Beef Stew with Bread Bowls

Posted September 13, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

It seems strange to think that in almost 5 years of blogging, I’ve never done a post on beef stew. In fact, I couldn’t believe it at first. When it became clear to me while reading Sarah Plain and Tall that beef stew was the most prominent entree, I automatically started hunting through the blog to see which version I’d already made…only to my options wide open! (However, our rabbit and lamb stews are delicious, so I’d check those out as well).

So for my very first beef stew post, I’m sharing a recipe from my childhood. This Old-Time Beef Stew recipe from Better Homes and Gardens is the one my mom uses, and it’s what I think of whenever I imagine beef stew. In fact, she was visiting us while I made it, so she was able to give me a few pro tips to pass on to you guys for the ultimate stew experience!

I love how this simple, savory recipe allows the three main ingredients—beef, carrots, and potatoes—to shine, each without overshadowing the other. The beef is tender and juicy, while the carrots are sweet and the potatoes are their wonderful, humble selves. It’s exactly the kind of stew I can imagine the Whittings eating as they read their letters from Sarah!

Farmer’s Cheese

Posted September 6, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Guys, I made CHEESE!! 😀 I’ve been inching my way towards trying cheesemaking for years, and this week I found just the right recipe to inspire me to take the plunge. And it was fun! I’m so glad I did it, and I’m definitely doing it again.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s focus: new book menu. Starting today, we’ve got a new book of the month, and it’s Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan! I read it beginning to end on a long car ride a couple months ago, and I just knew I had to make a menu for it.

Much like my Little House on the Prairie menu, I wanted this one to feature rustic foods inspired by farm life. I knew homemade cheese would make a perfect appetizer, but I didn’t want anything too complicated. Cheesemaking has simultaneously fascinated and intimidated me for ages, so as much as I wanted to try it, I avoided recipes with scary words like “rennet” and “calcium chloride.” After all, I figured farmers like Jacob Whitting in Sarah Plain and Tall often had to make do with little, so I wanted a cheese that I could make with just some basic ingredients.

That’s when I found out about farmer’s cheese. It’s a simple, relatively quick cheese that, though pretty flavorless on its own, is fantastic when you mix a few choice seasonings into the base. There are several varieties, but I like this version from Pocket Pause. It’s one of the more basic recipes I’ve seen, and it turned out great on my first try! It’s a little like feta, except denser and less tart. Depending on how long you drain it, it can have a similar crumbly texture to feta or be a bit more spreadable. I spread some on bread for a quick snack, but you can also crumble it on a top of a salad, serve it on roasted vegetables, or put it in a sandwich.

Calvin’s Snow Goon Truffles

Posted August 30, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Back when I first started planning my Calvin and Hobbes menu, the idea of a snow goon themed recipe easily made the short list. I wasn’t sure exactly what form it would take, but I knew the adorably horrific snowmen from Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons simply HAD to be in my menu. They’re too iconic to ignore!

I played around with a few ideas before settling on Golden Oreo snowman truffles, and although I loved the final product, the fact that this post exists is proof of my devotion to the snow goons. I ran into SO. MANY. ROADBLOCKS.

On my first try, the candy melts I’d chosen wound up being WAY too clumpy for dipping truffles. I tried again with some off-brand white chocolate chips I had on hand, and the results were even worse. On my third try, I rolled the truffles in powdered sugar, but it soaked right in, leaving them sandy-colored. I considered dipping them in almond bark, but the brand my store carried was very yellow (not snowy enough for these truffles).

Not gonna lie, I was tempted to play my “I’m Moving this Month” card and just skip the goons, since they were a bonus recipe. But the idea of finishing this menu without snow goons made me too sad. Luckily, my mom came to visit for a few days to watch the toddler while I packed for the move. She suggested going with Tollhouse white chocolate chips, since that’s what she normally uses for truffles and never has issues with clumping. I gave it a try, and they were PERFECT. Just what I’d hoped for from the beginning. Thanks, Mom! 🙂

Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs

Posted August 23, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

If there’s one iconic food from the Calvin and Hobbes comics, it’s Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Calvin eats three bowls every Saturday for breakfast, and it’s hinted throughout the comics that it could be linked to his hyperactivity and short attention span. With its astronomical sugar and caffeine content, this is one intense cereal, and Calvin scoops on EXTRA sugar to boot! The C&H comics that feature Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs are some of my favorites, so of course I chose it as the dessert for our menu. 🙂

I started out with a pretty healthy homemade version of Cocoa Puffs from SheKnows.com. I added sugar to the recipe to amp up the sweetness and coated the cereal pieces in powdered sugar before baking to get that frosted look. The final result was a sweet treat which, thanks to the cocoa powder in the original recipe, had a rich fudgy chocolate flavor.

So pour yourself a bowl or three and chow down on Calvin’s favorite cereal!

NOTE: Apologies to all the email subscribers who accidentally got an email last week containing a post from next month’s menu. My computer was being spazzy, and when I hit “Save Draft” it decided to publish instead ?. I took down the post right away, so I don’t think anyone else saw it. At least you guys have an edge when I send out my photo hint about the new menu on social media next month, right? 😉

Calvin’s Snowballs: Popcorn Balls in 3 Flavors

Posted August 16, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

The winter story lines are some of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. I love reading about Calvin’s crazy snowmen, toboggan trips, and resentful driveway shoveling. I also love how Calvin elevated the standard snowball fight to a high art. He made snow fortresses, packed gravel into some of his snowballs for extra sting, and even wrote a poem called The Snowball Prayer.

