I received a free copy of this book in return for a review. This post contains affiliate links. See my disclaimer for more.
There’s one sense that’s nearly impossible to invoke when looking back at dark and haunted history: taste.
“Looking at historic photos or handling artifacts from when these places were in operation helps, but these items don’t hit all the senses and don’t entirely evoke the experience of being there,” writes paranormal researcher Amy Bruni in her new cookbook, “Food To Die For.”
So she decided to change that. Inspired by a particular Caesar salad recipe her own mother took to her grave, Amy set out to create recipes for some of the most iconic haunted hot spots and dark history stories in United States history.
Here’s a look inside “Food To Die For”, a perfect cookbook to dig into this Halloween season (and beyond).
About the book
One thing that sets “Food To Die For” apart from other ‘spooky’ cookbooks is its dedication to haunted history.
Every single recipe in the book is preceded with a bite-size history of the location that inspired it. (In fact, the Lizzie Borden House was the catalyst for the entire book to be written!)
Each retelling sets the scene for the recipe that follows — and there are more than 60 to choose from in its 281 pages.
Another detail I love: the wealth of vintage photos, along with the stunning recipe photography. You have a visual of what every single recipe should look like, and they’re beautifully shot. This is almost as much a coffee table book for conversation as it is cookbook.
Another favorite part: these recipes feel 100% approachable, no matter your cooking expertise, and there’s a wide variety of options. There is even an explanation about historical cooking at the beginning, which is a helpful guide for the handful of recipes that speak to older historic happenings.
How the book is organized
The way this book is broken down into sections by different types of haunts and history is great as well. Each includes its location, so you can cook your way through recipes near you or simply a full chapter of interest.
Chapter topics include:
Eerie hotels
Horrifying homes
Otherworldly watering holes
Hair-raising historic landmarks
Hellish institutions
Ghoulish ghost towns
Recipes of interest
The first thing I did, of course, is search for all the haunted hot spots I was familiar with. While there were none in my new home of Minnesota, I did find two in Texas — including the iconic Grand Galvez Hotel which has a well-known history of a forlorn lover taking her life when she thought her fiancé had perished…only for him to return from sea, safe and sound, the day following her death.
The location closest to me that is featured is the infamous Villisca Axe Murder House in Iowa. It’s accompanying recipe? So appropriate for Iowa — a cornbread.
The cookbook also includes well-known spots you’d likely want to see included, like Eastern State Penitentiary, the Lizzie Borden House, and yes, the Stanley Hotel.
You can even hit the high seas with a haunted spot I finally visited last summer and loved — the Queen Mary in Long Beach.
My must-try recipe
Everyone will likely have a different pick — and there is GREAT variety in this book from appetizers and size to main dishes, desserts, and even a handful of cocktails. But my must-try is this Caesar Salad recipe, inspired by the asylum in Sheboygan Falls, WI.
Where to buy it
“Food To Die For” by Amy Bruni will be released Tuesday, July 30 and can be purchased wherever you buy books.
What haunted hot spot would you want a recipe for?
Share it in the comments!
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