Posted January 19, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments
In the Little House books, many of the foods are simple and hearty, but they’re also a little unusual. You don’t see many people eating smoked venison or salt pork these days, and Johnny cake is even more rare. So I thought it would be fun to take some time to make a pioneer food that’s a little more familiar to modern palates: roasted sweet potatoes.
Like most Midwesterners, I’ve eaten sweet potatoes all my life, so it was fun for me to read about a food I recognized in the Little House books. In Little House on the Prairie, a friend brings some sweet potatoes to Christmas dinner, and the Ingalls family bakes them whole in the ashes of the fire. I wanted to make something a bit more involved that still remained true to the simple, natural way the Ingalls cooked, so I diced my potatoes and roasted them (skins still on) with a little salt, pepper, garlic, and fresh thyme.
The end result was a hearty dish perfect for a pioneer kitchen! 🙂
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Posted January 5, 2017 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 14 Comments
Welcome to our very first menu of 2017! I’m proud to announce that our new Book of the Month will be Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.
I love all the hearty frontier food featured in the books—smoked venison, corn cakes, snow candy, and so much more! One food that stuck out to me in the Little House books was “johnny cake.” I’d never heard of it before, but the Ingalls family eats it while traveling to their new homestead, so it sounded like perfect pioneer food.
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Posted December 15, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 12 Comments
These cute little cheese wedges are my tribute to The Nutcracker’s main antagonist: the Mouse King! They’re super easy to throw together and simply delicious. They’re also really easy to customize based on what you’ve got in your fridge (I found lots of different versions on Pinterest and altered them to suit my needs). Whip some up to enjoy while watching The Nutcracker…or for your next Christmas party!
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Posted November 17, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 7 Comments
Back in Herman Melville’s day, ship’s biscuits (which later came to be known as hardtack) were common seaman’s food. As such, they’re mentioned regularly throughout Moby Dick, so I thought it would be fun to whip up an authentic ship’s biscuits recipe. I found one at The American Table based on an old Civil War era recipe.
Of course, designed to last forever and travel well, ship’s biscuits are VERY basic fare. They’re virtually flavorless in traditional recipes, so I added a little bit of extra seasoning to make them more palatable. You can also brush the tops with egg whites and sprinkle extra salt on top, but keep in mind that introducing eggs to the recipe would compromise the biscuits’ ability to be stored for months/years.
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Posted October 20, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 4 Comments
Today our spooky Edgar Allan Poe menu continues with Moon Phase French Fries! Several months ago I saw a post by Linda from The Baker Who Kerns, in which she described making moon phase cookies. I loved the concept and decided to make a savory version with roasted potatoes. They’re super easy and fun to make: just slice, season, and bake! And the ready-in-seconds spicy ketchup adds just the right kick to balance it all out (the ketchup is an Epic Meal Time recipe I adjusted to my own taste). Talk about a great side dish for a Halloween party…or a salty snack for some late-night reading!
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Posted September 15, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments
A Study in Scarlet: the very first Sherlock Holmes case ever! Of course I had to include it in our Holmes menu, but since no specific foods play a big role in the story, I decided to draw my inspiration from the name of the case itself. We’re making a culinary study in scarlet: Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup!
This particular recipe is my take on a soup that was originally developed by Pretty Practical Pantry. This savory, satisfying soup is the perfect side dish to accompany our Sherlock Steak Sandwiches. So stir some up and get to sipping—we’ve got a case to solve! 🙂
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Posted August 18, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 5 Comments
Howl’s Moving Castle was actually the first Studio Ghibli movie I ever saw, and it’s main comic relief (the fire demon Calcifer) is still one of my all-time favorite Miyazaki characters. Though he can be a bit salty and sassy, Cal’s got a good heart underneath it all, so I wanted to pay tribute to him with a dish in our Ghibli menu.
When forced into making breakfast with the new cleaning lady, Calicifer famously curses her by saying, “May all your bacon burn!” So in honor of Cal (and the delicious, non-burned bacon he made with Sophie that day), I decided to make some sweet and spicy bacon!
This recipe features crisp center cut bacon rubbed with cinnamon and cayenne for spice and coated with honey and brown sugar for sweetness. The perfect snack to share with your favorite fire demon!
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Posted July 21, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments
In A Little Princess, Sara and Becky wake up in their attic room to find that a succulent feast has mysteriously appeared. The delicious dishes appear for many days, and a “spicy Indian soup” is said to be among them. Though the soup is not described, I like to imagine it was mulligatawny soup—filling and savory, with a perfect fusion of English cooking and Indian roots, heralding back to Sara’s background.
This particular recipe (developed by Emily from Favorite Family Recipes) is super complex and delicious. I love how the salty flavors play off the sweet and the creamy flavors play off the savory, creating a truly balanced dish!
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Posted June 16, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 11 Comments
When it comes to Star Trek TNG, pretty much the entire cast is near and dear to my heart. I love Geordi La Forge’s head for numbers and Deanna Troi’s weakness for chocolate. And of course I love Captain Picard (how could you not?). But my all-time favorite Star Trek character is Lt Commander Worf, hands down.
I have a soft spot for prickly characters, and Worf is a veritable cactus of a Klingon. He is uncomfortable with affection, hates jokes, and resents having a birthday party thrown for him. What’s not to love? 😉 Worf loves traditional Klingon food that reflects his planet’s warrior culture, and what’s more warrior-like than blood pie? Rokeg Blood Pie is a Klingon staple usually made with real blood, but don’t worry, ours is made of bacon, sausage, beets, and butternut squash!
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Posted May 19, 2016 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 3 Comments
As much as Homily complains about not wanting to live in a badger’s set, something tells me she’d secretly love the challenge. Homily lives for homemaking, and making a home out of a badger’s set is no small feat! These Badger’s Set Salad Bites are inspired by the wild, field-to-table food the narrator hypothesizes Homily would serve at her new home. They feature dandelion greens, fresh berries, and edible blossoms. And don’t forget the homemade strawberry-infused white balsamic vinegar for dressing! As with all our recipes from The Borrowers, each salad bite is the perfect size for a full-size Borrower meal or a Human Bean appetizer! 🙂
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