Hello, Please vote this Instructables for the Contest Purple if you like it. Your support will encourage and inspire me to come up more sweet and healthy ideas and goodies to share with you. This roll up is sweet, super easy to make, made of 100 percent pure fruits. Ingrdients are readily available. I like leathery fruit roll ups. But looking at the ingredients list in some big name company's Fruit Roll-Ups: pears from concentrate, corn syrup, dried corn syrup, sugar, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, citric acid, sodium citrate, acetylated monoglycerides, fruit pectin, dextrose, maltic acid, ascorbic acid, natural flavor and the following food coloring: blue 1, red 40 and yellows 5 and 6. There are a few things I'd rather not put hem in my body or anybody else's. But there is hope I might have it my way, that  few things are to prolong shelf life, shorten processing time or add color. It can be done without them for consuming them fresh and in natural colors. It turned out I'm right. Thanks Instructables the Contest Purple for giving bonus points for those who incorporate figs into their project. I immediately checked out what is the fuzz about figs. Sweet,  rich in  phyto-nutrients, anti-oxidants and vitamins, I'm in! I tried making a few things with figs and decided to share this one with everyone. So get ready. You'll need: 3 Dried black mission figs, sliced thin 3 Dried dates, sliced and pitted 3 Strawberries, washed, stem removed 1/3 Cup blueberries, washed 1 Banana, peeled Blender Baking pan or sheet Non-stick parchment paper Brush Step 1: Grind Ingredients Into Puree Consistency. <PIC> Place fruits into blender in the order of strawberries, blueberries, dates, figs and banana. Reserve slices of one fig for later use as marble toppings. Pulse a few times, then grind at high-smoothie setting. Step 2: Transfer Fruits Puree Into Baking Pan or Sheet. <PIC> Line baking pan or sheet with non-stick parchment paper. To be sure, I brushed the paper surface with a slightly oily brush. Transfer fruits puree into baking pan or sheet, I used a 11 inch by 7.5 inch pan. The puree layer was rather thick, about 1/4 inch I'd say. Top the reserved fig slices on top. Step 3: Bake at Your Oven's Lowest Temperature. <PIC> Mine is 170 F. Because of the size of the pan I used, the fruit puree layer was rather thick. It took about 7 hours for it to set. Waiting for it to set is probably the hardest part of this recipe. The good thing is you don't need to stay in. I actually went for my dental appointment after I put it in the oven. You don't need to do anything with it. Nor does it matter if it is baked slightly longer.  Step 4: Shorten the Baking Time. <PIC> I made another batch folloing the same ingredients quantity and procedure except I reserved all fig slices as toppings, transfered that to a 13 inch by 9 inch regular baking sheet. It seemed that was the perfect thinkness to bake. It shortened baking time to 4 hours. Depending on the size of strawberries, banana and dried fruits, and the baking sheet or pan you have, if it didn't seem to be the right thickness, you can use fraction of the sheet or scoop off some puree and just eat it.    Step 5: To Serve. <PIC> Slice it to strips, Roll them up, wrap in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Eat it as it is or sandwitch between tortila bread for snack and lunch on the go. Or just an idea, use the whole sheet as a cake decoration? Use round pan/sheet for round cake, rectangle pan/sheet for rectangle cake ... just an idea. Be creative how you eat it! Step 6: Yummy! Get Busy and Don't Forget to Vote If You Like It.. <PIC>


Introduction: Sonic's Famous Cherry Limeade. <PIC> So, my fiance has this thing about Cherry Limeade. He loves it. Whenever we go out, he will order it if it is available. So why not make it at home? It's just as good, ok...better, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to make! How hard could it be? some use soda, some don't but who doesn't like bubbles? The best part is, you could give this to kids because it lacks the caffeine in most other drinks and is way better than kool-aid. It can also be used as a punch for parties! Step 1: Gather the Goodness!. <PIC> You will need: 1 2 liter of Sprite Maraschino cherries in cherry juice (at least one full cup of juice) 1 1/2 to 2 limes wedged depending on taste 1 knife (to cut the limes of course!) ice (crushed works best but we used cubed) One pitcher at least 2 quarts in size. I suggest using one a little larger than two quarts if you want to use a whole two litter of sprite.  Step 2: Mix It Up!. <PIC> This is the easy part: Put the ice in the pitcher Add the cherry juice and a few cherries to the pitcher Squeeze and drop limes into the pitcher Pour sprite into the pitcher Adding the ingredients in this order mixes it up as you pour. No stirring with a spoon. Stirring will cause the sprite to go flat quicker. Garnish with  lime and cherries, Enjoy! Step 3: Finishing Up. <PIC> This is by far the easiest instructable I have ever done, the whole thing took maybe five minutes to make and was a huge hit! The pitcher did not last the night!


Introduction: Faberge Eggs. <PIC>  Step 1: Materials. <PIC> For this recipie you will need the following:
- eggs
- vegetables ( peas, pepper, corn and whatever vegatables you like)
- ham, bacon, or other types of meet, like chicken
You can even put some aromatic plants in if you like
Note:
This recipie does not involve any boiling so that means that you must not use raw meat. If you use congelated vegetables be sure to boil them first. Step 2: Empty the Eggs. <PIC> In this step you will need to make a hole at one end of the egg trough which the content will come out and you will be left with an empty egg shell. Step 3: Filling the Egs. <PIC> Fill your empty egg shells with vegatables and meet. Try to insert the filling into diferent layers so that you obtain a nice look when it's done. Step 4: Pour the Gelatin. <PIC> Prepare some gelatin and pour it into your stuffed eggs. When praparing the gelatin, instead of water, I've used chicken soup to give it a better flawour. Step 5: The Result. <PIC>
Let them cool in the refrigerator untill they harden,  then crack the egg shells and remove them.


Introduction: Semi Healthy Dessert Drink. <PIC> Its a very tasty drink that you can whip up in about 15 seconds for kids. It makes them feel like there getting something sweet and sugary but there getting calcium and a little bit of sugar Step 1: Gather Ingredients. <PIC> Ok this step is designed for one (1) glass so if you need multiple cups of it just multiply
8 fl. oz. of milk ( and % )
2-3 table spoons for vanilla coffee creamer ( coffee mate makes the best )
2 ice cubes
Ya its very simple Step 2: Mix It Up!. <PIC> If you want let your kids help here
add the 2-3 tbs of the creamer to one nice cold glass of milk, mix up and add the ice. test the drink to make sure its just sweet enough but not to sweet or else the little ones will be bouncing off the walls


