New Book: Cook Me a Story: A treasury of stories and recipes inspired by classic fairy tales by Bryan Kozlowski

Cook Me a Story: A treasury of stories and recipes inspired by classic fairy tales by Bryan Kozlowski is released this week. I searched for a table of contents and some interior book shots, but couldn't find any as of when I composed this post. This looks like fun and different fairy tale cookbook if you collect those rare things--I admit I do! Which probably surprises no one here.

Book description:

Combine the magic of storytelling with the fun of cooking for a truly unique mashup of cookbook and storybook.

Welcome to the enchanted world of Cook Me a Story, where the most beloved fairy tales are retold with deliciously clever recipes for families to create and enjoy together. From breakfast adventures to evening stories, anytime is a perfect time for fairy tales and food. Join the fun as children learn to cook with familiar kitchen-time tales such as Goldilocks and the Three Pears, Cinnarella, Plumbelina, and more. Cook Me a Story combines the magic of storytelling with the fun of cooking for a truly unique fairy-tale experience that begins "once upon a kitchen..."

The Author

A bachelor-degree student of The Culinary Institute of America (and an incurable bookworm), Bryan Kozlowski spends most of his free time in the library somewhere between the children's cookbooks and the folklore section. The thought of removing the long-held dichotomy between two great literary traditions led him from a traditional cooking career to one with the goal of uniting fantasy and foodmaking. Graduating valedictorian, he interned at Saveur food magazine, where he developed professional recipe writing and testing skills. After years of personal research and experimentation on the magical capabilities of the kitchen, the end result is the functional and enchanting Cook Me a Story. Bryan lives in South Florida and has written for Slate, Country Life, and other online magazines.

Fairy Tale Salt and Pepper Shakers

Westland Giftware Mwah Magnetic Princess and Frog Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, 3-1/2-Inch

I came across the salt and pepper shaker set above which led to finding a collection of these to share. Thank goodness I don't collect salt and pepper shakers or I would be in trouble now. There are lots of Disney Fairy Tale Salt & Pepper Shakers, too, but I decided to stick with the nonlicensed characters here. The Red Riding Hood below is my favorite.

Little Red Riding Hood And Wolf Magnetized Salt and Pepper Shaker Set

Appletree Design Frog Prince and Princess Salt and Pepper Set, 2-1/8-Inch

Fairy Tales - Salt and Pepper Shakers Cinderella apparently!

Present Time Silly Magic Wand Salt and Pepper Set, Pink and Blue I shared the black and white version of these after receiving them for Christmas. Now they are in pink and blue, too!

Bargain Ebook: Mermaid Cookbook by Barbara Beery

Amazon has a Splash Into Summer Book Sale sale going on for a few days and several of the titles are fairy tale related. I posted several of the titles on Thursday, but more have been added to the sale in the past 24 hours. And more are fairy tale related. A really great percentage for 284 titles! Each title will get its own post.

Mermaid Cookbook by Barbara Beery is $1.99. This is not fiction but an actual cookbook. I'm considering it since we are also working on Leighton's cooking skills this summer.

Book description:

Dive into this new cookbook by bestselling children's book author Barbara Beery! Mermaid Cookbook offers themed recipes perfect for mermaid, ocean voyage, treasure island, and pirate parties for kids. The book brings magic and whimsy to the kitchen, teaching kids to create fun snacks and tasty treats while learning valuable cooking skills. Perfect for birthday parties, sleepovers, or afternoon playtime, Mermaid Cookbook offers an abundance of playful recipes including Paradise Pineapple Fruit Dip, Sea Foam Floats, Treasure Island Trail Mix, Goldfish Gorp, Mermaid Hair Salad, Sea Turtle Cookies, Little Luau Cakes, Water Fairy Ice Pops, Rainbow Fish Fudge, and more. Mermaid Cookbook is sure to make a big splash with your little ones!

New Book: Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook

Be quick! Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook retold by Jane Yolen; recipes by Heidi E.Y. Stemple; illustrations by Sima Elizabeth Shefrin is back in stock at Amazon. It has been mostly out of stock since its release date a week ago so I haven't talked about it yet here. I was also looking for a table of contents and didn't find it. It has to be somewhere--I just haven't found it with an easy search, all I have time for these days.

