The catch? The decoded menu was not revealed until after the votes were in. Here is what I came up with:
Appetizers
Geraldine and Doozer Sticks
Radish Bars
Mossmelon and Mushmelon
Holes to Who-Knows-Where
Beluvious Tails
Salads
Skunk Cabbage Salad
Joke Day Blob Salad
Tossed Trash Heap
Sprocket Salad
Sidebottom Salad
Entrees
Goodtime Goombah Soup
Peach and Pepper Potage
Bonkleberry Stew
Peas of Power Potpourri
Doomsday Gumbo
Side Dishes
Tree Creature Croquettes
Turnip Toast
Rock Buns with Gorg Greaseberry Butter
Crystal Cavern Stalactites
Grapes of Generosity
Drinks
Boredom Juice
Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water
Pebble Pox Punch
Last of the Lilycreatures Pondwater
Sweetwater
Desserts (i.e. The Birthday Cake)
Sweet, sweet, sweet little treats
Banana Tree Shirt Souflee
Muck and Goo with Cave Mushrooms
Golden Dragon Bites
Mudbunny Pie
Poison Cackler Crumble
Would you like some translation? Here is the whole menu, with explanation:
APPETIZERS
Geraldine and Doozer Sticks
Geraldine is a humongous radish that Junior Gorg raises from a tiny seed, who also happens to be his best friend. Doozers are small green creatures that make delicious constructions out of shiny, crystalline sticks made from radish dust. In keeping with this vegetable theme, Geraldine and Doozer Sticks turn out to be a Vegetable Tray, complete with radishes, carrot sticks, and celery sticks.
Radish Bars
Red Fraggle adores radish bars, and tries to capture a thief who seems to be stealing them while she sleeps. The props for Radish Bars in the episode "Red-Handed, Invisible Thief," look like a cross between a rice cake and a popcorn cake with red flecks...sort of like a cranberry granola bar. So as an appetizer or snack, Radish Bars are actually Quaker True Delights Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond Granola Bars.
Mossmelon and Mushmelon
In "The Secret of Convincing John," we see a slice of mossmelon, which looks exactly like honeydew. We see a whole, unsliced mushmelon when Wembley picks one up during a trip to Mossy Cavern, which looks like a small cantaloupe. Fruit tray, coming right up!
Holes to Who-Knows-Where
One time, Gobo took all four of his best friends on an exploration trip, following his Uncle Matt's old map. It led them to the Hole to Who-Knows-Where, a cavernous location deep within Fraggle Rock. It ended up being a pretty dangerous journey, but turned out all right in the end! The "hole" idea got me all excited about doughnut holes as a fun appetizer for the party.
Beluvious Tails
A beluvious is a Fraggle's tail, and Boober often takes it upon himself to "test" the healthy nature of his fellow friends' tails by playing practical jokes on them and scaring them. When frightened, a fraggle's tail flares up. I tried choosing a snack or appetizer that resembled a long tail, and my favorite long treat is Pepperidge Farm French Vanilla Pirouettes. You could also do Red Vines.
SALADS
Skunk Cabbage Salad
Skunk cabbage is a favorite vegetable of the Gorg's, but the Fraggles hate it. I love cabbage, and a great party dish is Chinese Chicken Salad. It's wonderful for a crowd, and Mama Monkey makes it all the time for family get-togethers.
Joke Day Blob Salad
On Joke Day, the Fraggles decorate the Great Hall, and get together to tell silly jokes and laugh a lot. One particular Joke Day, a great big reddish-pink-sticky-bouncy-blob thing rolls in and starts eating all the Doozers. He finally opens up his mouth to let the Doozers out when Boober starts telling knock-knock jokes! I tried to re-create the bouncy red glob idea in a salad. One that wasn't gross. So Joke Day Blob Salad is Red Jello Cubes with Whipped Cream.
Tossed Trash Heap
This one is a bit of a giveaway from its name. Marjorie the Trash Heap is a big heap of leaves, old vegetables, banana peels, and junk near the corner wall of the Gorg's garden. She is also an oracle, the source of all wisdom for the Fraggles. With all those leaves, I thought she looked like a tossed salad. Mine would be green, though. Not brown. And it definitely would not have banana peels in it. I'm thinking romaine lettuce, diced grape tomatoes, shredded carrots, and cucumbers in a balsamic vinaigrette.
Sprocket Salad
Sprocket is absolutely my favorite character. Maybe it's his pantomiming, or his persistence in convincing Doc that Fraggles really do exist. He's just awesome. He is the inventor's dog, and a sprocket is any kind of wheel gear. I wanted to incorporate some sort of wheel-looking element in a salad, so I decided to use wagon wheel pasta in a colorful pasta salad with tri-color bell peppers, mozzarella balls, tomatoes, spinach, and matchstick carrots in a balsamic vinaigrette.
