Once Upon a Kitchen by Leslie Bilderback

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Once Upon a Kitchen: 101 Magical Recipes

Author: Leslie Bilderback

Publisher: Get Creative 6

Release Date: 11.2.21

Publisher’s Summary 

Make magic in your very own kitchen with 101 recipes inspired by Harry Potter, Tolkien, King Arthur, Star Wars, Disney, and more!

For lovers of legends, wizards, enchantment, and (of course) food, Once Upon a Kitchen celebrates all things magical. Author and top chef Leslie Bilderback has created 101 recipes inspired by classic books, movies and TV shows. She draws from sources as rich and varied as The Lord of the Rings, Arabian Nights, the Star Wars saga, Grimm’s fairy tales, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Potterverse.

Enjoy Mrs. Potts’s Tea Poached Salmon; Scheherazade’s Arabic Coffee and Cardamom Cookies; Gandalf’s Cold Chicken and Pickles; Jedi Ration Bars; Rapunzel’s Rampion Salad; Mary Poppins’s We Are Not a Codfish and Chips; a Coconut Shrimp Green Curry “Witches Brew” in honor of Macbeth; and Mulan’s Dragon Fruit Pops.

My Review

What a fun concept! As someone who always craves whatever the characters in my book are eating, I loved the idea of being able to create some of the more "magical" menu items I've come across. Once Upon a Kitchen: 101 Magical Recipes is organized into 13 chapters:

1. The Arthurian Legend
2. 1,001 Arabian Nights
3. Shakespeare's Sorcery
4. The Tolkien Universe
5. The Potterverse
6. The Jedi
7. Grimm's Fairy Tales
8. Magical Nannies
9. Disney Magic
10. Movie Magic
11. Television Spells
12. Alchemists and Magicians
13. Colonial American Magic

Each chapter features several recipes, and each recipe includes a backstory section as well as a full page color photo. Recipes range from teas and cocktails to full entrees and sides to snacks and sweets. The first recipes I will be testing will be Caliban's Hot Crab Dip with Tropical Fruit Salsa (Shakespeare) and Golden Gingerbread with Lemon Curd (Grimm's). This would be a great cookbook for someone who loves magical books, movies, and television shows. It would also be fun to use this recipe collection to cook with friends and family members. Definitely a recommendation for a holiday gift, too.