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Cookies and cake and a really good read.

The Spiderwick Chronicles opens in theaters this Thursday, February 14th. Sweet. No pun intended at all. I'm looking forward to seeing it. This is another of those book series that my family just inhales. We love the books and we've all been anxious to check out the film.

If you've never read the books, the story is pure fantasy interwoven into reality - the discovery of a world within our world.
Jared Grace, after moving to his Aunt Lucinda's dilapidated and large home happens across a secret room belonging to his Uncle Arthur. There he finds many odd things including a journal written by his uncle; Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You. Befriended, so-to-speak, by a mischievous house brownie named Thimbletack, Jared discovers, with Thimbletack's help and Uncle Arthur's book,  that there is a world around us that is only visible to those with "the sight". Jared, his twin brother, Simon and sister, Mallory, all receive "the sight" in various ways and set off on an adventure filled with goblins and hobgoblins, sprites, faeries, trolls and more right in their own back yard - and right in front of you, too, if you could only see them...

I, of course, seem to be able to find food references in books where there are few. I found them here as well, and I don't mean "tasty cats".

The first food reference I found was the meal the Grace family ate just after moving in to Aunt Lucinda's home, and that was macaroni and cheese. I can bet a simple internet search or a short perusal in any cookbook would turn up several recipes, so I won't go there.

Next, I found what Simon was feeding their newly acquired griffin;

"...Simon jumped up to remove a giant mound of chopped meat ... dumping it into a huge bowl and adding corn flakes."

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3, Lucinda's Secret - Chapter One: In Which Many Things Are Turned Inside Out.

Ground meat and cornflakes sounds rather disgusting, unless you put it together and bake it! My grandmother's meatloaf was always made with cornflakes instead of bread crumbs. This is that meatloaf - newly renamed and equally good for man and beast alike.

Griffin Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
3/4 cup corn flakes - crushed
1 egg - slightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup onion - chopped
Ketchup

Mix well and shape into a loaf (all but ketchup).
Spread ketchup over top evenly.
Bake for about 2 hours in a slow oven - 250° F.
Serve carefully to your pet griffin.

After that was the cookies the boys made for a visit to Aunt Lucinda, who then lived in an institution.

"They didn't make them," Mallory said. "All they did was arrange frozen dough on a pan."

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 3, Lucinda's Secret - Chapter Two: In Which Many People Are Mad

Aunt Lucinda didn't eat the cookies (I'm leaving out the reason for that here, you'll just have to read the books!), but these would be hard for her to resist.

Sugar Cookies for Aunt Lucinda

1 cup butter - softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar together until light. Add egg and extract and beat well. Sift together flour, soda and salt. Add to butter mixture and blend until a soft dough forms.
Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on sheets for a few moments and remove to a rack or plate to cool completely.

As for this recipe, this one is sort of a common knowledge thing; house brownies love honey and milk - and chocolate as a special treat now and then. I figured Thimbletack would like to find a honey cake waiting for him one night - not as payment, just in exchange for services rendered - but, knowing his love for honey I figured a cake soaked in honey would be a tastier morsel. Make sure to leave out some cream or milk for your house brownie to have with this.

Honey Cake

1 cup butter - softened
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour
1 c. buttermilk

Cream butter and gradually add 2 cups sugar. Blend in 4 eggs, one at a time and add vanilla. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add buttermilk and flour mixtures alternately to creamed mixture. Blend well. Pour into greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 325° F for 60 to 65 minutes, until golden brown.

Honey Sauce:

1 1/2 cups honey
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup butter

Combine in a saucepan. Heat until butter melts and add 1 tablespoon vanilla. Poke holes into top of cake with fork - all the way to the bottom. Pour sauce over cake while still warm. Do this over the center of the cake first - pouring slowly until the sauce starts to sink in. If you pour too quickly the sauce will pool at the sides and the center of the cake won't be soaked enough. Cool completely before serving.

Enjoy these recipes, with or without your house brownie!