A Short Cut to Mushrooms: Quick, Easy Pan-Roasted Mushrooms

Posted May 17, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

“A Short Cut to Mushrooms” is one of my favorite chapters in Fellowship. It’s when we get a really good look at the nature of hobbits. When Pippin first suggests crossing Farmer Maggot’s land, Frodo doesn’t want to because he was caught stealing mushrooms from Maggot as a child. However, we see a glimpse of hobbit-y good humor when Maggot laughingly remembers the thefts…and his wife later sends a basket of mushrooms with them just for Frodo! We also see the stout-heartedness of hobbits when Farmer Maggot volunteers to take the travelers to the ferry, even though he knows there are dangerous men out looking for Frodo. He stands up bravely to what they think is a Black Rider (but turns out to be Merry in the end). It pulls at my heart that the farmer is willing to risk himself for his neighbors when he owes them nothing.

Long story short: from the moment I first started planning this Lord of the Rings menu, I knew I HAD to have a mushroom recipe. I wanted something quick and easy with only a handful of ingredients—a literal short cut to mushrooms! This recipe is one of my favorites. I use it all the time at home. Just throw the ingredients in a bowl, stir, spread it on a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. It works well in a skillet on the stove top too!

The Road Goes Ever On and On: A Lord of the Rings Reading Kit

Posted May 15, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Reading Kits / 4 Comments

Not gonna lie, creating this reading kit was downright intimidating. There are just SO MANY cool Lord of the Rings items out there! Choosing felt like such a huge task. I actually put off writing this for a week to give me time to thoroughly sort through everything and make sure my kit included only the really good stuff.

I did my best to avoid items that were too obvious or super easy to find, since I figure people don’t need anyone to tell them about Frodo Funko Pops or One Ring replicas. I also avoided super expensive stuff (with two carefully considered exceptions). I focused my efforts on creative, high quality, mostly fan-made items that would make great gifts for the hobbit, wizard, shieldmaiden, or Heir of Isildur in your life. Enjoy! 🙂

Sam Gamgee’s Rabbit Stew and Lembas

Posted May 10, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 6 Comments

We’re doubling up on recipes today! There are SO many awesome foods in Lord of the Rings, so it was the only way I could fit in everything I wanted today make. ^.^ For the stew, I combined a method I found on The Spruce Eats with my own list of ingredients and created what is now one of my new favorite recipes. The meat is savory, mild, and tender (it falls right off the bone!), and the broth is perfectly seasoned. It’s definitely a dish Sam Gamgee would be proud to serve Mister Frodo!

For the lembas, I used a recipe featured on Tea with Tolkien as a jumping off point and experimented with it from there. The original recipe makes a thicker, slightly sweeter cookie with almond pieces in it—which sounds delicious, don’t get me wrong—but I was in the mood for a thinner, simpler cookie. It took a few tries, but I FINALLY came up with a version I loved. It’s delicate and faintly sweet, almost a cross between a cookie and a savory biscuit. The almond-lemon flavor combo is just the sort of subtle, fresh, back-to-nature flavor you’d expect to find in Elven food. Husband and baby loved it too! 🙂

TTT: 10 Beautiful Classic Book Collections

Posted May 8, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Link Up / 0 Comments

Every book lover has a weakness for beautiful books, and I’m no exception. There’s just something about a hardbound illustrated edition with lush cover art and gold-fringed pages that draws me in every time. Over the years, my mom has bought me several beautiful editions of the classics, including a few Barnes & Noble hardcover classics and an Anna Bond illustrated Alice in Wonderland. I’m doing my best to preserve these precious volumes from the destructive grasp of the Little Mister, who has a penchant for tearing paper. So far I’ve been successful, but I don’t think I’ll breath easy until he’s fully grown out of his whirlwind tornado phase (which should be in about 10 years >.<)

When I saw that this week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt involved book covers, I decided to do my own spin on it and write a post devoted to beautiful book collections. Below you’ll find some of the more famous editions—like Barnes & Noble and Penguin—including a few unexpected treats. Feast your eyes on the rich colors and elegant designs, then let me know your favorites in the comments below! 🙂

Tom Bombadil’s White Bread with Basil Butter, Honey, and Berries

Posted May 3, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 5 Comments

Dear Tom Bombadil,

I never got over you being left out of the Lord of the Rings movies. You’ve always been one of my favorite Fellowship characters, quite possibly because you are such an enigma. Even Tolkien himself didn’t claim to know your whole story, though I admit I favor the theory that you represent Adam before the Fall. No matter what your origin may be, you undeniably bring a refreshing touch of charm and joy to a book series that definitely has it’s share of somber moments. As such, I wanted to show my appreciation for you by giving you a place of honor in my Lord of the Rings menu.