Sidebottom Salad
Sidebottom is Boober Fraggle's other half that only shows up in his dreams...an alter-ego of sorts. Sidebottom (and Boober, too, since they are essentially the same person) is a green fraggle with bright red hair. Along the theme of red and green and salads, I decided to present Sidebottom Salad as Strawberry Spinach Salad with toasted almonds, topped with ranchero cheese, tossed in strawberry or raspberry vinaigrette.
ENTREES
Goodtime Goombah Soup
During a particularly long winter, Ma and Junior Gorg make their famous Goodtime Goombah Soup. The song goes, "A pinch of this, and a splash of that, with a touch of somethin' good." I think that the closest food genre to seemingly unrelated ingredients being thrown together is Thai food. I mean, coconut, cilantro, and cashews? But it all tastes so good. Therefore, this soup would be Thai Curry Soup with Grilled Shrimp. Ma Gorg put in what looked like long string beans, so that would have to be included, as well.
Peach and Pepper Potage
Wembley eats this, his favorite dish, with his new friend, Mudwell, who happens to be a great cook. Indicientally, turnip toast (see Sides) is included. No other details are given as to the elements of this recipe. So I thought about the name, Peach and Pepper Potage...peach and pepper don't really seem to go together. Or do they? Sweet and savory are generally a great combination, with the right ingredients. So I replaced peaches with pineapple, kept the pepper (bell peppers), and decided on Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Bonkleberry Stew
Just the name of this dish makes you smile! It's silly and creative. When Sidebottom finally "gets out" of Boober one day, he takes the other four fraggle friends to the Gorg's garden. He hypnotizes Junior into thinking he's a fraggle, and makes him simmer some bonkelberry stew, which basically looks like large cranberries being tossed into boiling water. Unfortunately, Wembley is allergic to bonkleberries, and becomes deathly ill until his friends can revive him. I thought for a long time about a stew-like dish that would resemble a red soup with all red elements, some of them being round-ish like cranberries. Red Chili is definitely a winner, especially with smoked chiles in adobo sauce, red bell peppers, and red chili beans!
Peas of Power Potpourri
The Gorgs have a legend: if a young Gorg prince plants the magical peas of power, they will grow overnight into a beautiful Gorg princess for the prince to marry. Junior falls for a trick when Wander McMooch, a sly, toad-like creature, sells him regular peas, claiming they are the fabled magic peas. All ends well, though, thanks to Mokey Fraggle. I really love peas, and in fact, I love every green vegetable. So Peas of Power Potpourri (potpourri meaning a "melange of elements") would be Green Stir Fry in Teriyaki Sauce. We're talking peas, asparagus, broccoli, green bell peppers, and zucchini. Also a good idea for next year's St. Patrick's Day.
Doomsday Gumbo
Boober accidentally mixes the laundry soapwater with his rutabaga gumbo, which was supposed to be radish gumbo, but the fraggles were out of radishes. It turns into a volatile mixture that almost blows up Fraggle Rock. Boober mentions that the doomsday gumbo contains skunk cabbage (I do love regular cabbage) and greaseberries. I decided to theme a soup that contained the vegetables he mentioned, plus some variation. Cabbage, rutabagas, and kidney beans (greaseberries), as well as other vegetables go great in Minestrone Soup.
SIDE DISHES
Tree Creature Croquettes
Wembley finds an egg left by the Tree Creatures (a family of large pink birds in the Gorg's garden), and cares for it until it hatches. The needy baby bird who calls him "Mama" is another story, though. Tree Creature Croquettes are Deviled Eggs.
Turnip Toast
Wembley eats turnip toast with his friend Mudwell in the episode "Gone, but Not Forgotten." The prop in the show basically just looks like a dark brown chocolate Pop-Tart. For a side that pairs well with a savory entree, though, I decided on Whole Wheat Toast. This recipe for WHO Bread is exactly what I've been looking for.
Rock Buns with Gorg Greaseberry Butter
Gorg greaseberry butter is a reddish-purple substance made out of a stinky, dark berry. Gobo used it to free Sprocket when he got stuck in the entrance to Fraggle Rock. I decided to choose a delectable red berry as a greaseberry substitute, and incorporate it into a bread. Rock buns are mentioned in the series, but never fully described, so I took the creative liberties upon myself: Raspberry Sweetrolls with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Crystal Cavern Stalactites
Gobo, Uncle Matt, and Wembley discover the Crystal Cavern together, where large, white, sparkling stalactites hang from every surface. I thought about a long, white, tasty side dish that could go along with almost any entree, and decided on Homemade Poppy Seed Breadsticks. This simple recipe is from my Mama Monkey and my Golden Grahams!
