Hamilton Inspired Shots from BREAK AN EGG: THE BROADWAY COOKBOOK!

Posted August 13, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 2 Comments

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Today I’m starting something new and exciting: a post series devoted to fiction-inspired cookbooks!

If you’re a regular around here, you know all about my cookbook, A LITERARY TEA PARTY, filled with yummy teatime recipes inspired by classic literature. You might also know that my next book, A LITERARY HOLIDAY COOKBOOK, comes out next month! I’m super excited, though I must admit that figuring out how to promote this book during the pandemic as been complicated, since I can’t do my usual in-person author events.

I know lots of other authors who have the same problem, in addition to dealing with the chaos of layoffs from their 9-5 jobs, unexpected homeschooling, and/or working from home. I wanted to find a way we could all promote each others’ books without the worries of social distancing, monetary costs, or a huge time investment. My solution: a virtual author event series, right here on my blog!

Strega Nona’s Pasta Buffet

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.

Madeline’s Lemon Madeleines and Blueberry Ice Cream

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

Green Eggs and Ham, All Grown Up: Avocado Deviled Eggs with Sweet and Spicy Bacon

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.

Cookbook Update: Cover Reveal!

Posted May 21, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 2 Comments

Hi, everybody! I haven’t shared an update on my latest cookbook in a while, mostly because my schedule was just PACKED. Finishing the manuscript, keeping up with my normal blog posts, homeschooling my toddler, and wrangling my 1.5-year-old (a speed demon who likes eating rocks and crayons) took every drop of energy I had. If you follow me on social media, I shared quick updates there regarding manuscript submissions and such when I had a spare minute. But now things have FINALLY slowed down! I get to read, keep a normal sleep schedule, and cook for pure fun again.

Just in time too, because now it’s time to share something BIG. Too important for just a quick twitter post. Folks, WE HAVE A COVER! My publishing team has been tweaking it for several weeks, but the finished copy has finally gone to print so I can safely say this is the official cover. Time for the big reveal!

*** drum roll, please ***

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars from “Blueberries for Sal”

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.

Alleluia-In-Place: A Shelter-In-Place Easter Feast

Posted April 8, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Holidays / 0 Comments

“We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song!”
– Pope St. John Paul II, quoting St. Augustine

With shelter-in-place measures extended until May in many states (including my own), people all over the country are trying to come up with ways to celebrate Easter from home on short notice with limited resources. At first, making a big deal (or any kind of deal) about Easter this year might feel a little silly. Surely we should just keep our heads down and focus on getting by, right?

But times like this are when celebrations are most important. We need them to “snap us out of it” and remind us that there’s so much more to life than what’s happening right now. And so much more happening right now than what we’re agonizing over. This is especially true of Easter, as it centers on life and hope.

That’s why this year I want to “Alleluia-in-place” by focusing on bringing joyful hope to my family’s Easter celebration, even if that celebration has limitations. We will wear our Sunday best, attend Mass via livestream, hunt for eggs, Facebook video chat with friends and family, and of course FEAST.

Below, I’ve shared my family’s Easter menu (plus a couple extra options) to offer some ideas if you want to make your own special Easter meal without limited ingredients getting in the way. These recipes avoid common shortage items, so they should all be doable if you have grocery pickup or delivery in your area. If you have to make do with what you currently have at home, you can still probably make the deviled eggs, bread rolls, and maybe a couple others (depending on what you have on hand). I’ve also included a link to my cookbook at the end, which offers even more options. Feel free to comment if you’d like advice on substitutions!

Warm up your singing voices, folks. We’ve got an Alleluia to sing! 🙂

Thumbelina’s Fairy Wing Thumbprint Cookies with Homemade Raspberry Lavender Jam

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.

Last-Minute St. Patrick’s Day Activities for Kids…and Parents Who Didn’t Know They’d Be Homeschooling This Year!