Introduction: Spherical Pizza 2.0. <PIC> Have you ever been eating a pizza and thought to yourself, "This is good pizza, but it's just not round enough. It's just too darn two dimensional."?  Well, now with this new and improved Spherical Pizza recipe, you can finally bring your pizzas into the third dimension!
This is my second attempt at the Spherical Pizza Experiment, and there have been a few minor improvements over the original, which can be found here:https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-spherical-pizza/ Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> Before your embark on this experimental cooking endeavor, please ensure that you have the following items:Ingredients:Pizza Dough -- Although any type will do, I used the kind that comes in a tube. This required 5 tubes, or around 3 lbs.Pizza Sauce -- Depending on your preference, between 16 and 32 oz.Cheese -- Mozzarella, shredded. About 2 lbs.Toppings -- I kept it pretty simple, and just used pepperoni for this attempt; roughly 12 oz. However, as this is an experimental pizza, embellishment is certainly encouraged.
(For those of you keeping track, this is over seven pounds of ingredients. The formula for calculating the volume of a sphere, (4/3)pi*R^3, means that a sphere can hold a lot more pizza than a circle.)Equipment:2 Hemispherical Bowls -- I used stainless steel bowls with a 9" inner diameter.Rolling Pin -- or some similar device for rolling out your dough.Oven Mitts -- two of them, for removing the bowls from the oven and combining them. (potholders not recommended)Optional:
Flour -- to keep the dough from sticking to your counter top.
Non-stick cooking spray -- to keep the dough from sticking to the bowls.
Needless to say, you'll also need an oven in which to cook this. Also, a reasonable amount of clear counter space for rolling out the dough. Step 2: Making the Shell. <PIC> Start by coating the inside of your bowls with a non-stick substance such as Pam or Crisco. Now spread a small amount of flour over the area of the counter top you'll be working on.
Next, take the first tube (bag, bucket, etc.) of pizza dough, and roll it out on the counter where you put the flour. Don't roll it too thin, as this will be the "structural" crust, which will (theoretically) support the weight of the sphere. If you're making this pizza sphere in the presence of gravity*, there will inevitably be some degree of collapse of the shape, but a reasonably thick crust, properly cooked, should minimize this to some extent.
Line the bowl with the dough. It may help to wipe the non-stick spray off the very top edge of the bowl, and then press the edges of the dough onto the edge of the bowl. Otherwise the dough will have a tendency to slide down into the bowl. Now put a layer of cheese and toppings in the bottom of the bowl, and you're ready to start making the center.
*If you're making this in zero/micro gravity, please send me pictures! Step 3: Making the Center. <PIC> Take the next quantity of dough and roll it out to about 1/4" thick. You want to make it as large as possible without making it so thin that it will tear apart when you try to move it. Now cover the dough with your sauce, toppings and cheese. I used two layers (with double cheese) to make it thicker (sauce, cheese, pepperoni, cheese, sauce, cheese, pepperoni, cheese) but even three layers would not be unreasonable. The idea is to make enough volume of pizza to fill the bowl.
You should now have something that resembles the first image. At this point, carefully roll the corners towards the center. It should look like the center picture. Now roll the new corners inward. This is to ensure that the center is made of layers of cheese/toppings and dough, rather than having one big glob of cheese and toppings in the center.
Next, take your rolled up pizza ball and put it in the bowl. Cover this with another later of sauce, cheese, and toppings. Once you've done this, repeat this step and the previous one with the second bowl. But first, this is an excellent time to start pre-heating your oven. Step 4: Baking. <PIC> This is where things get a bit tricky. As I mentioned earlier, this is my second attempt at making a spherical pizza. The challenge with cooking a solid mass of dough and pizza toppings is finding the right time and temperature combination to cook it all the way through without burning the outer crust. (It's been suggested that I try cooking this in a microwave, as those cook "from the inside out". This is a myth. Microwaves will not penetrate all the way to the center of a mass of dough this size. Also, the only proper sized bowls I had were stainless steel, which does not play well with microwave ovens.)
By this point, you should have two bowls of pizza ready for the oven. I cooked mine for about 2 hours at 325 degrees. I think if I try this again, I would try 275 degrees for 2 and a half hours. The outer crust was quite crispy (but not burned), and the center was just a bit undercooked.
I cooked the two halves side by side for one hour, then added a center piece (which I'll discuss more in the next step) which was intended to hold the two halves together. I then cooked the whole thing (the two halves put together) for another hour. Cooking the two halves separately for the entire duration, with no center piece, I think about 1.5 hours at 300 degrees, or two hours at 275 degrees would probably be just about right. That should also provide plenty of time for cleaning up the mess you've made up to this point. Step 5: The Center (omitted Step). <PIC> The following is an extra step I performed, which I do not recommend, but will describe for informational purposes so that that you can improve upon what I did.
While the two halves were baking, I used the final tube of dough to make a center piece. I rolled out the dough, covered half of it with cheese and toppings, then folded it in half and put it between the two halves, with cheese on the top and bottom.
The idea was that this would bake and solidify in between the two halves and hold the two together. The problem with this theory is that the center is added when the two halves are combined, and in this case, the two halves were already mostly cooked by then. This means you have less time for the center to cook through before the outer crust burns, resulting in an undercooked inside.  The obvious solution is to put this on and combine the halves before cooking them. However, cooking the whole thing combined with make it almost impossible to cook all the way through without burning the crust--there's less area exposed to the hot air, again resulting in an undercooked inside.
I ended up having to cut out the center and cook it for half an hour on its own, so I would recommend simply skipping this step. Step 6: Combine and Finish. <PIC> Assuming you omitted the previous step, you should now have two fully cooked half spheres of pizza. Using a pair of oven mitts (I don't recommend using potholders for this--you're much more likely to accidentally burn yourself), remove the halves from the oven and flip one half over on top of the other. (you may choose to let them cool for a bit before combining them)
Let your Pizza Sphere cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the bowl. This will let the cheese solidify a bit and hopefully reduce the amount that the sphere collapses under its own weight. Once it is sufficiently cooled, place one hand on top (still using the oven mitts--that bottom bowl will probably still be pretty hot) of the sphere, and flip it over onto a large plate/platter or cookie sheet. (or a flat pizza pan if you're feeling ironic) Remove the bowl and marvel at the three-dimensional ball of pizza you've created!!
I recommend cutting your Pizza Sphere in half to allow it to cool faster. The outer crust can be broken apart and eaten like regular pizza; the inside may require a knife and fork.


Introduction: Honey Peanut Butter Banana Roll Up. <PIC>  Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> 1/4 cup Honey (preferably local)1/2 cup Peanut ButterBunch Bananas8" or 10" soft flour tortillas Step 2: . <PIC> Mix honey and peanut butter together in a container that you can close and keep left overs for later.  Spoon out the amount you wish in your roll up and smooth down the center of a tortilla.  Peal and place a banana on top of honey peanut butter and roll up!  Fabulously fast, nutritious and filling snack the will keep you from getting hungry for several hours.  I'm addicted to these and the neighborhood children are always running by to see if I have any made up for them to take on the run!


Introduction: Words With Love Cookies. <PIC> If you enjoy a good game of Scrabble with your loved one, then you'll love these edible tiles on Valentine's Day.  Challenger your sweetie to a game, winner eats all!  Ingredients:
1 batch of sugar cookie dough (store bought or homemade recipe here)
1 batch of royal icing (recipe here)
Black food coloring or black food markerInstructions:
- Prepare cookie dough according to the recipe and roll it out into a large rectangle on a floured surface.
- Measure how large you want your squares to be and cut even tiles with a sharp knife. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 9 minutes.
- Prepare the plain white royal icing and load 3/4 of the icing into a plastic squeeze bottle or piping bag to flood the backgrounds of the tiles. Reserve the rest of the icing in a small bowl covered with a damp paper towel.
- When the white backgrounds are completely dry, dye the remaining royal icing black and load it into a decorating bag with a very small round tip. (You could also skip this step and just use a black food marker!) Pipe the letters and numbers and allow the icing to dry for at least 12 hours before handling them.


Introduction: Veggie Quiche. <PIC> Vegetarian quiche with a kick of flavors that will have your friends and family begging for more. Low fat, low calorie this is a great meal for those few pre-summer weeks we all have to lose a couple pounds. Prep: 1 hour Cook: 45+ minQuestions comments don't hesitate I'll respond pretty quickly.  Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> - 1.5 cups of diced onions - 2 cups diced mushrooms- 1 cup shredded spinach- 1 cup of broccoli (heads only) - 3 to 4 eggs (depending on size)- 1/3 cup of milk- 1 box of pie crust (or homemade but mine always turns out flaky and gross)- 1 cup shredded cheddar (add another cup for cheeseheads) - 1 tbl garlic- 1/2 tspn paprika- 1/2 tspn salt- 1/4 tspn nutmeg- pepper for taste  Step 2: Form Crust . <PIC> Tare pie crust to fit in cupcake molds. Make sure there are no gaps and that the crust lips over so no ingredients get stuck to the pan.  Step 3: Prep Broccoli. <PIC> We're going to blanch the broccoli. First we need to set a pot with water and a strainer on mid-high heat. We'll let the broccoli sit here for about 10 minutes. During that time we'll go to the next step.  Step 4: Mix Dry Ingredients in a Bowl. <PIC> Mix 1.5 cups of onions2 cups of mushrooms 1 cup of spinach (shredded)1 tbl garlic1 cup shredded cheddar Set aside for a step ahead.  Step 5: Cool Broccoli. <PIC> Pull broccoli, run through cool water then place in a bowl with ice to rapidly cool down. Set aside.  Step 6: Mix Wet Ingredients . <PIC> In a bowl mix - 3 to 4 eggs - 1/3 cup of milk- 1/2 tspn paprika- 1/4 tspn nutmeg- 1/2 tspn salt Pepper for taste Mix well.  Step 7: Add Ingredients . <PIC> Stack dry ingredients, don't hesitate to pack these well. I only put around 2 soup spoons of wet mix per quiche. If you want this to be more mushy you'll need to make more wet mix. And add your broccoli as a beautiful center topping.  Step 8: Set in Oven . <PIC> Preheat oven to 325F Set timer for 35 minutes Place quiches in the oven Once time goes off raise oven temp to 400F Add another 10 to 15 minutes. Check one of your quiches with a toothpick.  Step 9: Pull Quiches From Oven and Enjoy !!. <PIC> Let me know how your quiches come out ! I'll make a tutorial on breakfast quiches soon. Same principal and very easy to make just time costly.


