Triforce Pumpkin Muffins | "A Link Between Worlds"

          B and I are totally loving the new "Zelda" game, "A Link Between Worlds", for Nintendo 3DS. It is beautifully crafted and a real joy to play. We each have our own game, digital for B and a cartridge for me, and we've had so much fun playing it and discussing it and ragging on each other about where we're at in the story and with inventory and little maiamais, etc. It's Thanksgiving and among the many awesome things I'm thankful for like my little family and a home and the ability and opportunity to be creative, I'm also totally thankful for the "Legend of Zelda" games. I've had Link and his amazing theme music in my head since the original "Zelda" on the NES that I played with my sister, and in more recent years "Twilight Princess", "Skyward Sword", "WindWaker HD", and now "A Link Between Worlds", that I've played with my husband on the Wii, WiiU, and 3DS. So much nostalgia, so many memories. Even 3 year-old Smalls loves "The Legend of Zelda" and runs around the house with her blue bubble sword slicing through the air, commanding us to sing the (traditional) "Zelda" theme song.
           So today B, Smalls, and I are going to eat lots of food, including these Hyrule and Lorule pumpkin muffins, and then play "Zelda" for the rest of the day on our 3DSs and with a bubble sword. Thank you Nintendo and "The Legend of Zelda" creative teams throughout the years for being so wonderfully awesome.

The Whole Swanson for "Parks & Recreation"

          One of carnivorous-man-of-men-Ron Swanson's most notable foods, aside from such greats as the turf n' turf and the "Four Horsemeals of the Eggporkalypse", is the "Swanson", a turkey leg wrapped in bacon ("Parks & Recreation", s.2, ep.24, "Freddy Spaghetti").

Tom: Is that bacon on your turkey leg?

Ron: They call it a Swanson.

          For several years now our Thanksgiving main dish has been turkey wrapped in bacon—independent of our enjoyment of Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson character—but in fiction food retrospect, it's the perfect fit. I'm sure Ron would love to have the whole bird anyway. And more bacon (his #1 favorite food). So I give you the "Whole Swanson" in honor of thankful, woodworking carnivores everywhere.

Note: I cook this bad boy in a slow cooker (because it's easy & juicy) with carrots & onions underneath (multitasking) but you can definitely roast the turkey (by itself) in the oven. Simply follow your normal turkey baking process, only, wrap that bird in bacon! Instead of using a whole bird for this recipe, you can also cook just a turkey breast (that's what we're doing this year. Less innards & such) for less time. I'll edit this post after Thanksgiving with pictures & details on cooking only a breast.

The Whole Swanson (Bacon Wrapped Turkey)

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Ingredients:
Whole Turkey OR Bone-in Turkey Breast, thawed, small enough to fit in your slow cooker
1-2 pouches Powdered Onion Soup Mix
1 pkg. Bacon
Stuffing of Choice (optional if cooking a whole turkey)
1 bag Baby Carrots
1 Large Onion, cut into chunks

Important Items:
Baker's String
Large Slow Cooker

Directions:
1. Thaw the turkey completely & remove the innards & neck (if going the whole turkey route). Rinse the turkey in the sink, drain, & pat dry with paper towels. Cut away any excess skin (like the stuff that is way just hangin' around & would be just too much. Or keep it. Whatever floats your boat). Place the turkey on a large plate or in a huge bowl & rub the onion soup powder both under & over the skin until the turkey is nicely coated. Next, put your desired stuffing into the cavity of the turkey (optional if cooking a whole turkey. You could even shove an onion &/or a cored apple in there). Wrap the baker's string around the turkey in a few places. Slow cooking tends to make meat fall off the bone, so the string will keep the bird together for the most part. (For the whole turkey, go for 3 pieces, wings, legs, & middle).
2. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Place your baby carrots & onion chunks in the bottom & then nestle the turkey on top. Make sure you're able to close the slow cooker. If not, remove some of the carrots & onions from the bottom & tuck them around the sides of the turkey. Wrap the bacon strips all over the top & sides of the turkey, covering all exposed parts. Secure the lid on the slow cooker & cook on high for 1 hour, & then turn to low & cook for about 6-7 hours (whole turkey) or 5-6 hours (turkey breast) or until the bacon is no longer pink & the turkey skin is a nice brown. You can check for doneness after a few hours by cutting into a thick part of the turkey & if the meat still has pinkness to it it's not done! (I don't own a meat thermometer but it should read about 165°F in the thickest part.)
3. Turn off the slow cooker & transfer the turkey to a platter. Put the carrots & onions in a serving bowl. Remove the baker's string & let the turkey sit, uncut, for about 15-20 mins to cool.
Tip: If you think your bacon bird is not crispy or brown enough, before cutting the strings, place the turkey in a roasting pan & broil it for a few minutes until it looks how you'd like.
Suggestion: You can make the remaining bacon/turkey juices into gravy by pouring them into a pot or pan on medium heat & whisking in a few tablespoons of flour, a little at a time, until it thickens & becomes paste-like. Slowly pour in water or broth until you reach your desired gravy consistency.

