Diane Chamberlain’s Gold Nugget Cake In the 1940s, World War II was in full force and food rationing was a normal part of life so the government could ensure that everyone was getting an equal amount. In spite of this, women came up with unique and quirky menus that we simply don’t see today. When […]
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Ijeoma Oluo’s Feminist Pudding
Ijeoma Oluo’s Feminist Pudding Anybody who knows me knows that when times get tough, the tough make pudding. Between the pandemic, a house fire, and being immersed in white male supremacy for this book and in my life, times have certainly been tough. Fortunately, homemade pudding is one of the most comforting foods on the […]
Natalie Jenner’s Classic Victoria Sandwich Cake
Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society Classic Victoria Sandwich This is a very classic British cake recipe from the BBC Good Food Magazine (May, 2005) which is super easy and quick to make. If you prefer, you can skip the icing filling and just spread strawberry jam between the two sponge layers. In The Jane […]
Mary Kay Andrews’s Hello, Summer Lemon Bars
Mary Kay Andrews’s Hello, Summer Lemon Bars Hello, Summer is set in a small, sleepy Florida town. When people think of Florida, they think of bright, sunny skies, and delicious citrus and these lemon bars are the perfect way to celebrate that! As a native Floridian, my lust for lemons—indeed any citrus, is, excuse the pun, deep-rooted. […]
Alka Joshi: The Palace Recipe for Royal Rabri from The Henna Artist
In this scene from THE HENNA ARTIST, Lakshmi, a woman who paints henna on the bodies of Jaipur’s wealthy women, is asked to meet with the Dowager Maharani for the first time. Malik, Lakshmi’s eight-year-old helper, has been told to wait outside the Maharani’s drawing room, but can’t resist sticking his head inside when the […]
Heidi Diehl’s Hinterkopf Geburtstagskuchen (Birthday Cake)
In Lifelines, Louise falls in love with German drummer Dieter Hinterkopf when she travels from Oregon to Düsseldorf to study art in 1971. The Hinterkopf Geburtstagskuchen is Dieter’s family‘s traditional birthday cake. Louise’s mother-in-law, Hannelore, instructs Louise to make the cake for her Dieter, part of the complicated family history that Hannelore shares. The […]
Sarah McCoy: Marilla’s Plum Puffs from MARILLA OF GREEN GABLES
Marilla is renowned for her Plum Puffs in both Anne of Green Gables and in Marilla of Green Gables. In Marilla of Green Gables, readers discover how Marilla comes to learn the recipe and the special people she bakes with and for. From the recipe collection of author Sarah McCoy, borrowed from Aunt Maud’s Recipe Book: […]
Jodi Picoult’s “A Spark of Light” Missisippi Mud Cake
Jodi Picoult chose a Mississippi Mud Cake to pair with a book club discussion of her novel A Spark of Light, set in Mississippi. Mississippi mud cakes and pies are thought to be named for the rich dark mud lining the banks of the Mississippi River. This cake recipe, adapted from Down Home: Treasured […]
Almost Certainly Not A Pie for #Pieathalon
We relish the chance to experiment with vintage recipes and Dinner is Served 1972’s #Pieathalon promised a great opportunity to test a pie from the past. Over twenty bloggers swapped pie recipes from pre-1990 cookbooks for the event. We received “Almost a Pie” from a 1978 Weight Watchers Hot Stuff Recipe pamphlet from Mimi at Once Upon a […]
#TheLostFamilySupperClub Recap and Menu
As fans of food and book bloggers, we knew they would have some creative approaches to recipes inspired by The Lost Family, author Jenna Blum‘s new novel. On June 3, we hosted #TheLostFamilySupperClub: a gathering of eighteen bloggers at a virtual dinner party to celebrate the book’s release, sharing novel-inspired recipes and creating mouth-watering menus. It was […]