Introduction: Making Gold & Silver Leaf Chocolates. <PIC> This instructable is a little late for both Valentines and Mothers Day (for those husbands who give nice things to their wives) but it's always good to be very prepared for the following year.On a special occasion, sure you can go to the shops and buy the poshest and most lush chocolates that money can buy, but nothing says that you love your other half more than if you lovingly craft some luxury chocolates with your own gnarly, manly hands. This works even better if you're a blokey bloke, with oil and muck permanently lodged under your finger nails; the kind of man whose woman knows that hitherto even the notion of making chocolates would be an afront to your manly manlyness.Not any more though, as these chocolates don't use sprinkley sprinkley bits, or lavender oil or any such lady ingredients. No, these chocolates use metal. Hard, manly metal. Not only that - they use metal that even a woman can get behind and understand. They use Gold and Silver! Surely there has never been a better way to both gastronomically treat and impress your better half than with these shiny sweetmeats.Ok, flowery words apart, what does a bloke need to make all this happen using his own rough hewn hands and most likely, very limited kitchen capabilities: Step 1: Required Stuff. <PIC> 1. You will need EDIBLE gold and silver leaf supplies. I emphasise the word EDIBLE as it is available as a crafting product and as a food product. The crafting product appears to be around the same price, but it may be alloyed with inedible metals. Perhaps not, but in any case, your loved one won't appreciate aluminium or lead in her chocs. A quick google search will quickly help you obtain this. I got mine from a supplier in Switzerland, which when dropped into the post-eating conversation, sounds suitably impressive.2. Given that you're springing lots of cash on gold/silver leaf you don't want to be making your chocolates with nasty Tesco value chocolate, you want to be getting some decent quality stuff. I'll leave it up to the reader to make the call on what's locally available or prefered by the recipient. For mine, I made a mix of very dark/high cocoa chocolate, smooth milk chocolate and creamy white chocolate, to cover all bases.3. Any extra ingredients? Fresh ginger makes a nice additive if you can crush it and extract the oil. It brings the dark chocolate to live and makes it zingy on the tongue.4. A mold for your chocolates. I obtained a nice plastic mould with varied heart shapes from my favourite auction site.5. A nice presentation box and some tissue paper to line it with.6. Oh, and a small, soft brush for applying the leaf. Your wife's make up brushes, suitably cleaned, work fine for this, but any soft-bristled painting brush from your kids craft box will do fine. Most gilding sites will suggest buying their super-soft brushes at a cost of £20, and whilst I'm sure it'll work alot better than my cheapo alternative, it's probably not £20 better. Step 2: Step 1 - Making the Chocolate. <PIC> This is probably the most important part, since if you make a pigs-ear of this step, no amount of gilding can  make your chocolates palatable to your loved one. And whilst it might be amusing to look on as she pretends that they're lovely, whilst simultaneously choking them down and repressing her gag reflex, it's probably not what you're trying to achieve with this endeavour.I know consumate cooks would never advocate the use of a microwave oven, and would always say to melt your chocolate on the stove inside a bowl suspended in boiling water. But we're blokes remember, and doing that is tantamount to wearing a big flowery apron. No, we're going to use the microwave. It was your best friend when you were single and you're not going to abandon it now that you're hitched.So here's what to do:1. Get 100-200 grams (i.e. a big bar) of chocolate and break it down into little cubes. Most chocolate will be formed into this anyway, so just break it up. Taste a little and put the rest in a microwavable bowl. Or, if you're me, the first bowl that comes out of the cupboard. Just make sure it's clean and free of meat sauce from last night's take away.2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Now - this is the bit where it can go wrong. You have to be really slow and patient doing this. You need to put the microwave on for about 10 seconds at a time, take the bowl out and stir the chocolate until it starts to leave traces on the bottom of the bowl. At the start, this won't appear to happen at all and the temptation is to stick it in for 30 seconds at a time. If you do this you'll mess your chocolate up and most likely start a small fire. 10 seconds at a time, take out, stir, put back in. That's the order of the day. You have to stir until as much choc melts as possible before putting it back in again. It should be the stirring that makes it melt, not sitting it in the microwave.3. Add any flavourings such as ginger oil or fresh vanilla pod or orange oil, or whatever she likes. One or two drops will do for about 200g of chocolate. Adding a load will stop your chocolate from setting, so be careful.4. Make sure you have your mold to hand once the chocolate has melted. It should stay melted for a few minutes and if it starts to harden can be melted gently as before.5. Carefully pour the choc into the mold.6. Let it cool naturally on the work surface for 15-30 minutes, but at this point it will still be very soft to the touch, so then you can put it into the fridge for about 15-30 minutes to make sure if goes hard. I observed that the higher the milkfat content in the chocolate then the longer it takes to harden and the easier it is to melt to the touch.Once it has set, you can remove it from the mold and begin to adorn it with your bling. Step 3: Gilding Your Chocs. <PIC> This is frankly, the most difficult bit, and when you look at the images, you'll see that I wasn't altogether successful with it. But women like a trier, so don't let your lack of artistic talent stop you from doing this. I mean, you won't know if you can apply gold leaf until you try - there's pretty much no other practical skill you can practise before this to make it any easier for you. It's an art-form in itself. Perhaps if you're good at soldering and have a steady hand then it'll help you. I'm crap at soldering too, so that probably why my applications look so bad.Gold leaf it thin. Very thin. It's not paper thin. It's air thin. So much so that if you open your gold leaf sheet and inhale sharply you might get a lungful. Seriously, it's nano-thickness and will attach to surfaces which come close to being in contact with it. It's a bit like cling flim, but cling won't disintegrate if you try to remove from your finger when it sticks. Gold and silver leaf will.However, being a practical bloke, you will use this to your advantage. At first, I wanted to completely coat an entire chocolate in gold. I was successful in doing this, but it looked wrong, and inedible. It looked even more wrong, when I did it with silver leaf, as it looked like it was still in the wrapping paper.So I decided to flake my leaf and apply it 'artistically'. Some might say unevenly and perhaps even inelegantly and sporadically, but I'll stick with my original claim.Here's how you do it:1. Get your chocolate right next to your gold leaf envelope and carefully open the top paper from the leaf.2. Turn it upside down onto your chocolate and brush gently with your soft brush. It'll probably tear a little bit, but that's fine. With enough practise you'll know how much pressure to apply to smooth the leaf and how much to apply to break a bit off.3. Tastefully apply in this manner and smooth the leaf onto the chocolate. The colder the chocolate is here, the better the result will be.4. Um...that's the extend of my expertise on this matter. It'll largely be trial and error here, but just do your best and try a few different things. At least you can always eat what goes wrong! What could be better! And with every bite you're adding value to your worthless carcass! Step 4: Boxing It Up and Closing Thoughts. <PIC> When you have finished, blinking the sweat and most likely, stray bits of metal, from your eyes, you can relax in the knowledge that you're almost done. The woman of your dreams will soon be revering you as a manly God you will no doubt feel you are at this moment in time.But don't give in yet. She won't be swooning in your arms if you crudely wrap them up in newspaper or put them in a cleaned out tin of 40/20 multigrade. You'll need to think how a women thinks and find something soft, girly and possibly even pink to put them in.Luckily, I had something that I could recycle in the house, so I didn't have to be seen outside with a pink silk box - phew! But at any rate, be practical and line it with tissue paper (from the crafting store) and place chocs gently into the box. If you have enough chocs to make a few layers then separate out with bits of grease-proof paper otherwise thely'll all stick together and the leaf will transfer between them. Not nice.And that's pretty much it. My lady was very much appreciative of the effort I put in this year and when she got talking with her friends and they all said that their blokes bought them nothing/ironing boards etc. I knew that they were all secretly jealous of my awesome skills and 'sensitive side'.Job done!


Introduction: How to Make a Snow Cone. <PIC> This instructable will show you how to make a snow cone using real snow. Step 1: Gather Supplies. <PIC> You will need a cup, a spoon, a flavor, and snow.  Any flavor should work but I only had root beer. Step 2: Finding Good Snow. <PIC> It is very import that you find good snow.  Good snow is white, not brown or yellow.  (Don't eat the yellow snow, it's not lemon flavored.) Step 3: Collecting the Snow. <PIC> After I found good, clean, white  snow, I brushed away a layer with my hand, and then scooped thee snow into my cup. Step 4: Adding Flavor. <PIC> Now you need to add flavor if you want it to taste like something other than snow.  Squirt the flavoring into the cup with the snow, and stir it with the spoon. Step 5: Enjoy. <PIC> You are done after you stir to a consistent color.  You can eat it now, or give it to a friend. P.S.  The second snow cone wasn't stirred as well because my sister made it.P.S.S.  I know it was actually more like a snow cup, but you could use a cone or bucket if you wanted.P.S.S.S.  Happy holidays.