Varri-Cakes From "The Legend of Korra"

          In "Night of a Thousand Stars" (TLoK, s.2, ep.11) a special Varrick Global Industries treat is served at the premier of the final installment of "The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South" (starring our favorite Bolin). The two mustachioed detectives Lu and Gang, who are usually seen being lazy and/or ragging on Mako, are chowing down on these tasty babies while they're supposed to be patrolling the area for signs of domestic terrorism, that is, until Chief Beifong catches them.

"Stop stuffing your mustaches with Varri-cakes and get to your posts!"

—Lin Beifong, "Night of a Thousand Stars", TLoK s.2, ep.11

          In a later scene (not that much later, reprimand sure doesn't stick with these guys) Lu & Gang are at it again, this time with closeups, telling us how they prefer to eat their Varri-cakes.

"Mm-ah, I like to eat the top off the Varri-cake first."

"I just try to shove the whole thing in my mouth at once."

*chuckle* "I love our job."

—Lu & Gang, "Night of a Thousand Stars", TLoK s.2, ep.11

          And then they get beaten up and shoved into a locker. But thanks to one of their half eaten Varri-cakes that fell on the floor and was stepped on by Bolin, Lu & Gang are rescued. And then demoted. Poor guys.

Note: Varri-cakes (Varrick cakes) could very well be made out of cakey-cake, but because of their red filling and the fact that it's two cops that are chowing down on them, my brain's first interpretation was jelly filled doughnuts. Rectangle jelly filled doughnuts. With frosting. So here we go.
          Also, just FYI, in the screen shots you can make out an image printed on each Varri-cake. On closer inspection I discovered that it's the Varrick Industries logo which is a two masted boat, like a Malaysian (Malay) junk. I've included an easy icing recipe below if you'd like to decorate your Varri-cakes with this logo.

Varri-Cakes from Varrick Global Industries

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Ingredients:
Cakes/Doughnuts
2 1/4 tsp. (1 pkg.) Active Dry Yeast
1/2 Cup Milk, warm (microwave ~1 min)
1 Tbsp. Granulated Sugar
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Large Egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. Butter, melted & cooled
Canola Oil (for deep frying)
1 Cup Raspberry or Strawberry Preserves
Powdered Sugar
White Buttercream Frosting (store bought OR homemade—recipe here, just half the ingredients)
Varrick Industries Logo
Blue Gel Icing (store bought)
Purple Gel Icing (store bought)
OR Royal Icing
1 Large Egg White
1 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
Blue Food Color Gel
Purple Food Color Gel

Important Items:
Parchment Paper
Deep Fryer or Large Pot
Paper Towels
Chop Stick
Small Frosting Tips
Plastic Baggies
Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Put the yeast & sugar in a small bowl, pour in the warm milk, & let sit for about 10 mins to get foamy. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour & salt & make a well in the center. Pour in the milk/yeast mixture & then add the beaten egg & cooled, melted butter. Mix with a dough hook until the dough is thoroughly combined, smooth, & elastic, but not really sticky. Pick up the dough & form it into a ball in your hands. Put a little bit of oil in the bowl & spread it around the bottom & sides with a paper towel. Put the dough back int he bowl (in ball form) & cover the bowl with a towel. Let the dough rise for about 2 hours to double in size.