Posted March 17, 2020 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Holidays / 1 Comment

With all the school closures due to the virus outbreak, many families have found themselves temporarily homeschooling. Lots of people I’ve talked to are enjoying the extra time with the kids but struggling to come up with educational activities on such short notice. I found myself in a similar position, albeit for different reasons. We started light homeschooling with the Little Mister earlier this year, but I got a nasty case of food poisoning on Sunday and didn’t have anything ready to go for this week, most notably St. Patrick’s Day.

Last night, I scrambled to throw something together last-minute. I did a few quick internet searches for crafts and ran through the house collecting all the Irish stuff we had…then I sat down and banged out this post really quickly, hoping it might help parents who are temporarily homeschooling due to current events. Or just want something fun and Irish-y to do with their kids today! 🙂

One of the things I love about a holiday-themed school day is that it turns education into a celebration. These last-minute St. Patrick’s Day activities for kids are great if you find yourself unexpectedly homeschooling due to school closures or just want to break up the monotony that can come with current social distancing requirements. If you’ve got a library card, a music app on your phone, some snacks in your cabinets, and construction paper, you can throw together a day’s worth of themed activities, no problem!

BOOKS

We’re reading Jamie O’Rourke and the Big Potato and Fin M’Coul: The Giant of Knockmany Hill. If your child is older, you can even read some of The Confession of St. Patrick, which is translated from Patrick’s original writings, or selections from a book of Irish folktales. These and other Irish-themed stories are available in ebook or audiobook format in most online library systems, where you can check them out instantly and access them on your browser.

CRAFTS

We’ll be creating a simplified version of a leprechaun mask craft from Glamamom.com using construction paper, tape, orange paint, and a paper plate. It works especially well when paired with the Jamie O’Rourke book, since kids can have fun waiting for the leprechaun to appear in the story and putting the mask on whenever he speaks. If your child knows how to read, you can have them play the part of the leprechaun as you read together.

FOOD

You’ve probably figured out that I’m usually all about themed recipes. However, given my recent bout of food poisoning, I’m currently all about not upsetting my stomach, so I didn’t do much in this arena. I literally just raided my cabinets for anything green or orange to present to my children as Special St. Patrick’s Day Snacks™. Green and orange packaging also counted. In the end we wound up with goldfish crackers, dry roasted edamame beans, an apple pie Larabar, and a pumpkin puree pouch (for the baby). A peek in the freezer revealed a bag of spinach muffins I’d forgotten about, so I’m hoping my kids will eat them if I convince them it’s festive.

Another nice way to utilize library ebooks is by checking out Irish-themed cookbooks and discussing the sorts of food you see. If during your quarantine prep shopping you happened to buy the ingredients for something your kid wants to make, go ahead and fire up the stove!

MEDIA

We have Song of the Sea, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Darby O’Gill and the Little People on DVD. All but Roan Inish are available to rent on Amazon, and you may be able to find them through your preferred video streaming service. If not, there are lots of other Irish movies for kids available. The Secret of Kells is a favorite of mine, though the brief scenes with the invaders could be a bit scary for very young children (same goes for the banshee scene in Darby O’Gill). If you’d rather avoid movies, try an Irish folk music station on Pandora or other music streaming service and dance along!

RELIGION & CULTURE

If you are Catholic (our family is), this is obviously a great day to talk about the person of St. Patrick. I like to include other Irish saints too, like St. Brigid or Our Lady of Knock, if we don’t get a chance to observe their individual feast days. We will be praying this shortened version of the St. Patrick’s Breastplate Prayer and listening to the Shining Light podcast episode about him. If you don’t plan on highlighting the religious significance of the day, it can still be a good time to talk about Irish history and culture in general, especially if your family has Irish heritage.

I hope you found some ideas here to help bring your temporary homeschool to life
with minimal stress and lots of fun. Erin go bragh!

Little Mermaid Sea Foam Marshmallows

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!

I hope you found some ideas here to help bring your temporary homeschool to life with minimal stress and lots of fun. Erin go bragh!

I hope you found some ideas here to help bring your temporary homeschool to life
with minimal stress and lots of fun. Erin go bragh!