Introduction: Indian Masala Omelette | Indian Omelette. Masala  Omelette is one of the quickest and tastiest recipe for breakfast with toasted bread slices.  It also makes an easy brunch, light lunch or dinner. It tastes awesome and satisfying with full of tempting flavors. This traditional Indian dish can be prepared with minimal ingredients. In this recipe, the eggs are whisked and mixed in the great Indian masala. People also like to eat masala omelette placed between two pieces of toasted bread & with some sauce. It also makes a filling breakfast dish when rolled it up inside a chapatti. Step 1: Ingredients. <PIC> Eggs                        - 3Onions chopped              - 2 Tomatoes chopped            - 2 Green onions chopped        - 2Green Chilli      - 2Capsicum chopped            - 1 (Optional) Coriander leaves            - A handful Turmeric pwd                - a pinchRed chilly pwd              - ½ tspPepper pwd                  - ¼ tspGaram masala pwd            - ½ tspOil / Butter                - 1 to 2 tsp / 1 small cubeSalt to tasteFor easy audio and video instruction with subtitles, please watch, Step 2: Initial Preparation. <PIC> Wash and chop onion, tomato, chilli, capsicum and coriander leaves to fine pieces.In a small bowl , add turmeric pwd, salt, red chilly pwd, pepper pwd and garam masala pwd.Break the eggs directly into a bowl and beat them till frothy.Add the powdered spices and salt to beaten eggs and stir well.After mixing well, keep it aside. Step 3: Cooking. <PIC> Heat butter/oil in a non stick pan on medium flame.Add chopped onions to the pan. Let it cook till they turn translucent or start turning light brown.Add Coriander leaves, green chilli, tomato and capsicum.Spread them evenly on the pan.Leave it to cook for 2 minutes.Pour the egg mixture slowly spreading it on the pan.Spread the liquid evenly.Let it cook for sometime on medium or low medium heat.When the stuff almost dries, check the bottomm whether is cooked and able to flip and if it is golden brown.Now flip it over to other side by covering the pan with plate and turning the pan upside down.Slide it back to the pan.Gently press it down with a ladle.Once both the sides are cooked to golden, remove from heat.Your healthy Masala  Omelette is ready..! Step 4: Serving. Serve hot with Indian roti, bread slice or as it is with any dip.We enjoyed it with tomato ketchup and mayonnaise. If you liked the recipe then please LIKE, SHARE our video SUBSCRIBE to our channel. Step 5: Few Tips. <PIC> Always beat the eggs separately, before mixing it with the spicy ingredients.You can sprinkle little bit of oil and run a spoon inside the omelette for cooking from inside as well.You can increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients as per your taste.To make omelette more spicy and flavorful , you can add more freshly chopped coriander leaves and green chilly.


Introduction: Delicious Green Tea Syrup/Vodka. <PIC> Want to add the vibrant taste of green tea to your cocktails? This instructable will show you how to create green tea simple syrup that can either be used on its own or mixed with vodka for a delightfully smooth infusion. Step 1: Things You Will Need. <PIC> This recipe makes about a pint of simple syrup, or a quart of infused vodka.Materials: Small pot or saucepan Empty glass bottle 4 green tea bags 1.5 cups water 1.5 cups sugar 2 cups vodkaoptional:  Green food coloring Coffee filter or cheesecloth Step 2: Creating the Syrup. <PIC> Measure the water into your pot over high heat. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add your green tea bags. Bring the syrup to a boil and then turn off the heat. Let the tea bags steep in the hot syrup for two to five minutes (the longer you leave them in, the stronger the tea flavor will be), and then remove them. Set the syrup aside and let it cool. If any of your teabags burst, strain the syrup through cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove the leaves. If you want to use this syrup to make infused vodka, move on to step 3. Step 3: Bottle and Mix. <PIC> Once your syrup has cooled, pour it into your measuring cup. If you followed this recipe you should have a little more than two cups. However much you have, pour it into your empty bottle and then add an equal amount of vodka and stir. Step 4: Share and Enjoy!. <PIC> The uncolored infusion will probably be golden yellow. If you want a more striking hue, add a drop of green food coloring and shake (a little food coloring goes a LONG way). This vodka tastes amazing by itself or over ice, the bite of the green tea balances wonderfully with the burn of the vodka. Enjoy!


Introduction: Chocolate Cup - Literally!-. <PIC> Easter is this week so I decided to make some Easter treats this year. I’m a chocolate lover and this would be a great opportunity to make my own molds and pour some melted chocolate. The concept of this project is to make a cup made out of chocolate. The idea is to make it look like it would be a chocolate bar wrapped around a cup. Maybe you can enjoy eating every square or perhaps you want to experiment and drink some milk. Nevertheless, this was a fun project, which I’m still developing.Materials needed:3d printed moldChocolate (3 bars - I used 2 and ran short)Instant-read thermometerSilicone spatula2 SaucepansPAM (cooking oil) Step 1: Design the Chocolate Cup. <PIC> To design the mold we first need to design the cup. I’m adding some screenshots to show my process on Rhinoceros. I’m sure there are many ways you can make this. I’m attaching also the Rhino files (version 4.0) so you can see the lines/volumes generated.Design a profile that will be REVOLVED around the center axis. As the cup will look like a wrapped chocolate I already added the horizontal separations. It know looks like chocolate bars and not squares.For the vertical separations I designed a curved I liked and then extruded or Rail along a curve.After I have one vertical separation I made a center array of 12.Finally I made a Boolean difference between my Cup from 1st step and the 12 separation barsCup is ready (you can probably send it out to shapeways for about $60 and have a ceramic version!) Step 2: Design the Mold, 3D Print and Clean Well . <PIC> This was one of my first molds and it probably has some flaws. Feel free to give some advice in the comments section. The mold is made out of 5 parts. 4 of them are identical and make the outside surface of the cup, we will call this the female mold. The final part is the “plunger”: hence male mold.The 4 female molds snap with each through the side “pins”. Since we will be pushing the mold from the top I used an elastic rubber band to hold them tight. You can probably use any kind of rope or string to wrap it tight.Once your files are ready (or download mine) print the parts. At Pier 9 we have a bunch of Objet Connex 500 which print multiple materials. For the male mold I used Vero White but for the female molds I tried a different mix of Vero Black and Tango. I was hoping to get a little flex on the female parts but that didn’t happen.Now that you have your parts, wash them several times. I don’t know if these materials are food safe when they are in contact with food. I suppose they are since the melted chocolate is not super hot and after this experiment I’m still alive and feel great. If you know of any complications please let me know. Step 3: First Failed Attempt (save Time: Do Not Do This). <PIC> On this step I will show what not to do. I first bought Nestle Toll House chocolate chips to melt. I used the microwave to heat it and stir it regularly. I poured it directly to the mold, squeezed the top part and put it on the fridge to cool down. Demolding the chocolate was really painful and I accidentally broke a few chocolate pieces.My lessons learned:-spray PAM (cooking oil) on mold for an easy demold-temper chocolate before pouring into the mold. This will prevent to bloom, characterized by white color on the surface. Also, once it is ready to eat it will prevent from melting on contact with your fingers. I also heard tempered chocolate will shrink slightly when cooled and it will potentially slip out from the mold easily. Step 4: Temper the Chocolate. <PIC> There is a great instructable on how to temper chocolate that I used as a guideline. I highly recommend it.Now lets get our hands dirty:Chop the chocolate and put in ¾ of it into the small saucepan (we will be using the rest of the chocolate in a few minutes)Fill up the big saucepan with an inch or two of waterRest the small saucepan inside the big one making sure it is not floatingBring the water to a simmer (do not boil)Grab a silicone spatula and stir continuouslyOnce it is almost melted put in a thermometer and bring the dark chocolate to 118 F (or 112 F for milk chocolate).Remove the saucepan with chocolate from the heat and put in the rest ¼ of the chopped chocolate.Stir until is smooth and the temperature reaches 89 F (or 86 F for Milk Chocolate). If the temperature of your chocolate drops too low, just SLOWLY reheat it over the bain-marie until it reaches 89 F (86 F for Milk Chocolate).Your chocolate is ready to pour into the mold. Step 5: Pouring the Tempered Chocolate. <PIC> Put in a light spray of PAM (cooking oil) into the 5 part mold and let it sit for a minute. The oil will serve as our our demolder material.Snap together the 4 part female mold and wrap around with a rubber band/ropePour the tempered chocolate inside the female moldGrab the plunger and push down. The melted chocolate will squeeze up. Hopefully if the amount of chocolate was calculated correctly you will see some of the chocolate coming out from the top edge.Leave the mold to cool down for a couple of hours. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process. Step 6: Unmolding. <PIC> After the mold is cooled you are ready to take the mold apart and eat the chocolate. You first need to take the male mold. Carefully use a knife to slide it in the edge of the mold. With the knife inside rotate the mold so you can do a whole turn. My mold got really stuck so after a while I saw that one of the female molds was loosing out and was able to take it easily apart.Some takeways:From the photos you can also see that I ran short of chocolate and needed one more bar.Unmolding was still a big issue. For next mold I will increase the draft angle of the male mold so I can pull it apart easily.Surface finish on the chocolate was smooth but still had some snowy effect. I believe I put in way to much PAM cooking oil.Enjoy your chocolate cup!