2. Punch down the dough, place it on a lightly floured surface, & knead it for a couple of times. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/2" thickness (letting the dough rest from time to time as you roll). Cut the dough into 1 1/2" x 3" rectangles using a pizza cutter. Place the cut pieces on a parchment paper lined tray about 1" apart. Gather up the extra dough & re-roll & cut rectangles again until all the dough is used up (you'll have about 12 rectangles). Cover the rectangles on the tray with the towel & let rise for another 20 mins.

3. Heat your deep fryer or large pot with about 3" of oil to approx. 325°F. Lower the rectangles into the hot oil, 2 at a time (at the most), & cook each side about 2-3 mins or until the whole doughnut is a nice golden brown. Place the cooked doughnuts onto a paper towel lined tray & let cool completely.

4. Roll each cooled doughnut in a large bowl of powdered sugar to coat & then place them on a clean parchment paper lined tray (you could probably do this after putting the filling in, but there's a chance it could get a little messy). Use a chopstick to poke into one end of each doughnut, making sure the stick does NOT come out the other end, & poke around inside to make space to put the filling. Heat the strawberry or raspberry spread in the microwave for about 30 seconds & then spoon it into a plastic baggie fitted with a small frosting tip (#2 or #3 tip). One by one, stick the tip into the little hole you created in each doughnut & gently squeeze in the filling until you can feel pressure pushing back against the tip. It's really just a matter of seconds & requires only about 2 tsp. of preserves. You'll get the hang of it after 1 or 2 doughnuts. Place the doughnuts back on the tray.

5. Make a half recipe of buttercream frosting & spread it on the top of each doughnut OR, if using store bought frosting, zap the frosting container in the microwave for a few seconds to get it pourable. Put the doughnuts on a wire rack over a tray with edges & then pour the melted frosting over the doughnuts (the excess frosting can then be scooped back into the container). Let cool completely. For the Varrick Industries logos, make royal icing by mixing the egg white, powdered sugar, & lemon juice with a whisk or whisk attachment until it becomes a thick icing. Separate the icing into 2 small bowls & make one a pale blue & the other a darker blue/purple by stirring in small amounts of appropriate colored food gels (you can make yours lighter & more purple-y than mine). Spoon the icings into 2 baggies with tiny frosting tips & carefully pipe on the little Varrick Industries boat logo (the image is in the note section above this recipe) OR simply use store bought blue & purple colored gel icings to draw on the logos. Use toothpicks for fine tuning.

* Make sure to check out my other "Avatar" & "Korra" recipes! *

Cheese Buns (& Biscuits) | Hunger Games: Catching Fire

          Let's hear it for Peeta's buns! First mentioned in Catching Fire, the second book in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy, these cheesy bread treats are Katniss' favorite. Once Peeta discovers this, in his never ending attempt to win her heart, he brings Katniss several buns each time he visits her in District 12's Victors' Village.

"From the bag I pull two fresh buns with a layer of cheese baked into the top. We always seem to have a supply of these since Peeta found out they were my favorite."

—Katniss, Catching Fire, chapter 10.

          It's no mistake that Collins wrote Peeta as "the boy with the bread". He is warm and comforting and wholesome, just like a fresh baked loaf, and is exactly what the aloof Katniss needs. Close your eyes and imagine a cheesy, warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven bun. Imagine the smell. Imagine what your mouth and tongue would experience. Now imagine all of those nights Katniss curled up in Peeta's arms. It's the same thing. Except instead of something for the stomach, it's something for the spirit. Peeta is the warm, cheesy bun for Katniss' soul.

The Fitzsandwich | Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

          In last week's episode of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." ("The Hub", s.1, ep.7), while Fitz is packing for a dangerous, two-man mission (his first), sweet Simmons gives him his favorite sandwich to take with him; prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella with a hint of homemade pesto aioli. Sadly, deep in enemy territory while hiding from pursuers, as Fitz is about to take the first bite of the beloved sandwich, Ward tosses it. Poor Fitz. But those tracking dogs sure had a nice meal. As the episode continues, Fitz mentions the lost sandwich several times, culminating at the end of the episode, when Ward and Fitz are reunited with their team on The Bus, with Simmons asking Fitz how the sandwich was. He looks directly at her, tall with his first, nearly inescapable mission at his back, and says, "it was delicious." You da man Fitz! What awesome writing from the "S.H.I.E.L.D." creative team! The whole episode was a sandwich of both the actual sandwich and of Fitz's character as it was explored and brought to light for us, the viewers. Fitz was always awesome, we just didn't know it, or know to what extent, and it all came out via a dangerous mission with no extraction plan, a request to look out for his mission companion, and a sandwich made with love. The Fitzsandwich. Booya.

