A Literary Holiday Cookbook

For fans of Little Women, The Chronicles of Narnia, A Christmas Carol, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and more, a literature-inspired cookbook for voracious readers during the festive holiday season.

Some of the most famous instances of fictional fare have become synonymous with the holidays. Who can forget the plentiful food surrounding the Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol? The simple but generous and joy-filled Christmas gatherings at the Marchs' in Little Women? Or the Van Tassel’s autumnal feast in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? Finally, these literary meals can become a reality on your table with A Literary Holiday Feast.
 
From Christmas and Thanksgiving to Halloween and New Year's, this seasonal cookbook offers 17 full four-course holiday meals from 25 classic books—each including an appetizer, entrée, side dish, and dessert. Additionally, whip up festive sips and delectable edible gifts to share with loved ones. As you curl up by the fireplace to reread one of your favorite literary classics, learn to make:
 

• Mouse King Cheese Bites and Sugar Plums from The Nutcracker for Christmas
• Turkey Roulade and Jo's Gingerbread from Little Women for Christmas
• Skillet Cornbread with Homemade Butter and Venison Pot Roast from The Little House on the Prairie for Thanksgiving
• Deviled Raven Eggs and Coffin Pizza Pockets from Edgar Allen Poe for Halloween
• The Queen of Hearts Tomato Tart and Eat Me Cakes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for the New Year
• and many more! 

Finally—whether you love Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, Redwall, or The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—book lovers can enjoy full menus of literary delicacies from their favorite books for all of their favorite holidays!

Alison Walsh first began cooking as a way to stretch her post-college paycheck, and her love of cooking grew. In 2014, she combined her love of food and books into Alison’s Wonderland Recipes (WonderlandRecipes.com), a food blog dedicated to book-inspired recipes. Her recipes have been featured on the Good Morning America website and MuggleNet, the number one Harry Potter fan website. She is the author of A Literary Tea Party, which placed fourth in the cookbook category of the 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards. She lives in northern Illinois with her husband and two little hobbits.

"A feast for the eyes and the soul! Alison has put together a beautiful collection of accessible recipes for every taste—in food and books."
—Ann Love, Reader and Eater at the Cooking the Book Podcast
 
"Alison Walsh's Literary Holiday Feast entices readers to curl up by the fire and read delicious treats while nibbling on a good book. Walsh not only blends culinary history with character analysis in dishes inspired by Little Women and Little Houses, but she also peppers in dashes of Wonderland and One Hundred Acre-style whimsy when creating edible decorations for your holiday spread. With recipes ranging from the simple to the deceptively simple-to-make, cooks of all levels can enjoy every genre during the holiday season. As a nerdy cook and party host, I also love how this book's arsenal of tips and substitution charts answer every inevitable, last-minute 'what if' I don't have time to look up myself."
—Catherine Barson Eastis, blogger at The Gluttonous Geek


Praise for A Literary Tea Party, finalist in the 2019 Goodreads Choice Awards

"Alison sets the table with comfort and nostalgia and a side of insight into why food is important in our fiction. The recipes are perfect for teatime with friends or curled up with a good book, sneaking bites between turning the pages."
—Diane Ault, Fiction-Food Cafe

"I love books and I love to cook. This cookbook is a dream come true with all of its recipes based on so many of my favorite stories. I've made many of the recipes and I can attest that they are delicious! This cookbook has so many tips and tricks, so a novice cook can learn to take her skills to the next level and impress her geeky friends at her next literary gathering. The Big Apple Hand Pies are a must-make!"
—Victoria Grace Howell, staff writer at Area of Effect Magazine

“I finished reading it in a rush, compelled to read every single page. . . . If you’re looking for an amazing recipe book full of literary referrals, . . . this is the book for you.”
—Books Daily News

“A Literary Tea Party is a delight for both of the reader and the foodie. Picking up inspiration from classical literary works as diverse as Romeo and Juliet, White Fang, or the Wizard of Oz, it set up the table for a lengthy discussion about life, works, words, and, obviously, taste buds.”
—Boiled Words

"An amazing, deliciously sweet book that will brighten the tea time of every book lover. . . . A must-have in any book lovers’ collection right between the classics and the cookbooks."
—Book Traveller

“A cute and fun collection of mostly simple and familiar recipes. . . . The Queen of Hearts painted rose cupcakes offer a big impression with a simple technique, and many of the savories, while simple in execution, are fun.”
—Food Book Feast

“Have you ever yearned to eat what the characters in your current book are eating? Or gotten hungry from the descriptions of food in books? . . . This was a lovely book to read and even better to cook from.”
—Bibliomnivorous

“Thanks to this unique book, I can fulfil my literary foodie fantasies! . . . A Literary Tea Party is charming and well-thought out. . . . Perfect for the tea, food, and book lovers in your life.”
—Rebecca Reviews

"I absolutely love the concept behind this book – a literary tea party. Reading the blurb of this book made me seriously consider throwing a themed tea party just so I could show off all these great recipes!"
—Ally's Appraisals

“Reading and cooking from this book will evoke memories from books read in the past and inspire readers to not only pick up those books again, but to have a nice tea party at the same time.”
—Bella Online

“The perfect gift for the special bookworm in your life, or something you should treat yourself to if you are a whimsy literature lover.”
—Macarons and Paperbacks

"[This] lovely book will be a delightful companion for those who love children’s books and teatime . . . a fun way to get kids cooking."
—A Magical Homeschool