Introduction: Pretzels and Pretzel Nuggets. <PIC> I love pretzels. i remember going to Pennsylvania to see them made. There was something about that taste that seemed out of reach. I could never duplicate it until I tried a true Bavarian recipe. That means using food grade Sodium Hydroxide or what you may know as LYE.....The faint hearted should hit the back button now but know that the great Pretzel taste is possible..... Step 1: Making the Dough. <PIC> I use a slightly modified version of Alton Brown's pretzel recipe.The dough ingredients are:1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)1 tablespoon granulated sugar2 teaspoons kosher salt1 package active dry yeast4 1/2 cups all-purpose flourThe dip ingredients are:10 cups water1/2 cup food grade Sodium HydroxideOther Ingredients: Celtic Sea saltMix the water, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of your mixer. After about 20 minutes it should foam up. If it doesn't your yeast was dead so start over....If its nice and foamy put the bowl on the mixer with a dough hook and set it on low. Keep adding the flour until it comes together into a ball.Turn that out onto a board and flour it so you can knead it a couple of times. it doesn't need much....Set it aside and let it rise. Don't fall asleep or you may come back to a mushroom cloud.if you do beat it down and  divide it up so you can move on. Step 2: The Dip. <PIC> just like in Roger Rabbit this is nasty stuff. Wear Gloves and Eye protection.Goggles are a buck or two and really are needed.....if you get some on your fingers it may feel soapy. Well that your skin melting. The liquid is NOT soapy. It take about 10 minutes before it will hurt...Just flush with plenty of water.Only use a pyrex Glass or Stainless pot. NEVER Aluminum. That will make Hydrogen Gas.... Not what you want in your kitchen....I use an all Stainless Steel Spider too.Add the 10 cups to the pot FIRST. Then add the Sodium Hydroxide SLOWLY. It makes a lot of heat and if you do it in the reverse direction by adding water to the powder it will flash into steam...You should use steel pans too.I use aluminum sheet pans lined with Parchment paper. In 6 batches of Pretzels I had 2 drops hit the pan and it left these permanent marks.... Step 3: Nuggets . <PIC> These are easy. Just roll out a 1 1/2 inch diameter log and slice it up with a pastry scraper.i then use the Spider to dip them for a couple of seconds. Really just lower them to the bottom then raise them out and transfer them to the parchment lined baking sheets. they will turn yellow in a few seconds. thats normal....I keep the spider in the pot and the pot touching the sheet tray so theres little chance of dripping on my counter.Once dipped I top with Celtic Sea Salt and then bake in a 450 oven until golden brown. usually about 10 - 12 minutes.you can use an egg wash but its not needed. the dip will give them the color. Step 4: Pretzels. <PIC> You start the same way rolling the dough into a 1 inch round log. Then twist into a pretzel.I also like to braid three strips into a loaf.I've even tried little buns. No pictures because they were that good....Dip like the others then salt to taste.....see the pic of a dipped vs undipped to see the difference in color a couple of seconds makes. Step 5: Eating. <PIC> Your reward is here.That great authentic Bavarian pretzel taste is yours.You could dip in Mustard but you really don't need it....I use up my empty take out containers to make individual portions for people. That way I might get some for myself.....


Introduction: Nacho Mama's MacNcheese an Easy Casserole. <PIC> Ok I KNOW this isn't a mexican dish but then  nacho as we know them aren't really mexican, they were invented by a tired mexican restaurant owner only wanted to close but couldn't chase off a couple of hungry gringo women with money to burn. And NO it's NOT real homemade macNcheese where you blend flour and butter into a roux, then add milk to make a mother sauce and then add your cheeses and eggs and .... thats a LOT of work! Thats how my grandmother made macNcheese and I still do for holidays. My mom started using cheezwhiz processed cheese for macNcheese back in the middle ages when I was growing up so it wasn't a big leap to processed cheese dips when I needed to feed a family.
When you need dinner RIGHT now, take advantage of prepared ingredients ! I've done just that for years, especially when the kids were little and both adults worked. Like most family recipes this one has evolved over the years, ingredients aren't always on hand so you use whats available. No queso? Use nacho cheese or spiced up chedder soup and extra processsed cheese, it works as well with tuna or shredded store bought roasted chicken as it does with ground meat, barbque chips instead of doritos or even corn chips, you know what your family likes, they're the ones you need to please, NOT the recipe gods.
 For those less used to working in the kitchen, a jar of cheese sauce, some shredded cheese and some boiled pasta can fool your friends into thinking you can actually cook !  Step 1: Getting Ready. <PIC> You'r going to need the following to recreate this dish, feel free to make additions or deletions as your tastes demand.
1lb box of pasta noodles, any style you want
 1 jar of queso cheese
 1 bag of doritos
 1lb of ground meat
 1 package taco seasoning
 peppers and onion to taste
 shredded chedder cheese
 processed cheese  (left over velveeta tonite)
 american cheese slices
  (optional)
steak sauce
 worceshire sauce
 garlic powder
 salt
 hot peppers Step 2: Getting Started. <PIC> put a big pot of water on the stove and crank the heat to high, bring the water to a boil, season the water, now everyone says season the water its the only time you can season the pasta, then they just add salt ! I use salt and granulated garlic, sometimes some pepper flakes or hot sauce, I like to SEASON my pasta ! pour your box of pasta in the boiling seasoned water and stir.
 While the pasta is cooking, place your unopened jar of queso in a pan of hot water, dice up your peppers and onions, grate the cheese if you bought a block and crunch up the bag of doritos.
 When the pasta is done to your taste, strain it and let sit while you get a skillet heated, add the peppers, onions and meat to the heated skillet, season with salt, garlic, steak sauce and worceshire sauce to taste. I used 5grinds of salt, 2 dashes of garlic, tablespoon of steak sauce and 1/2teaspoon of worceshire, this is also where you would add the hot peppers if you were going to Step 3: Mixin It Up. <PIC> Pour your noodles into the casserole dish, spread the warmed queso over the noodles and add your grated cheese and cubed processed cheese, start to mix and slowly add in 2-3cups of crushed doritos.
 to make plain macNcheese leave out the doritos and maybe add 1/2 package of cream cheese
 In between mixing the noodles and cheese, strain the ground meat, add the taco seasoning using half the called for water and picante sauce (or salsa) and bring to simmer.
 once the meat is finished, add it to the casserole and carefully stir it in ( that dish is getting pretty full by now)
 you COULD stop here and pop it in the oven but I don't think so !
  Step 4: Top It. <PIC> lay your slices of american cheese over the pasta and meat mix and cover everything generously with the crushed doritos. NOW it's ready to pop in a 325f oven for about 30minutes ! Step 5: Time to EAT !. <PIC> By now the aroma should have your taste buds working overtime, take the casserole from the oven and let sit while you make a simple salad or dig out the coleslaw. This should feed a family of 4-6 with no problem


Introduction: Homemade Sriracha Salt. You can watch the video above, or follow the steps below. Choose your own adventure good sir or ma'am.  Sriracha is delicious.  Salt is delicious.  Let's combine them and see if the universe implodes from deliciousness. Step 1: Get a Container. Get a deli container or some sort of tupperware or device you can put a lid on.Want to buy the deli containers I use? You can grab them on Amazon for cheap. Step 2: Gather Up Some Items.. SrirachaKosher or sea saltParchment paper and a cookie sheet.Can't find Sriracha at your store?  Buy it from Amazon. Step 3: The Big Fancy Hard Part. Shoot a healthy squirt of Sriracha into about 1/2 cup of salt.Put the lid on.Shake. Step 4: Dry the Napalm Goodness. Pour out your new, however still wet, Sriracha salt on your cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.You have 2 options now.Put your cookie sheet in a cool dry place for 24-36 hours and let the salt naturally dry out.Put your cookie sheet into a 350 degree oven, turn it off, and let the salt dry in the oven for 8(ish) hours.Either way works.  Number 2 is slightly faster but realistically 8 hours is no better than 24. Step 5: Check for Doneness. Is the salt dry?Good, it's done.  Now put it into a deli container, lid it and use it at your leisure.  Give it a good hard shake if there are any minor clumps.Is it still a bit wet?Then leave it alone for another 12-24 hours.  If it is still wet after 2 days, you used too much Sriracha sauce in the beginning and you might need to start over. Step 6: Bonus Step. Want your salt to be a bit finer?  Pour it into a peppercorn grinder.Booya, enjoy your Sriracha Salt. Step 7: Bonus BONUS Step. Sick of American Sriracha?  Get the original Shark brand Sriracha made in Thailand.Another popular variety is the Polar brand Sriracha Chili sauce.If you have a another brand you enjoy, let me know in the comments. Step 8: Disclaimer. All my links to sauces are affiliate links.  I have never once made a red cent FROM affiliate links, but I still hope and dream someday to be able to talk and cook food for a living, so my feeble attempt to make money is via these links.


