Sparky’s Meat Pies

Posted November 21, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Today’s recipe is inspired by my all-time favorite BLUEY episode: Tradies! In this episode, some tradesmen (called “tradies” in Australia) come to Bluey’s house to install a fish pond in the backyard, and Bluey and Bingo spy on them. They learn that a tradie called Sparky loves meat pies, but someone called “me missus” (who they believe is his enemy) won’t let him eat them. So the girls leave a meat pie with a ketchup smiley face out for him as a surprise.

This recipe mostly comes from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats. I made a few minor tweaks to the pie filling to suit my tastes and used my own pie crust recipe for the pie base. The original recipe calls for store bought, which is definitely a viable option (it’s certainly faster), but I decided to include a from-scratch crust option if you want to go that route.

These turned out amaaazing! The filling was rich and satisfying, and the pastry was flaky and delicious. My son especially loved these! However, these pies take quite a while to make, so if you’re planning on making these for a crowd (like for a Bluey-themed birthday party), I recommend making the filling a couple days ahead and chilling it. Then you can make the pastry, assemble, and bake the day before. These pies can be reheated in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 🙂

Bluey’s Pumpkin Seeds and Bingo’s “Edna-damee” Beans

Posted November 7, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

I have a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, so of course Bluey is extremely popular at our house. If you’re a fan too, you’ve probably noticed there are lots of delicious foods in the show. I’ve been compiling a Bluey menu in the back of my mind for almost a year now, waiting until enough episodes came out that I could get a good sense of the most iconic Bluey foods. Now it’s time to bring them all to life! Let’s start with an appetizer.

Coming up with an appetizer was probably the hardest, since I wanted to stick with kid-friendly finger foods, like you would have a Bluey-themed kids’ party. I decided to do a combo recipe of two foods mentioned in the show: Bluey’s pumpkin seeds and Bingo’s edamame beans. Both foods are ones that the girls are reluctant to try at first but wind up enjoying.

In the episode “Granddad,” Bluey is unwilling to eat the pumpkin seeds her mom gives her as a snack until her granddad helps her realize how important it is to take care of your body, especially as you get older. In the episode, Bluey’s pumpkin seeds appear to be plain, but I decided to toast mine with honey, brown sugar, and sesame seeds—inspired by my favorite Sahale snack mix.

In the episode “Pavlova,” Bingo is reluctant to try edamame beans, the name of which both she and Bluey struggle to pronounce. The girls always call them something different, such as “eda-mommy” and “edna-damee.” Bluey and Bandit create a pretend French restaurant to try to encourage Bingo to try the beans, but despite all their efforts, she doesn’t try them until they get distracted and she can do it without pressure. Since my pumpkin seed recipe was sweet, I decided to take my edamame beans in a savory direction, toasting them with garlic and ginger.

These are both super quick and easy, perfect appetizers for a Bluey birthday party!

BEATRICE’S DIRT: Pudding Cups with Marzipan Mushrooms, Edible Moss, Frog Gummies, and Pumpkin Candies

Posted October 24, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

When we meet Beatrice’s bluebird family in OVER THE GARDEN WALL, her mother continually reminds everyone to “eat some dirt,” even going so far as to spoon feed it to Wirt. It’s never explained why she fixates on this, though it could be a reference to the fact that some birds eat sand and grit to help grind up their food. I loved the idea of making pudding and Oreo dirt cups for my OTGW dessert, but of course I wanted to jazz it up a little bit!

Instead of topping the cups with gummy worms, I decided to decorate them with stuff from the show: gummy frogs and candy pumpkins! Originally I did chocolate rocks too, but I decided they made it all look too busy in the pictures (you can definitely add the chocolate rocks to yours though!). To make the top of the pudding cups look more like the forest floor of the Unknown, I added a bed of edible moss and some morel mushrooms sculpted from homemade marzipan! I got the idea for the moss from a cake I saw by Must Love Herbs (you should seriously check out all her cakes—they’re sooo beautiful!).

My kids loved these pudding cups! My son, a big marzipan fan, especially loved the mushrooms. These were so fun to make, and I love that all the decorations are little throwbacks to the show. Perfect for an OVER THE GARDEN WALL watch party!

Autumn Popcorn: Apple Pie Popcorn with Maple Candied Walnuts

Posted October 10, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

It’s time for the next installment in my OVER THE GARDEN WALL menu! My original plan was to make the banana nut duck bread from the show. I baked my go-to banana bread recipe in a set of 3D duck ice molds, which tasted good but came out looking reeeeeally ugly. * sigh * Ain’t that just the way?

