Posted October 1, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
Every autumn, I like to read something spooky to get me in the mood for Halloween. Since I’m currently drafting a series of Edwardian paranormal short stories (like you do), I wanted my seasonal read to be set near the same time period as my stories to keep me in the right mindset. To that end, I found myself turning to an old favorite: “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
Jekyll & Hyde has that spooky Victorian Halloween aesthetic that makes my gothic-literature-loving heart go pitter pat. We’re talking foggy London streets, a troubled scientific genius, murder, mysterious potions, and the dichotomy between good and evil. What’s not to love? Plus it’s a super quick read—easily done in less than a day—which is just what I need in my chaotic mom-with-2-small-kids life.
I actually made a Jekyll & Hyde moon pie a looooong time ago as part of a set of classic monster moon pies, but I’ve always wanted to create a recipe dedicated to JUST this story. Granted, it barely mentions food, but that was ok with me. I already knew I wanted my recipe to riff off the famous potion that turns the good, kind Dr. Jekyll into monstrous Mr. Hyde.
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Posted September 3, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Holidays / 2 Comments
I’ve loved the BBC show Father Brown for years, but I only recently got a chance to read the collection of short stories on which it’s based. Like many adaptations, the show diverges from the source material in key ways, but I think it stays true in the ways that matter most.
Arguably the biggest difference is that the literary Father Brown is always traveling. I don’t think you ever actually visit his own parish, which means recurring characters like Mrs. McCarthy, Lady Felicia, and Sid exist solely in the show. But don’t worry—Hercule Flambeau, master thief and Father Brown’s nemesis, is still around to stir up trouble! 😉
When one of my readers requested a Father Brown recipe specifically inspired by the stories, I was intrigued to say the least. To fans of the show, the iconic food is Mrs. McCarthy’s strawberry scones. But no Mrs. McCarthy in the stories means no scones. I was going to have to get creative. And I LOVE getting creative! ^.^
The stories mostly only mention food in passing, but one reference stands out. In “The Flying Stars,” Father Brown has to turn out his pockets, and among a few coins and priestly paraphernalia is a stick of chocolate, heavily implying that he always likes to keep some on hand. After reading that, I knew my recipe was going to be a rich, chocolatey dessert.
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Posted August 6, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments
Tomie dePaola, who passed away earlier this year, was one of my favorite author-illustrators. I loved how his sweet, seemingly simple stories were steeped in cleverness and culture. As a Catholic, I especially appreciated how he infused his Catholic upbringing into his work. I was naturally saddened to hear of his death, but it made me all the more determined that my children should be familiar with his stories. In the past few months, they’ve enjoyed a surplus of dePaola books from the library: The Art Lesson, Pancakes for Breakfast, and Quiet . . . but most especially Strega Nona.
One of dePaola’s most popular books, Strega Nonna is the story of a “grandmother witch” with a magical pasta pot. She hires an assistant, Big Anthony, to help out around the house. He sees Strega Nona perform part of a spell to make her pasta pot cook endless pasta, but he runs into trouble showing it off to the villagers (despite her warnings) because he never saw her perform the part of the spell that makes it STOP.
As with many of dePaola’s stories, the magic is in the details: the historically accurate clothing, the peacock perched on Strega Nona’s roof that soundlessly flies off (possibly to warn her) when the trouble starts, and the priest and nuns praying for deliverance from the deluge of endless pasta threatening to overtake their village. Quiet depth pervades the story, rewarding us for stopping to look and listen rather than just grab what we need from the plot and move on.
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Posted July 2, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments
Hellooooo, summer!
This isn’t usually my favorite season. In Illinois the summer months can get monstrously hot and humid. Plus, I have severe allergies, and I’m a favorite snack of the mosquitoes. Yet this year my allergies have been surprisingly absent, and covid restrictions have made even a homebody like myself appreciate a chance to get out in the fresh air.
When I decided Madeline would be my book of the month for July, my mind immediately went to madeleine cookies because of their similarity to Madeline’s name. I couldn’t pass up a perfect pairing like that, could I? Still, I really wanted something refreshing I could eat while enjoying the sunshine. Like ice cream! So I decided to combine them and do a double recipe. Read More
Posted June 4, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
When we think of classic books, we don’t often imagine cute picture books, but you can’t deny that Dr. Seuss’ “Green Eggs and Ham” is a classic. Combine that with the fact that it is literally about nothing but food, and you’ve got a book I can’t resist. 😉 I’ve had my heart set on making a sophisticated version of the titular dish from “Green Eggs and Ham” for years now. I wanted to make a highfalutin version because Pinterest is already teeming with simple, Seuss-inspired green-dyed egg and ham dishes. Nothing wrong with that; there’s just so many I figured one more would just be a drop in the ocean. Plus, almost all those recipes are aimed at kids, and I wanted to make something for us adults who grew up with Seuss and feel nostalgic about it.
