Pancreas Nostalgia

Scholastic diaries, American Girl, Marvel (Steggy shipper), recipes. Simblr at @historicalfictionsims.

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The Official American Girl Cookbook

I am very excited for this one. First of all, it is a combination cookbook/character encyclopedia with more focus on characters than Sweet & Savory Treats had. It also includes significantly more characters and alcoholic beverages. There is a recipe for almost everyone who had a doll (exceptions are: Elizabeth, Nellie, Ruthie, Emily, World By Us, Gwen and Logan). They even included the dog Coconut! Many of the older historicals got a second recipe as well.

The most random character is Kaya’s sister Brown Deer, who does not have a doll. The page about her states that she is the exception to American Girl books avoiding romance. This did not make sense to me, as I can think of many romantic couples in the AG universe.

On a personal note, I appreciated how they mentioned Lindsey being the first character to demonstrate diversity of faith, as this is a point that often gets glossed over.

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Melody’s strawberry icebox pie, from Sweet & Savory Treats. I made this for my mom’s birthday. Fun fact, Melody and my mom were both born in 1954.

The graham cracker crust was quick to set up but required a lot more butter than the recipe said in order to form the crumbs into a dough. The filling took longer to puree the strawberries and whip the cream. (If needed, Cool or Miracle Whip could be used as a substitute).

There was one point in the directions where it says to add the whipping cream, but it’s written in the same context as the cream cheese. We were able to salvage it just in time to add the whipping cream before the filling started to set in the fridge.

Despite the ingredient confusion I would make this pie again, but would substitute the strawberries for raspberries.

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Overall I like the Modern Era dolls. Felicity and Josefina are super cute from head to toe. Kirsten and Samantha have awesome outfits, though their hairstyles are not my favorite. Not sure why they turned Kirsten’s necklace into a bracelet.

I chose not to get Addy or Molly at this time because I’m not as fond of their outfits. Maybe if they go on sale I’ll consider it.

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It took me way longer than I planned to get everyone dressed for late winter. Everybody is squished together.

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I apologize for my silence the past few months. Depression and work burnout have been kicking my butt and the last two Sunfire books are still in my drafts. I hope to finish up my thoughts (it’s been hard to find the right words to describe the cringefest that is Roxanne) and get those posted.

In the meantime I have been trying to get through some of the standalone books piling up on my shelves.

There is some excitement, though! American Girl has just announced their first adult novel starring Samantha. It will be set in the 1920s and the synopsis sounds so good. I immediately preordered a copy and can’t wait to share my thoughts here when I read it.

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Happy holidays!

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Happy Hanukkah (and belated St Lucia’s Day) from the squad! I decorated Rebecca’s sideboard with a variety of accessories from AG and Pottery Barn Kids.

Isabel’s outfit is also from PBK. As it is designed for their baby dolls the fit isn’t perfect, but it’s close enough to work. Of course I had to give her the pink dreidel.

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Melody and Courtney were purchased from two “Shooting Star” deal days during Black Friday. Both have been lower on my priority list so i wanted to wait until they were on sale, and they exceeded my expectations! Now that they have arrived it will be time to start dressing everyone for the holidays.

At this point the only historical dolls I am missing are Cécile and Nicki.

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Realized I’m super delayed with showing the October outfit changes. I moved apartments so all month I was busy packing. Better late than never, right?

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Swedish Rice Porridge (Skåns Gröt), from Kirsten’s Cookbook. I haven’t had much motivation to cook since moving into my own place last summer, and have barely opened up any of my cookbooks. When I noticed that I had some slightly outdated rice in my pantry, I was finally motivated to use it for something.

Normally I consider dishes like rice pudding and tapioca to have an off-putting texture so I had been avoiding this recipe for a long time. However, I was pleasantly surprised. There is just the right amount of sweetness and the apples and raisins break up the monotony of the rice.

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New outfits for September: Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Rebecca, Kit, Maryellen, Isabel, Monica (JLY 14), Ayako (JLY 4), Lindsey, Pearl (TM 69), Rachel (TM 128). I also acquired Caroline’s meet accessories, so she got a mini makeover.

Kirsten’s meet shoes are in shreds now.

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Someone on Facebook was giving away American Girl magazines for free! They had almost every single issue from 2003-2009 and one from 2010 (just under 60 total). While they definitely look used, many are in good condition. This adds on to my collection of 1990s issues.

I’m looking forward to reading them and already have found a couple of gems: the announcement of Molly’s movie airing on Disney Channel and introduction of Rebecca.

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How cute are these new plush dolls! I want one for each historical character (in their original meet outfits, of course). The only complaint I have is that Kirsten’s braids are angled slightly differently.

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No matter how large a doll’s collection is, there is just something so satisfying about the meet outfits.

I love so many of them and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Rebecca’s and Kit’s are right up there.

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So many cute outfits for July. The 18th century girls didn’t change so they are not pictured.

Changed outfits: Caroline (as Barbie), Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Nellie, Rebecca, Nanea, Emily, Maryellen, Julie, Isabel, Monica (JLY 14), Ayako (JLY 4), Lindsay, Pearl (TM 69), Rachel (TM 128).

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I spent my birthday rewards points on Nanea. She’d been on the second tier of my wishlist for a while (the first tier is down to just Cécile now). I’ve always loved Nanea’s collection but had been on the fence about the doll herself. Seeing her in person I do like her face mold, but am not a fan of the painted details around her eyes. It would have been better if the creases had been textured into the vinyl.

The outfit looks so cute in person. I also got Nanea’s meet accessories and am excited that she came with the new journal.

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I’ve been traveling through Spain and had to share one of my souvenirs. While I did not expect to see the original Royal Diaries edition of Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, look what I found in the gift shop at the Real Alcázar (Royal Castle) in Seville! This is the French translation for the Mon Histoire series. Here it is titled Isabelle de Castille: Journal d’une Princesse Espagnole.

Granted I still cannot read French, but I’m excited to add it to my collection nonetheless.