Grapes of Generosity
Gobo discovers a bunch of rare grapes that give any fraggle who eats them the desire to be generous. But when he decides to be selfish and doesn't share, he becomes weightless. Grapes of Generosity are Fresh Table Grapes. And should I ever bring them to a party, I will share them with the guests. Maybe. I love a fresh bunch of grapes.
DRINKS
Boredom Juice
Pa Gorg sprays a brownish pesticide into the entrance of Fraggle Rock called Boredom Juice. The fraggles fall into a coma-like stupor, repeating "boring, boring, boring," over an over again. Nothing can cure them except an uninfected fraggle singing a peppy song with a bowl on thier head. So...the brownish Boredom Juice pesticide is Simply Apple Juice. Of course, if it's served at a birthday party, you would have had to wear bowls on your heads while drinking it. Those would be great pictures.
Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water
Wembley discovers a "pookah pookah" sound in the walls of Fraggle Rock, and after digging toward it, opens up a fountain of strawberry-flavored fizzy water that the Fraggles adore. They reward Wembley for making such an amazing discovery and name it Wembley's Wonderful Whoopie Water. It's also apparently caffeinated, because none of them can get to sleep that night. I decided that a flavored fizzy water would represent the whoopie water well: Sprite with Grenadine. Mr. Sillypants loves Sprite.
Pepple Pox Punch
Pebble Pox for fraggles are like Chicken Pox for humans: little red dots that itch, paired with cold and flu symptoms. The image of little red dots made me think of little seeds, so...Strawberry Orange Smoothies. These could be a great item for a birthday breakfast, as well!
Last of the Lilycreatures Pondwater
Red Fraggle meets a huge sea monster in a distant pond she explores. The sea monster, who claims he is the Last of the Lilycreatures, doesn't want anyone else to know about him, but Red has a hard time keeping a secret. The pondwater idea made me think of something very simple, as well as blue. Cool Blue Gatorade was the result.
Sweetwater
On their way to the Hole to Who-Knows-Where, the Fraggle Five stop by a mossy little pond filled with pretty pink-colored water. Red claims it is the sweetest water in the world that fraggles have been savoring for centuries. Although everyone gets into an argument with Gobo over whether or not it's safe to drink, they end up enjoying the sweetwater in the end, which is, of course, Pink Lemonade. I was thinking of buying Simply Lemonade with Raspberry, but the Walmart pink lemonade is good, too.
DESSERTS
Banana Tree Shirt Souflee
Wembley owns two banana tree shirts, which he wears on alternating days. One time, when Boober forgot to do the laundry, Wembley exclaims, "This banana tree shirt is so dirty, the banana trees are starting to grow!" So for the Banana Tree Shirt Souflee, I was going to make a Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, using this recipe.
Muck and Goo with Cave Mushrooms
Uncle Matt sings the Muck and Goo song to Gobo when he's little, and apparently it's a popular tune, because Pa Gorg sang it to Junior when he was a baby. "Give me one and give me two, cover me with muck and goo. Give me three and give me four, cover me with guck and gore." It's a silly song, but kinda catchy. I had this image of something gooey, paired nicely with something that could be construed as "muck." So the result was Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate and Caramel Toppings. The muck is the ice cream, and the goo is the sauce. The cave mushrooms, you ask? Before they knew about radishes, fraggles ate mushrooms. I kind of think that Cream Puffs look like mushrooms! Little golden mushrooms growing on the muck and goo...how fitting. I can't decide between making homeade eclairs from Golden Graham's recipe, or buying the bite-sized cream puffs at Sam's Club in the frozen section. Incidentally, the doozer's ancient Cavern of Lost Dreams contains buildings made from old cave mushrooms.
Golden Dragon Bites
In the episode "Red's Blue Dragon," Red discovers the T. Matthew Fraggle Room, where an endless array of colorful tunnels transport a fraggle into "Outer Space." She accidentally discovers a magical land with a tree of golden apples, and, unfortunately, a smoke-blowing dragon who is as scared as she is! The golden apples inspired me to revive Mama Monkey's old recipe of Apple Dumplings.
Mudbunny Pie
Mudwell, the same creature who prepared Wembley his favorite foods, peach and pepper potage and turnip toast, is a rare Mudbunny. He's furry, all brown, with a tuft of hair sticking straight up on his head. He is a very kind fellow, but also very mysterious. He lives near a warm, bubbling mud puddle, so this inspired me to present this dish as Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting.
Poison Cackler Crumble
A poison cackler is a scary, evil-looking creature that resembles a giant red scorpion. The red color made me think of one of my favorite, newly-discovered desserts: Pavlova with Strawberries. The "crumble" part is described thus because the strawberries, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings are heaped on a crinkly meringue crust. It is so good!
So, are you excited to cook?
