Pumpkin Juice Inspired by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy reading this post, but don't forget to get out there and have a magical day with family and friends...

People wish for different things in life. Some people want to be rich and famous, others want to live peacefully, surrounded by a loving family.
Me? My wish is simple. 
Guys, I want a castle. 
Hogwarts castle, to be exact.  Especially if I could travel to it by flying car with Ron and Harry. I'd even be willing to crash into the Whomping Willow if it meant I'd get a shot at that. Of course I didn't realize this was such a keen desire of mine until I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 
Not only does this book continue to develop already beloved characters, but it brings in some fun new ones, such as Ginny, Moaning Myrtle, Dobby, and Lockheart. For those of you who don't know the plot, well, that's kind of unacceptable. But here's a brief synopsis anyway, which I stole from Amazon. I usually write my own, but I'm cheating this time. It's Christmas. Cut me some slack:
The Dursleys were so mean that hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.
And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself?

I know this particular Harry Potter book gets a bad rap. A lot of people didn't like Lockheart (Hint: you weren't supposed) and were annoyed that much of it didn't seemed relevant (the Basilisk, Ginny's character, the diary that randomly "dies," bits of Tom Riddle's back story) until the later books.

However, I am a fan of this story. I pretty much liked all of these books, though, so you're probably never going to hear me complain about any of them. I like everything about them: the character development, the friendships, the morals, the good vs evil, the redemption. Oh, and the food. I love reading about the feasts in the great hall.

Something I've always wanted to try is pumpkin juice, which makes an appearance in almost every Harry Potter book. I wasn't sure whether it was in this one, but, as Ron says of Hermoine: When in doubt, go the the library. So I went to my library (which consists of 2 bookshelves, but hey, it's a start), and found that pumpkin juice does show up in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

After Harry and Ron crash into the whomping willow and narrowly escape having Snape expel them, McGonagall conjures up a meal for them, including a "jug of iced pumpkin juice." So I knew that's what I wanted to make today. It turned out beautifully. Check it out:
Ingredients - 
2 cups of apricot nectar. I used the R.W. Knudsen juice, which is a mixture of apple, apricot, pineapple, and peach. But it doesn't really matter what brand you use. 1 cup of spiced cider 8 tablespoons of pumpkin puree Ron's emotional range of vanilla. For those of you who don't speak Harry Potter, that's one teaspoon of vanilla. 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg 1 tablespoon of honey1 cinnamon stickDirections - 
1. Throw all ingredients in a vitamix and blend. Except the cinnamon stick. Leave that out, though hopefully you don't need me to tell you that.  2. Pour drink into a saucepan with cinnamon stick and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon and allow to cool. 
3. Serve chilled or over ice. This makes about 3 cups. 
And that's it. Almost as easy as using a wand, and super tasty. It doesn't have a super strong pumpkin flavor, but it can if you want to add more puree to it. I love it and yes, I'm drinking it as I write.  You don't have to have any kind of skill to make this, which is fun. Remember, it's our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. So choose to make pumpkin juice and show your inner Harry Potter.  My friend over at Tea with Tumnus made me the Gryffindor scarf. Isn't it the coolest thing ever? I'm one of those weird people that ends up in Gryffindor half the time and Ravenclaw the other half. Does that happen to anyone else? Oh well. I'd be happy in either of those houses. 
What's your favorite food from Harry Potter? Have you ever had pumpkin juice? Leave a comment below and don't forget to tell me what you think of  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ! Until then I'll be in my room, reading Harry Potter and pretending I'm not there.

Oh, and have a happy Christmas!

Related articles -
Mrs. Weasley's Chocolate Fudge Inspired by Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone
Gluten-Free Orange And Clove Scone Inspired by G.K. Chesterton
Cherry Pop Inspired by Jack Schaefer's Shane

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