I know I'm not alone in saying that I believe the '90s had some of the best food moments in culinary history. From iconic snacks to being immortalized in cinema, the food of our favorite decade was unforgettable — which is precisely why the following every '90s kid should know these food hacks we're about to discuss. Fortunately, we're in the midst of what appears to be a solid '90s renaissance, so some of the most beloved foods and bevs from that time period are already making a comeback. This makes it that much easier to give your taste buds a trip down memory lane.
Obviously, there are plenty of '90s foods which are readily available and require no ornamentation to kick your nostalgia into overdrive. I, for one, will never apologize for the fact I still keep Fruit By the Foot in the pantry. But, c'mon. We live in the age of life hacks, people! There are so many ways we could be doing life better, and that includes paying homage to some of our favorite foods from the '90s... both the ones we actually ingested and those we saw onscreen and only dreamed of trying some day.
Well, today could be that day, my friends. Please refer to the following food hacks inspired by and for '90s kids.
1. DIY Butterbeer
Happy news, fellow Harry Potter fans — while you can only get the official stuff at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, there are lots o' recipes on the internet for Butterbeer like you'd have at Hogsmeade Village. Personally, I'm partial to this on-point version from the blog Bakingdom.
2. Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream Cake
This video for how to make Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream Cake popped up in my Facebook feed a few weeks ago, and I thought I must have died and gone to '90s heaven. To put it in terms all '90s kids will understand, this recipe is bomb.com.
3. Imagination Pie from Hook
How many times when you were little did you try your darndest to make imaginary pie appear like Robin Williams' Pan? To answer for you: a million, ME TOO. So you'll undoubtedly share my childlike delight upon learning the proprietor of The Dessert Stomach decided to recreate this dreamy Hook treat and, you guys, I just want to scoop it up and throw it in someone's face. Food fight! Bangaraaaaaang!
4. Capri Sun Slushie
I'm not afraid to admit I partially buy Capri Suns for my kids just so I can drink them. No mind they only last 2.7 seconds — they're delicious. When I learned there was a quick and easy way to freeze Capri Suns and slurp slushy goodness straight out of the pouch, I was understandably stoked.
5. Gushers Pops
What do you get when you cross Sprite and Gushers? Well, when you pour them into a pop mold and stick them in the freezer, a really delicious cool treat! There isn't a '90s kid in existence who doesn't love Gushers, and these explosive fruit snacks in ice pop form sounds like something we should all have in our life.
6. Jack Rabbit Slim's $5 Shake
In full disclosure, none of us really knows what is in the "pretty f***ing good milkshake" Mia Wallace downs during she and Vince Vega's faux date at Jack Rabbit Slim's in Pulp Fiction. But it seems like this recipe from Dave Watts, head chef at The Cotswold House Hotel, is a pretty great jumping off point.
7. Grown-Up Dunkaroos Dip
Remember how nerdily overjoyed you got when your mom came home from the grocery store with Dunkaroos? That delicious cinnamon-cookies and sweet frosting combo was the pinnacle of popular '90s snack food. Now you can make your own in massive batches, thanks to blogger Eat Yourself Skinny's low-cal Funfetti Dip recipe. Praise be the '90s gods!
9. The Chocolate Cake from Matilda
I know the scene in Matilda where the Trunchbull makes Bruce Bogtrotter devour an entire chocolate cake is supposed to be torturous, but I always thought, "Damn, that chocolate cake looks good." And because the internet is such a beautiful place, I can now Bruce Bogtrotter my way into chocolate cake oblivion with Delish's recipe for a Matilda-inspired chocolate fudge cake. Yum!
10. Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade
What does sparkling strawberry lemonade have to do with the '90s, you might be asking? Everything, when the rim of said fruity beverage is "salted" in none other than Pop Rocks! Yes, you read that right ... you can use your favorite dynamic elementary school candy and repurpose it in a decidedly adult way so you can keep on enjoying these crunchy munchies for the foreseeable future.
11. A "Bleeding Armadillo" Cake
Since it is my life's dream to have a Steel Magnolias birthday party, I'm gonna need someone in my inner circle to figure out how to make the movie's iconic bleeding armadillo groom's cake.Because yes, someone IRL outside of Jackson's aunt knows how to make gray icing and was willing to share it on the interwebz.
Images: Miramax Films; Giphy (6)
