Month: June 2015

Missouri-Style Honey Cornbread with BACON!

Posted June 18, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 4 Comments


Here in the Midwest, cornbread is a very serious business, and anyone who comes from a cornbread eating culture will tell you that regional recipe differences are important (i.e. in the south, cornbread is make with white cornmeal and no sugar). So when I set out to find a Missourian cornbread recipe for our Tom Sawyer menu, it had to be authentic. I rounded up a bunch of potential candidates and ran them past my native Missouri friends, who selected this honey cornbread recipe from a restaurant in Branson.

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Think Jerky: Help Make Delicious, Natural Jerky a Reality

Posted June 17, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Uncategorized / 1 Comment


It seems like every year I struggle to find just the right Father’s Day gift for my dad. It’s not that I don’t love him. Far from it; he’s a great, old-fashioned man’s man—lover of wilderness, patriotism, and meat. Think Ron Swanson if he had four kids. Need proof? This is my Father’s Day card for him this year, and it couldn’t be more perfect.

The problem is that these interests don’t involve much STUFF,  which makes gift buying difficult. You can only get a guy so many Longhorn Steakhouse and Gander Mountain gift cards. And that’s why I CAN’T WAIT for this Think Jerky Kickstarter I heard about to become a reality.

Imagine gourmet beef jerky. HEALTHY gourmet jerky, developed by professional chefs and a Baconfest champion. THAT’S what Think Jerky is. The CEO Ricky Hirsch contacted me about their Kickstarter last week and sent me their video. The flavor descriptions alone had me drooling. I mean, c’mon: Sweet Chipotle? HELLO, GORGEOUS.

 

 

It’s like they tapped directly into people’s brains and pinpointed what everybody wants in a snack. If you’re looking for unique flavors, you’ve found them…unless you know someone else who’s selling Sriracha Honey jerky, in which case STOP HOLDING OUT ON THE REST OF US. If sustainable farming is your thing, they’ve got a farm-to-table expert on the team. But for me, the beauty is the simplicity of the final product. I like the idea of actual spices instead of chemicals and no gluten (because what’s gluten doing in jerky anyway?).

They’ve actually got me thrilled about turkey jerky for the first time in my life, which on its own is some kind of miracle.

 

 

And guess what? They’re already over halfway to their goal. What do you say we show them some Wonderlander love and help them reach the finish line? Doooooo it. You know you want to. Do it for the Ron Swanson in your life.

BONUS REASON TO HELP BACK THIS: If the Kickstarter is successful, Ricky might actually send me some free samples and let me do a review for you guys! HUZZZAH! You can’t see it, but right now I’m giving you my very best please-back-this-I-want-delicious-free-jerky face. Also, backers get discounts on the jerky and free recipe videos from the chefs. DOUBLE HUZZAH!

To help start the jerky revolution, click here for the Kickstarter page.

If you’re lacking funds but still want to show them some social media lovin’, check them out on Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram!

 

 

This post is sponsored by Think Jerky. The thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tom’s Fried Catfish

Posted June 11, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments


In so many ways, Tom Sawyer reminds me of Peter Pan. He’s not just a child; he’s childhood. He’s all the good and bad of that stage of life, given shape. He’s Instinct, Whim, Innocence…and more than a little Mischief. Never is this more evident than when he convinces his friends Joe and Huck to run away with him to an island in the middle of the river to become pirates. Smitten with the adventure of such a life, they spend their days eating catfish and searching for buried treasure, thinking little of home.

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Becky’s Peach and Apple Salad

Posted June 4, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

  I read Tom Sawyer for the first time this past year. I’m a huge Mark Twain fan, so I wasn’t really surprised when I loved it. I relished Tom’s innocent yet roguish nature and the endless trouble he and Huck always seem to make for themselves. As the quintessential chronicle of golden boyhood summer, I selected Tom Sawyer as our Book of the Month for June.

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Our June Book of the Month Hint is Here!

Posted June 1, 2015 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Hints, Teas / 4 Comments

We jumped outside of our comfort zone last month and made a classic MOVIE menu: Star Wars! It was crazy fun to make AND eat, especially the May 4th foray into molecular gastronomy: Raspberry-Mango Planets and Lemon Clouds. I definitely plan on doing more movie menus in the future, but for now we’re back to classic books. Can you guess what our June Book of the Month will be? Here’s your photo hint:

Fence And Grass
Photo Credit: publicdomainpictures.net

 

If you think you know, take a guess below! Either way, swing back around on Thursday (June 4th) for the answer…and our first recipe of the month!

P.S. I’d also love to hear if you have any ideas for future movie menus!