In The Hunger Games, the Capitol offers some great dishes—chicken with creamy orange sauce, fluffy dinner rolls, and even pumpkin soup. These all sound delicious, but I knew the best entree for our menu would be lamb stew with dried plums, since it’s Katniss’ favorite Capitol dish…and Cesar Flickerman’s too!
Category: Book of the Month Recipes
Prim’s Basil and Goat Cheese Bites
So excited for our new Book of the Month: The Hunger Games! I’ve loved both the books and the movies, and since Mockingjay Part 1 is coming out later this month, it seemed like the perfect time for a Hunger Games menu. Luckily, the books feature so many recipes, any difficulty in developing a menu comes from the sheer number of options.
Monster Mash Moon Pies: An Alison’s Wonderland Original Recipe ©
To me, black and white monster movies are the best part of Halloween. I love Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, of course, but The Wolfman also holds a special place in my heart. And don’t even get me started on Frankenstein.
Garlic Fang Fries
If there’s anything more synonymous with vampires than stakes, it’s garlic. I knew if garlic didn’t make an appearance in this menu, I could never again call myself a Dracula fan with good conscience. Luckily, these cheesy garlic potato wedges by Chungah suggested themselves right away. Crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, with a punch of garlic and red pepper to liven them up–they’re the perfect side dish to serve alongside our Robber Stakes!
Robber “Stakes”: An Alison’s Wonderland Original Recipe ©
Sometimes, it’s easy to feel like an author has you in mind when you read a passage in a book. For me, those passages usually involve food. 😉
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a common Transylvanian dish is robber steak: grilled beef kabobs with bacon, red pepper, and onions. How could I pass up a dish so perfectly tailored for someone like me, looking to include stakes in a vampire-themed Halloween menu? It’s also the perfect entree to accompany our spider chips and salsa!
Renfield’s Spiders: Blue Corn Tortilla Chips & Transylvanian Salsa
I’ve been looking forward to starting this menu for ages! I just read Dracula this past year, and it easily became one of my favorite books. I love the noble characters, gripping suspense, and quietly menacing nature of the Count. I knew right away that Dracula would be the inspiration for my Halloween menu!
Candied Nuts with Meadowcream
Most Redwall recipes are simple, hearty affairs, and dessert is no exception. In fact, sugar barely even makes an appearance in this recipe. Instead, apple pie spice walnuts are the star of this dish, lightly sweetened and accompanied by a generous helping of Redwall’s famous meadowcream. This dessert’s cozy flavors and simplistic feel make it the perfect way to end our Redwall menu. Enjoy!
Loamhedge Legacy Nutbread
This side dish comes to you straight from The Redwall Cookbook! I love it because it’s simple and wholesome, just as a Redwall Abbey recipe should be. Plus, the cayenne pepper ties in with our appetizer, and the nuts will tie in beautifully with our dessert! I wasn’t able to snag a copy of the cookbook itself, so I accessed the recipe through The Half Cut Cook.
Deeper ‘n Ever Turnip ‘n Tater ‘n Beetroot Pie
Today, we continue our menu with a Redwall Abbey staple. Mossflower Wood has loads of great entrees to choose from, but this wouldn’t be a Redwall menu without the abbey’s famous Deeper ‘n Ever Turnip ‘n Tater ‘n Beetroot Pie! The ultimate in root veg goodness, this savory pie boasts buttery herb crust and hearty diced vegetable filling, with a flavor reminiscent of Thanksgiving stuffing. And like all recipes eaten by the mice and moles of Redwall, it’s naturally vegetarian…but I won’t fault you if you add some diced chicken to the mix! 😉
Hotroot Soup
Happy September, folks! The heatwaves are behind us. My favorite season is finally here! There’s something about the combination of crisp air, orange leaves, and harvest activities that give fall a special place in my heart. And when it comes to books, nothing captures the essence of autumn like the Redwall series. Cozy, hearty, homemade dishes are the norm there, so I knew a Redwall menu would be the perfect way to kick off fall.