I panicked a little at that point, because I didn’t have a backup plan. I scoured the internet, searching for other food references in the show. I came across a reference to a character called Corn on the Cob, who is literally an anthropomorphized corn cob. He appears in TOME OF THE UNKNOWN, the short film that preceeded OVER THE GARDEN WALL and is set in the same world with most of the same characters. Corn on the Cob plays in a band in the Big City, but he has to stop playing when he starts to feel ill and pops into popcorn. I loved the idea of making an autumn-themed popcorn inspired by the seasonal aesthetic of the show, so Apple Pie Popcorn was born!

I started with my standard popcorn recipe, adding a bit of apple pie spice. Then I made some apple chips using the recipe from my Treasure Island menu. Then I threw in some maple candied walnuts, a variation on the walnuts from my butterscotch chocolate cake recipe. I love how it all combined together. I think my favorite part was the walnuts. I just love the crunch and sweetness they add!

P.S. I just learned that this is the 10 year anniversary of OVER THE GARDEN WALL, and Cartoon Network is planning something to celebrate (to be announced Nov. 3rd). I’m so excited! Any guesses what it will be? I’m thinking another short like TOME OF THE UNKNOWN.

Pottsfield Pumpkin Waffles with Apple Cider Syrup

Posted September 26, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

In the second episode of OVER THE GARDEN WALL, Wirt and Greg visit is a village called Pottsfield, which is populated by what appear to be people with corn husk bodies and pumpkin heads. These pumpkin people are celebrating their annual harvest festival. They become suspicious of the boys, who say they are “just passing through.” According to the pumpkin people, no one passes through Pottsfield.

Their eery and overbearing leader, Enoch, gives the boys the task of digging in a barren field. When they accidentally dig up some skeletons, Wirt is convinced they’re being made to dig their own graves, but then the skeletons become animated and joyously join the pumpkin people, who welcome them. Wirt and Greg realize all the pumpkin people are actually skeletons in costume. They are invited to stay in Pottsfield but insist they must continue on through the forest. Many fans of the show consider Pottsfield to be an allegory for purgatory, partially because Enoch assures the boys as he bids them goodbye, “you’ll join us one day.”

Pottsfield is one of the most iconic locations in OVER THE GARDEN WALL, so I knew I had to make a pumpkin recipe for this menu! Pumpkin waffles immediately came to mind, maybe because I’ve never made waffles for the blog before (I’m not sure how that happened, because I LOVE waffles). This particular recipe is mostly based on a recipe by Sally’s Baking Addiction, but I tweaked it a bit to make it my own.

For some extra fun, I made a special syrup to go with it: apple cider syrup! It took lots of experimenting to get the recipe just right, but it was worth it! It’s sooo easy and delicious, and perfect for fall. The perfect tribute to the people of Pottsfield.

Story Crumbs: A Review

Posted September 19, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours, Book of the Month Recipes, Uncategorized / 0 Comments

This post is sponsored by Story Crumbs. I was given two free cookie mixes in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

I recently stumbled across an Etsy shop called Story Crumbs, which sells cookie mixes inspired by fictional characters. Not only do they have mixes inspired by classic lit like LITTLE WOMEN and ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but they also make mixes for newer books like CINDER and THE CRUEL PRINCE. You can even design and name your own custom mix, perfect for authors wanting to promote an upcoming book!

I emailed the owner, Amanda, and asked if she would be willing to do a co-promotion, and she said yes! A couple short weeks later, I was in my kitchen making two of her classic lit cookie mixes: the Alice and the Jo. I chose these because I have menus inspired by ALICE IN WONDERLAND and LITTLE WOMEN in my most recent cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC. I also wanted to try these two mixes because the flavors are very different from each other, offering a good example of the range of flavors available.

Now let’s review some cookies! 😀

Potatoes and Molasses: Molasses and Soy Glazed Potatoes

Posted September 12, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Last year I watched OVER THE GARDEN WALL and loooved it. If you haven’t heard of the show, it’s a cartoon mini series aimed toward adults in which two young brothers, Wirt and Greg, are lost in an eerie, magical forest called the Unknown. Considered by many to be a modern retelling of Dante’s INFERNO, the show follows the boys as they try to find their way home, encountering danger, monsters, and new friends along the way. OVER THE GARDEN WALL is known for its strong use of symbolism and old-timey art style (which reminded me of the 1929 Walt Disney short Skeleton Dance), as well as its autumnal aesthetic, muted color scheme, and hauntingly beautiful folk Americana music. It’s an annual autumn rewatch for many fans like me, so I decided to make a menu for it!

There’s lots of food in the show, but perhaps the most iconic dish is potatoes and molasses, which is served during Episode 3 in a schoolhouse attended by small animals. Greg sees how sad the animals are eating plain mashed potatoes every day for lunch, so he comes up with the idea to add some molasses and sings them a song about it.