As I read Fellowship, the dinner you shared with Frodo and friends sounded sooo wholesome and delicious: white bread, butter, herbs, yellow cream, honeycomb, and berries. I simply couldn’t resist recreating it for myself! I used a white bread recipe developed by Red Star Yeast, which produced a beautiful, soft, smooshy loaf. It paired wonderfully with basil butter, fresh blackberries, and a light drizzle of honey.

A slice of this bread is the perfect start to a wonderful culinary journey. If you ever decide to travel outside your forest and visit the land of Chicago, don’t hesitate to stop by. I’ll put the kettle on, and we’ll munch on homemade bread as you tell me all about Old Man Willow and your adventures in your beautiful forest.

Love,

Ali

P.S. I love your boots.

#LiteraryTeaPartyTime Giveaway: Share Pics of My Recipes for a Chance to Win a Copy of My Cookbook!

Posted May 1, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book Events and Tours / 5 Comments

Wanna hear something crazy? My cookbook is coming out next month! It’s been a long, wonderful, crazy road, and soon my beautiful book baby with the blue scalloped cover will make its debut. It’s scary to send it out into the world, but it’s also wildly exhilarating. I’m an AUTHOR…that’s so…I just…what even? For someone who writes for a living, I can’t seem to string together a sentence that adequately expresses how I feel. All I can say is that it’s some kind of bottomless joy and I NEED to share it!

My editor and I first started discussing giveaways as we finished tweaking the final draft of the book. To be honest, some aspects of the promotion process seem kinda terrifying…like going out into the world IN PERSON and talking to REAL PEOPLE about my book to their FACES. Excuse me while I melt in terror at the thought #IntrovertLife. However, giveaways make me super excited. I love participating in them, so hosting one of my own is a special treat. What’s not to love? Someone gets my book for FREE, and I can’t wait to see all the entries, no matter how difficult choosing between them will be.

So let’s get started! 😀

ENTRY GUIDELINES

HOW TO ENTER:
- I’ve selected 3 recipes from my cookbook and shared links to the instructions below. Make 1 of these recipes and share a photo of it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Google+ with the hashtag #LiteraryTeaPartyTime.
- The post must include the hashtag, the name of the recipe, and a link to this giveaway post. I’ll run a search of the hashtag on each platform regularly, but you can also tag me in your post to be sure I see it right away. I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ (but not Instagram).
- Each person is allowed to submit 1 entry per recipe for a total of 3 possible entries per person.
- The giveaway is open to all countries.
PHOTOS WILL BE JUDGED ON THE FOLLOWING:
- Accuracy of the Recipe. The recipe must be made correctly.
- Quality of the Photograph. You don’t need fancy equipment, but the photograph does need to be in focus, have adequate lighting, and prominently feature the food from the recipe.
- Creativity. Flex that left brain! Your photo could be a closeup on a fun plate, a painstakingly staged food arrangement, an action shot of you chowing down, etc. Don’t be afraid to have fun!
ENTRY DEADLINE: June 5th, 2018 (the day my book comes out!) EDIT: We’ve extended the deadline for 2 weeks to allow early reviewers a chance to participate. The new deadline is now June 19th! 🙂

ENTRY RECIPES

Beorn’s Honey Nut Banana Bread from The Hobbit

Cracked China Deviled Eggs from The Wizard of Oz

Queen of Hearts’ Painted Rose Cupcakes from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

PRIZES

Every good tea deserves a beautiful cup to serve it in, right? That’s why in addition to a free copy of A Literary Tea Party, we’re also offering two custom mugs as prizes, compliments of Kaitlyn from the blog and Etsy store Tea with Tolkien. One mug is green and says “Tea with Tolkien,” and the other is blue and says “Lattes with Lewis.” I absolutely love them and am sorely tempted to keep them for myself. They’re sturdy and beautiful with rich colors, and something about them just says FILL ME WITH A HOT BEVERAGE RIGHT NOW PLEASE! 🙂

1st PRIZE: A free SIGNED (!!!) copy of A Literary Tea Party and a mug from the Tea with Tolkien store

2nd PRIZE: A mug from the Tea with Tolkien store and a “Hobbit at Heart” Sticker

Here we go, folks! Ready…Set…#LiteraryTeaPartyTime! 🙂

Bruce Bogtrotter’s Chocolate Cake

Posted April 26, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 1 Comment

There is only one true dessert anyone could ever create for a Matilda menu: Bruce Bogtrotter’s Chocolate Cake! I’ve made my fair share of chocolate cakes in my day, but this one was almost intimidating because it’s just so iconic. It’s practically synonymous with Matilda. I absolutely could NOT get Bruce’s cake wrong. So I hunted high and low for a cake recipe that I new would stand up to the massive dimensions of Bruce’s cake. In the book, it’s 18 inches across, but since that wouldn’t fit in my oven, I went with the size of my largest pan: 10 inches. Still a pretty darn big cake, and one that I wanted to make sure would be stay moist despite having to bake longer than a small cake.

