Category: News

Posted on

Showtime is quickly approaching

The Minnesota Renaissance Festival starts on Saturday, August 18 and runs weekends and Labor Day through September 30.  Alice the Cook and her assistants will be performing at:

11:00am – Spice Blends lecture (learning how to make curry, garam masala, and ras el hanout in your own kitchen)

12:30pm – Cooking demonstration (different every weekend)

2:00pm – History of spices lecture (how they were used and where did they come from)

4:00pm – Cooking demonstration (different every weekend and different from our 12:30pm show)

We are adding a 5:00pm show on seasoning your cast iron pots and wooden utensils after the first weekend.  We have plenty of room for seating and shade to enjoy. 

We hope to see you there!

Posted on

Wrap Up

I haven’t blogged lately due to other forces in my life.  But here is a summary of all that has been going on:

  1. Successfully wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign and exceeded the goal by 7%.  The campaign was to generate funds to get a portable wood-fired oven.  The oven has been ordered through Woodland Stoves and Fireplaces and should arrive in the next week or so.  We will be documenting the camp set up including installing the oven in August.
  2. Because the Kickstarter campaign was so successful, I have begun distributing the prizes.  Last night the $5 and $10 pledges were prepared and will be mailed tonight.  This weekend, I will be preparing the $20, $25, and $50 pledge rewards.   I’ve also ordered the hardcover books for the high rewards. 
  3. My house smells so good from all of the spice making I have been doing.  The majority of it was for the Kickstart campaign, but I’ve also been testing new recipes.  Spices blends are not developed in minutes, but in hours.  The last batch of 10 garam masala and 8 curry took my two and a half hours.
  4. This next week, I will be a guest lecturer at the Medieval Minnesota Camp.  There, I will be teaching the history of spices, spice blends, and medicinal uses of spices over the years.  Each lecture is an hour long. 
  5. I have a big event on July 21, but I cannot announce it until after the event.  Once done, I plan on posting photo and information. 
  6. Gearing up for the new season of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, MN.  This will be my 29th year our there and my 13th year as Alice the Cook.  We have a lot of fun recipes to demonstrate.  Also as a note, I will be briefly changing characters (and costumes) for another show out there – Human Combat Chess.  I have been cast as the black side lead and you can see me perform as someone other than Alice (if you wish). 
  7. In October, I will be teaching Community Education classes for Saint Paul Public Schools.  I will be teaching on October 9 – History of Spices, November 1 – Exploring Spice Blends, and November 15 – Gifts from the Kitchen.  Once the registration information is available, I will post it here. 

As you can see, I’ve been rather busy.  Once the Kickstarter awards go out, I will be able to focus more on this website.  I know for a fact that most of you visit for the recipes.

Posted on

New audiences

Alice the Cook here:

I am planning out my 2012 education season and I am looking for new opportunities.  I currently perform at the Siouxland Renaissance Festivals in Sioux Falls, SD and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, MN.  In past years, I have also performed in Wisconsin and Iowa, and have provided various lectures to college and high schools as well a history enthusiasts.

If you know an organization that would like to hiring me to come out do perform shows or education, please let me know.  You can send me a message by contacting me or my web designer through this site.

Thank you!

Alice the Cook

Posted on

Spice making demonstration

Everyday at 11:00 am at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, my assistants and I perform a spice making demonstration. We talk about how to make Garam Masala and Curry spice blends at home, the ingredients needed, and the process.  A photographer from Metromix.com was kind enough to document this process. 

First, we begin setting up and organizing the spices before our demonstration begins.  Cast iron pans are on the fire heating up and we are gathering out audience.

 

 

 

 

 

We talk about how each family would have their own recipe of a blend.  Some families would great a sweeter mix, others a spicier, and some would great a hotter blend. 

 

 

 

 

We start combining the spices.  First we create the garam masala and then the curry.  We talk about how both spice recipes use cumin and corriander and the differences between the two.

 

 

 

 

We talk about fresh spices are important.  Here, Rissa is shaving the nutmeg to ensure freshness.  We talk about how soft the nut is an how easy it is to shave it versus grate it.

 

 

 

 

Nicholas takes the preassembled spice blends over to the fire.  Once again, we starts with the garam masala.  Adding the spices to the hot pan, he begins to dry roast them to help spread out the oils.  Our stage begins to smell like toasted spices.

 

 

 

 

 Here, Nicholas is starting to demonstrate the curry.

 

 

 

 

Adding the final touches by adding the tumeric. 

 

If you haven’t already, please visit our shows at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival at 11 am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm.  We hope to see you there!