Introduction: Crawfish Cream Sauce. <PIC> Moving to Louisiana from the Texas Panhandle can be quite a transition, from chicken fried steak and pinto beans to gumbo and jambalaya. This is one of the first dishes I made upon arrival. Step 1: Get the Stuff. <PIC> For this recipe, you will need:1T of olive oil1T of Creole seasoning2T of minced onion (1/2 of an average size onion)1T of minced garlic1 lb of crawfish tails2 cups of heavy whipping cream1T of hot sauce (I use Tabasco)1T of Worcestershire sauce1T of salted butter 1/4 cup of green onions (optional, but highly recommended)Cook time: 35 min. Step 2: Cook the Stuff. <PIC> Begin by heating the 1T of olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and garlic (I just used pre-cut, canned garlic), and throw them in the pot with the oil and sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the butter while pouring the (already thawed) crawdad tails into the pot and the 1T of Creole seasoning and sauté about 1-2 more minutes. Add the cream, hot sauce (not shown), and Worcestershire sauce, and stir in. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer and reduce by 1/2. Step 3: Eat the Stuff!. <PIC> Serve with rice and French bread and garnish with more seasoning and/or hot sauce, and dig in!


Introduction: Corn Cookies. <PIC> I know, I know - corn has no place inside of a cookie. While it sounds strange, possibly even gross or outright icky, the corny goodness at the core of these little treats adds something really special that few other ingredients could. While you might need to pick up a few items that you don't keep in your pantry, after making these delicious cookies just one time, you'll have them on hand from now on.Inspired by a Momofuku Milk Bar recipe as seen on the awesome PBS show Mind of a Chef Step 1: You'll Need. . .. <PIC> Software
		1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
		1 cup of freeze dried corn, ground to a fine powder (you'll need 2/3 cup once it's ground) (Amazon also offers a lot of dried corn)
		1 1/2 cup sugar
		1 egg, room temperature
		1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or extract)
		1 1/3 cup flour
		1/4 corn flour (make sure it's corn flour, not corn meal - if you can't find corn flour, you can use a food processor or clean coffee/spice mill to grind corn meal until it reaches a flour consistency)
		1 1/2 teaspoon salt
		3/4 teaspoon baking powder
		1/4 teaspoon baking sodaHardware
		Food processor or clean coffee/spice mill (or mortar and pestle) to grind the dried corn (and corn meal if you need to)
		Stand mixer or hand mixer and mixing bowl
		Medium mixing bowl
		Rubber or silicone spatula
		Measuring cups and spoons
		Cookie scoop (mine is little so my baking time is shorter - if you use a large scoop, add a couple minutes to the baking time)
		Cookie sheets lined with parchment or silicone liners
		Plastic wrap Step 2: Cracking Corn. <PIC>
		In the food processor, grind the dried corn until it is a very fine powder
		Combine the powder with the flour, corn flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder Step 3: Getting Doughy. <PIC>
		In the stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy (about three minutes)
		Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla bean paste
		Continue mixing for about 8 minutes until the mixture resembles butter cream frosting (it will be very light and super fluffy)
		Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined Step 4: Scoop and Chill. <PIC>
		Using the cookie scoop, portion small balls of dough out onto a lined cookie sheet
		Gently press the tops of the scoops down, cover the cookie sheets in plastic wrap, and place the cookie sheet in the fridge for at least an hour Step 5: Bake and Nom!. <PIC>
		After an hour, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
		Transfer the flattened balls of dough onto lined cookie sheets, placing them about 1 1/2 inches apart (further if your cookies are larger)
		Bake for 8-9 minutes (longer if they're larger) or until the edges are lightly browned but the centers are bright yellow
		Allow to cool fully, and enjoy!


Introduction: Holiday Wreath Cake. <PIC> Its the time of year where all we seem to do is eat. Here is a simple cake decorating Instructable that is easy enough for the non-baker, yet impressive enough to "wow" the in-laws! Step 1: I Need It!. <PIC> First things first, what do you need to make such a cake.1. Bunt Cake Whether you want to take the time to make a homemade cake, or simply use a box mix. Both are technically made at home, so add a box of pudding to a cake mix along with some extra vanilla or butter extract and no one will tell if its box mix or not...our little secret.2. Cake Icing The type of icing is up to you, I prefer cream cheese but again its totally my taste buds making that decision. 3. Cloth artificial leaves This is your preference. If you are making a Christmas Wreath cake use fake holly leaves, for a more Thanksgiving/Fall theme use maple or whatever you find more "fall-like".4. Melting Chocolate & Food Coloring If you are making a Fall/Thanksgiving cake you will need autumn colors,  orange, brown, yellow... A Christmas cake you will obviously want to purchase form green melting chocolate.5. Freezer  To speed up the leaf making process6. Soft Caramel Candies & Brown Sprinkles (Only needed for Thanksgiving Cake) Doesn't matter the brand just as long as they are pliable enough to shape into acorns.  Step 2: Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness.. If you have just purchased the artificial leaves I recommend cleaning them before using them to make this cake. Unless you aren't going to eat any of the cake, and frankly don't care anything about the people that are going to partake in the consumption of such a beautiful cake; then again I don't see putting the time into cooking for people you loath. Anyways, you may want to soak the leaves in a soapy water solution for 30 min or so and rinse them thoroughly just to be on the safe side.   Step 3: You Only Live Once, Lick the Bowl.. Before you can impress anyone with a totally amazing wreath cake, you must first have a cake to decorate, So you must make a bunt cake. As I stated before you can make one from scratch if you feel the need, however I don't find that necessary when I can tweak a box mix to taste just as good as homemade if not better. So follow your recipes or read the back of the box. Once your cake is baked, set it aside to cool. You want the cake to be completely cooled. A warm cake will melt your icing causing it to run and make a sticky mess, not to mention if you place your leaves on a warm cake they will also melt.  Step 4: You Make Me MELT.. Melting Chocolate. You want to take a microwave safe bowl, I used a basic glass cereal bowl, and pour about a third of the melting chocolate into the bowl. This does not have to be an exact measurement because we can melt more if needed, no biggie. Microwave the chocolate for 30 sec. at half power, then stir the chocolate (very little or none will appear melted). Microwave for an additional 15 sec. this time at full power, again stir. Continue microwaving the chocolate in 15 sec. interval until it is completely melted, making sure to stir it after it is microwaved each time.  Step 5: "Autumn Is a Second Spring Where Every LEAF Is a Flower." -Alber Camus. <PIC>  Before you begin making the leaves, you will first want to place a clean baking sheet within arms reach of where you will be making the leaves, (Choose a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer) Now the preparations are made and we can make leaves! Examine the artificial leaf, you will notice one side looks like a leaf, while the other side has a wire glued to it. You will want to coat the side of the leaf that does NOT have the wire on it. So here we go, Pick up a artificial leaf, stick the index finger of your free hand into the melt chocolate. Coat the leaf with the chocolate, you want to make sure the chocolate is thick so that it will be easier to remove from the artificial leaf. Try your best to only get the chocolate on one side of the leaf and not on the wire. If chocolate laps over to the other side it will be okay, just harder to remove the artificial leaf without breaking the chocolate. As you can imagine chocolate leafs are quite delicate, much like real leaves. Once you have coated a leaf with chocolate place it, chocolate side up, on your baking sheet. Repeat this process until all your leaves are coated in chocolate, and place the baking sheet into the freezer.  Now lick your finger, you know you want to! Step 6: "The Creation of a Thousand Forests Is in One Acorn." - Ralph Waldo Emerson. <PIC> While the leaves are literally chillin' in the freezer, I like to feel productive and use this time to make the acorns for my wreath cake. Take the caramel candies and open a handful. Usually the candy I purchase are larger than I would like. If this is the case for you as well roll the candy slightly, this will warm the caramel and elongate it slightly. At this point I break the caramel into two separate pieces. I also like doing this because it doubles the amount of acorns I can possibly make. (I never use a whole bag, but my dad loves these caramels so he is quite happy with almost a full bag to himself.) Once you have the caramel the size you prefer, roll it between the palms of your hands until it is oval in shape (acorn shape). Repeat this process until you have the number of acorns you desire for your cake. You can then take the acorns and apply a small amount of icing to which ever side you deem the top of the acorn. Take the iced top of the acorn and dip it in the brown sprinkles, you can secure the sprinkles to the caramel by gently pressing them into the icing. This will give it a smoother appearance. Set the acorns aside for the time being.  Step 7: “All You Need Is Love. But a Little CHOCOLATE Now and Then Doesn't Hurt.” ― Charles M. Schulz. <PIC> Back you our leaves. By now the chocolate leaves has hardened nicely. Take the baking sheet out the freezer, and grab something to place the chocolate leaves on as you remove them from the artificial leaves. (I use aluminum foil) Be careful not to hold a leaf any longer than necessary since chocolate does melt at body temperature.  Pick up a hardened, chocolate covered leaf and turn it over (wire side up). Very carefully pick the corner of the leaf and GENTLY pull it away from the chocolate. The artificial leaf should come away from the chocolate, carefully continue to pull the leaf little by little until it have come completely off the leaf.  I will warn you, the chocolate is delicate and you are going to break several leaves, but that is okay after all leaves crack and crumble in real life so these little pieces are useable. Once all of the chocolate has been peeled from the artificial leaves, it is time to make another batch. This is when you can change colors. I will reuse the same bowl without cleaning the previous color out so that some of my leaves will have a tint of another color in them. This gives the leaves a more realistic look.  I made around 90 leaves, I had about 15 leaves left over after covering my cake, and lost about 15 more due to them breaking.  Step 8: "If You Presume to Love Something, You Must Love the Process of It Much More Than You Love the FINISHED PRODUCT." - John Irving. <PIC> Finally its time to put all the pieces together! You can now get your bunt cake. Generously apply icing to your cake, I recommend dyeing the icing orange or brown for a Thanksgiving cake and green for a Christmas cake. The icing is the "glue" that hold the leaves on the cake. Once the cake is iced completely you can start sticking leave to it. I randomly placed leaves where ever I wanted, though I did try to spread it out so that the orange leaves were evenly spread amongst the brown. After you feel you have completely covered the cake, take you acorns and apply a small amount of icing on the side you decide is the bottom. Again the icing is serving as your edible "glue", now decide where you want the acorns  and place them there, icing side down. I would suggest only placing acorns on the top of your cake, while the icing is a "glue". Acorns stuck to the side will most likely fall off, possibly bringing leaves with it. After all this work the last thing you want it for your cake to deconstruct itself due to gravity. Now take a step back and appreciate the beautiful cake/work of art you just created!


