By: Nicole Marie
Winter has returned to the Midwest. Angelic snowflakes have begun blanketing the ground. Icicles and frost glazing the rooftops. The chill in the air and the swirling of snow has my mind on the planet Hoth, featured in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Bundle up, pour some Bantha Hot Cocoa in a thermos as I invite you on a trek through Hoth on T-47 airspeeders.
Hoth is an icy planet. As a result of thick snow and ice Hoth appears pale blue. A third of Hoth is immersed by oceans while the rest is coated with iced covered plains and glaciers! Burrrrr!!! Hoth is bitter cold and is known to drop to -60 celsius at night! I highly recommend a day trip, a big thermos of Bantha Hot Cocoa and extra layers.
Yikes! The T-47 airspeeders have shut down due to the chilly temperature. That's okay, we've got a better mode of transportation on Hoth. We're going to continue our trek on Tauntauns. Don't fret, the Tauntauns are domesticated and reliable. They are big gray lizards. They've adapted quite well to the weather here on Hoth. They have thick skin and lengthy nails for the ice-covered plains.
We're going to travel to Echo Base next. We're going to stay away from the caves. Wampas live in the frosty dens of Hoth. Wampas are very tall and stand at 3 meters! They are furry white and have a set of horns. Wampas sound adorable but they are vicious. Stay clear and vigilant.
I see Echo Base up ahead. We'll take cover inside from the weather. This was a Wampa's den before theRebel Alliance established a base here on Hoth. As we walk through you'll notice speeders in the hangar, bunkers, a medical bay and a command center. The Rebels evacuated Echo Base as it was invaded by the Galactic Empire during the Battle of Hoth. During the battle you could see AT-AT walkers and snowspeeders. Echo Base was then and is still inhabited by ice creatures.
Thank you for coming with me as we toured Hoth. Following this article I have included the D-23 Bantha Hot Cocoa inspired recipe Aunt Beru made for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. I hope you try out the recipe and enjoy. Next month I promise I'll promise we'll visit somewhere warmer in the Galaxy. Stay tuned, stay warm and May the Force Be With You.
Bantha Hot Cocoa
Ingredients
4 cups of your favorite kind of milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Blue food coloring
Optional: whipped cream
Optional: blue candy sprinkles
Directions
In a medium-sized saucepan, stir together milk, vanilla extract, and white chocolate chips. Add drops of blue food coloring one at a time until mixture is desired shade of bantha milk blue.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until white chocolate chips have melted.
Remove from heat and pour immediately into mugs. Optional: top with whipped cream and blue candy sprinkles.