Spirit World Cake | The Legend of Korra

          In last week's "Legend of Korra" episode (s.2, ep.10), while in the Spirit World, Korra is separated from Jinora, becomes a frightened child (it's symbolic), & is found by dear Uncle Iroh! It was so awesome to see him. And Iroh, being the fount of wisdom and peace that he is, ushers the scared little Korra to a wedding reception where he serves her cake and tea. Iroh likes his eats and drinks, that's for sure. It's connected to his contented nature.

 "Help yourself to some tea and cakes. They're spirit cakes so you won't gain any weight. Of course, you won't loose any either."

—Uncle Iroh, "A New Spiritual Age"(TLoK S.2, Ep.10)

Scotch Eggs from The Official Narnia Cookbook

“For eating and reading are two pleasures that combine admirably.”

—Clive Staples Lewis

          Originally published in physical form in the late 90s and out of print shortly thereafter, The Official Narnia Cookbook: Food from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is back in action (11/5/13) in eBook form as part of the celebration remembering C. S. Lewis, 50 years after his passing. With recipes selected and introduced by Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham, along with the original illustrations from the books, in color, by Pauline Baynes, this book is a delicious companion to The Chronicles of Narnia. Whereas not exhaustive, the cookbook contains recipes for foods mentioned specifically in the series, others inspired by the setting and culture of Narnia, and many favorites of Lewis that surely he had in mind when he was writing. Remember C. S. Lewis, 50 years later, with a celebration of food from one of the most cherished fantasy series in the world!

          Included in the Narnia Cookbook is a recipe for Scotch eggs, hardboiled eggs wrapped in ground sausage, a common food in the UK often packed for picnics. Gresham mentions these eggs in relation to Narnian dwarves. The recipe below is not copied from the cookbook but is in my own words from my own experience. Also, just FYI, Scotch eggs are brilliant for wee ones. Smalls loves these 'cause they're yummy and easy to handle. And it's protein, baby!

"Scotch eggs are absolutely delicious and filled with proteins and vitamins. Cold Scotch eggs are also used by Dwarfs and others as easily carried traveling food."

—Douglas Gresham (C.S. Lewis' Stepson), The Official Narnia Cookbook

A favorite traveling food of Dwarves, like Trumpkin whom we meet in Prince Caspian.

Narnian Scotch Eggs

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Ingredients:
Canola Oil
1 pkg. (16 oz.) Ground Sausage (any flavor)
10 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled (recipe here)
1 Egg (raw), beaten
1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs (any flavor)

Important Items:
Deep Fryer (you can also use a pot or a frying pan)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in your deep fryer (or pot or 1/2" oil in a pan, be careful that it doesn't get to smoking). Set out your hardboiled eggs, ground sausage, beaten egg, and bread crumbs in an assembly line (in that order). Pat the hardboiled eggs off with a paper towel. Take a small ball of sausage & flatten it out in your palm. Place an egg on top & smooth the meat up & around the egg until it is completely covered in a thin layer. Dip the sausage wrapped egg in the beaten egg, making sure it's completely covered & then roll it the bread crumbs, again, until covered completely.

Option: Wrap a strip of bacon around the sausage covered egg before dipping it in the beaten egg & bread crumbs. You'll need to cook each egg about a minute longer if you go this route.
2. Lower 1-2 wrapped eggs at a time into the deep fryer & cook for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes (if cooking in a pan, cook about 2 mins each side & cut open a little bit to make sure the meat is no longer pink. Seriously a little deep fryer is much easier!). Place cooked Scotch eggs on paper towels to drain & serve warm! Or wrap them up & stow them in your pouch if you're going questing. Totally fine eaten cold.
Serving Suggestion: Dip in your favorite sauce like ranch or ketchup. Also, wonderful flavor compliment when eaten with orange slices (throw an orange into your travel pouch, easy peasy!).

