Friday, May 11, 2012

Cookbook Review: The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook



The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook
Written by:  Emily Ansara Baines
Published by: Adams Media, 2011
256 pages

from amazon.com:
"Here's some advice. Stay alive." --Haymitch Abernathy

When it comes to The Hunger Games, staying alive means finding food any way possible. Katniss and Gale hunt live game, Peeta's family survives on the bread they make, and the inhabitants of the Seam work twelve-hour days for a few handfuls of grain--all while the residents of the Capitol gorge themselves on delicacies and desserts to the heart's desire.

For the first time, you will be able to create delicious recipes from the humble District 12 to the extravagant Capital, including:

French Bread from the Mellark Family Bakery
Katniss's Favorite Lamb Stew with Dried Plums
Rue's Roasted Parsnips
Gale's Bone-Pickin' Big Game Soup
Capitol-Grade Dark Chocolate Cake

If you're starving for more from Katniss, Peeta, and Gale, this cookbook is sure to whet your appetite!

* I am a huge fan of The Hunger Game series.  I enjoyed it so much I made my husband read the first book, which after reading, he immediately read the rest of the trilogy!  While perusing the library catalog for Hunger Game related items I found this cookbook.  I put it on hold and read through it in a day.  As I was reading I put plenty of sticky notes in it for things that I wanted to try cooking.  Unfortunately, time ran out and I had to return the book, only having enough time to try the Katniss Craved Cheese Buns (see picture below).  These were super easy to make and might have tasted exactly like those served at a large seafood chain restaurant!  Some of the cookbook was just enjoyable for reading, like the chapter on wild game, which I would not be cooking!  And the recipes that called for obscure ingredients like stinging nettles and yucca stalks.   However, there were plenty of other recipes that I did want to try, including breads of the different districts and some desserts.  Most of the recipes looked easy to make, which I would assume is the point, since the series itself is really aimed towards the young adult. The fancier Capitol dishes definitely had much longer ingredient lists and were more time consuming to make.  Included in the book are references relating each recipe to the book (although some of them are a bit of a stretch!).  Even if you're not a foodie and don't plan on making any of the recipes, if you're a fan of the series it's a fun read.

                                    Katniss Craved Cheese Buns

Mommy Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.

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