Pearsons Renaissance Shoppe Blog

Because the winter has set in and days can become cold and bleak, the Queen has ordered the Court Jester to go around and collect humorous LARPing stories so that we all may enjoy a good laugh.  Here are some of the tales:

At one LARP, there is a prayer that forces the target to answer the next “yes” or “no” question truthfully.  In order to “cast” the prayer, the cleric must place their hand on the target and call “Truth Light.”  One particular, yet clever, cleric was only able to use this prayer twice per day.  A suspected criminal was brought before the cleric, but the cleric had already used the prayer twice.  Thinking quickly he asked the criminal if he was guilty then shouted, “Tell me the truth!”  Shocked by the cleric’s vigor and assuming the prayer had been cast, the criminal admitted his guilt, even though he was not bound by the rules of the game to do so.  Quite an interrogator that cleric was.

At another LARP, the players were confronted with battling a very ferocious and powerful villain.  This villain was known as a Bone Lord, who was capable of causing a lot of damage while requiring special materials to defeat.  Before the players could gather the correct components, the Bone Lord assaulted the town, forcing the players to all take refuge in the Abbey.  The scribes say that the Bone Lord taunted the town threatening to destroy the citizens, their children, and their children’s children.  One daring and defiant rogue shouted back, “How will our children have children if you’ve already destroyed them?”  That rogue was either very brave—or very stupid.  Whichever it was, we hope that he was wearing Medieval armor to help protect him from the battle that surely followed his untimely remarks.

Come back and visit the Jester often as he will provide more of these tales.  Do you have your own amusing stories?  Let the Jester know by leaving a comment.

Like something out of a fantasy...

The Medieval and Renaissance time periods are very alluring to a large number of people.  This is made evident with the large number of Renaissance faires or Medieval reenactments that are conducted throughout the world and the attendance that they receive.  It is difficult to deny the popularity these time periods create within the historic community.

But there is another group of individuals who also enjoy the times of yore:  Fantasy fans.  For the fantasy fan, you still have many elements of Medieval times, such as knights, castles, and princesses.  But you also have a number of other unique aspects, such as magic, dragons, elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, and many other supernatural creatures.

For those fantasy enthusiasts who enjoy dressing in the same outfits of the characters they read about or watch, Pearsons can help.  We have many fantasy themed costumes such as this woodland elf cincher set.  Make sure to browse through our entire selection to find the costume that works for you.

What is your favorite fantasy story or movie?  Let us know in the comments section.

The Queen knows that this is the time of year when many Lords and Nobles start to host their Christmas celebrations.  The Queen has been receiving many invitations and she thanks you all for your kindness.  She regrets that she will be unable to attend all of the festivities.

However, she did want to provide to her loyal subjects one of her favorite recipes for a Christmas punch that can be served at all of the receptions.

Christmas Punch

4 Cups Cranberry Juice
2 32oz Cans Pineapple Juice
1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
3 Cups Water
3 Cups Sugar
2 2-Liter Bottles Ginger Ale
Red Food Coloring (Optional)
12 Oz. Frozen Strawberries

Combine all ingredients together except for the ginger ale and the strawberries.  Refrigerate the mixture until it is almost time to be served.  Once taken out of the refrigerator, slowly stir in ginger ale and strawberries.  This makes approximately 20 servings.

If you are having a Medieval themed party, then perhaps you can have your Christmas punch served by someone in a Medieval wench costume to help maintain the atmosphere.  Happy holidays!

If you are someone who attends Renaissance Faires or LARP events in the colder months, then we commend your ability to endure the elements.  The Queen would rather remain warm insider her chambers with a roaring fire.

But we are aware that people need to travel or be outside during the winter months.  That is why we wanted to remind you that some of the merchants in our humble village do carry Medieval cloaks that you can use to alleviate the chill of winter.  They can also keep you dry on those days where snow is falling.  These wool or fur cloaks are  comfortable as well as warm.  They can be an invaluable asset to anyone who needs to be outside for long periods of time during the cold and dark winter months.

The seamstresses in our kingdom implore you to stop by their shoppes so that you may see all of the fine artistry that they are able to weave.  Have a warm, dry, and safe winter.

As we embark upon the week where we give “thanks,” we thought that we could provide you with a recipe that you can use to supplement your meal.  Although Thanksgiving is a relatively young holiday, it does not mean that we can not include dishes from an older time.  A combination of new and old can enhance any meal.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today’s recipe is an old Italian dish that was originally found on a poem written by Petrarch.  Italy was the birth place of the Renaissance.  This dish can be used as a side dish for your feast.

Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Polenta

Ingredients:

~ 1 cup instant polenta

~ 4 cups vegetable broth

~ 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

~ 2/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

~ 2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomato

~ 1/3 cup sliced kalamata olive

~ ½ cup sliced fresh basil

~ ¼ cup olive oil

~ ½ cup flour

1. Boil the vegetable broth; once boiling, stir in the polenta.  Let mixture simmer on low heat while stirring frequently for 15 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan, feta, tomatoes, basil, and olives.
3. Once you’ve stirred in the ingredients for step 2, put the mixture in a greased cake pan and spread the mixture evenly.  Press down if necessary.
4. Let the mixture firm up in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours.
5. Once firm, cut the mixture into slices (about 16 slices total) and coat them in flour, taking care to shake off the excess.
6. Fry the floured polenta in olive oil until nicely browned, then drain on paper towel.

Enjoy!  If you are running with a Renaissance theme for your Thanksgiving meal, do not forget to have your servers bring forth the food in their wench outfits.  Have a nice holiday!

Now that we are well into Autumn and on the verge of Winter, we know that it is going to be cold outside.  As you travel from merchant shop to merchant shop in the Peddler’s Village, you want to make sure you stay nice and warm.  You could of course bundle up in many layers as you complete your holiday shopping, but what about staying toasty with a nice warm drink?  Below you’ll find an excellent warm spiced cider recipe that can be served at any tavern.  You can even wear a serving wench costume while passing out this tasty drink to your customers.

Warm Spiced Cider:

Ingredients:

½ gallon apple cider

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 naval or Valencia orange, halved and sliced

Cinnamon sticks for garnish

1. Pour apple cider into a 2-quart slow cooker crock
2. Stir in cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Float orange slices on top
3. Turn slow cooker to high until cider becomes steaming hot
4. Let Simmer for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to “low” or “keep warm”
5. Serve in mugs, garnished by a cinnamon stick

Her Royal Highness, recently held a picture contest for all of her loyal subjects, in which they would submit a picture of themselves in Renaissance costuming from PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com. There were several entries, which caused the Queen and her Royal Advisers to engage in a heavy debate to announce who the winners of the competition would be. After much deliberation, Her Majesty is ready to proclaim the winners to all in the kingdom:

Lord Tony Piazza as Captain Morgan, Honorable Mention

Lady Jessica Knutson, Runner Up

Lady Michal Johnson, Runner Up

Lady Penelope Clark, Medieval Wedding, Winner of Royal Prize

Congratulations are in order for the winners and much thanks to all those who participated.

Let the jubilation commence! God Save the Queen!

Hear ye!  Hear ye!  Come one, come all!  Her Royal Majesty has recently decreed that there shall be a picture competition for the entire kingdom.  She requests that every one of her loyal subjects participates in this challenge.  As incentive for participation, the Queen has authorized prizes to be awarded.  Read on for the regulations.

All those subjects who wish to enter the competition are asked to send a picture of themselves to pearsonsrenaissanceshoppe@gmail.com.  This picture must be of you in one of our Renaissance costumes, at a Renaissance or Medieval event.  The Queen loves to see how much fun her subjects have once they have received their brand new Medieval outfits.  When Her subjects are happy; the Queen is happy.

All pictures must be received by November 5^th, in the year of our Lord, 2010.  Once the Queen has reviewed all the entries, she will choose a winner along with two runners up.

Royal Prize:  $30

2 Runners Up:  $20 (Each)

The Queen eagerly awaits to see what kind of pictures you send!

At PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com, we know that it is always nice to have some extra coins in the coffers.  Therefore, Her Royal Majesty has ordered that all of the seamstresses in the Kingdom submit a number of dresses and Renaissance costumes that can be sold at a a reduced rate.

This section contains a wide variety of costumes.  If you are looking for a Medieval gown, you can find it here.  If you require Renaissance pants to complete your costume, then you are all set.  We also have a number of Renaissance shirts that can go with almost any costume.

By the Queen’s order, this section is regularly updated, so the Royal Advisers suggest that you come back periodically in case there are new deals for you to take advantage of.  This is also an excellent way for you to keep your coffers full if you really wanted to attend a Renaissance Faire.  So make sure you visit PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com every so often.  You never know what kind of deals you may find.

If you have recently purchased a Renaissance or Medieval costume from PearsonsRenaissanceShoppe.com, you want to make sure that it lasts for a long time.  Although you can not deny the quality of our costumes, there are certain things that can happen that will damage your brand new investment.

One such thing, which is of particular interest to LARPers, is to walk through thorn bushes.  Depending on where you are in the world, thorn bushes can sport very long briars.  These types of briars can tear hole into costuming and in some cases literally rip the garment to shreds.

Therefore, as you are in the woods at a LARP event, try to be conscious of where you are walking.  Or, if you are the rogue type, make sure you know your escape routes in case you have to take off into the middle of the woods at a moment’s notice.  Especially if it is night time.  The last thing you want to happen in the middle of the night is to run head first into a forest of thorns.