Anyway, I'm not Jewish but I enjoy Jewish folklore and realize that a goodly portion of my larger folklore purchases the past year have been Jewish folklore related. I'll need to write more posts on The Heart Is a Mirror: The Sephardic Folktale (Raphael Patai Series in Jewish Folklore and Anthropology) and the three volume set starting with Folktales of the Jews, Vol. 1: Tales from the Sephardic Dispersion. So much so that I have been acquiring the three volumes, still need the first one because I always seem to work in reverse. I started with the third volume thanks to Cinderella and other research. All are wonderful books, some of the best I've used when it comes to Jewish folklore. When I get a chance to splurge again, I'll acquire it.

But this is about much lighter and edible reading. So onto the book description:

Master storyteller Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi Stemple have teamed up to bring the magic of their acclaimed Fairy Tale Feasts to the time-honored and delicious traditions of Jewish storytelling and cuisine. Here you’ll find Yolen’s dynamic, enchanting retellings of Jewish tales from around the world paired with Stemple’s recipes—for everything from challah to matzo brei to pomegranate couscous, tzimmes chicken, and rugelah, in creative versions of classic dishes that any family will delight in cooking together. And Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts is more than collection of stories and recipes: Yolen and Stemple imagine their readers as co-conspirators. Throughout they share fun facts and anecdotes about the creation of the stories and the history of the dishes, designed to encourage future cooks and storytellers to make up their own versions. Readers of all ages will learn about Jewish folktales, culture, and cooking, all the while captivated by the humor and wisdom of these enduring stories (and ready to eat!).

All the stories have been retold by the amazingly prolific Jane Yolen, who has been called “America’s Hans Christian Andersen.” She is the distinguished author of over 200 books, including Fairy Tale Feasts, Owl Moon and Devil’s Arithmetic. Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that “throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture.” Folklore is the “perfect second skin,” writes Yolen. “From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world.” Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: “I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told.”

Cinderella in Butter

The image is quite large so you can click on it and see more of the details and then be impressed by this man's accomplishment.

From India wins its first Silver Medal at International Culinary Olympics 2012:

It was a fairy tale ending for a fairy tale inspired butter sculpture at the International Culinary Olympics 2012. Indian Chef Devwrat Jategaonkar's Cinderalla 3ft x 3ft x 3ft sculpture made of butter won silver in the Culinary Artistry category. Toiling for two months, Chef Devwrat of the Radisson Blu, Alibaug, created the dramatic scene from Cinderella showing her running down the steps of the palace, leaving her glass slipper behind, as Prince Charming follows her.

While creating the butter sculpture was a challenge, carrying it to Germany for the Olympics, all in one piece, was an even bigger task. But it all worked out well, with the perfect "happily ever after" ending as Chef Devwrat created history by being the first Indian chef to make a mark at the International Culinary Olympics.

And how fitting that the competition was in Germany even if this is the French Cinderella depicted here...

Fitz & Floyd UNTIL MIDNIGHT Cinderella Cookie Jar Coach

I found this Fitz & Floyd UNTIL MIDNIGHT Cinderella Cookie Jar Coach on eBay with these great photos and had to share. It sold in 2011 for $460. The photos are credited to the seller, Little King of the Woods. This is an amazing cookie jar, yes? From the listing:

Part of the magical Signature Collection by Fitz & Floyd, here is a limited edition cookie jar featuring Cinderella's Coach. Amazingly beautiful and intricate...the horses bridles and saddles have real tassles and the threaded reigns go into the hands of the carriage driver. Designed by artist Rhonda Lynn Havins (she also created the Noah's Ark cookie jar from the same series). Our thanks to Johayden who had the following information about this jar online: 2006, Limited to 1500 pieces (not numbered), with 35 Hand-painted separate attachments made from 186 molds, and 18 inches long.

Fairy Tale Feasts at Nigella.com

Fairy Tale Feasts: A Literary Cookbook for Young Readers and Eaters by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple (her daughter) was recently featured on Nigella Lawson's website. That was a coup for the book, especially considering it is now six years old and still in print, too.

Nigella's intro:

I have always had quite an obsession with food-based fairy tales - such as The Magic Pot of Porridge - and indeed have even written one of my own, so was delighted to find this collection of food fairy tales, complete with recipes. It is utterly charming, as is the recipe for Brer Rabbit's Carrot Soup, which I've chosen for you this week.

The full recipe is there so you can literally get a taste of one of the book's recipes as well as how they are written--from materials to ingredients to detailed instructions and ways to vary, the book is a great starter cookbook for young audiences while still interesting for adults, too.