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Posted May 7, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
“Blueberries for Sal” first came on my radar almost 20 years ago. My mom had just started homeschooling me and my younger brothers, and for the boys she started using a reading curriculum called Five in a Row. With this program, you read the same picture book each day for five days, followed by activities that are relevant to the story. At the start of the next school week you, start a new book. I was too old for it, but I remember my brothers really enjoying particular stories, especially “How to Make Apple Pie and See the World,” “The Story About Ping,” and “Blueberries for Sal.”
When I started light homschooling with my toddler earlier this year, the preschool edition of Five in a Row was the only curriculum I purchased (we do more subjects, they’re just not curriculum-based). I’m a big believer in focusing on building enthusiasm for learning in the very early years of education, and I like that Five in a Row adopts this philosophy.
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Posted April 2, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
Today marks the end of my Hans Christian Andersen recipe series, which started in January. We’ve constructed delicate meringue swans from The Ugly Duckling, chilled mini ice cream cakes from The Snow Queen, and created sea foam marshmallows from The Little Mermaid. You may have noticed a sugary theme here.
Completely by accident, this has been a desserts-only only blog for all of 2020. It just seems like every time I encounter an Andersen story, inspiration draws me in the direction of something sweet. We’ll get back to savories soon, I promise…just not this week! 😉 The dessert I’m sharing today pairs too perfectly with its story to swap for something savory. And maybe there’s a reason for that.
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Posted March 5, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
Today we’re continuing our Hans Christian Andersen recipe series with sea foam marshmallows from The Little Mermaid! Most of us were first introduced to the story through the 1989 Disney movie, but the original story has some key differences. SPOILER’S AHEAD!
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Posted February 6, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
I’m back with another Hans Christian Andersen recipe! When I created a poll asking folks what Andersen stories they wanted to see recipes for, “The Ugly Duckling” won by a landslide (you can see my recipe for it here), and there was a three way tie for second place! Today I’m making the first of those three: The Snow Queen. It seemed best to do it now since winter is almost over. It feels strange to write that, since winter here has been so mild that it feels like it just started. It’s almost like God is apologizing for last winter, which was monstrously cold and felt eternal.
The recipe we’re making today is inspired by the magic mirror that causes so much trouble in “The Snow Queen.” Splinters of the broken mirror lodge themselves in the heart and eyes of a little boy named Kai, making him see only the ugliness and evil of the world and none of its beauty. I’ve always found the story’s mirror quite intriguing since it doesn’t actually change anything about the world—only people’s perception of it, which is rather fitting for a mirror—and thereby corrupts them to evil, revealing just how much impact perception can have on our lives.
For the recipe, I wanted something frozen of course, which led me to the idea of an ice cream cake. I liked the idea of mini cakes better, since larger, more elaborate ice cream recipes can get tricky if they take so long the ice cream starts to melt. These easy cupcake-sized cakes feature a crushed almond and shortbread crumb crust, amaretto ice cream filling, whipped cream, and mirror “shards” made from melted Jolly Ranchers.
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Posted January 9, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 4 Comments
Happy 2020, folks! I hope the new decade is treating you well so far. I submitted the first draft of my cookbook last week (which felt awesome), but I’ve had two very sick kids at home since then (not so awesome). Hopefully these ups and downs aren’t indicative of how the rest of the year will go!
In December I posted a poll announcing my plan to make a few Hans Christian Andersen recipes this year and asking you to vote on which of his fairytales you’d like me to do. “The Ugly Duckling” won by a landslide…followed by a three way tie for second place! So I guess I’m making four Andersen recipes this year instead of three! XD
I won’t reveal the other winning stories just yet; I’ll do it one at a time as the posts go up. I think it’ll be more fun that way. ^.^ What I WILL tell you is that all the recipes will be desserts, since that’s where my inspiration took me for each one. I had my fingers crossed that “The Ugly Duckling” would make the final cut because I knew exactly what recipe I wanted to make for it: meringue swans!
Using the meringue recipe I developed for my upcoming cookbook (and my tried and true buttercream recipe), I made these fun swans on Monday while my sick kids took a much needed nap. It took a little bit of experimenting to get the shape right, but it was SO worth it in the end.
NOTE: The meringues need to rest in the oven for at least 3 hours (overnight is even better), so I recommend making these a day before you need them.
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