East/West Expansion

So this morning Courtney and I had a nurse come to our apartment because we just got life insurance and they have to check our health to adjust our rates. After an array of questions about my health and family history. If Mom and Dad are reading this she commented on how young you guys are. Then came the height and weight measurements. The bad news is after 6 years of holding off the “freshmen 15″ in college it finally hit, I gained 10 pounds. You can say it was “man-a-fat destiny”. I figure it was bound to happen.  Here’s a manifest destiny painting to tie that bad joke together.

 So after coming out of shock that was induced by my recent weight gain the nurse rubs some salt into the wound by telling me that I was only 5’7″. I’ve been living my whole life thinking I was a mammoth standing at a proud 5’8″. The nurse told Courtney that there would be more of me to love, which I laughed at. So long story short, no pun intended, getting married makes you shorter and wider. 

Man Candy

So you’re a man and you do a lot of cooking right? This doesn’t mean that you always have to make normal food. Brewing beer is considered cooking right? (More posts on brewing later!) Not every dish you make has to be family friendly. I stumbled upon this recipe on Digg and figured it would be perfect for any domesticated man to whip up in his free time. So I’ve got two words for you, Vodka Candy! It’s really easy to make and all you need is sugar, water, corn starch and vodka. You’ll also need a kitchen scale, but you can find one of these pretty cheap. I got mine for $3 at a TJ Max Home store. What they have cheap dress shirts and good deals on kitchen supplies. The original link to the recipe is here (Link) if you want to go to the source. There is pictures if you want to see the process, but I’ll just copy and paste the text to this post. Hope you enjoy the adult candy.  

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Vodka Candy Recipe

• 250g granulated sugar
• 84g water

 

Cook the syrup until it is ready at 112C.  Once the sugar is dissolved, reduce the heat and bring it down to 85C.

• 52.5g vodka

At 85C, add the vodka by pouring it slowly using the side of the pot.  Transfer the syrup by pouring it slowly into another pot.  Do this 4 times to prevent any crystallization.  Let the syrup cool.

 

I’m not sure if other starches will work as well of the corn starch, but you will need a lot of it so keeping with a relatively cheap product makes sense. The first step is to make a cast for the syrup.  Do this by sifting enough cornstarch to support the cast.  The one above is made inside a sheet pan cake mold. 

The cornstarch must first be dried at 120C for an hour or more.  Fill the mold as high as necessary, level it off, and make the ‘pill’ holes.  This can be done with a dowel with the desired shape. 

Carefully check the holes for smoothness, then apply the syrup.  This is done easily with a squeeze bottle.  Fill each hole almost completely, allowing a little room on top to cover the syrup.

Immediately afterwards, sift cornstarch over the syrup casts to completely cover.  Anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 inch cornstarch cover is enough.

Now you must wait!  24 hours is the key here.  Other processes may take less or more time, but one day is not bad at all.  You will need a small sifter and a soft dry brush.  Scoop out the ‘pills’ with a spoon and use the brush to carefully knock off any excess clinging corn starch.  That’s it.  You’re ready.

The ‘pill’ is now a thin hard layer of solidified flavored sugar filled with a liquid burst of sweetened alcohol.  Serve the same day unless you can keep it in a humidity free environment.