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! 🙂

 

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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.

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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

Black Book on Brown Floor

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

Pencils in Stainless Steel Bucket

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

White and Green Ceramic Floral Mug

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 Snacksâ„¢. 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

Silver Ipad on Silver Macbook Pro

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

gray concrete cross statue

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!

 

Mirror Shard Mini Ice Cream Cakes from The Snow Queen

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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Meringue Swans from “The Ugly Duckling”

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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Update to January Blog Plans

Posted December 26, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Book of the Month Recipes, Holidays / 0 Comments

 

 

Hello, folks! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Just checking in to do a post-Christmas update to January blog plans, then I’m off to thoroughly enjoy a relaxing cup of tea and downtime with the kids. 😊

As many of you may recall, I’ve chosen Hans Christian Andersen as my next recipe inspiration, and I’m taking a poll to determine which of his stories I should make recipes for (you can vote here—poll closes January 1st!). I’ll make recipes for whichever 3 stories get the most votes, and I’ll post 1 recipe per month in January-March. Lots of you have been voting, which is amazing! Thank you! 😀

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Polar Express Hot Chocolate with Gingerbread Marshmallows

Posted December 5, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Holidays / 0 Comments

 


In just a few short weeks, we’ll come to the end of not just another year, but a whole decade. It’s crazy to think how much things change in that amount of time. A decade ago I was 21, halfway through college, and working 3 jobs to pay tuition. I was SUPER busy. Now I’m married with 2 kids, a mortgage, and a food blog. Last year I achieved one of my life goals: getting a book published by the time I turned 30 (though I’ll admit when I first set that goal, I thought I’d be writing fiction instead of cookbooks!). And I’ve got another book coming out next September, so…still super busy. I guess things don’t change THAT much. 😆

These blessings have definitely enriched my life, but they’ve brought a lot of chaos too, which is why I want to close out 2019 with a cozy, soul-nurturing recipe–something to prepare me for Christmas and fortify me for a new decade. This got me thinking about “The Polar Express,” which I’ve wanted to feature on the blog for ages. The kids in the book drink hot chocolate on the train on their way to the North Pole, and NOTHING says “cozy and soul-nuturing” like hot chocolate! ^.^

For my inspiration, I used a hot chocolate I once drank a fancy brunch buffet at Drury Lane Theater in Oak Brook Terrace. Folks, it was downright CHUGGABLE. It was sweet but not too sweet, and even though the chocolate flavor was rich, it was more reminiscent of milk chocolate instead of the dark, intense chocolate flavor I usually shoot for with homemade hot chocolate. It was kid-friendly without compromising quality, and that hit all the right notes for me.

Since the book specifically mentions hot chocolate and not hot cocoa, I used chopped up chocolate bars to make it authentic (I recently learned that “hot chocolate” has actual melted chocolate in it while “hot cocoa” uses cocoa powder. The more you know!). I also dialed back the darkness of the chocolate. Most homemade versions call for 70% dark chocolate or darker, but I kept it at 60% to achieve the mellow, approachable quality I wanted. I kept my flavors simple too: just sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. I didn’t use any coffee or cayenne to intensify the chocolate flavor since we’re keeping this kid-friendly, but you can certainly experiment with them if you’re making this for adults (I’d use coffee or cayenne but not both).

The book doesn’t mention marshmallows, but I just finished a marshmallow recipe for my new cookbook and wanted to experiment with unique flavorings. I threw in some gingerbread spices and voilà–the perfect pairing!

NOTE: The marshmallows need to set overnight.

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On Advent and Hans Christian Andersen: My Plans for 2020

Posted December 1, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Holidays / 0 Comments

 

 

Hello, folks! Happy 1st day of Advent. My manuscript deadline fast approaches (Jan. 1st—EEK!), so I’m taking a day to relax before crunch time begins in earnest. This morning I’m enjoying the first tea from the Adagio Teas Advent calendar I got for my birthday and basking in the calming glow of a candle I scent-mixed myself at RiverFront Candle Co. a couple months ago while visiting my sister. The candle is a mix of bourbon, burnt sugar, and leather, and I named it “Brûlée and Books.” ^.^ Here’s to one last quiet morning before I dive deep into book edits! * clinks glasses with you from across the internet *

In the spirit of a new season, I wanted to reflect on the year a bit, share blog plans for the future, and give you a chance to weigh in on my first few recipes of 2020.

With a new baby, new house, and another cookbook to finish, this year has been one of blessings and chaos. Although it was my original plan to go back to my old posting schedule next year (1 recipe/week), I think I really need to take a breather. I’ve decided to stick with the new 1 recipe/month schedule for 1 more year. Hopefully I’ll be able to go back to creating full menus after that (there are so many more I’d like to do!).

