Cooking from a galaxy far, far away ...

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Warning, this food column could get a bit nerdy.
Before it dives into geekdom let’s explore a new recipe found on Pinterest. 
Cookies always are fun to make and there are so many recipes out there today that the possibilities are endless.
Rollo cookies are very easy with only four ingredients. Mix a box of devil’s food cake mix with two eggs and one-third cup of oil. Then roll the dough in a ball around a piece of Rollos candy and bake.
The result is a gooey caramel center with a chocolaty outside.
Rollos are just one of many candies that can be used in cookie making. You just have to pick your favorite and experiment a little.
Now, here’s where we are going to get nerdy, a recipe for Wookiee Cookies. That’s right, Wookiee Cookies.
This recipe is from a cookbook called “The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookies and other Galactic Recipes.”
After you stop laughing at the absurd title of the book, you will discover this recipe, the only one I’ve ever made from the book, makes a delicious cookie.
It’s basically a double chocolate cookie with cinnamon added. See, it’s not weird, said the reporter with a giant Chewbacca Pez dispenser on her desk.
Twisting the typical chocolate chip cookie recipe always is a good idea. This one adds cinnamon but others will replace one of the chocolate chips with chocolate chunks or add a cut up candy bar, such as Snickers, for a different taste.
Some recipes even add bacon to chocolate chip recipes. Bacon makes everything better, right?
The secret, as in many cookies, is in the scoop. Using a cookie scoop to form large balls of cookie dough on the cookie sheet before placing it in the oven helps create a cookie that rises high in the middle and keeps a good shape.
In the end you have a warm cookie full of chocolate and cinnamon goodness. You don’t have to tell people what they are called. We can keep that our little secret.
But if you do want to delve a little deeper in the world of “Star Wars,” Williams Sonoma makes a cute variety of “Star Wars” cookie cutters, cookie presses, pancake molds and cupcake stencils.
Making something with a theme today is easier with the help of a little imagination and the Internet.
Continuing the spacey theme, I recently made Dalek cupcakes for a gathering of friends who like to watch “Doctor Who.” All you need to know about Daleks are they are robot-looking evil things seeking to destroy. In cupcake form, they are not nearly as threatening.
Not everyone is going to want to make these cupcakes, but the idea is using a theme doesn’t have to be as complicated or expensive as it seems.
Searching online can give you a multitude of ideas on how to create a theme party.
These cupcakes were relatively simple. Place one large cupcake upside down on some wax paper and ice it. Next, ice a mini cupcake and place it upside down on top of the larger cupcake. Then decorate. All that was needed for this one was pretzel sticks and old-fashioned candy buttons that come on sheets of paper.
Nothing fancy, but if you know a “Doctor Who” fan, they make a fun little treat.
Happy cooking and may the Force be with you.

Rollo cookies1 package Rollos
1 box devils food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix cake mix, oil and eggs. Take a small ball of dough and form a ball around the Rollo. Only use enough dough to cover the Rollo so it can spread through the cookie.
Place the ball on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes.
Yields about three dozen.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Source: www.sixsistersstuff.com

Wookiee Cookies2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed and set aside.
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until well blended and creamy, about three minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Scoop up a rounded tablespoon of the dough and drop onto a baking sheet. Repeat until you have used up all the dough leaving one inch between the cookies because they spread when they bake.
Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Let cool completely.
Makes about three dozen cookies
Source: “The Star Wars Cookbook: Wookiee Cookies and other Galactic Recipes”

"The Avengers" rocks

“Marvel's The Avengers”
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference
Runtime: 142 minutes
Release date: May 4
Rating: Excellent, a must see

