THE BOOK LOVER'S COOKBOOK
Recipes Inspired by Celebrated Works of Literature
and the Passages that Feature Them
Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet Kay Jensen
Wake up to a perfect breakfast with Mrs. Dalby's Buttermilk Scones, courtesy of James Herriot's "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and Ichabod's Slapjacks, as featured in Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." There's homey comfort food like Connie May's Tomato Pie, created with and inspired by Connie May Fowler" (Remembering Blue)"; Thanksgiving Spinach Casserole (Elizabeth Berg's "Open House"); and Amish Chicken and Dumplings (Jodi Picoult'"s""Plain Truth") . . . Sample salads, breads, and such soul-warming soups as Nearly-a-Meal Potato Soup (Terry Kay's "Shadow Song"); Mr. Casaubon's Chicken Noodle Soup (George Eliot's "Middlemarch"); and Mrs. Leibowitz's Lentil-Vegetable Soup (Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes") . . . After relishing appetizers and entrees, there's a dazzling array of desserts, including Carrot Pudding (Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol"); Effie Belle's Coconut Cake (Olive Ann Burns's "Cold Sassy Tree"); and the kids will love C.S. Lewis's Turkish Delight from "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe."
Sprinkled throughout with marvelous anecdotes about writers and writing, "The Book Lover's Cookbook" is a culinary and literary delight, a browser's cornucopia of reading pleasure, and a true inspiration in the kitchen.
Shaunda Kennedy Wenger enjoys creative cooking and writing children's stories and articles. She is currently working on a novel. Her work has been published in "Babybug," "Ladybug," "Wonder Years," "American Careers," "South Valley Living," and "Short-Short Stories for Reading Aloud" (The Education Center, 2000). She is an active member of the League of Utah Writers and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She regards her monthly book club meeting as one life's essential ingredients.
Janet Kay Jensen is published in "Healing Ministry "journal""and "The Magic of Stories. "She has received numerous awards for essays, poetry, and short stories, including three "ByLine Magazine" honorable mentions. A speech-language pathologist, she holds degrees from Utah State University and Northwestern University. She is writing a novel, teaches poetry classes to jail inmates, and is a literacy tutor. Married and the mother of three sons, she is a consultant at Utah State University.
TASTY RECIPES AND THE BOOKS THAT INSPIRED THEM
Jo's Best Omelette . . . "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
No Dieter's Delight Chicken Neapolitan . . . "Thinner" by Stephen King
Extra-Special Rhubarb Pie . . . "The Persian Pickle Club" by Sandra Dallas
Grand Feast Crab Meat Casserole . . . "At Home in Mitford" by Jan Karon
Persian Cucumber and Yogurt . . . "House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus III
Tamales . . . "Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel
Bev's No-Fuss Crab Cakes . . . "Unnatural Exposure" by Patricia Cornwell
Macaroni and Cheese . . . "The Accidental Tourist" by Anne Tyler
Veteran Split Pea Soup . . . "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane
Alternative Carrot-Raisin-Pineapple Salad . . . "Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian
Summer's Day Cucumber-Tomato Sandwiches . . .
"Women in Love" by D. H. Lawrence
Refreshing Black Cows . . . "The Book of Ruth" by Jane Hamilton
Dump Punch . . . "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Not Violet, But Blueberry Pie
. . . "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl
Innocent Sweet Bread . . . "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Daddy's Rich Chocolate Cake . . . "Fatherhood" by Bill Cosby

. . . and many other delectable dishes for the literary palate

"From the Hardcover edition."

Did you know that the history of powdered gelatin is tied to the invention of the steam locomotive? That bell peppers were called "mangos" in early America? That until the early 1900s, tomatoes were avoided unless a handful was needed to kill a werewolf? From Rivets and Rails not only offers recipes from a boarding house linked with the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad lines, but also gives tidbits of information related to early American cooking and railroad history. Based on the cookery journal of Elizabeth Shade Kennedy, a woman who became a single parent to five boys following the unexpected death of her railroad engineer husband, Recipes of a Railroad Boarding House Cookbook offers a glimpse into early kitchens during one of the most expansive times in American history.