I also want to take next year to think about the future of the blog as a whole. With two small children and two books to promote, I don’t want to stretch myself too thin, but I also don’t want to abandon a blog that has been a vital creative outlet and skill builder for me for the past 6 years. This may mean changing the focus and format of the blog in the future, perhaps pivoting to focus on integrating cooking into homeschooling or experimenting with historical cooking techniques and ingredients in the modern home. I may create a survey about this next year to gauge your interest on different subjects. As much as I want to take the blog in a direction I’m passionate about, it’s also important to me create content that has value to you. After all, I’m not just talking to myself out here! 😉

But enough seriousness. It’s time for some fun stuff! Do you remember last January when I did a Grimm’s Fairy Tales menu and let everyone vote on which fairy tales to use? Next year, I’m doing it again, but this time with Hans Christian Andersen! I’ve posted a poll below (plus others on Twitter and Facebook) where you can vote on which Andersen tales you’d like to see me make recipes for. The polls will be up the entire month of December, and you can vote in each poll once, giving you a total of 3 votes. At the end of December, I will tally the votes and make recipes from the top 3 winners. Since I will continue posting once a month, the recipes will go up Jan-March.

Cast your vote, dear readers! May the best fairy tale win. 🙂

What Hans Christian Andersen story should I make a recipe for in 2020?
  • The Ugly Duckling 34%, 41 vote
    41 vote 34%
    41 vote - 34% of all votes
  • Thumbelina 14%, 17 votes
    17 votes 14%
    17 votes - 14% of all votes
  • The Little Mermaid 14%, 17 votes
    17 votes 14%
    17 votes - 14% of all votes
  • The Snow Queen 14%, 17 votes
    17 votes 14%
    17 votes - 14% of all votes
  • The Emperor's New Clothes 8%, 10 votes
    10 votes 8%
    10 votes - 8% of all votes
  • The Steadfast Tin Soldier 8%, 9 votes
    9 votes 8%
    9 votes - 8% of all votes
  • The Red Shoes 7%, 8 votes
    8 votes 7%
    8 votes - 7% of all votes
Total Votes: 119
Voters: 81
December 1, 2019 - January 1, 2020
Voting is closed

NOTES:
- It is possible to vote for multiples (but no more than 3).
- If you decide to add a new fairy tale to the list, be sure it's from Andersen and not Brother's Grimm.
- If you change your mind, don't worry! The poll is set up so you can change your vote if you want.

© Kama

 

Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes: Blueberry Matcha Pancakes from The Good Place

Posted November 7, 2019 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Pop Culture Corner / 2 Comments

 

 

I don’t watch many TV shows these days. With two tiny kids and a cookbook manuscript deadline looming large on the horizon, I just don’t have time to keep up with the new stuff coming out (I haven’t even STARTED the latest season of Stranger Things 😬). Then one night while I was trying to keep myself awake while nursing my baby, I turned on Netflix. And up popped The Good Place.

I don’t even know what happened. Somewhere between thinking “Kristen Bell? Cool, I like her” and “It’s only a 20 minute ep what could it hurt” I was plunged into a wild world of architects, soulmates, and chili babies. It was the light-hearted romp through moral philosophy I didn’t know I needed.

My friend Jess recently shared her own love for The Good Place on FanDummies, a pop culture fan podcast where she is one of the lovely hosts. She mentioned on Twitter that while she was at comic con she visited the actual Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes cafe, a reference to an interdimensional crossroads in the show shortened to the “IHOP”. It’s filled with giant green floating disks (the pancakes), swirling blue chaos, vicious little monsters called Niednagels, and something called the Time-Knife. When I heard Jess got to visit the Good Place IHOP at SDCC, I felt unabashedly jealous. Then it got me thinking…Wouldn’t it be cool to make interdimensional pancakes at home?

They’d have to be blue and green, of course, to match the color scheme of the IHOP in the show. And kinda edgy, since the IHOP is supposed to be dangerous, but they’d have to be delicious too. My answer to this was classic buttermilk pancakes with a twist: I flavored half the batch with matcha to make it green and the other half with homemade blueberry syrup to make it blue. I threw some fresh berries into the batter too.

I was so pleased with the final product. The matcha was evident without being overpowering, and the syrup added distinct blueberry flavor without being too sugary. 

So fire up the griddle and whip up a batch of pancakes from the Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes…and if you suddenly find yourself caught in a swirling vortex between dimensions about to be eaten by a Niednagel or staring down the edge of the Time-Knife, just remember:

EVERYTHING IS FINE.

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