Lots of food blogs have already made film-accurate versions of potatoes and molasses (I especially like this recipe by Feast of Starlight), so I decided to make a re-imagined version. I liked the idea of doing fried potatoes with a sweet and salty glaze, kind of in the style of Korean gamja bokkeum, so I went in that direction. I coated my potatoes with cornstarch to give them a delicate crispness when fried, then tossed them in a glaze of molasses, soy sauce, and garlic.

They’re sooo satisfying: sweet and salty on the outside with a warm and tender center. The perfect snack to sustain you as you travel through the Unknown in OVER THE GARDEN WALL!

Donwell Abbey Strawberry Tea

Posted August 29, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Teas / 0 Comments

Since there’s an extra Thursday this month, I get to do a bonus post! Sometimes I make a cocktail, but this time I decided I really wanted to make a new tea blend. I haven’t made one since my Twenty Thousand Leagues Tea last year, and I miss it a lot. So let’s get brewing!

If you’re new around here, you may not know that I have a set of custom tea blends on Adagio Teas (of which I am an affiliate member). I used to make a new one for almost every menu, but now I have over 50 blends! So these days I only make a new tea if I feel truly inspired.

Since this tea is inspired by EMMA, I instantly knew that I wanted it to be strawberry flavored, as a nod to the afternoon Emma spends picking strawberries at Donwell Abbey. I added summer rose because it evokes a sense of romance and Regency elegance. To round it all off, I included a bit of cream tea for balance. And Donwell Abbey Strawberry Tea was born!

With both the flavor and the aroma, you get a strong combination of strawberry and rose with a hint of creaminess in the background. Just right for tea time in the summer sun with your favorite Jane Austen novel!

Sound delicious? You can order it here!

Mrs. Barry’s Humble Pie from EAT LIKE A HEROINE

Posted August 22, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours, Book of the Month Recipes, Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Two years ago, I was lucky enough to have one of my cookbooks mentioned on the EAT LIKE A HEROINE podcast, hosted by Lorilee Craker and Jenny Williams. I love that there’s a whole podcast out there devoted to the role of food in fiction! When I discovered they were publishing a book named for their podcast, I contacted them right away to see if I could write a review.

EAT LIKE A HEROINE is part literary analysis, part cookbook. Each chapter focuses on a different way food is used in fiction (such as to provide hospitality or comfort) and ends with a recipe that fits the theme of the chapter. I especially enjoyed the chapter about fictional picnics, since that is the theme of my latest cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC. I also love that the book is not just designed to be read but used; it has interactive sections like journal pages, activity ideas, and personal challenges to help you get the most out of the book.

But, of course, this is a recipe blog, so you probably eager to hear about the recipes! I had such a hard time choosing which one to make. Louisa May Alcott’s Apple Slump sounded so yummy, and the Jane Austen-era Marizpan Hedgehog sounded adorable! But I finally decided on Mrs. Barry’s Humble Pie inspired by ANNE OF GREEN GABLES. I chose it partially because I have an ANNE OF GREEN GABLES menu in my picnic cookbook, but also because I looove chocolate pies. I’ve made French silk pie in the past, which is very similar to this pie recipe, so I was curious to see which I liked better.

This pie was easy to throw together and super delicious: rich, chocolatey, and unbelievably light. In fact, I think it will become my new go-to chocolate pie, since it’s just as delicious as the French silk recipe I use, but easier and faster to make. I’ve included the recipe below so you can give it a try yourself. With the coziness of fall just around the corner, now is the perfect time to read about fictional food and bring some of it to life.

EAT LIKE A HEROINE is out now and available through Amazon, Commonplace Books, and End Game Press.

P.S. All the artwork in the book is done by co-author Jenny Williams, and her style fits the tone of the book so well: light-hearted, fun, cozy, and thoughtful. It’s just too good not to mention. Now let’s make some pie!

Strawberry Syllabub

Posted August 15, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Deciding what to make for my EMMA dessert was difficult—but in a delightful way. I knew I wanted a Regency-inspired strawberry dessert as a nod to the afternoon Emma spends picking strawberries at Donwell Abbey, but there were so many wonderful options it was hard to choose!

The Regency era boasts a plethora of delicious desserts, many with adorable names like “flummery,” “fruit fool,” and “syllabub.” I already made strawberry fool for the new extended edition of my cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC, so I decided to do a twist on syllabub for this post. I took some inspiration from Max Miller’s Everlasting Syllabub on Tasting History and the elderflower whipped cream from my Poppy Eyebright Wedding Cake recipe.

Most syllabubs contain whipped cream (or sometimes egg white), slightly sweet alcohol, citrus, and sugar. If fruit is involved, it’s usually set on top or layered with the syllabub. That reminded me too much of strawberry fool, so I decided to make a strawberry jam and fold it through the syllabub. This resulted in a beautiful light pink pigment. I love how it turned out!