For the actual “cake” part of the cake, I used a recipe I found through Good Housekeeping. It promised to be super rich and moist, which was perfect. What surprised me was that, unlike many intense chocolate cakes I’ve seen, this one didn’t use coffee. I saw a way to sub out part of the buttermilk for regular milk mixed with instant coffee granules, so I made the change. And I’m so glad I did! The cake was that much more chocolatey, and even though you can’t taste the coffee itself, the added depth of flavor helps balance all the sweetness in the cake.

For the frosting, I tried a twist on my own chocolate buttercream. Instead of milk, I used sour cream, which added moisture while making the final product lighter and fluffier than milk would. Plus, I added a bit of cinnamon for a little somethin’ special. The final cake was just what I was looking for: a rich, luxurious chocolate cake with a frosting that matched it for intensity of flavor yet contrasted it with a smooth, light texture.

Of course, a 10-inch, 2-layer cake is too huge for just the Mister and me, so I sent half of it to work with him. It got rave reviews, especially the frosting, so I think it’s safe to say this cake is worthy of Bruce Bogtrotter. Enjoy! 🙂

Bruce’s Chocolate Cake Tea

Posted April 24, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Teas / 4 Comments

Chocolate teas are among my favorites, so I when I had a chance to make a chocolate cake tea blend for my Matilda menu inspired by Bruce Bogtrotter’s chocolate cake, I pounced on it without hesitation. Of course, an average chocolate tea wouldn’t do. I wanted something intense and complex, befitting Bruce’s legendary cake. So after starting with a plain chocolate tea as my base, I added chocolate honeybush and just a hint of mocha nut mate. The honeybush opens up the flavors, allowing you to experience their full range, and the mocha flavor makes it all stronger. If there was ever chocolate cake in a teacup, this is it. So drink up—before Trunchbull catches you! 😉

Miss Honey’s Whole Wheat Honey Oat Bread

Posted April 19, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 4 Comments

When Matilda goes to visit her teacher, Miss Honey, she’s served a simple snack of brown bread with margarine and tea. It’s the first time Matilda visits her beloved teacher’s home, and she’s understandably distressed that Miss Honey lives in a bare-bones cottage with little food. However, the thing that stood out to me most wasn’t Miss Honey’s dire living situation; it was her reaction to it. She has no refrigerator or real stove but doesn’t seem to mind. She serves Matilda but eats nothing herself, cheerfully insisting she’s not hungry because she eats a large lunch at school every day.

This seems a little sad at first, as if she’s just putting on a brave face for Matilda’s sake, but when we learn what the cottage represents to her, we realize that it’s truly precious, even with its shortcomings. As she and Matilda have tea, Miss Honey explains that she rented the cottage to get away from her cruel aunt. We get the impression that her freedom is so important to her that her circumstances don’t bother her as much as they might. Deep down, she feels the pain of privation, but her current life is the first step into something better. In this moment, we see that Miss Honey is made of sterner stuff than we might have imagined, and it only makes us love her all the more. And at the end of the book when Miss Honey’s inheritance is finally returned to her, we see her and Matilda having tea—with real butter and jam on their bread!

Miss Honey’s bread is one of my favorite aspects of the book, because it’s used as a symbol of both difficulty and triumph. I knew it would be the perfect side dish for my Matilda menu. The bread in the book isn’t described in much detail (beyond being brown), so I decided to go with something simple and hearty with a touch of honey: this whole wheat honey oatmeal bread from Girl Versus Dough. It’s one of the easier breads I’ve made, and the hint of sweetness made it just right. Serve with butter and tea, and you’re all set! 🙂

TTT: 10 Famous Quotes About the Power of Reading (Part 2!)

Posted April 17, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Link Up / 0 Comments

A few weeks ago, I did a Top Ten Tuesday post with 10 quotes about the power of reading. Instead of just typing them up in a post and calling it a day, I decided to make graphics for them…and I so much fun hunting down the quotes and making the pictures that I decided to do it again for this week’s freebie Top Ten Tuesday post! After all, I couldn’t possibly narrow down the best reading quotes to just ten, could I? 😉

It’s oddly soothing picking out my favorite book pictures (I get them from two creative commons sites: Pexels and Unsplash) and pairing them with the perfect font. I think it’s just nice to make something pretty every once in a while. 🙂 I may do more of these kinds of quote posts in the future, though with different themes, so let me know if you’d like to see more in the future!