* For more food from Narnia try this recipe for Turkish Delight! *

The Basics: Hard Boiled Eggs

Hard Boiled Eggs

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Ingredients:
Water
Baking Soda
Eggs (best if the eggs have been in your fridge for about a week)

Directions:

1. Pour enough cool water into a large pot to cover your eggs. Mix in baking soda (I used about 1/2 a Tbsp. for 10 eggs) & then place the eggs into the pot in a single layer. Bring to a boil (be watchful that the baking soda water doesn't foam out of the pot!) & then turn off the heat & put the pot's lid on. Let sit, covered, for about 12-13 minutes.
2. Run cold water over the eggs while they're still in the pot until the eggs have cooled considerably. Taking one egg at a time, tap one end on the counter & then proceed to gently roll the egg on the counter so that the shell cracks all over (make sure not to apply so much pressure that the white splits). Next, making sure to break the thin membrane underneath, peel off the shell. More often then not it will come off in long/large sections.

Flaming Fire Flakes from "Avatar: The Last Airbender"

          Along the lines of popcorn and nachos, flaming fire flakes are available in the Fire Nation and its territories at public events such as the Fire Days Festival in the Fire Nation Colonial Village (ATLA s.1, ep.16) and entertainment venues like the Ember Island Theater (ATLA s.3, ep.17). As per Fire Nation tastes, these flakes are seasoned with hot spices and served directly after roasting.

Suggestion: If you'd like to gift these awesome, spicy flakes to someone, or simply store them for yourself, pour the finished flakes into glass canning jars with 2 piece screw on lids (the ring & disc kind). Print and cut out these Fire Nation symbols to place in between the lid pieces & there you go!

Click here for the Fire Nation symbol cut-outs.

Fire Nation Flaming Fire Flakes

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Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Granulated White Sugar
1 Pkg. Taco Seasoning
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Ground Red Pepper Powder
4 Heaping Cups Plain Corn Flakes
4 Tbsp. Sesame Oil

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 275 F. In a small bowl whisk together the 1st 4 ingredients until combined.
Spice Note: Depending on how flaming you want your flakes, put either the 1/4 or 1/2 tsp. red pepper, or omit it all together if you're fine with taco seasoning level flames.

2. Pour the corn flakes into a large container with a lid & then pour on the sesame oil. Close the lid & toss well until the flakes are completely coated. Add the mix of dry ingredients, close the lid, & toss again until the seasoning is distributed evenly throughout the flakes.

3. Line a tray with parchment paper & pour the seasoned flakes onto the tray. Spread the flakes out evenly & bake for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Serving Suggestions: Add 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds (black or white, or both) to the seasoning mix for added flavor, texture, & color. You could also mix the finished flakes with crumbled seaweed (especially if you can find kimchi flavored). It adds extra Asian flair & flavor, & the colors look really great together. Also, fire flakes are great as a snack but they're also great crushed & sprinkled on plain white rice!

Click here for the Fire Nation symbol cut-outs.

* Check out more food from the "World of Avatar"! *

Eggplant Lasagna for "Bee & Puppycat"

* Help make "Bee & Puppycat" a series! Check out the Kickstarter campaign here. *

          I love "Bee & Puppycat" by Natasha Allegri! It tugs at the magical girl genre ("Sailor Moon", anyone?) and the animation style simply feels good to my eyes and heart. There's something calming about. And I can't tell you how many times Smalls and I have have watched the first (and currently only) episode (watch it below). For a 3 yr old to sit still for almost 11 minutes, that's really saying something.

          Near the beginning of the episode, Bee's friend Deckard brings her a lasagna casserole as a sympathy gift for her after she lost her job (again). Then, at the end of the episode, Bee decides to repay Deckard's thoughtfulness by giving him a lasagna casserole in return. Perhaps the overt presence of lasagna in the world of "Bee & Puppycat" is from Natasha Allegri's love of Garfield. Also distinct in the episode is the appearance of eggplants. They take the form of pet items and background patterns (see below). As you can imagine, I couldn't resist putting these two foods together.

          Take a look at the first "Bee & Puppycat" episode below! Feel the random, quirky, intriguing awesomeness. And then check out the "Bee & Puppycat" Kickstarter campaign (ends Nov. 14)! The goal of the campaign is to raise enough money for the production of several more episodes. I so badly hope the project is successful! Please help out if you can.

