A few weeks ago I got a review copy of the Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook from Emily Ansara Baines. All the recipes had something to do with the book and the film. It was divided into several different sections that included:

Breakfast of Champions Breaking Bread Keep the Camp Fires Low and Forage – Soups, Stews, and Salads Humble Beginnings Sink or Swim Seafood Don’t Call Me Chicken – Poultry Dishes for the Brave Put Some Meat on Your Bones – Beef, Lamb, and Pork Wild Games for Wild Girls Just Desserts

Firstly, I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK. I am normally a TERRIBLE cook, but this book was so easy to understand and the recipes were so fun that it made me want to cook something every night.

So, honestly, I didn’t cook everything in the book. I didn’t cook out of section 5 (I hate fish and so does my other half). I also didn’t cook anything out of section 8 because it involved ingredients like squirrel and such. (For real).

But I did cook probably 10 or so recipes out of it. I picked a lot of bread, breakfast, and desert recipes as those are my favorite things to make.

One of the best things about the cookbook was that every recipe had a tie-in to the book before the ingredients. Such as where the recipe can be found in the actual novels. I loved it! It was a fantastic touch for fans as it gave them a glimpse into the story they already love.

I have included a few of the recipes I cooked myself below.

Orange Muffins with Sweet Preserves (Chapter 1)

Yes, yes, I know it says muffins, but at the time, I didn’t have a muffin pan, and I do enjoy a nice loaf. The pictures doesn’t show the sweet preserves on it though. I picked this particular recipe because it called for actual orange juice and that intrigued me.

This was I think the third recipe I made. I was still getting the knack of baking, something that I’ve never been, well, good at achieving.

This did turn out pretty delicious though. The orange taste was not overbearing (although I could have added a touch more). It was a perfect addition to my coffee in the morning.

Brown Sugar Shortbread (Chapter 9)

This was one of my failures/wins. It did not turn out the way it was supposed to in the cookbook, but was still INCREDIBLE tasting. It was supposed to be more of dense treat, but turned out too fluffy.

I think this was the fourth recipe I made.

I also should have cooked it longer, but I was worried about burning the top. But we ate all of it anyway, and really enjoyed it.

Propos Grilled Cheese Sandwhich (Chapter 4)

I LOVE GRILLED CHEESE. Seriously. It is one of my favorite quick meals to make. The recipe in this book was a little different than the one I normally make, so I figured I would try it.

The recipe called for sourdough bread and mayonnaise instead of butter. I actually really enjoyed it. I had to say you could definitely taste the difference with mayo. It was slightly more bland, but felt much more healthier.

I enjoy sourdough bread as it is, but I really liked it with grilled cheese. I wish could use it everytime!

Capitol-Grade Dark Chocolate Cake (Chapter 9)

This recipe was supossed to be cake, but I made both cake and cupcakes out of it. These are the cupcakes and frankly, they were DIVINE! They tasted so good.

This was the most recent recipe I made (last weekend actually) and probably one of my favorites. I later frosted them with the Peeta’s Buttercream frosting recipe and that made them all the more delicious.

I plan to make a large cake with this recipe for my birthday this year.

I saved my two favorite (and the ones I am most proud of) for last.

Opportunistic Strawberry Bread (Chapter 9)

This is the very first recipe I made and just happens to be my first baking attempt in YEARS that didn’t burn AND cooked all the way through.

And it tasted good! I loved this recipe because it called for honey rather than sugar so it fit in really well with my diet. It was soft and the instructions were incredibly easy to understand.

I had some leftovers of this product and took it to my day job and EVERYONE loved it. They keep asking me when I will bring this in again.

Just so freaking good. Really.

Super Sweet Potato Rolls (Chapter 2)

This is my favorite thing I made out of the cookbook. It was also the most difficult thing I have ever made. But the payoff was incredible.

I had never thought to make dinner rolls out of sweet potatoes but I am so happy I tried this recipe.

They were just sweet enough that they went with dinner perfectly, but they were also pretty delicious on their own. These took me like four hours to make from the yeast and the cooling and the kneading and the baking. It took forever, but I was so incredibly proud that they came out deliciously.

I highly recommend trying a recipe like this.

This cookbook definitely awakened my desire to cook and bake. I had always been so terrible but this book was SO easy to understand, and because the subject matter was something I enjoyed already (love the HG!) I didn’t feel like cooking was a chore anymore.

Also, for those of you strained for time (like me) the good thing about the recipes is that it offers options off to the side of how to make your meal either healthier or quicker to make. That was a very handy tools as I am both someone who is always busy and on a diet.

I am definitely going to try some more of the recipes when I get the chance. And if you get the chance, I HIGHLY recommend buying this cookbook. So great for fans of The Hunger Games and anyone wanting to learn to cook new and fun recipes.

Note: Review Item provided in partner with this review.

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