Grimm's Fairytale Food by Bee Wilson

 

Here are the covers for Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman. So which cover do you prefer? The first is the US edition and the second is the UK. And this time I have to admit I am drawn to both since they are just so very different from each other and their strengths are polar opposite. But these are still a month away from release but I wanted to share a recent article about the book. The book will be released in September in the UK and in November in the US.

From Grimm's fairytale food by Bee Wilson:

Grimm's Fairy Tales, first published in 1812, are about many things: magic and families, wickedness and talking animals. But running through many of them is a brutal obsession with food. The Brothers Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm) collected stories of hunger: what horrors it will drive some people to and how sweet it feels to satisfy it.

The end of September sees a new version of 50 of the tales from Philip Pullman, Grimm Tales: For Young and Old (Penguin, £20). Pullman has wisely changed the tales very little. But he does sprinkle them with new imaginative details, and he has fleshed out many of the meals. In one story the Brothers Grimm say that a greedy stepsister brings bread and cake on a journey. Pullman changes this to chicken-liver pâté sandwiches and chocolate cake.

In another tale ('One Eye, Two Eyes and Three Eyes') a girl meets a magic goat who can summon up delicious meals for her. Pullman imagines exactly how delicious: 'leek soup, roast chicken and strawberries and cream'. What Pullman doesn't change is the utter fixation of the Grimms with hunger.

****

Jacob and Wilhelm knew the pain of an empty belly. Despite a comfortable background, they were plunged into hardship when their father died of pneumonia in 1796. By the time they were writing their collection of folklore in the early 1800s they were depriving themselves of food to support younger siblings. At breakfast they drank a single cup of coffee. Their only meal was a five o'clock dinner, three portions shared between five people. To add to the misery, Jacob wrote of how he missed the 'order' of mealtimes at his mother's table (she died in 1808).

Part of what gives these tales such enduring power is their sense of home, intimately connected to the security of being fed. There is a voice that pops up repeatedly in Grimm. It says, 'I'll tell you a secret and you won't be hungry anymore.' This is still a magical thing to hear before you go to sleep.

Top Chef Texas: Fit for an Evil Queen

Okay, now here's a reality show using fairy tales that I actually watch. Yes, John and I enjoy watching Top Chef together so this upcoming Wednesday's episode on 1/18/2012 will be a little more fun for us with the theme.

Here's the episode description from the Bravo website:

This week’s Quickfire is all about awareness in the kitchen. The chefs will have 30 minutes to create a dish of their choosing, but this is no ordinary Quickfire. Once time begins, various ingredients will start to come into the kitchen via a train. The chefs must select ingredients coming into the kitchen via train and create a dish incorporating the best of these ingredients. For the elimination challenge, the chefs embody evil on the plate and serve a gothic feast fit for a queen. This dish should demonstrate various cooking techniques, textures and flavors, but more importantly, the diners should visually see the “evil” components on the dish. Actress Charlize Theron, who plays the Evil Queen in the film Snow White & The Huntsman guest judges, along with Emeril Lagasse, head judge Tom Colicchio, and host Padma Lakshmi.

Interesting challenge. And more evidence that the promotional work and competition between the two Snow White movies is going to be fierce in upcoming months. This movie isn't even out for four more months.

Here are two more promos being show on tv put on YouTube by others, not great quality but with more previewing than the one above:

Fairy Tales at Southwest Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association

I just learned about this one today, so hopefully if you are interested in the topic and have a proposal to submit, you already have since the deadline is December 1. However, registration and attendance are still open, too. This one sounds interesting especially considering the conference's wider theme of "Foods & Culture(s) in a Global Context." The PDF for the fairy tale specific paper call is copied below. The main is at Southwest Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Association.

Myth and Fairy Tale Call for Papers


Abstract/Proposals Due: 1 December 2011

Southwest/Texas Popular Culture & American Culture Association’s 33rd Annual Conference
Albuquerque, NM February 8-11 2012

Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
330 Tijeras
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: 1.505.842.1234
Fax: 1.505.766.6710

Panels now forming on topics related to all areas of myth and fairy tale and their connections to popular culture. To participate in this area, you do not need to present on both myths and fairy tales (one or the other is perfectly fine), but we have seen that bringing both genre categories into conversation has led to extremely valuable and stimulating conversations.