Note: You'll notice that Deckard's lasagna has a red sauce blob on top. I imagine this was done for visual purposes. I mean, a white blob (of mozzarella cheese) on top wouldn't stand out at all and would probably make it difficult to instantly understand that it's lasagna. But in the real world we want cheese on top. Because. Cheese. And, yeah, I know Deckard's lasagna was store bought, and Bee was gonna buy one too, but just imagine if they homemade the lasagnas. They'd probably be yummy like this.

Bee's Eggplant Lasagna Casserole

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Ingredients (to make one 8"x8" pan):

1 Large Eggplant, peeled & cubed
(OR 2 Large Eggplants if you want to omit the ground beef)

1/2 lb. Ground Beef

1/2 Onion, diced

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1 pkg. (~3oz.) Mushrooms, diced

3 Cups Plain Spaghetti Sauce

6 Oven-Ready Lasagna Noodles

1 Sm. Container (~15oz.) Ricotta Cheese

3 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Fresh Parsley (optional, but nice)

Important Item:

8"x8" pan (I used one of those foil/disposable ones with the plastic lid from the grocery store)

Directions:

1. Put the eggplant cubes in a colander & rub lightly with salt & then sit the colander in your sink for about an hour (the potential bitterness of the eggplant will drip out as a brown liquid. Blerg). Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse the cubes under cold water to get off most of the salt. Using your hands & paper towels, squeeze the cubes to drain well & then put them on a foil-lined baking tray. Rub them with a small amount of oil & then bake for about 10 mins, until the cubes are a bit toasty-brown. Remove from oven & decrease the oven temp to 350°F.

2. In a large pan over medium heat, cook the diced onion, minced garlic, chopped mushrooms, & ground beef until the onions are tender & the meat is no longer pink. Make sure you break up the meat clumps into smaller bits as it's cooking. Reduce the heat to simmer & add the eggplant & then stir everything together. Next, stir in 2 1/2 cups of the plain spaghetti sauce & heat everything a few minutes more until it's all warm & combined. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta with 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella & set aside (it's easy & quick if you use your hands).

3. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup of plain spaghetti sauce in the bottom of your 8"x8" pan & lay 2 of the oven-ready lasagna noodles over the sauce, side-by-side. Next, spread a layer of the ricotta & mozzarella mixture over the noodle sheets. Spoon on some eggplant/meat/sauce mix over the cheese & then lay on 2 more side-by-side noodle sheets. Repeat the layering & then top it all with the remaining cup of shredded mozzarella. All together you'll end up with this: plain sauce - 2 noodles - ricotta/mozz - eggplant/meat/sauce - 2 noodles - ricotta/mozz - eggplant/meat/sauce - 2 noodles - ricotta/mozz - mozz. Using the same foil that you used to bake the eggplant cubes, make a tent over the lasagna & bake for 25 mins. Remove the foil & bake for 5 mins or so to slightly brown the top cheese (I could have let mine bake a little longer). Remove the lasagna from the oven & let it cool for a few minutes before serving or delivering to a friend. Fresh parsley makes a nice garnish that compliments the taste really well (& it looks purty). Warning: do not fall asleep while eating this or you may have strange dreams involving dancing & falling adorable cat/puppy creatures. Or do. 

Cookie Cat Ice Cream Sandwiches | Steven Universe

          "Steven Universe", created by Rebecca Sugar (who also worked on "Adventure Time"), premiered last night on Cartoon Network! Leading up to the official premier, Smalls and I watched the heck out of all the clips as well as the first episode, "Gem Glow" (which was an early, free download via iTunes. Smalls does the "and Steven!" part of the opening credits & then eats a pretend hotdog. In "Gem Glow", we're introduced to "cookie cat" (see below), Steven's favorite and recently discontinued ice cream sandwich brand. Does this dessert help him access his gem power? Or does his gem react from the euphoria he gets when experiencing something that tastes so good? (Or maybe it's comfort or nostalgia, it's a mystery!) It goes without saying, but I just had to make some cookie cats. For you guys, and for Smalls! In fact, "Steven Universe", so far, has had so many mentions of food (hotdogs, doughnuts, hotdogs in doughnuts, fry bits, etc.) that I'm pretty sure I'll be revisiting this show on the blog in the future.

"Cookie Cat! He's a pet for your tummy.

Cookie Cat! He's super-duper yummy!"