Introduction: Color-Changing Cocktails. <PIC> Blue foods are striking (and rare) all by themselves, but add a little lime juice and this emerald blue elixir will *magically* change into a brilliant purple. I've named my little cocktail the Indigo Blush. The intense color is completely natural (from a flower!) it's not difficult to make, and the color transformation is truly stunning. The basil/lime/gin flavor combination is bright, refreshing, and dangerously drinkable.  If you're impatient and just want the recipe, go ahead and skip to the last step. Read on for my full, exhaustive treatise on color-changing foods. Some recipes start from an idea and just magically come together when the ingredients are in my hands. Others take years of fiddling, research, scrapping the whole idea and starting again, more fiddling, seeking expert advise,  testing and retesting before satisfying results emerge. This recipe is definitely in the latter group. The idea of a color-changing recipe is one of those white whales I have been chasing for years, and finally, I have a dish I'm excited to share.  When I first read about color changing food pigments I could barely contain my glee. I mean, think of the possibilities: a dish that can change COLORS? It turns out that lots of plants have pigment molecules that are pH indicators. In a neutral or basic solution they will appear green-blue or blue-purple, but add some acid and they'll turn purple or red. (You've probably seen examples of this already: blueberries in blueberry pancakes will sometimes turn green if the batter has too much baking soda, or brush your teeth with a baking soda toothpaste after drinking a glass of red wine and you'll end up with a mouthful of blue foam.)  Lots of dishes get a little something acidic thrown in at the end, so it didn't seem like making a dish to use this color-change trick would be too difficult. My very first experiments quickly showed that I would need a mostly clear solution in order to show off the color change. (Opaque foods just muddied it up and got in the way). So I got to work trying out all sorts of ingredients with color-changing pigments: radicchio, red cabbage, blueberries. The findings of these tests were disappointing. Either the color would come out muddied and dull (blueberries) or the flavor would be horrid (red cabbage) or both (radicchio). And that's not even getting to the hardest part: acidity. Nearly everything that we eat is acidic. Egg whites and most tap water are slightly basic, but everything else is just varying degrees of acidity. For the color change to work, you need an acid addition that will significantly change the pH, but not until the dish is served. (So adding any acid to the mix beforehand is a no-go.) And this makes adding any flavor difficult. Just about every flavor-enhancing technique I thought of either muddied up the color or added acid. Perhaps, I thought, this is a phenomenon that works great in an eighth grade chemistry class, but really shouldn't be brought into the kitchen. And then I met this little blue flower. (Hello, butterfly blue pea flower!) It doesn't seem to have much of an audience in the US yet, but Thai and Chinese cooks have long used this little flower to color foods and make teas with a brilliant blue hue. For my money, this is truly a remarkable ingredient. For one thing, it's hard to overstate how brilliant the color from this flower is. The pigment is highly soluble-- you don't even have to boil it to release the color. And since the flowers can be dried, it is easy to keep them on hand. The only slight detractor is that they don't have any real flavor on their own. But even that negative can be a boon-- you could use these little guys to color any sort of dish, and add whatever flavors you want separately. Finally I had an ideal candidate to make a color-changing recipe, and I decided a fancy cocktail would be just the thing to showcase this remarkable little ingredient. I chose to make an alcoholic beverage, but there is no reason that the same techniques wouldn't work for non-alcoholic beverages.  Step 1: The "Secret" Ingredient. <PIC> The first (and most difficult) part of making this drink will be getting your hands on some butterfly blue pea flowers. (Unless you happen to live in Thailand. Then it seems like it will be quite easy.) I have found the easiest way to get these guys is to order through amazon. Search for butterfly blue pea flowers in tea, and you'll find a few vendors that carry them. The catch is, they all ship from Thailand, and shipping to the US usually takes about a month. They aren't cheap (with shipping my order was around 20$), but the 50g. bag that I bought will definitely make around 5 bottles of color-changing liquor. And the dried flowers keep well, so you could get quite a lot of use out of an order.  While it isn't easy to get your hands on dried flowers in the US, it is fairly easy to get seeds. So the other option is to grow the plant yourself. I was so intrigued by this little flower, I decided to try my hand at growing some fresh ones in my backyard this year. I am by no means an expert gardener, but I can share a few tips that I've figured out from growing this little guy. (And, if we're being honest,  killing off some other seedlings along the way) 1. Use a bean/pea innoculant when you start your seeds. I tried germinating two batches of seeds, one with innoculant and one without. I got a MUCH better germination rate (around 70%) with innoculant as compared to 33% without. 2. Heat, heat, heat. Unlike regular garden peas, these guys like it hot. I started some seedlings on a heating mat, which seemed to work. But my attempts to harden off plants to grow outside in colder temperatures (60-70s F) were not successful. The healthy plant that I grew was started indoors with lots of light, and I didn't move it outdoors until the temperature lows were in the 70s (mid-summer here in New York). You also want to plant them in well-drained soil, and don't over-water them. (This plant likes soil on the dry side.) 3. This plant has delicate roots and does not like being repotted. I would suggest starting seedlings in peat pots so you don't need to disturb the roots when transferring them to a container or the ground. 4. Give them a trellis or fence to climb on. Like other varieties of peas, this plant only seems to flower once it has reached a certain height. (Then the extending vines produce lots of flowers. ) 5. If you want to have enough blossoms to make a bottle of color-changing gin, you'll probably need several plants. I'm estimating that my single vine will produce about 2 dozen blossoms this year. That's not bad, but it would only make about a quarter of a bottle of liquor. The plants really are stunning, though. And the fresh flowers can be eaten and used as a garnish on all sorts of dishes. I'll definitely be planting them again next year.  Step 2: Elements of a Color-Changing Cocktail. <PIC> To create a color-changing cocktail I knew I would need a butterfly blue pea-infused liquor, and then an acidic addition to activate the color change. I also wanted to add some other flavors and a little sweetness to the cocktail. After a little poking around, I found out that most vodkas and gins have a neutral or near-neutral pH. I chose gin for my cocktail, but vodka would work just as well.  Adding other flavors gets a little tricky-- it's hard to add anything into the mix without inadvertently adding acid. (And we want to save that for the dramatic finale.) I found that creating a syrup with fresh herbs did not add too much acidity, and could still bring lots of flavor with them. I chose to make a light syrup, (not that high of a sugar concentration) just because I don't like my drinks very sweet. I was going for flavor, with just enough sweetness to cut the harshness of the gin and balance the acid addition. I also found that infusing a hot syrup gently (rather than boiling it) will give you a syrup that is more clear. It's not totally colorless, but it's clear enough so the color-changing effect isn't noticeably diminished. The last element was the acid. I tried a number of combinations of floral and herbal syrups with different acids (including some interesting experiments with white balsamic vinegar and vermouth.) The clear favorite in the taste category was basil syrup with fresh lime juice. I'm sure that there are other winning combinations out there-- I anxiously await to hear more ideas from all you talented mixologists... The one caveat I would add is that you get the most dramatic color change effect when you add a strong, liquid acid. (I did some tests with powdered citric acid and frozen lime juice: meh.) The most satisfying display was with just plain lime juice. I specify straining the lime juice to try to keep the drink as clear as possible. Step 3: The Indigo Blush (My Recipe for a Color-Changing Cocktail). <PIC> Indigo Blush: 2 oz. Blue Gin 1 oz. Basil Lemongrass Syrup 1 oz. Strained Lime JuiceBlue Gin: ½ bottle dry gin 3-4 T dried butterfly blue pea flowers baking sodaBasil Syrup: 1 c. sugar 1 ½c. thai basil (If you cannot get thai basil, just use italian basil and add 1-2 seeds of star anise. And just one prong off the star, not the whole thing.) 2 T sliced lemongrass 2 c. boiling waterFor Serving: Limes (1 oz. lime juice per serving) Fine-meshed strainer tea pot, creamer or other container to pour a small amount of lime juice into the finished drink. IceInfuse Gin One at a time, remove the green base leaves from the dried flowers, keeping just the colorful petals. Place the petals in a clean jar and cover with gin. You don’t need to fill the jar up, just enough to cover the flowers.  Stir to saturate the petals. Once they are softened, you can crush them lightly against the side of the jar. This will help speed up the dispersal of the color into the gin. Leave the mixture to sit for a day or two, until it turns very dark blue-purple. Strain out the petals and pour the concentrated color into a clean bottle. Pour in additional gin until it is diluted to your desired color intensity (remembering that the color will be dispersed more when it is mixed into a cocktail.) Most likely, the bottle of gin will have a purplish hue at this point. Add a ât. baking soda to the gin and shake to disperse. You can add more baking soda if it is necessary to nudge your gin into the blue range of the spectrum. But go slowly, and add just enough to get the job done. Add just a little and you'll never know it's there, but too much baking soda tastes terrible.  The color tends to have a more purple appearance when you look through a greater depth. So hold the bottle to the side and look at the color of the gin at the edges to get a more accurate idea of what your gin will look like when it is poured into a cocktail. The infused gin can be made well in advance-- my color infused liquors have shown no signs of losing their brilliance after several weeks. (I'll update if there is any change in the shelf life of the colored gin, but the color seems quite stable.)Make Syrup Remove basil leaves from the stems and wash. Slice lemongrass as finely as you can. Lightly bruise the lemongrass under the flat side of your knife. Place sugar, lemongrass and basil leaves (and star anise, if you are using it) in a heat resistant container. Pour  in 2c. boiling water and stir to dissolve. Cover the container and let it steep for several hours, until the mixture has cooled to room temperature.  Strain the syrup and refrigerate. (Refrigerated syrup will keep for up to two weeks.)Mix Cocktail Juice a few limes and pour the juice through a fine-meshed tea strainer or coffee filter. You want this liquid to be as clear as possible to give the finished cocktail its gem-like brilliance.  Measure two ounces of blue gin and one ounce of syrup. Is the color still a nice blue? If so, just charge ahead. If it has edged towards the purple spectrum with the addition of the syrup, you might need to add just a pinch of baking soda to push the pH back toward neutral. Again, go slow, and make sure not to overdo the baking soda. Shake in a cocktail shaker and pour into a martini glass. To complete the cocktail slowly pour 1 oz. of strained lime juice into the glass. (This would be the recommended moment to stop for a few minutes to bask in the the oohs and ahs.)Tips for Cocktail Brilliance. Since the color is the star of this show, it really pays to have a white background. (It is much harder to see the color change against a dark background or competing colors.) A white tablecloth or plate underneath the drinks works wonders. If you have enough flowers, you can make the drink as intensely blue as you want. BUT I find that you lose some of the brilliance of the color if it is very highly concentrated. When the drink changes colors it will also appear to lighten. So expect that your finished purple drink will look lighter than the initial blue base.


