Posted December 29, 2022 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
A bit of a misnomer, Cranberry Candy isn’t a candy but rather a beverage, most likely named for its sugary sweetness. I chose Cranberry Candy as my STARDEW VALLEY bonus recipe because the cranberry flavor and bright red color make it perfect for the Christmas season, which my family is still celebrating (we’re Catholic, so we celebrate Christmas until January 6th).
The recipe in the game lists the ingredients as cranberry, apple, and sugar. For the apple, I went with sparkling apple cider, since Cranberry Candy strikes me as something fizzy like soda or sparkling punch. To get the cranberry flavor, I went with standard cranberry juice, but I wanted to add something more. I tried a little pomegranate juice in the mix, and I loved it! It deepens the flavor (and the color) without overpowering the apple and cranberry, creating a complexity I really enjoy. My favorite part about it is that, even though all the flavors meld together, you can isolate individual elements of each ingredient: the richness of the pomegranate, the tart astringency of the cranberry, and the fizzy brightness of the apple cider.
Whip up a batch for your holiday festivities and toast a fruitful year in STARDEW VALLEY!
P.S. Just a quick reminder, I’m taking January and February off to finish my upcoming cookbook, so this will be my last post for a couple months. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season, and I’ll see you in March! 😀
Read More
Posted August 25, 2021 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
I have a little surprise for you guys this week: a bonus recipe! There’s just so much wonderful food in THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, I had trouble choosing which ones to include in my menu. And since this 2 month stretch (July-August) has an extra Thursday, it means I get to do an extra post! I knew I wanted to include watermelon somewhere in the menu since it’s the most iconic summer fruit, and I thought a punch recipe would be a unique way to use it.
This recipe is super easy! Just blend your watermelon, strain into a pitcher, and mix in the rest of your ingredients. You can buy premade watermelon juice at the store if you don’t want to blend your own fruit, but I find the storebought stuff has a weaker flavor and less vibrant color.
You can whip up a quick batch for a VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR themed birthday party or baby shower…or just for a refreshing break from the August hea!
Read More
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! 🙂
Read More
Posted March 29, 2018 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments
Three cheers for extra Thursdays! Whenever a month has a 5th Thursday, I get to do a bonus post, which is especially exciting this month since this menu was inspired by my son’s birthday party. It was quite the bash! I made deviled eggs, fruit salad, and a giant chocolate chip cookie, and we ordered pizza for our entree. Plus, both the grandmas made delicious desserts too! My mom made cupcakes, and my mother-in-law made crown-shaped sugar cookies with gold sprinkles. Both were delicious, so for my bonus recipe, I decided to pay tribute to both.
These fun cupcakes come in two flavors: chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and vanilla cake with chocolate frosting (just like the ones my mom made). The recipes are easy, and the fun, whimsical decorations are inspired by my mother-in-laws cookies: white and gold sprinkles on some, fruit roll-up crowns on others. It’s a lot of variety without a lot of extra work, and the results were super delicious. Enjoy! ^.^
Read More
Posted November 30, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 5 Comments
Stranger Things bonus recipe time! I always love when months have a 5th Thursday, because it means I get to make a bonus recipe. I really enjoy the freedom I have with these since, unlike my standard recipes, they don’t have to fit a particular course of the meal (for example, my first recipe of the month is always an appetizer, so I have to make sure whatever I make could feasibly be used that way). But bonus recipes can be anything—a cocktail, snack, extra dessert, etc. Anything goes!
Strangely enough, I’m not sure what inspired me to make an upside down milkshake. I’ve made a lot of cocktails for bonus recipes, so maybe I was trying to avoid more of the same. Or maybe I wanted something kid friendly since the main characters in Stranger Things are kids. Either way, as soon as I realized I got to make an extra recipe, the words “upside down milkshake” sprang right into my head.
