At probably the biggest intersection in Whimsieville, we have what is known as Coffee Table. It mainly serves as an eatery for Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ, as it sits just opposite the biggest Movie Theater in town, but on occasion Coffee Table also functions as a Library.
“Coffee Table Book” is a phrase you may have heard before, and though here in Whimsieville books do not usually sit on top of Coffee Table, there is one very specific book I personally adore that spends most of its time on the bottom shelf. (Take a look at the picture below, you can just see it there, right next to Barnabus Collins’ coffin. Don’t ask. That’s a whole ’nother story, and I might tell you about it someday.)
From this picture (which, if the internet is working the way it should, is now on the left), you may not be able to tell what my favorite book is all about, so give me just a moment here…I’ll scurry on up to Coffee Table, reach underneath… grab the book, pull it up on to the… top…Jeez! This thing weighs a TON! Whew! Okay, now you can see it! And you can clearly see that the title of the book is The Art of Marvel Studios.
This is a book all about the superheroes I love so much! So you can imagine how many times when I am moseying by Coffee Table, I like to get my exercise by lugging this book off the bottom shelf and setting myself up for a good Look.
I say “Look” instead of “Read,” because the whole point of a good “Coffee Table Book” is that it is something that LOOKS great, with lots of fabulous photos or artwork. It’s not really the kind of book where you have to do a lot of actual reading, it’s more about skimming through and enjoying the artwork. I think originally the idea was that you would get yourself a nice big cup of delicious coffee (if you like that sort of thing…), sit back on a sunny Saturday afternoon, or cold Winter’s evening, when going outside simply isn’t in the cards, and relax and simply let yourself get lost in the pages, transported to another world.
Well, I don’t particularly like coffee (I much more prefer to sneak a sip of Mr. Russ’ cream soda whenever he is not looking! Shhh…don’t tell him!) But it doesn’t matter what I like to drink, because I would never want to 
drink (or eat) anything while looking at such a beautiful Coffee Table Book! I would be much too afraid of ruining the glossy pages of these gorgeous books.
And here I say “books,” because as you can see, the “book” called The Art of Marvel Studios is in reality a collection of four different books, each one showcasing a different Marvel superhero. (Though, strangely, Iron Man has two books, when Thor has only one, which I don’t really understand, because…really??? WHY???)
The Thor book is of course my favorite, because (as everyone knows…) Thor is my favorite of all the superheroes. And in this book, not only do we have a lot of great pictures of Thor, but we also see a lot of Asgard, which is so mystical and picturesque, but perhaps best of all, we also get to meet all of Thor’s friends.
To tell you the truth, my very favorite pages in this book are not so much about Thor himself, but actually about one very special lady: Sif, the girl warrior who sometimes fights beside him. As you can see here, Sif has some pretty cool outfits! Don’t you think? Very shiny!
Of course, these picture are just an artist’s idea of what Sif might look like, with her long, dark beautiful hair. We happen to know what Sif really looks like, because a while back she showed up on one of our very favorite TV shows, *Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, and you might recall, we talked about her when we saw her on that show.
But I don’t want to spend all my time here talking about Sif and Thor and Asgard. Despite the fact that Iron Man is unfairly represented in two of the four books, I do have to mention that most of what we see of him and his world in those two books is actually pretty cool. Miss Chrissy tells me that Iron Man is actually her favorite of all the Avengers, but if you ask me, I think it’s because she mostly likes his alter-ego,Tony Stark, because he’s both so funny and so sexy.
Mr. Russ prefers Captain America, and my fellow Whimsies…well, they all just say they like Thor best of all, I think mostly because they know that I like Thor best of all, and they don’t want to get me started on outlining my long list of all the reasons why Thor is the best Avenger ever. (And by the way, Miss Chrissy…Thor…ALSO very funny and very sexy!)
Anyway, there you have it. A Marvelous Coffee Table Book right here in Whimsieville. I can’t wait until Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ make another trip to Barnes and Noble! Who knows what they might come up with next?
But I’m getting ahead of myself. The point is that once again it is time for Putting on Thinking Caps and coming up with some wonderful foods to both impress and delight the other members of their family. As we Whimsies hear them talking about what they should bring, we couldn’t care less if they decide on Tuna-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes or Pigs in a Blanket. But when it comes to the matter of SWEETS, our whimsical ears perk up, and we are all about trying to help them decide. Not only because we want their family members to be both impressed and delighted by their wonderful choices, but also because we know that if by any chance they happen to make just a wee bit more than will actually fit on the serving platter, some of it will stay home, and we’ll get to try a few bites.
