Harry Potter and Butterbeer cupcakes

Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows Part 2 has come to an end and it feels like a huge part of my childhood has ended. So in honor of the movie I made butterbeer cupcakes last week for the 2nd time but these looked 10 times better than last time. Here is the recipe for Butterbeer cupcakes but I highly suggest making the ganache 1st so it can cool and when the cupcakes come out you can put the ganache in right away. Just forewarning it does take time to make and the ganache is not very thick unless you put it in a freezer for a long time which I have not done.

It is well worth it and the icing definitely is what makes the cupcake. I brought them to work and this is all that was left. They are delicious and although I have yet been to Harry Potter World I can imagine what real butterbeer tastes like.


Anyways I hope you all saw the final Harry Potter movie. I went to the midnight showing in Chicago where rumor had it Matthew Lewis who plays Neville Longbottom was in town but he was only suppose to be at Navy Pier. Well that was not true, he showed up at our theater but my friends and I missed him. There was a point when I went to the bathroom where there was a lot of commotion in the hall that I really should have checked it out because I think I could have seen him. Mr. Lewis has definitely cleaned up real nice and has become very attractive. I did not know that during the movies he had to wear a fat suit and had to wear fake teeth but it added to his character.

Overall, I thought the movie was brilliant. The theatre laughed, cried, cheered and clapped in unison throughout the movie. But, there were some parts I liked better in the book than in the movies. It is definitely one of the best movies and I am glad they broke the movie into two parts considering it was the last movie.

Well now that the movies and books are over, all that is left is the impact Harry Potter has had on my life and to share it with others. It is amazing how I have grown up with Harry Potter. I was about 12 years old, the same as Harry when the books came out. My brother and I use to wait in the midnight lines at Barnes and Nobles waiting to get our copy when the first couple books came out. However as we got older we would pre-order them and pick them up the next morning. We only ever got one copy except for book 7 which, is funny that the two of us shared the books. We would have different bookmarks in each book and trade off which is crazy because most siblings have their own copy and don't like to share.

Harry Potter got my brother and I into reading like so many other children. We use to run away from 300 page books but were now concurring 800 page books with no problem. However, it baffles me how many of my peers have not read Harry Potter and have avoided something that has now been integrated into our culture. Even if you have not read the books, people know that Muggles are non-magical folk, Voldermort is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and people know that Harry Potter's best friends are Ron and Hermione. Yes, some people might just know these things by just going to the movies and not reading the books but, when the movies come out Harry Potter is what everyone is talking about. Case in point, my friend and I were at a bar having some drinks discussing the movie when someone excused us and told us not to talk about the movie because they had not seen it yet. So we had to stop talking about it but a majority of people have already seen it. The midnight and 2:30 a.m. showings alone ranked in over 4 million dollars. CRAZY!

Anyways, I have to say one of the best things I did this year was re-read all the books and coincided the movies when I finished the books. My mother thought re-reading the books was crazy and now my brother is doing the same thing. Although she thinks this is ridiculous, she does not fully understand the amazing world and work J.K. Rowling put out there. It will be a book I will re-read again and make sure my children read. I want to clarify one thing though, I am not as dedicated as some. Although I made cupcakes and have gone to midnight showings, I am not the best at quoting the book or knowing all the ins and outs of Harry Potter. Yes, I am signed up for Pottermore, but who isn't, and I am aware of the websites out there. I am aware of Mugglenet, theleakycaldron, and know the convention for everything Potter is called Leaky Con. I also know there are bands out there like Harry and the Potters and the Remus Lupins although I don't know any of their particular work.

The only thing I know that might go into that category is Starkids Production of A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel. I have only gotten 2 of my hard-core Harry Potter friends to see it but it is one of my favorite things out there. The songs and plots are on point with the books and it is overall entertaining and brilliant.

No matter what Harry Potter has impacted my life and the lives of so many others. It is sad that there are no more books and movies. The things we have to look forward to are people like Starkid and those who attend Leaky Con who have embraced Harry and expanded his world in new avenues. Oh, and we cannot forget what Pottermore will have installed for us too.