While May 4 may seem like any other spring day to some, it’s the ultimate holiday for “Star Wars” fans. People around the world will be celebrating Star Wars Day on Saturday by sharing a love of the saga through parties, events, and the pun “May the Fourth Be With You.”
One look at the #Maythe4thBeWithYou hashtag on Twitter reveals lots of different plans for “Star Wars” parties, from afternoons filled with trivia and movie marathons to combining the holiday with Free Comic Book Day and getting together with friends at comic book stores to read “Star Wars” comics.
If you want to throw your own Star Wars Day party, it’s not too late to celebrate the galaxy far, far away. Jenn Fujikawa of JustJenn Recipes says having themed food on hand is necessary, and that the secret to a successful party is keeping up that theme by including lightsabers, costumes and the films into your event experience. When it comes to setting the mood, you shouldn't worry about spending too much on decorations.
“If you can't find good decor, keep in mind that some of the best decorations and party favors are crafted! Incorporate what you have and give it a 'Star Wars' twist,” Fujikawa said.
Bonnie Burton, author of “The Star Wars Craft Book,” agreed that there are many DIY ways to liven up your party, by making handmade napkin rings, garlands and more.
“You can make anything into 'Star Wars,' just use your imagination,” Burton said. “What’s important is that you’re having fun and celebrating 'Star Wars!'”
There are a number of free activities on StarWars.com if you need help getting started, and of course it wouldn’t be a party without something delicious on the table.
“Food is important for every party, but well themed food really takes a party to the next level,” Fujikawa said.
Here are four recipes to help you add the Force to your food, and if you need a little extra help with party planning, check out the advice from these Jawas in the video below.
Blue milk
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon unsweetened blue fruit punch mix
1 teaspoon sugar
Pour the milk into a tall glass and gently stir in the blue fruit punch mix. The drink should be lightly tinted blue. Adjust the amount of mix to get the color that you like. Add sugar to taste.
Recipe courtesy of Lucasfilm, StarWars.com
Princess Leia cupcake
Cupcakes
Cream cheese frosting
Black frosting
Heart quins
Oreos
For the cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, then the vanilla. Beat until it is combined and spreadable.
For the Princess Leia cupcakes, bake any type of cupcake you want and let it cool. Take the cooled cupcake and spread a thin smooth layer of frosting on top (I used cream cheese frosting because it has a slight off-white tint to it, which I liked for the complexion.)
Using a frosting tinted black, do one side of the hair first. Add the other side of the hair and then the eyes. Place a little heart quin for the lips.
For the hair, take an Oreo and stick it into the side of the cupcake liner using the black frosting. Do the same for the other side. To get rid of the ‘white line’ (i.e. the creamy center), simply run a thin layer of black frosting down the center of the sandwich cookie.
Recipe courtesy of Jenn Fujikawa, JustJENN Recipes
Tatooine sunset
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup grenadine syrup (approximately)
Fill a tall glass with ice and orange juice. Slowly pour in grenadine syrup and allow to settle on the bottom.
Recipe courtesy of Lucasfilm, StarWars.com
Severed Wampa Arm cake
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 egg whites
Red gel food coloring
Powdered sugar for dusting
1 cup Guava jelly
Whipped cream cheese frosting
2 cups sweetened coconut
Chocolate bars
For the whipped cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep a 10×15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment, lightly buttered.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until light. Add the vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and add it to the yolk mixture. While mixing, add in the red gel food coloring until combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the red batter until combined. Pour the batter into the prepped jellyroll pan — using a spatula to even it all out. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven.
Get a clean dish towel and dust it with powdered sugar. Turn the warm cake onto the towel. Peel back and pull off the parchment paper. Cut about 3 inches off the end of the cake and slice that into 1-inch-wide pieces — these will be the wampa fingers. Set aside for later.
Roll the cake up with the towel — the long way. What you are doing is trying to form the rolled shape. Let cool in the rolled up towel for 20 to 30 minutes.
Whisk the jelly to get it nice and loosened up, also reserve about 3 tablespoons for later. Guava jelly is light, almost clear and always makes for good "blood" substitute, but a dark jelly will work also. Carefully unroll the cake, and spread the jelly onto the cake. Now roll the cake up again. Quite obviously not with the towel. Place the rolled cake seam side down onto a platter. Arrange the wampa ‘fingers’ you cut at the end of a platter so they look like a hand.
To make the whipped cream frosting, mix together the cream cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix until well blended. Set aside. In a separate bowl whip the heavy cream on high, just until almost stiff, not all the way. Add in the cream cheese mixture and whip up again. Don’t overdo it, or you’ll get a curdled look, not so pretty for cupcakes. Fold the frosting to make sure everything is incorporated.
Frost the cake arm and "fingers" with the whipped cream cheese frosting. Getting between the "fingers" can be tricky, so just use a small offset spatula and take your time. Take the coconut and pat it around the frosted cake and fingers, like "fur." For the fingernails I cut a thick chocolate bar into chunky pieces and placed them on the end of the fingers. Finally, take the reserved jelly and pour it on the cut end of the "arm." It will look like oozing wampa blood!
Recipe courtesy of Jenn Fujikawa, JustJENN Recipes
