"I Solemnly Swear, I Am Up to No Good"... In the Kitchen

     Well that's it folks-- I gave in.  After months of declaring that I would not be one of those people who fall under the addictive spell of "Pinterest", I am now... how should I put it... hypnotized by the "Pin".  I decided one day I'd give it a try, a test-run if you will.  But my test-run quickly turned into an hour long, glued to the computer screen, Daytona 500 pinning session!  I couldn't stop myself.  I pinned this, I pinned that; I even pinned the "Pin It" button to my task bar for convenience sake!  Cute outfits, crafty "DIY's", tons of delicious recipes... the possibilities were endless!  Yes, ever since that fateful first "pin", I have pinned with pinning fervor.  So how does my raving about this new addiction tie in to the title of my post, you might ask... for those of you who are "Harry Potter" fans, you will appreciate this.  As for those of you who are not-- you may want to stop reading here. (Thanks for visiting, and have a nice day.  And a word of advice-- do yourself a favor and go buy book: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," RIGHT NOW.)

     Now where was I?... Oh yes, my Pinterest obsession.  I have come to learn that many people (young and old) have the same love for all things HP as I do.  Although I'm now at the tender age of 24, my childlike imagination is still very much alive in me.  Which leads me to tell you, when I see something referring to the HP books, I get super-excited! So you can imagine my delight, when I saw the number of pins posted to Pinterest dedicated to bringing a little bit of magic from Harry's world, to life for us "Muggles"!    

     Take for instance this yummy recipe that someone "pinned" for "Butterbeer" cupcakes from "the Pastry Affair" blog (click on the link for the recipe).  A friend of mine (hi, Brittany!) tried out this recipe for these tasty beauties and her's looked amazing!  So of course, I did what any Pinterest geek would do-- went straight to her Pin Board and found this amazing recipe.  I haven't the chance to make a batch of my own yet, but I'll post a pic when I do!  And just an FYI... the blog above also has recipes for other "HP" treats... including Honeydukes treats, Cauldron Cakes, and of course-- Butterbeer! (just a reminder these do NOT contain alcohol)

     So for those of you who have not yet made it down to Florida for a visit to the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter", you can now brew up your own Potterrific creations in your kitchen!  As for myself, who has made the trip (because really, did you expect any different? Like I said, child-like...) I, and my taste buds, can't wait to relive these magical goodies all over again!

Cauldron Cake and Butterbeer from Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Butterbeer in the "Hog's Head"... HP imagination brought to life!

Bella enjoying her Chocolate Frog from Honeydukes

    One final thing, if you are not yet hooked on Pinterest,... indulge!  There truly is something for everyone... fashionistas, crafties, foodies... even "Muggles" too!