During the holidays I produced an episode of Reel Travels podcast where I gave out holiday gift ideas. I loved the cookbooks that were based on television shows and films, so I wanted to share them here. Whether you’re searching for a birthday gift, Mother’s Day gift or you just want to treat yourself, a cookbook is a great idea. It’s not ‘technically’ travel-related, unless you put the books in your backpack and cook in your vacation home or in your RV, but they are fun. What’s your favorite?
Forking Good: An Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of The Good Place: The Good Place might have gone off the air but the food lives on. In the Forking Good cookbook by Valya Dudycz Lupescu and Stephen H. Segal, you can learn how to make 30 original recipes. These include the yummy ‘I think therefore I clam chowder,’ or ‘I can’t believe it’s not buttermilk pancakes’.
The Nightmare Before Dinner: Recipes to Die For: The Beetle House Cookbook: I know it’s a Halloween movie, but The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite holiday movies. The Nightmare Before Dinner recipes are included in this Beetle House cookbook. Beetle House is a The Nightmare Before Christmas-themed restaurant that’s based in New York City.
Movie Night Menus: Dinner and Drink Recipes Inspired by the Films We Love: So if you, like me, are a Turner Classic Movies fan, you’re going to love this book. Looking for a great idea for date night or to entertain friends? Watch Casablanca with some French 75s and a Moroccan-themed spread. This is just the start for films from the 1930s through the ’80s, paired with signature drinks and dishes that appear in, or are inspired by, each film’s setting and stars. The movies include The Thin Man, The Philadelphia Story, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, American Graffiti, Moonstruck, and many more.
Friends: The Official Cookbook: How about making Rachel’s trifle on Friends? This cookbook has 100 recipes inspired by the beloved hit sitcom. It includes treats such as Monica’s Friendsgiving Feast, Rachel’s Trifle, Just for Joey Fries, Chandler’s “Milk You Can Chew,” Phoebe’s Grandmother’s Cookies, and The Moist Maker.
There are more cookbooks for other shows and movies, including Star Trek, Blue Bloods, The Walking Dead, Downton Abbey, Mean Girls, Bob’s Burgers, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls, Doctor Who and even The Golden Girls, which has the recipe for Rose’s friendship cake.
Pick a favorite movie or TV show, put it with the word cookbook in a Google search and see if there’s a cookbook to go along with it.
