The only thing we were told beforehand was to be at Wal Mart by 8:00 am around the bananas. Naturally, Holly and I carpooled. I picked up Holly around 7:30, and we were the first to arrive at the bananas. This gave us a little time to discuss the possible midterm assignment and take a cute selfie…

Chef Mary Helen arrived a little before 8:00 and began handing out mysterious red envelopes.

These envelopes held the fate of our midterm exam… and had a super cute wax stamp on the back!

Inside was the assignment:

A group of us immediately began walking up and down the food aisles of Wal Mart trying to each find our own products! I was honestly a little concerned that someone would choose the same, or almost the same, product as me. We turned down the coffee and condiment aisle, and that’s when I spotted this adorable little package of Frozen Hot Chocolate mix.

 I immediately knew that this was the image I wanted to recreate! I had several ideas of how to reproduce the same photograph based on previous Food Styling research that I had done, and I didn’t think that anyone else would have the same ideas.

I also knew that this photo was something doable for me. A lot of my classmates chose actual dishes – like shrimp and pasta or spaghetti and meatballs, but I was concerned with replicating the photo EXACTLY. I knew that recreating meatballs or sauces would be a challenge, so I stuck with my idea that I knew I could do! I would rather be a little on the simple side than not be able to recreate the product image.

I am however throwing in some unique twists for this assignment. For instance, I am using some inedible ingredients. Take a look:

I have read and heard from multiple sources that shaving cream is an excellent substitute for whipped cream because it will hold a better shape and last a lot longer. So obviously, shaving cream was on my grocery list!

I am also using candle wax, commonly used in home wax warmers, to act as my caramel drizzle. I have read that wax is a common substitute for many types of sauces, and I think that I can melt it down, pop it in a piping bag, and drizzle it the way that I want it. My wax will harden up quickly and I won’t have to worry about it melting, sweating, running, etc.

I picked up some almond bark just in case my wax idea goes south. The chocolate will be a great substitution with the addition of just a little food coloring to give it a more yellow/beige look.

I also picked up some cocoa powder and chocolate pudding mix to dust on top of my shaving cream whipped cream. This will also come in handy if my hot cocoa mixture turns out lighter in color than on the picture – I will be able to add darkness with my cocoa and pudding.

Speaking of my “hot chocolate” I plan to totally ignore the recipe on the back of the package. Instead, I will combine the drink mix with some Crisco, corn syrup, and powdered sugar to make a more solid and stable base for my shaving cream topping. Since the hot chocolate is completely covered with whipped cream in the picture, I don’t have to worry too much about texture or anything like that. As long as my color is right and it sits right in the mason jar, I should be fine!

And of course, I will be borrowing a mason jar from the kitchen’s supply to use as my container!

My official grocery list:

• Shaving Cream – less than $2
• Wax – $2
• Cocoa Powder – less than $2
• Chocolate Pudding Mix – about $0.50
• Almond Bark – about $3
• Frozen Hot Chocolate Mix – less than $2

ABC.