Elena CraigSookie's Recipe Book: Gilmore Girls: An Official Cookbook (Gilmore Girls: Official Cookbooks)

I bought this for my wife, and she loves this cookbook!

To say I was ecstatic to come across this cookbook is a royal understatement! A little backstory… During a trauma-filled patch in my tween/teen daughter’s life after some horrific events, she became quiet, withdrawn, and deeply depressed and refused to talk to us about anything. Therapy and a large care team barely took the edge off, so cue Gilmore Girls. She’d told me a couple of years earlier that one of her friends and her mom had an amazing time bonding over a “vintage show” called Gilmore Girls, and casually suggested maybe we could try watching it sometime? I was like, “Yeah - That sounds fun.” And then… life I guess and it became one of those good ideas that fell to the back burner.Fast forward to this scary time in our life. During a psychiatry appointment in discussing safe spaces, she began talking about the season of autumn as feeling like a safe place, and I suddenly remembered Gilmore Girls. I’d somehow missed watching the show even though it aired during my preteen to late teens/ early 20’s timeframe, but I knew enough to remember it had the aesthetic of a warm, 90’s fall hug, and I knew it was time. Gilmore Girls helped us reconnect and communicate over something safe, which eventually led to more communication over the not as safe stuff.Fast-forward to now. We are all in much better, safer spot, and I am so grateful Gilmore Girls came in at a time we desperately needed it. We still reference several characters and events from the glorious series and will say things like, “She is such a Sookie”, etc., even though so many around do know understand the reference. Not too long ago, an older teen cashier who I could tell my teen was trying to play cool and laid back with, told my daughter she had a Rory Gilmore aesthetic and presence to her and that her scarf and top were so pretty, and my daughter could have died happy right then and there and actually welled up a bit as she whispered, “thank you”. Now that I’ve given you a glimpse of our adoration and perennial nostalgia for this television perfection, you might have a better idea of why I was so psyched when I saw this cookbook.Fans can feel that warm fall hug once more going through this cookbook. Sookie was such a spunky, integral character who added to the charm to Stars Hallow, and the recipes feel appropriate and Sookie-esque. With recipes like “Stars Hallow Says Goodbye Blackberry Pie”, “I Have my Standards” omelets, “Ennui/ Off-oui, ‘Oh Hey, I’m Cured!” Cocktail, “The Lettuce is Dry! BLT Soup”, and “Paint the Wall Red” Strawberry Tarts, we felt transported going through this cookbook. Much of this food is slightly fancier as was Sookie, but in a humble sort of, “there are pigs in a blanket on page 56” home cooking kind of way. I’m tickled by this cookbook and the fun narratives, even if I never make a single recipe. I will of course. My daughter and I are already bookmarking some of the pages of items we’d love to try, which is saying a lot considering my daughter is pretty picky. I’m excited to relive this series with her again in the kitchen. I highly recommend this one, for fans and not-fans..YET alike.P.s. sorry for the horrible photos. I took them with my iPad on a cool early spring evening, cozied up in front of the fire with a blanket, warm robe, and fuzzy slippers. So while the pictures and lighting weren’t particularly ideal, I do think Lorelai and Rory might approve of the ambience!

I love Gilmore Girls! I recently actually started a third rewatch of the series. It’s just … comfort food for the soul! How appropriate, then, that we now have an actual book of comfort food inspired by the show! I wasn’t sure what to expect from this official cookbook, as I (I’m sure like most) prefer super simple and quick recipes. I have been so pleasantly surprised to flip through and find that these recipes look so not-intimidating that I am eager to try them! I am a vegetarian, and even the recipes that include meat appear to be simple enough to modify and swap in some vegan proteins. None of the recipes have exhaustive lists of ingredients, or anything “exotic” that you’d have to special order from an obscure grocery outlet.The print-quality of the book is outstanding. You’ll see in my photos that you can remove the partial sleeve that covers a portion of the book’s front side. Upon doing so, you are left with a delightful faux composition book that looks like Sookie’s notebook, complete with faux puff stickers. The pages are smooth and loaded with glossy vibrant photos of many (not all) of the recipes. Each recipe includes a bit of lore from the show, making it all the more special. I wasn’t sure how much of the inside of the book I would be allowed to show in my review, so I just picked three of my favorite recipes to photograph a portion of their section.I’d recommend this book to ALL fans of Gilmore Girls, even if you aren’t planning to cook any of the recipes. It’s a lovely coffee table book!! But I especially recommend this if you are both a fan of the show and also like to experiment a bit with some unique recipes in the kitchen. It’s a win-win!

As a cookbook collector and Gilmore Girls fan I was excited when I saw this. It’s really cute. The rustic design is meant to keep the feel that it’s Sookie’s actual notebook and the recipes are told from her point of view. There are a lot of interesting looking recipes but I will say that I think a lot of them seem slightly advanced or have long lists of ingredients and I’m not sure how many of them that I’d actually try. I assume that’s to keep the professional chef feel of Sookie but it’s just too much for someone like me who only gets to dabble in cooking on days off. That being said, I made the ratatouille and it was delicious (although granted I combined some steps to make it faster/easier). Regardless, this is great for my collection and would be cute and appreciated by any Gilmore Girl fan!

I am an Amazon Vine reviewer. I choose the items I want to review. I do receive them for free, in exchange for an HONEST review, though I pay taxes on all products. I am reviewing the “Sookie's Recipe Book: Gilmore Girls: An Official Cookbook (Gilmore Girls: Official Cookbooks)”, by Elena Craig, Elizabeth Fisher, and Micol Ostow.I originally just chose this as a novelty item because I loved the Gilmore Girls and the purple cover with the Dragonfly on it was super cute. After I received it and reviewed the recipes, I realized this is more than a novelty item. There are some really great recipes in this cookbook that most home cooks should be able to execute.The recipes are clearly indexed and easy to read. The instructions are well written, and the photos are clear and in full color. I look forward to working my way through this cookbook. Kudos to the authors for putting together such a fun and functional cookbook!I hope this review helps and Happy Shopping!