Tillie has chosen this dessert—but don’t ask me to say it, because it’s spelled P F E FF E R N U SS E. Actually, don’t ask me to spell it—or say it! The book tells us that this is a German version of “pepper nut” cookies, so we’re guessing that word must be German, and we don’t know how to speak German. At first I was not altogether sure “pepper nut” cookies sounded like a good idea, but Tillie persuaded me when she read the recipe, which includes cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and firmly packed brown sugar. MMMMMmmmm…….Of course, the recipe also includes a half a teaspoon of ground black pepper, which seems very strange in something that is supposed to be a SWEET. But I guess I would be willing to try it. Who says us Whimsies are not adventuresome spirits??
As for Trixie, she’s campaigning for these Mexican Wedding Cakes. Hey, wait! Are those some Pfeffernusse nestled there in between the Wedding Cakes? Sure looks like it to me! But if you read this recipe, you’ll see that in addition to your usual flour and butter, these sweets also call for masa harina which is some kind of flour made from CORN. Yep. Corn. I’m not so sure about that. I would really have to wonder what these little cakes would taste like, with corn in the mixture. I think perhaps when Trixie chose this recipe above all the others in the book, she was trying to outdo Tillie’s international sense of adventure in choosing Pfeffernusse. I think Trixie must be thinking more along the lines of “impressing” the other Christmas Eve guests, rather than “delighting” them. Though you have to admit, those little cakes dipped in chocolate and covered in sprinkles do in fact look mighty delightful! So! I might be willing to give the Mexican Wedding Cakes a go, as well…
Except for this! My favorite recipe from this book of Holiday Baking is Raspberry Linzer Heart Cookies. Oh, don’t they look so adorable! I’m not really sure what “Linzer” is all about (another German cookie term?) but I certainly understand Rasberries and Hearts! If Miss Chrissy and The Man were to bring these cookies to the Christmas Eve noshing, the cookies may not scream “Merry Christmas!” the same way candy canes and cordial cherries do, but they would certainly say, “Baked with LOVE.” Holiday or not, there is never a time when raspberries are not appropriate. And delicious. These cookies also contain a good deal of walnuts, which are not a favorite Whimsie food when eaten on their own, but in a recipe with lots of sugar and butter and raspberry jam, I imagine they would compliment all the other flavors very nicely, thank you very much!
Of course the very best of all these recipes, we all heartily agree, is the basketful of Gingerbread Men on the cover of the book. All of them (except one) are smiling so happily, as if they have no idea they are about to be consumed in a flurry of holiday happiness! Well, it’s happy for the people who get to EAT these Gingerbread men, I guess…but NOT so much for the Gingerbread Men themselves! But then, maybe (I wonder…) if you happen to be a Gingerbread man (or woman), do you begin your short but happy life, understanding that your very highest purpose is simply to provide joy to others? Do all these Gingerpeople instinctively understand that,,,except for Mr. Startled Bowtie?
Miss Chrissy and The Man have a vast and varied library. There are so many volumes, it has taken us Whimsies this long to just go through and read all the titles on the book spines! Well…truth be told, as we’ve been making our attempt to read just the titles, we’ve gotten distracted many times, stopping to read a novel (or two…), or simply turn pages, looking at pretty pictures. Well, I am here to report that today is a momentous day! I have at last come to the end of the very last bottom shelf, and now I sit back on my rear, thinking…”My goodness! What a vast and varied library!”
So here is what I came up with. First, let’s take a look at Dulac’s the Snow Queen and Other Stories by Hans Christian Anderson. Well, we all know who Hans Christian Anderson is! He’s one of the main writers of what we generally think of as “fairy tales.” And this book is full of fairy tales! The Snow Queen, the Little Mermaid, and The Emperor’s New Clothes are just a few. The words belong to Mr. Anderson, 
but the pictures are all by Edmund Dulac, who is this artist who draws simply beautiful pictures in very much a “fairy tale style.” 
Sorry. But I can’t help laughing at that author’s name. When I first saw it, I read it as Mooseburger. Haha! Could you imagine having a name like Mooseburger? I bet any kid who had to grow up with a name like that would get teased a lot in school. Getting teased so much, that kid might go home and cry and mope, but when they’re older, they might buy a gun and go back to school and shoot everyone who ever made a joke about their name. Brrrrr…it’s scary! And it makes me glad that I never had to go to school, because when you think of it, school could be a pretty scary place, with all those crazy people running around doing whatever the heck they want.
to go out and kill the moose yourself if you want to make a mooseburger. Or, you have to know someone who’s a hunter and likes to hunt moose, and doesn’t mind sharing their moose meat with you. I mean, you would probably have to be very good friends with someone if you wanted them to share their moosemeat with you. 
Well, it’s certainly worth a try, isn’t it? I mean, salt is so plentiful and so inexpensive, why not? In fact, reading some more in this book, I’ve decided that if we ever plant a garden, I’m going to remember that we can use salt to prevent cabbage, worms, kill slugs, and relieve any beestings we might get, working in the great outdoors.
TESSIE. Or maybe because they are all what you would probably called “Children’s Books”? Though you certainly don’t have to a child to enjoy them.
TILLIE. And soon we’ll have another one!
