The Return of the Dead

Walker heads! [insert walker noises here]

Most people know that I am unabashedly obsessed with the TV show “The Walking Dead.” As I’ve remarked before, it’s like they made a show just for me. I knew when I saw the trailer for this brand new show that it was something I wanted to try, and I was hooked from the very first episode. “Little girl? I’m a policeman.”

Zombie Zone!

I’ve also become a fan of the companion series, “Fear the Walking Dead,” but the original is still the big dog for me. “Fear” got me through the summer (along with all kinds of other fun stuff), but I was beyond excited for the Season 6 premiere of TOS. Which was last night!

These premieres and finales are such big deals to me that I try to do fun stuff. I had a couple of zombie signs to put up and I hung the strand of “walker lights” that Shane and Matt got me for my birthday. I told Ken, “Those are staying up year-round!” (I have them lit even as I type! They are so cool!) For dinner, I made a Head Loaf, a meatloaf that looked like a zombie head (garlic cloves for eyes and teeth). For dessert, I made my Slimeballs brain mold (recipe to follow), and while the premiere was airing, we drank Zombie Dust beer (also a birthday present, that one from my sister).

It was an enjoyable evening and I loved the season opener. I won’t go into any spoilers here, so no worries. It was an hour and a half long, so it was essentially a movie! It went back and forth in time a bit and they handled it really well. A few things got explained although there is plenty to deal with going forward. I’ve seen this episode referred to as ‘ambitious,’ and I think that’s a good word for it. Special effects guru and executive producer Greg Nicotero directed it, and the walkers were particularly gnarly. Keep in mind that we’re well into the zombie apocalypse on the show, so the walkers continue to decompose and fall apart. It makes for some gruesome (and totally fun!) moments.

Am I happy? Yes, I am happy. It’s back and they did a great job with it, setting up the season as we explore life—and death?—in the Alexandria Free Zone. I’m ready!

Slimeballs (double batch)

2 packages of lime Jell-O (I use sugar free)

2 cups boiling water

1 cup vodka

1 cup Midori melon liqueur

Make the Jell-O like you usually do. (I don’t need to explain that, do I?) I let it cool in the fridge for a little bit before I add the booze. If you’re just putting it in a pan, you can go ahead and do that. If you’re using a mold (you don’t have to use a mold, but a brain mold is really a lot of fun!), you’ll want to spray the mold with cooking spray and cool the slimeballs in the fridge for a bit before you put it into the mold. This results in an intact brain. An intact brain is very, very important in the zombie apocalypse.

I like to decorate it with red and black gel frosting. Serve with whipped cream and be careful! Slimeballs pack a punch!

A Quest

Well, I'll tell you something, this is no longer a vacation...it's a quest. It's a quest for fun!

~~ Clark Griswold, “Vacation”

This happened today.

I am currently on a quest. A quest for Zombie Dust.

Zombie Dust is a Pale Ale made by 3 Floyds Brewing Co. in Munster, Indiana. Munster is a little over an hour away from us, but finding Zombie Dust is like pulling teeth. For whatever reason, it has become an elusive and much sought-after brew. It really is quite tasty and smooth, but I think its lack of availability has made it even more desirable. We’ve found a few places around town that carry it (including Corby’s Irish Pub, which has it ON TAP...you can get pitchers of the stuff!), but it’s hard to find as a carry-out.

I scored a 6-pack the other day. The guy had one left in back and got it for me. I felt like I’d found the Holy Grail! Ken suggested that I try a package store in a little town just south of us (where I grew up, as a matter of fact) that carries a lot of craft beers. I called them up shortly after they opened today.

Me: Hi, do you happen to have any Zombie Dust on hand?

Woman: Yes, we do. One per person.
Me: COOL! Can you hang onto one for me? I’ll be right down!
Woman: Sure.

So I hop in the car and get down there. As soon as I walked in, there was a guy with a little yappy dog on a leash, and the dog starting barking at me. It really startled me! I said, “Sorry, puppy!” and started looking around. What a selection! I’m going to start shopping there once in a while. I found the 3 Floyds section, but didn’t see any Zombie Dust. I finally saw the clerk and said, “I’m the one who called about the Zombie Dust.” At this point, I almost felt like I was making a drug deal. She nodded and took a bottle out of the 6-pack behind the counter. She scanned it and I thought, “Hmm, guess they charge by the bottle and she’ll ring the whole thing up that way.”

I handed her a twenty and she made change. She said something like, “Seventeen-fifty,” and I thought, “Gosh, that’s pricey for a 6-pack, but I’m just happy to find another one.” She put the change into my hand and then put the bottle in a little tiny paper bag.

My lonely little Zombie Dust

I looked at it. “Oh. I only get one?” She said, “Yep. We get one case a month, so we only sell singles.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, and said, “Okay!”

Do you think maybe she could have told me on the phone that “one” meant one bottle, not one 6-pack? How often do people buy single beers anymore? Isn’t the smallest standard either a 4- or 6-pack? Or at least a larger bottle? I drove a little over ten miles for a single bottle of Zombie Dust. I’m still cracking up about it!

As I got into my car and gently laid my lone bottle of Zombie Dust on the seat, I looked over and saw her leaning out the door to watch me. The whole thing was a rather hills-have-eyes encounter, and I wondered what she thought of me. Why did I seem odd to her, enough so that she had to look out to watch me? Small towns are weird.

So my quest continues. I don’t know if I’ll be able to find more Zombie Dust, but for now I have seven Preciouses.

I just don’t want to go to another small town to find it.