Sarah’s Sea Glass Candy

Posted September 27, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

 

 

Blue and gray and green. In Sarah Plain and Tall, these are Sarah’s favorite colors because they are the colors of the sea. To wrap up this month’s menu, I wanted to make a dessert reminiscent of Sarah’s home in Maine. I loved the idea of making sea glass candy—especially since sea glass reminds me so much of the little ocean treasures she shows Anna and Caleb—so I decided to go a step farther and make them in Sarah’s favorite colors too!

I used this sea glass candy recipe from Make Life Lovely, which turned out great. The instructions are simple and easy to follow, and the final product is delicious. I’m really pleased with the colors too. They came out with just the right misty, ocean-y feel I was hoping for. And they were delicious! They actually taste a lot like cotton candy. I wouldn’t recommend serving them to very young children since the ends can be a little sharp, but they’re great for older children and adults. We ate them right up! 🙂

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More Big Exciting News!

Posted September 25, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Blogging, Uncategorized / 8 Comments

 

 

I’ve hinted a few times over the past several months about some big news I wanted to share. It’s been hard to keep it a secret, since it’s been a major contributing factor to my difficulty with keeping up on blog stuff, but I wanted to wait until the time was right to spill the beans. That time has finally come, so here’s my big announcement:

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Homemade Bread Bowls

Posted September 20, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

 

 

When I was growing up, my mom liked to make soup, stew, and chili extra special by serving them in bread bowls. It made eating that much more fun for us kids, and mom loved that it cut down on dishes! 😉 When I started working on my Sarah Plain and Tall menu, it became clear to me early on that a nice hearty stew would be my entree. I’ve made a variety of soups, stews, and chowders here on the blog before, so when I tried to think of a way to make this one special, my mind immediately went to bread bowls. They get major nostalgia points from me, and they just contribute so well to the rustic prairie feel I wanted to create for this menu.

Store-bought bread bowls are great if you’re short on time (we always used the Panera sour dough rolls when I was a kid), but making your own can be lots of fun. I tracked down this quick recipe from Taste of Home, and it turned out great! The bread tastes delicious when you fill it with stew or thick soup, but I enjoy it sliced up with a spread of homemade farmer’s cheese too!

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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!

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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.

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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! 🙂

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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? 😉

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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! 😉

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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! 🙂

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