Of course, since it’s a tribute to the Upside Down, it’s literally turned on it’s head—with the cherries and whipped cream at the bottom with the shake poured over the top. But what flavor to make? I wanted something dark and rich, and I love the way chocolate and blackberries go together. A cool unexpected side effect was the fun way the berries made clusters of dark circles on the side of the glass. It reminded me of the giant spores that float in the air of the Upside Down.
Drink up…before the Shadow Monster gets to it! 😉
Read More
Posted August 31, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 1 Comment
I always tend towards making a cocktail whenever I have a chance to make a bonus recipe, and my Man in the Iron Mask menu is no exception. Smoking Bishop is actually a traditional British beverage—not French, like all my other recipes for this menu—but it was just too perfect to pass up. The mulling spices (nutmeg, allspice, and cloves) along with the rich wines make it a perfect companion to our French Onion Soup and Secret Note French Bread. Plus, the name goes perfectly with the story, since Aramis (the Bishop of Vannes) is such an important character in Man in the Iron Mask.
The recipe I use here (a slight variation on one originally from PUNCH), is easy to throw together. Though roasting the orange adds to the prep time, I highly recommend it. Juice from the roasted orange adds so much flavor! The final cocktail is cozy and warm, with a lovely spiced aroma and a bit of citrus bite to offset the sweet wine. I can just imagine Aramis sipping this to calm his nerves before helping the prince break out of the Bastille!
Read More
Posted June 29, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments
Last year when I finished my Star Trek Next Generation menu, I posted a Romulan Ale cocktail as my bonus recipe. I loved the idea of ending my Original Series menu with another drink, and I immediately thought of making a multi-colored layered drink as an homage to the different Starfleet divisions.
Turns out, I had no idea what I was signing up for! 😛 My first thought was to make a molecular cocktail in red, blue, and yellow, but I couldn’t get the drink to layer properly. I then decided to try layering plain juices and stumbled across a recipe from Katrina’s Kitchen. She uses juice and Gatorade to make an easy, delicious layered punch in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July. All I needed to do was add a little yellow food coloring to get Starfleet’s signature red, blue, and yellow colors and I was in business! 🙂 The final result was tasty and just plain gorgeous—I couldn’t believe how well the juices kept their layers, even after being jostled around!
Drink up, space travelers! We’ve got a final frontier to explore. 🙂
Read More
Posted March 30, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments
In the episode “Jaynestown,” the crew of the spaceship Serenity stumbles upon a poor town of clay farmers (known as “mudders”) who’ve erected a statue to Jayne in their town center.
As it turns out, Jayne committed an accidental act of generosity during his last visit, and the mudders now consider him to be their hero. Now that he’s back, they sing his praises and treat him to unlimited rounds of mudder’s milk—their alcoholic beverage of choice.
Jayne describes mudder’s milk as “all the protein, vitamins, and carbs of your grandma’s best turkey dinner, plus 15 percent alcohol.” Our version is a vanilla protein milkshake blended with a bit of oats, flax meal, and cinnamon—along with a couple shots of hazelnut Baileys. So drink up and get ready to sing another verse of “The Hero of Canton”!
Read More
Posted December 29, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 4 Comments
Welcome to our Nutcracker bonus recipe! I actually stumbled across this punch recipe while looking up how to make sugar plums, and it just sounded too delicious to pass up. Plus, it’s so easy. You just stir the ingredients together and serve! Talk about a no-hassle punch recipe…and just in time for New Year’s! 🙂
Read More
Posted October 31, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 1 Comment
All Hallows Eve is here, and with it, the end of our Edgar Allan Poe menu! Even though I don’t normally post recipes on Mondays, I thought it would be fun to share one on Halloween…and when I found a “The Raven” cocktail recipe a couple months ago, I knew I’d found the perfect way to bookend our Poe menu.
The recipe below is my interpretation of The Raven cocktail, which was originally developed by Ashley at Smarty Had a Party. The cocktail below is a delicious combo of 3 of my favorite flavors: blackberry, pomegranate, and mint. With a little white rum, it makes for a refreshing, darkly sweet (but not too sweet) drink. Enjoy while reading your favorite Edgar Allan Poe poems!
Read More