Papers relating to the 2012 Conference Theme: “Celebrating Foods and Culture(s) in a Global Context” will be given special consideration, and might be as variable as (though certainly not limited to):

--Eating and Devouring in “Little Red Riding Hood”

--Magical Fruits in Classical Mythology

--Food and Entrapment in “Hansel and Gretel”

--Rituals and Eating in Hindu Mythology

--Fairy Tale Poetry: Food and Seduction (Olga Broumas, Carol Ann Duffy, Jackie Kay, etc.)

--Food, Ritual, and Folklore (Joseph Campbell, James Frazer, etc.)

--Disney Heroines and Food Preparation (Rapunzel, Snow White, Frog Princess, etc.)

--Music, Food, and Myth in the Cherokee Tradition

-- Storytelling as an Act of Feeding the Soul: Scheherazade Narratives

--Picture Books: Illustrating of Fairy Tale Foods

Additional areas of interest might include:

--Where Fairy Tales and Myth Overlap

--Non-Western Myths and Fairy Tales

--Fairy Tales in/as “Children’s Literature”

--Disney

--Urban Fairy Tales

--Ethnic Myths and Fairy Tales

--Gendered Readings of Myths and Fairy Tales

--Postcolonial Myths and Fairy Tales

--Myths and Fairy Tales in Advertising Culture

--Reading Myths and Fairy Tales in the Popular Culture of Past Centuries

--Performing Myths and Fairy Tales: Drama and/or Ritual

--Genres of Myths and/or Fairy Tales: Film, Television, Poetry, Novels, Music, Comic Books, Picture Books, Short Stories, or Graphic Novels

Scholars, teachers, professionals, and others interested in Myths And Fairy Tales are all heartily encouraged to participate. Graduate students are particularly welcome, and should consider submitting their conference papers for one of the Graduate Writing Awards, especially the Kenneth Davis Award for Folklore Studies, which recognizes “an outstanding graduate essay in the field of folklore studies.” (full papers due January 15, 2012) http://swtxpca.org/documents/112.html#KennethDavisAward_Bookmark.

If you wish to form your own Myth or Fairy Tale-focused panel, I would be glad to facilitate (panels focused on one particular tale are especially encouraged). If your work does not focus on Myth or Fairy Tale but fits within the broad range of areas designated for the upcoming conference on American & Popular culture, I strongly encourage you explore the long list of areas http://www.swtxpca.org/documents/123.html. And please do pass along this call to any friends and colleagues who work with myths and fairy tales. We’ve had some wonderful and wonderfully diverse panels over the last few years, and I look forward to seeing that tradition continue in 2012.

Please submit 200 word abstracts and 600-800 word proposals for panels by 1 December 2011, and please note that all presenters must be registered for the conference by 31 December 2011.

Abstracts must be uploaded to the SW/TX PCA/ACA database at: http://conference2012.swtxpca.org

But if you have any additional questions about the “Myths and Fairy Tales” area, please feel free to contact:

Jacquilyn Weeks: jweeks@nd.edu
College of Arts and Letters Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Notre Dame
Department of English
356 O’Shaughnessy Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556

General information and online registration http://www.swtxpca.org/ (updated regularly)

Disney's Snow White at Williams-Sonoma

So, here's another fun shopping find I discovered while exploring Williams-Sonoma during their three day free shipping promotion. (Valid November 26, 2011 at 12:00 AM (PT) to November 28, 2011 at 11:59 PM (PT).) I have been flirting with the Marvel Cakelet pan and the Gingerbread Kids and the Train cakelets for a while, but haven't bitten yet. I have a small cake pan fetish and discovered these new offerings, darn it. I am really torn since I am not a Disney Snow White fan. But I enjoy novelty cake pans. Oh, the dilemmas! It's a Snow White and Seven Dwarfs Cakelet pan. Should I or shouldn't I?

But wait! There's more! Snow White cookie cutters...

And, oh no, Snow White cupcake kits! Well, these aren't as exciting, but they're in the collection, so I'll share them, too.

There are no affiliate links on this one and Williams-Sonoma doesn't know who I am. These are featured because they belong here. Over and out.

Just Desserts Fairy Tales: Pictures of the Showpieces

I finally remembered to go check the Just Desserts site to see if still photos had been added of last week's fairy tale desserts challenge. They were! The challenge included both a showpiece and accompanying desserts and only the showpieces are pictured because they are the most visually interesting. So which one was the winner for you? I was myself was partial to the Jack and the Beanstalk one.