Introduction: Freeze Dry at Home. <PIC> In response to an Instructables thread from 2009 that I ran across, I decided to test if any idea for an at home lyophilizer (freeze dryer) could work? I didn't have a vacuum pump or any sophisticated condensing or cooling equipment. I've worked with desiccators in the lab and I thought that if I could get a vacuum chamber at the vapor point of water, I might be able to keep it under that point with anhydrous salts.   The Post:https://www.instructables.com/answers/Home-Freeze-Dryer-Lyophilizercan-it-be-done/ Step 1: The Science Behind the Suck. <PIC> Through my research I learned two interesting facts that led me toward my final project design: 1. Freeze drying is the result of both negative pressure and temperature.The rate of drying depends on both. 2. Freezer burn, and that annoying build up of ice in the back of your freezer, are the result of the same process--namely water vapor leaving or forming solid ice. This freezer-burn vaporization is called sublimation and its opposite freezer ice buildup is called deposition. Now this led me to think that if I could lower the pressure in a sealed container to the vapor pressure point and keep it there, I could achieve freeze dried fruit goodness in the back of my freezer. Scientifically, the problem is vapor pressure. Vapor pressure relies on temperature and pressure. The vapor pressure of our berries will tend to equalize with the pressure and temperature inside the chamber. This means roughly that a food being passively dried will only get as dry as its environment.This makes it more difficult to dry something further. (The water keeps coming out of the fruit and raises the pressure.) This can be solved at home by putting a desiccant in the low-pressure container to absorb the vapor and to actively pull it from the food you want to dry. However, this means that the rate at which the vapor leaves the food and enters the desiccant is much slower than an active vacuum system (traditional vacuum lyophilzer). After testing how much vacuum it could pull, I chose to use a wine saver hand pump for my first experiments (see picture below). There are many other similar systems on the market--usually labeled as instant marination containers or vacuum bag systems. Step 2: Merging Materials. <PIC> Materials: (1) Vacuum chamber: VacuVin instant marinator was used. It's expensive. One can easily make their own using a ball valve and sealable container. (1) Vacuum source: hand pumps are easily available but lower pressures can be reached using other methods. (1) Calcium Chloride powder: use roughly double the weight of sample you wish to dry, but more can't hurt. (1) Separation dish: this keeps the desiccant and your sample from mixing  and messing up your final product. (1) Sample you wish to freeze dry. *When combining make sure that no desiccant gets into your food, calcium chloride is a food safe additive, but it tastes gross. Silica gel can also be used but I haven't tried it, its more expensive and it isn't as powerful of a desiccant. Method: 1. Prepare your sample by slicing in to thin strips or small pieces. This will make the process go faster. 2. Flash freeze the slices if possible to prevent ice nucleation and to preserve cell walls. 3. Prepare container by pouring double weight of desiccant in the bottom. 4. Place separation dish and position sample so that it is removed from the desiccant. Leave room for the desiccant to expand as it will when absorbing water. 5. Seal lid and remove air from container. The more air you remove the faster the process will go. 6. Place in a deep freezer or the coldest part of the your freezer. Lower temperature will prevent nucleation, also high sucrose solutions (ice cream) will tend to deform at temperatures over -30 C for very complicated reasons having to do with residual water acting as a plasticizer. 7. Leave in the freezer for a day and re-vacuum, then leave for around a week, or until your sample is dry. This will vary depending on the sample, the temperature, the pressure, and the desiccant. Step 3: Making My Masion Magnificant. <PIC> This is an intermediary step where a different container was prepped to accept a wine saver vacuum valve.  A standard ball valve could have been used but this method was easier with the wine pump and wine saver valve. Step 4: Delicatessen and Desiccant Decisions. <PIC> Considerations should be made when determining what you want to freeze dry. The speed and quality of drying can be hastened by making sure you follow a few guidelines: 1. Fewer samples or thinner slices work best. Cutting your samples into thin slices increases the rate at which the vapor can sublimate. Having a few samples reduces the amount of pressure lost due to water vapor sublimating. 2. Freeze fast or use a lower temperature deep freezer. The faster you can get your samples to freeze, the smaller the ice crystals will be. A good example of this is old ice cream. If given a warm freezer to recrystallize, it tends to get icy and gritty. Freezing fast will help in both sublimation and texture retention. This was my major limitation at home and why my final results looked shrived and dried around the edges. Step 5: Water Weight. <PIC> I wanted to include a few pictures of before and after calcium chloride. Note this is the same amount, just swollen after absorbing the water vapor from my strawberries. Unfortunately for science I didn't weigh before and after, as I didn't have an accurate enough scale. If anyone wants to continue this experiment on their own with pressure gauges and a scale, accurate sublimation rate measurements could be determined. Step 6: Fruits of Fruition. <PIC> I'd like to thank you dear visitor for perusing my instructable, and I hope as a community we can continue to make food science awesome!