Bites From the Bookworms: Cookbooks Inspired by TV Shows Part 1

Posted by Alana T.

Television shows touch many aspects popular culture.  From fashion to food, what our favorite characters are doing on the small screen often influence our real lives.  It's no surprise then, that some of the most popular TV shows have inspired cookbooks.  There are quite a few out there and I've selected some of the best known for a review on the blog.  We'll start by looking at some cookbooks based on shows from the past.

Aunt Bee's Mayberry Cookbook by Ken Beck.  This cookbook reminds me very much of the collections of recipes printed by local social organizations and church groups.  Lots of comfort food!  This is an older cookbook, and focuses on the basic recipes of everyday home cooking.  Overall, a great introduction to tasty cooking everyone in the family will love.

Mary Ann's Gilligan's Island Cookbook by Dawn Wells.  If you watched this show after school as I did, you may have wondered how Mary Ann was able to whip up all that food.  Where did she cook it?  Where did she get the flour for all those coconut pies?  And she was always so cheerful.   Hmmmm.  In any case, this cookbook, written by Ms. Wells who played Mary Ann, compiles an impressive array of family, cast member and staff recipes.  There are themed menus, cast stories and an entire chapter dedicated to coconut creme pies (all very different from one another).

The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories by Barbara Walker.  Our copy of this book is found in the Youth Library, but don't be fooled and think it's a kid's book or simple in any way.  The text describes the different foods eaten by people in towns and prairie settlements during the 1870s and 80s.  The book goes detail about the reality of food preparation, and its availability and importance in people's lives.  Not only a great cookbook, but a fascinating history of our country's early food culture.  Recommended reading for everyone.