Kill, Marry, Pity Date - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Who would you kill? Marry? Pity date? Play along with us! To recap from Episode 1:

Tori's Choices

Kill: Peeves the Poltergeist, Rubeus Hagrid

Marry: Nearly Headless Nick, Neville Longbottom

Pity Date: Bloody Baron, Seamus Finnigan



Charlotte's Choices

Kill: Seamus Finnigan, Millicent Bulstrode

Marry: Neville Longbottom, Mandy Brocklehurst

Pity Date: Rubeus Hagrid, Susan Bones



Laura's Choices

Kill: Charlie Weasley, Pavarti Patel

Marry: Oliver Wood, Draco Malfoy

Pity Date: Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown



Leave a comment and lettuce know what your choices would be! Also, do you have 3 characters you'd like to pose to one of us? 

Arugulator!

Lettuce Wraps - Treacle Tart Edition

In an effort to prepare for our very first full-length episode recording tomorrow, I decided to make a special Harry Potter themed treat! Harry's favorite dessert is treacle tart. If you're like me and/or you aren't up to snuff on your British delicacies, you were unfamiliar with this dish prior to reading the Harry Potter series. If you're even more like me, you also have no idea how to pronounce "treacle". I'll address the latter - some light Googling (dirty!) led me to a pronunciation guide that says it's "tree-cle". So, what is it? Treacle is a British term for a golden sugar cane syrup that is similar to molasses. The filling for treacle tart is made mostly from this syrup and a handful of other ingredients. There are dozens of recipes available on the internet; most include lemon zest/juice, breadcrumbs, and ginger in their list of ingredients. After searching for a while, I choose this this recipe and added a few modifications based on other recipes I saw. 

 Step 1: Assemble ingredients! A different recipe I looked at suggested making fresh bread crumbs instead of using dried store-bought breadcrumbs. I did this by ripping 2 slices of bread up and then pulsing them in a food processor. Also, another recipe called for ground ginger so I added 1/4 tsp to the filling. Lastly, my local grocery store was sold out of Lyle's Golden Syrup (seriously, what are the odds?) which appears to be the brand of choice for treacle. Luckily, I was able to find Hey Shuga! sugar cane syrup in the organic section.

 

 Step 2: I decided to make individual tarts instead of one large tart. I had to divide the full-size pie crusts into sections and then mold them into a muffin pan.

Step 3: Mix filling ingredients! I love you so much, food processor!

 Step 4: Fill cups! I really wanted this picture to be landscape oriented, but it is refusing and I can't figure out why. C'est la vie.

 Step 5: Bake! They turned out a little oozy after baking, but my house smelled like a sugary, lemony wonderland. No complaints here!

Step 6: Finishing touches & Tasting! Confectioner's sugar and a spoonful on whipped cream. My boyfriend, Kyle, and I taste tested. I mean, you HAVE to make sure they aren't poisonous before sharing them with others, right? :) 

Final Thoughts: the filling was more liquid than I think it should have been. I've never had treacle tart before so I'm not sure what the desired consistency is, but I think it's supposed to be similar to pumpkin or pecan pie. These had a filling more like a lava cake. That being said, they are freaking delicious!! They taste like a yummy lemon candy. VERY SWEET. For me, the little tart was just enough to not be turned off by the sweetness of the syrup. Hopefully Charlotte and Tori will enjoy them at our recording tomorrow!

Arugulator!
Laura

Podcaster Tori's Bio

Hello! My name is Tori and I am a Northern Virginian currently living in Maryland. Before you ask; yes the northern is an important distinction to make. I play a variety of instruments, all on an average level, and I am a band instrument repair technician. I started reading at an early age, starting with Animorphs and continuing with series like Harry Potter, Tortall, Dragonriders of Pern and Valdemar.

More recently I have discovered a love for TV in the sci-fi/fantasy genre, such as Being Human, Forever, The Flash, Arrow, Agents of Shield  and Grimm. I also love some older shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stargate SG-1 and, of course, Star Trek. The biggest thing I bring to the table is my love of Fandom itself. Be it fanfiction, fan sites fan bands, fan musicals (Starkid anyone) or any other endeavor, I love the community fandom creates.

Podcaster Laura's Bio

Greetings! My name is Laura. I'm a twenty-something hailing from Syracuse, New York and currently making a life in Maryland. A lifelong musician with a B.A. in Music from Syracuse University, I now work as a Band Instrument Repair Technician for a major music supplier.

As an entertainment podcaster, I hope to bring you a wide variety of pop culture topics to discuss. I pride myself in being a nerd of a different color. My pop culture interests include: James Bond, Mad Men, Stand-Up Comedy, 90's music, Hip Hop, and so much more! My Nerd Cred interests include: knitting, cooking/baking, and crossword puzzles. If you enjoy silly jokes and puns, then we'll get along just fine!

Podcaster Charlotte's Bio

Hi! I’m Charlotte. I’m from North Carolina and am currently residing in Maryland. My background is in classical music and I fix woodwind instruments for a living. I love pop culture and the current entertainment world. I think that the way popular media connects people all over the world is really amazing and I love being a part of that phenomenon!

I’m excited to be producing The Lettuce with my friends, Laura and Tori. I've always been the ultimate pleasure reader (yes, that includes 50 Shades of Grey!), so I think I’ll bring a more casual view to the table. My current obsessions include (but are not limited to!): Game of Thrones (both books and TV), Survivor, Lord of the Rings, Serial, Taylor Swift, and World of Warcraft. I’m the complete well rounded nerd and I’m proud of it!

Welcome!

Welcome to The Lettuce Podcast Blog! The Lettuce is an up-and-coming entertainment podcast hosted by three friends and co-workers who love to converse about books, movies, and more! We are in the planning stages of our podcast, so unfortunately we don't have much to share at this time. 

Check back soon for more information about the podcast and the hosts. Also, keep an eye out for our first episode of The Lettuce Podcast on iTunes. Thanks for stopping by!

-The Lettuce