PUP STAR: WORLD TOUR Cuisine Contest

I'm honored to feature the new Air Bud Entertainment family movie, Pup Star: World Tour today. This film's top talent: canine singing sensation Tiny, and all the lovable talking dogs are hosting a "Pup Star World Tour Cuisine Contest." I was given a Pup Star World Tour Recipe Booklet with four dishes that represented a favored cuisine from each of the four countries visited in the film. I chose the CHINESE ALMOND COOKIES which is a fun way to celebrate the Chinese new year. I was also given customized Pup Star: World Tour suitcase tools to create my masterpiece. The suitcase included a spoon, spatula, rolling pin, baster and two aprons. It also included a digital code to view the movie, 1 Extended Stay America Hope Bear that's given to children battling cancer in hospitals nationwide as part of ESA's partnership with the American Cancer Society, 1 VCA Animal Hospital's KONG squeaky ball, 1 package of Old Mother Hubbard's Natural Dog Treats and 1 coupon for a free box of Dogsters Ice Cream Style Treats for Dogs. @airbud @pupstarmovie @airbudofficial

Olivia and I loved opening the suitcase to see all of the goodies. She loved the hope bear the best. The story of the Hope Bear by Extended Stay America is...

"Extended Stay America is that special kind of place where the people who greet you have a smile on their face. Taking care of guests is what they love to do best whether you come from the North, South, East, or the West. Sometimes people need a cozy place to stay when they're visiting doctors far, far away. There are wonderful hospitals both near and far. And to get there, some must travel by plane or by car. And when they arrive at the end of the day a comfy friendly hotel is what they need for their stay. At our hotel, you'll find a kind loving bear whose name is Hope, our symbol of care. Hope's number one wish is for all to get well and to make guests feel welcome at our hotel."

The Hope Bear meant a lot to our family especially having a daughter with special needs. Hope is very cuddly and has brought a lot of love to our home. We love our new bear.

My favorite was the 10 piece Rolling Pin and Cookie Cutter Set. The best part about the rolling pin was the cookie cutters were stored inside. Also I learned that if you fill the hollow rolling chamber with ice the dough won't stick. It is perfect for cookies, pie crusts, dough and more.

My beautiful daughter, Elizabeth who is four, helped me choose the perfect recipe from the recipe booklet. Well, in her own way she helped me choose. She can't talk or walk but is the sweetest person I know. She has intractable epilepsy, microcephaly and many other issues but was my perfect side kick. I'm so grateful I was able to add this experience to the memories we are creating together.

I wanted to make the Indian Garlic Naan but the ingredients didn't even have garlic so it was confusing. I chose the Chinese Almond Cookies but noticed there were also a few minor details left out.  I didn't know how much baking soda to use and I thought that 1 tsp of salt was too much. So, I went with my gut and used 1 tsp of baking soda and 1/2 tsp of salt. Here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter; softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg, 1 egg white

1 tsp almond extract

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt (I suggest 1/2 tsp salt)

1 cup sliced almonds

1/2 tsp water

(Also not included was 1 tsp baking soda)

Instructions:

1-Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2-Beat egg white and water in a small bowl; set aside.

3-Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy-beat in egg and almond extract.

4-Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture and beat until thoroughly combined.

5-Take a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Gently flatten with the bottom of a drinking glass.

6-Sprinkle each cookie with almond slices, gently pressing almonds into dough. Gently brush egg white mixture over cookies. {I would suggest brushing the egg white before adding the almonds...just a minor detail that might have been missed}.

7-Bake 14-16 minutes or until edges and bottoms are lightly browned. Let sit for 2 minutes before placing on wire racks to cool completely.

Overall, the Chinese Almond Cookies turned out perfectly. I do suggest to whoever created the recipe booklet to update so that all the ingredients and steps are included. Perhaps it was a test or perhaps it was just over looked. However, it was fun to create a new recipe and have some taste testers ready in the kitchen.

Concentration is key to creating the perfect masterpiece....Chinese Almond Cookies

If you use a reversible silicone baking mat, your cookies will be the perfect shape.

Another step in the process was pressing each ball with the bottom of a drinking glass.

I found it easier to brush the egg white mixture before you press the almonds. I used the PSWT baster that was included in the suitcase. It was so handy.

I added a pink carnation and a few petals to the plate to create the perfect look.

Chinese Almond Cookies made by Emilee

About Pup Star: World Tour:

Pup Star is back and bigger than ever as the hit singing pup competition show goes global! After achieving international stardom, Tiny the adorable Yorkie joins the celebrity judges for the first-ever Pup Star World Tour. The judges each welcome their favorite contestant from around the world to the Pup Star pack, training them to compete for the new title of global pup star champion. India's Raji joins Team Growl, China's Ming joins Team Paw-Paw, Nigeria's Mobo joins Team Gnarley, and Mexico's dashing telenovela star Julio joins Team Tiny. Talented, irresistible, and massively arrogant, Julio throws a wrench into Tiny's personal life when he invites himself to stay with the family in Chicago while they rehearse for the grand finale. But while Tiny's distracted by her protégé, Bark, Roland and Kano have other plans. The Mean Team are up to their old antics, doing everything they can to take Tiny down and regain control of Pup Star.

When the families of the judges go missing, and Bark's plan becomes exposed, an incredible secret is revealed! Can Tiny stop Bark from ruining the spirit of Pup Star? A fun, big scale musical adventure, Pup Star: World Tour features a rich tapestry of fantastic new songs, and a heart-warming story where they discover that family is being one pack, one voice, singing in harmony!

PUP STAR: WORLD TOUR is on Netflix and Digital HD (MAY 5)

Pup Star: World Tour has a running time of 87 minutes and is not rated.

Review of Pup Star: World Tour:

I've seen Pup Star in the past and struggled to watch it all the way through. This time, it was different because I felt more involved with this blog tour. It was fun to create a dish from one of the four places the pup judges visited. My favorite pup was Tiny who joined the celebrity judges in the Pup Star World Tour. She played an important and positive role in this film and I appreciated her willingness to stand up for what she believed. I loved when she said, "One voice, one world singing in harmony." I also loved the telenovela star Julio who couldn't actually sing but had some pretty impressive dance skills. Also, I felt that director Robert Vince, put together a wonderful family friendly story. The Pup Star: World Tour was definitely a heart-warming story with singing and dancing dogs as well as amazing dog tricks. Overall, I enjoyed watching another live action family movie. It was the perfect movie for kids.

Disclaimer: I received one or more of the products or services for free in the hope that I would mention them on my blog and offer an honest review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.