In The Hunger Games, the Capitol offers some great dishes—chicken with creamy orange sauce, fluffy dinner rolls, and even pumpkin soup. These all sound delicious, but I knew the best entree for our menu would be lamb stew with dried plums, since it’s Katniss’ favorite Capitol dish…and Cesar Flickerman’s too!
Prim’s Basil and Goat Cheese Bites
So excited for our new Book of the Month: The Hunger Games! I’ve loved both the books and the movies, and since Mockingjay Part 1 is coming out later this month, it seemed like the perfect time for a Hunger Games menu. Luckily, the books feature so many recipes, any difficulty in developing a menu comes from the sheer number of options.
November Book of the Month Hint
Happy November! I hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween. We had SNOW on Friday, which I was super excited about, because I’m a weirdo who derives an unhealthy amount of enjoyment from cold weather (Need proof? The Mister once seriously proposed that we move to Alaska…and I thought it was a great idea).
Halloween Bonus Post: Edible Bug Taste Test!
Our Dracula menu has drawn to a close, but I’d like to leave you with one more awesome Halloween edible before the big holiday tomorrow. As you may recall, we’ve already made blue corn Spider Chips for Halloween, so for the brave souls out there, I decided to add some REAL bugs to the menu.
Monster Mash Moon Pies: An Alison’s Wonderland Original Recipe ©
To me, black and white monster movies are the best part of Halloween. I love Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, of course, but The Wolfman also holds a special place in my heart. And don’t even get me started on Frankenstein.
Garlic Fang Fries
If there’s anything more synonymous with vampires than stakes, it’s garlic. I knew if garlic didn’t make an appearance in this menu, I could never again call myself a Dracula fan with good conscience. Luckily, these cheesy garlic potato wedges by Chungah suggested themselves right away. Crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, with a punch of garlic and red pepper to liven them up–they’re the perfect side dish to serve alongside our Robber Stakes!
Robber “Stakes”: An Alison’s Wonderland Original Recipe ©
Sometimes, it’s easy to feel like an author has you in mind when you read a passage in a book. For me, those passages usually involve food. 😉
In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, a common Transylvanian dish is robber steak: grilled beef kabobs with bacon, red pepper, and onions. How could I pass up a dish so perfectly tailored for someone like me, looking to include stakes in a vampire-themed Halloween menu? It’s also the perfect entree to accompany our spider chips and salsa!
Renfield’s Spiders: Blue Corn Tortilla Chips & Transylvanian Salsa
I’ve been looking forward to starting this menu for ages! I just read Dracula this past year, and it easily became one of my favorite books. I love the noble characters, gripping suspense, and quietly menacing nature of the Count. I knew right away that Dracula would be the inspiration for my Halloween menu!
A Spooky New Book of the Month
Happy October, folks! It is officially an acceptable time to decorate for Halloween, so you can bet my apartment is decked out in its finest spooky raiments. Of course, this means it’s time to say goodbye to September and our Redwall menu, but don’t worry. As always, we’re concluding our current menu with an awesome new Adagio tea blend: Abbot’s Chocolate Hazelnut Tea!
Candied Nuts with Meadowcream
Most Redwall recipes are simple, hearty affairs, and dessert is no exception. In fact, sugar barely even makes an appearance in this recipe. Instead, apple pie spice walnuts are the star of this dish, lightly sweetened and accompanied by a generous helping of Redwall’s famous meadowcream. This dessert’s cozy flavors and simplistic feel make it the perfect way to end our Redwall menu. Enjoy!