What do you get when you combine a billionaire genius, an all-American soldier, a scientist, an alien, a super assassin and an expert marksman? You get “Marvel’s The Avengers.”
Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye are summoned under the leadership of Nick Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D. organization to take on Thor’s half brother Loki, who is out to destroy Earth.
The super egos clash at first but later come together to save the world from alien destruction.
While the plot may sound simple, director Joss Whedon weaves the heroes’ stories together with precision. There’s also plenty of well-placed humor, some coming in unexpected places.
Most of the actors have played their character at least once, adding a comfort to their roles. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Gwyneth Paltrow and Stellan Skarsgård all reprise their roles from previous Avenger films.
Mark Ruffalo (“Shutter Island”) replaces Edward Norton to play the Hulk’s alter ego, Bruce Banner, and Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”) joins the cast as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill.
The film takes its time setting up the team and its ability to work together, leading to an action-packed ending.
While most of the movie stands on its own, seeing previous Avenger films helps. The plot is built through previous entries and extended scenes following the movies’ credits. So for homework you should check out “Iron Man”, “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), “Iron Man 2,” “Thor” and “Captain America.” Watching those films, in that order, will help make sense of events that lead up to the film’s plot and some of the inside jokes about the characters.
For parents, the violence is mostly comic hero action violence and nothing intense. There are very few issues with bad language.
The special effects that bring the Hulk to life also have improved from previous films. His computer-generated character blends in well with rest of the crew.
As in all Marvel films, audiences can look for Marvel comics giant and executive producer Stan Lee’s cameo and catch a special peek into future Avengers films with an extended scene in the credits.
Superheroes are back in theaters and the movies are improving. “The Avengers” sets the bar high for others to follow. Spider-man and DC’s Batman both hit theaters this summer; Thor and Iron Man return next year and a Captain America sequel is planned for 2014.
“The Avengers” is a fun ride and a great way to kick off the summer movie season. With superheroes, alien invaders and a flying aircraft carrier, what’s not to love?
It’s a must see for any comic book or action fan.

Faith told through fiction

Ironically, sometimes faith and a love of science fiction can go hand and hand.
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two giants of literature and faith, express their faith well in the form of fiction.
Lewis is a noted apologist for the Christian faith and author of one of the most loved fantasy book series of all time, “The Chronicles of Narnia.” The series has fans outside of Christianity but Lewis’ faith is evident as Aslan the lion takes on the sin of Edward by dying in his place to spare him, coming to life again because the evil of the queen cannot defeat him.
J.R.R. Tolkien has another widely read series now famous in film, “The Lord of the Rings.” Tolkien and Lewis were friends and while Tolkien’s Christian themes are not as obvious as he critiqued Lewis’ to be, they are still there. His letters and other writings explain how his faith is embedded into the series.
The two authors began this journey of writing epic adventures in discussions of what they liked to read, fairy stories as they called them. They felt a void in the literature of their time and decided to take it upon themselves to write something they’d like to read.
Then faith kicked in. They were both enthralled with the stories in the Bible, which they both held to be true and the core of their lives. They wanted to create modern imaginative stories that had Christian themes embedded in them that may spark an interest in the Bible for someone.
What they created were two of the most imaginative and creative works of our time. Many who attend Comic Con dressed as hobbits might miss the author’s point. But readers like me, who see all the themes and allegories to faith, get excited.
The sci-fi genre explores the height of imagination. I believe if God created those crazy fish on the bottom of the ocean that light up in funky colors, he has an amazing and perfect imagination. 
Admittedly, much of the realm of science fiction drifts away from faith. But the crazy thing is even some of the other sci-fi works are all seeking some sort of higher power or truth. Often they find these things in something alien or a mystical force, but they are always left searching.
In writings by Christians in this genre, the search ends with God and no further searching is necessary. They are stories of sacrifice, conviction and triumph.
If you’ve read many of my columns you may have already guessed I’m a Christian — a Bible-believing, church-going, theology-loving Christian.
Now, as a follower of Jesus, I am also a major fan of the science fiction and fantasy genre.
I’m a fan of “Star Wars,” LOTR, comic book movies and much of the sci-fi genre. In a strange way, the creative adventure of exploring a large and vast universe beyond myself always points me back to God.
Just like with Lewis and Tolkien, the creative journey gives me a fanciful allegory pointing toward the truth of God.
While writing a bit of Christian sci-fi on the side, I will never profess to be as good as the genius of Lewis and Tolkien, but I understand how their writings profess and strengthen their faith. Sometimes their works even bring me to tears.
So, I’m a nerd. And as a nerd I enjoy expressing my faith through writings about such things. If my book is ever published, it will reveal the main character coming to a faith in Christ while wheedling a sword and leading a band of secret warriors who fight evil beings in the dark nights in the streets of London. That all makes since in my head, hopefully it will in print as well.
Walk through the wardrobe or take a step into Middle Earth and see if you can find the message two giants of literature tried to express through their writings. If you haven’t noticed it before, you might be surprised.
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