Tricks and a Treat

Confession time:  I've never seen a Saw movie, and I'm okay with that.  I may have to watch this next one that comes out on the 29th, though.  Thomas and I got hooked on the MTV series, Scream Queens, a reality/competition show where ten actresses vied for the leading role in Saw 3D.  My favorite won, so I might have to Netflix it and skip past some of the gore, just to see how she did.  That was actually a really cool show.  I liked how the girls went to classes where they worked and really learned how to act, and not just be told to make sure they pout their lips and arch their backs as they fall down.  As an actress involved in the horror genre, it was nice to see these movies and these young ladies treated with the care and respect they deserved.  It was also nice to see the most talented actress walk away with the role.  That doesn't always happen.

Anyway, with the movie opening next week, Lionsgate, the makers of Saw 3D, has launched a new Facebook game.  Why not?  It's kind of neat, in that the game allows the player to "trap" his or her own friends, and then complete Jigsaw's challenges to save them.  Even cooler, it uses your friends' actual profile photos to up the urgency.  Pretty clever.  Of course, Facebook lets your friends know if you saved or killed them via status updates, so it could make Book Club a little awkward if you saved Brenda Mae, but let Amy Sue get decapitated.  In other words, choose wisely, my friend.

And speaking of scary, remember how Thomas and I went to Universal Studios a couple of weeks ago?  Well, one ride that Thomas just had to go on was The Mummy.  He loves the first two movies (let's not mention the third one, shall we?), and this was the ride he was most looking forward to of all.

Well, we stashed our stuff in a locker, walked inside, and I started getting nervous.  There were signs everywhere, all stating this was a high-speed roller coaster.  Now, I can handle roller coasters as long as they don't go upside-down.  Thomas can't.  He doesn't like drops, and he really doesn't like dark coasters.  In fact, just the night before, we skipped Space Mountain because Disney made it even darker during the last refurbishment. 

Me:  Um, Thomas...this sign says it's a high-speed roller coaster.
Thomas:  No, it's not. 
Me:  Are you sure?  The sign has a ton of restrictions and says it's a high-speed roller coaster.
Thomas:  It's not.  It's just like Test Track at Epcot.  It just starts and stops a lot, and accelerates for a second. 
Me:  (Thinking he must have ridden it before) Oh, cool.  That's not a big deal.  I can do that.  As long as it doesn't go upside-down, it's fine. 

My husband's an idiot.  He's cute and sweet and brilliant (most of the time), but in this case, he was an idiot.  Not a roller coaster, my foot.  He had not ridden it before, and that thing was the fastest, darkest, scariest roller coaster I've ever been on.  No, it did not go upside-down, but when we got off, I was shaking, and my hair had all blown completely into my face.  I looked like a Jell-o mold of Cousin It.  All the blood had drained from Thomas' face, and he couldn't walk straight, either.  Mostly, though, we just couldn't stop laughing.  That was probably the most fun I've ever had on a roller coaster, and we were both a little bummed that we ran out of time in the park before we could ride it again.

Today, I found this: an article proclaiming the ride to be one of the scariest roller coasters for Halloween.  It's a fun read, and gives a great description of the ride.  I just wish I'd seen it before we left for Florida.

And speaking of Universal (don't you love the segues today?), here's that recipe for Harry Potter Butterbeer I promised.  It's definitely not for the calorie conscious, so please drink responsibly.  It's not an exact replica of the drink you'd buy in the park, but it's as close as I could get without ordering ingredients off the Internet.  The taste and presentation are close, but the texture's a tad thicker, as I explain after the recipe.  Enjoy! 

Butterbeer Recipe

1 tbsp Butterscotch sundae syrup
1/2 tsp Caramel sundae syrup
1-2 drops Green food coloring
1-2 drops Red food coloring
Cold Ginger Ale

Yield:  1 16 oz. drink

Butterbeer Topping Recipe

1/4 cup Cold Whipping Cream
1 tsp Butterscotch sundae syrup
1 tsp Sugar

Yield:  Enough for 2 drinks

Spoon the Butterscotch and Caramel syrups into the glass.  Fill the bottom with the Ginger Ale and food colorings.  Blend.  Finish filling almost to the top of the glass, and spoon off any head that forms (or as much as you possible can).

For the topping, pour the whipping cream into a very cold glass or metal bowl.  Add the sugar and syrup.  Whip with an electric mixer (low setting) until thick, but not stiff.  Spoon on top of the drink and spread, if possible.  Give it a quick stir (just one or two swirls), and it should puff up a bit, believe it or not.

This would work better with coffee flavoring syrups*, but butterscotch coffee flavoring is not easy to track down in stores, and I wanted to make this as accessible as possible.  You can order the other syrups online, though.  Those syrups are less viscous, so it keeps the drink looking clearer and more beer-like. 

Originally, I tried this with twice as much syrup in the drink.  I really liked it, but it was a little thicker and sweeter than I was going for.  Again, it was pretty darn tasty, but more like an ice cream float than the Italian soda it should be.  Feel free to try it with double the amount, though.  It makes the drink really punch-like, so it might be nice in a big batch for a party.  Just make enough topping to put a nice frothy head on the entire punch bowl.
If any of you try this, let me know what you think in the comments.  Or, if you have your own recipe, please feel free to share with the rest of the class. 

*Note:  I did not try it with the coffee flavoring syrups, but I did work as a barista for several years, and have made more than my fair share of Italian sodas, and really, that's what this is.  If you use the coffee flavoring syrups, I would suggest one shot of butterscotch and half a shot of caramel.  You can always add more, but you can't really subtract.