When I think of snowball-like food, I think of popcorn balls. So in honor of Calvin’s snowballs, I decided to make homemade popcorn balls in kid-approved flavors. Using a recipe for marshmallow popcorn balls I found on Creations by Kara, I created my own trio of flavors:

Trail Mix: Peanuts, raisins, and M&Ms
PB&J: Peanut butter, peanuts, and dried strawberries
Blueberry Banana: Dried blueberries and banana chips

These were really fun and easy to throw together. The Mister brought them to a BBQ for work, and they were a big hit! I think the PB&J is my favorite, but the trail mix is a close second. So whip yourself up a batch the next time you’re craving a snack…or a snowball fight! 😉

Totally Homemade PB&J: A Classic Sandwich with Homemade Ingredients

Posted August 9, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

In Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin’s ongoing battle with his mother about food is the stuff of legend. He refuses to eat the homemade dinners she painstakingly prepares, and he loves to fantasize that the sandwich she packs for his school lunch every day is filled with something more exciting (like squid). As a former kid and a current mom, I find myself sympathizing with both parties as I read about their mealtime spats. I remember being a little kid who was grossed out by “weird grownup food” and didn’t understand why I couldn’t have hotdogs for every meal, but now I know the struggle of having my own kid—one who, if I let him, would live on Lucky Charms and ice cream.

This struggle is perfectly shown in the comic’s Dec. 24th, 1988 strip, in which Calvin gives very specific and demanding instructions for how he wants his peanut butter sandwich prepared, only to have his mother prepare it her own way. Today’s recipe is a nod to that strip: a PB&J sandwich made with completely homemade ingredients. PB&J is a classic kids’ favorite, but the wholesome, all-natural ingredients make it a lunch moms can feel good about too.

The white bread recipe from my Lord of the Rings menu makes two loaves, so I actually already had a frozen loaf on hand for this recipe. The strawberry jam recipe is the same one I used for my Hercule Poirot breakfast post. I thought about trying something new for the jam, but I love this version so much that I didn’t think I’d find another that was up to snuff. As for the peanut butter, it’s a quick 5-minute, 2-ingredient version I found on Pinch of Yum. It’s so easy and healthy, I might not buy store-bought peanut butter ever again!

So whether you’re a 6-year-old picky eater or a mom who regularly begs her kid to just try ONE bite, dig in. There’s lots for everyone to love about this sandwich! 🙂

Tiger Stripe Popsicles

Posted August 2, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 1 Comment

Welcome to our Calvin and Hobbes menu! I’ve been looking forward to this one for a REALLY long time. I’ve been a Calvin and Hobbes junky since I was a kid, so making a menu for it has been on my Must Do list ever since I started the blog. However, like my Lord of the Rings menu, I wanted to wait until my cooking skills had come far enough for me to do it justice.

Our first recipe this month is a tribute to Hobbes and his dashing tiger stripes. They’re the subject of many a poem in the comics, so of course I wanted to make a recipe for them here. I’ve seen lots of tiger stripe breads, cupcakes, and cookies online, but I wanted to do something a little different. Since it’s been UNGODLY hot out lately, I’ve been craving frozen treats, so I decided to make popsicles!

As an appetizer, this recipe needed to be healthy, so I used fresh fruit to make the stripes in these tiger stripe popsicles. The white stripes are dragon fruit, orange are mango, and black are blueberry! Enjoy! 🙂

Dragon Flame Meringue Cookies

Posted July 26, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Time for our Wizard of Earthsea dessert! While I was developing this menu, I knew I wanted to have a recipe dedicated to the dragons. There isn’t a specific one mentioned in the book, and none of the savory ideas I came up with felt right. Then I thought of making a flame-themed dessert.

One of the tricky things about blogging for almost 5 years is that sometimes the ideas you get for new recipes are too similar to something you’ve posted in the past. Flame cupcakes were the first thing that came to mind, but I made them before for my Hunger Games menu and couldn’t think of a way to make a second version unique enough. Then cookies came to mind, but plain old sugar cookies just felt too boring.

Then I thought of meringue! It’s one of my favorite desserts to play with, and I loved that meringue cookies would allow me to make tiny 3D clusters of flame. I whipped up my favorite meringue recipe (a combo of the instructions from my baked Alaska post and this Taste of Home recipe) and started experimenting—and came up with these little beauties! They were SO fun to make. I love that each one is different. It makes you want to take the time to really look at and appreciate them before you take a bite. Enjoy! 🙂

Enchanted Breadstick Arrows from the Island of Roke

Posted July 19, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

I wanted to continue this month’s Wizard of Earthsea menu with a fun little item we hear about during Ged’s revelry with his friends at a festival on the wizards’ island, Roke. The boys are playing around with various spells, and as Ged’s friend Vetch causes the leftover chicken bones from his dinner to turn into owls and fly around, Ged uses magic to fashion breadcrumb arrows that he sends after the birds. I loved the idea of bread arrows, so I created a recipe for Parmesan garlic basil breadsticks using premade pizza dough and added arrowheads with some extra dough.

They turned out delicious! Everyone in our family loved them, especially the baby. He wouldn’t let me walk by the tupperware container I had them in without grunting and reaching for a piece. I’d say that’s a pretty rave review! 😉

Shadow Monster Black Bean Soup

Posted July 12, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments

For my Wizard of Earthsea menu this month, I really loved the idea of making a recipe in honor of Ged’s shadow monster, the otherworldly beast he unleashes when he accidentally creates a tear in reality trying to call on dead spirits (y’know…as you do). The monster was a wonderfully spooky antagonist, and its introduction was what really pulled me into the story.

A black food sounded perfect for a shadow monster, and I LOVE black bean soup. This particular recipe from Umami Girl became a quick favorite of mine. Both the ingredients list and the instructions are short and simple, and it’s delicious while keeping the flavors focused on the beans themselves. And it tastes great when paired with with breadsticks!