Guess the COLD Book!
My husband is always sending me research links. Sometimes they’re for the book I’m currently writing, or in the case of this one, for a book that is already published and the information in the article expands on an idea or location I’ve explored. Can you guess which book he was thinking of when he sent me this one?”
http://crosscut.com/2016/02/when-the-tsunami-hits-coastal-defenders-could-be-first-to-go/
Do you know which book my husband was thinking of? Let me know in the comments!
My Family’s Easter Tradition – Bow Hunting Chocolate Bunnies!
Bow Hunting a Gelatin Filled Chocolate Bunny – A Grant Family Easter
Several years ago, quite by accident, my family started a new Easter tradition. When faced with divvying up a large chocolate Easter bunny, we decided to place the poor, innocent rabbit in front of a hay bale and grabbed the recurve bow, as one does. The person to strike the bunny was awarded first chocolate.
This ended up being the best Easter tradition ever. Forget the egg hunt; we’re hunting wabbits.
Last year, in a fit of inspiration, I filled the bunny with gelatin the day before and refrigerated it. This really took the tradition to the next level. I’m posting photos and the process, so you, too, can bow hunt chocolate bunnies, or any other hollow chocolate animal you can find.
You will need:
• 2 large hollow chocolate Easter bunnies (the biggest ones you can find, and get 2 because 1 is never enough! 2 = twice the shooting fun)
• 3 6-oz packages of red gelatin (or enough to fill whatever size bunny you get)
• chocolate chips or chocolate candy melts (for repairs/glue)
• flexible candy for a blindfold (we find this more humane)
• Small funnel, preferably metal
• Container for bunny to stand in (I use a utensil holder because it has high, straight sides, good for bracing if bunny isn’t quite flat on the bottom, and for catching gelatin if it leaks)
• 2 mini-marshmallows to cork the holes in the bunnies
• Bow and arrows
To fill the bunny:
Make the gelatin and cool mixture to room temperature. Patience is vital here – if it’s even a little bit warm, it will melt the chocolate. Trust me, I know.
Use the metal funnel to drill a hole in the highest point on the bunny’s body (AKA the tip of the ear, unless you have a strange, earless bunny). If your funnel doesn’t have a sharp enough edge, you can start the hole with a corkscrew or knife.
Place the bunny in a container where it can stand. If it wobbles in the container, brace sides with a clean kitchen towel. (Note, save the bunny packaging to use as a stand for the bow hunt – see photos.) Insert the funnel and slowly pour in cooled red gelatin. Watch for leaks/melting chocolate. Chocolate may be thin in places and split. If this happens, pour the gelatin back in the bowl while you repair the bunny.
To repair a melting bunny: melt chocolate chips or candy melts in microwave until just soft. Stir until smooth. Allow to cool until it is just liquid enough to spread. Using a brush or rubber spatula, plug holes with melted chocolate.
Shine a light over the body while looking through the hole in the top. Light shining through indicates weak spots. Reinforce thin areas by painting with chocolate. (Note this can be done right after drilling hole, before attempting to fill with liquid gelatin mix. Or skip it, if you like to live on the wild side and find leaks the messy way.)
This is also a good time to blindfold the bunny by painting one side of candy blindfold with chocolate and gluing over the eyes. Refrigerate until chocolate patches harden.
Return bunny to container and fill with gelatin. Plug hole with marshmallow cork.
Refrigerate overnight with bunny standing in the container.
Cut bunny package to use as a stand for the bunny. Place bunny on stand. Shoot it with arrows. If arrows fail, try an atlatl (you have one, right?). Or a BB gun. Eating chocolate or gelatin after shooting with BBs is not recommended.
Happy Easter!
Underwater Archaeology in the News
There was big news yesterday for the U.S. Navy and underwater archaeology – a tugboat that went missing at sea in 1921 has been discovered. It left port near San Francisco for Hawaii, with 56 souls aboard. I can’t imagine how sad such an event was for the families of the sailors when the tugboat disappeared, but to find the wreck after 95 years is pretty amazing!
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-conestoga-ship-mystery-found-20160323-story.html
WOW!
I have to share this here, because I was so excited!
“Cold Evidence is exciting, intelligent, angst-y and sexy, with a depth of conflict and plot I found mesmerizing.” – Kathy Altman, USA TODAY Happy Ever After
