[review + recipe + giveaway!] Eat Like a Gilmore: The Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Gilmore Girls by Kristi Carlson

~ jama

Mmmmmm! What’s that delicious aroma wafting over here from just two days away?

*closes eyes, inhales deeply*

Well, I think it’s mainly COFFEE –a freshly brewed good morning sunshine rich medium roast, fog up my glasses keep me humming all day kind of coffee.

Wait. There’s also pizza, cheeseburgers, chili fries. Risotto, spaghetti and meatballs, and glazed donuts. Is that pie? Oh, marry me chocolate pudding, beef-a-roni, oatmeal cookies!

They’re almost here, they’re almost here:

GILMORE GIRLS!!!!

Credit: Netflix

This Friday, November 25, 2016, “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” premieres on Netflix!

Finally, finally, finally, after nine l-o-n-g years of clenched fetal position withdrawal patiently waiting, we’re getting four, count ’em, FOUR, brand new 90-minute episodes all at the same time!

All I can say is, Copper Boom! Pop-Tarts! Huzzah!!

Whether you plan to binge-watch all four episodes, or delay the gratification over several days or even weeks (wow, I admire your willpower), you’re going to need food — bowls and plates and platters and planks and spreads of glorious, lipsmacking FOOD to keep you going. After all, FOOD, beautiful FOOD is its own unique character in the show and definitely one of the principal reasons Gilmore Girls is my favorite TV dramedy of all time.

Lucky for us, superfan Kristi Carlson has just published Eat Like a Gilmore: The Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Gilmore Girls (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016). This bountiful beauty contains 100+ recipes inspired by the series, everything from cocktails, appetizers, soup, pasta, burgers, meats and seafood to cookies, cakes, and ice creams. And Yes! There are coffee drinks too!

Moreover, there are color photos of all the recipes, which are attributed to their makers, reflecting different styles of cooking: Luke’s Diner (quick and easy comfort food), Emily’s House (fancy, finest ingredients), Sookie’s Kitchen (eclectic, made-from-scratch), and Town Favorites (anything goes!).

Luke’s Cheeseburger (photography by Bonnie Matthews)

So, from Luke’s Diner, you can whip up classic mac and cheese, meatloaf, tuna melts, brownies, mashed potatoes, pancakes, soup and sandwiches. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, step into Sookie’s Kitchen at the Dragonfly Inn for several kinds of muffins, tea sandwiches, shortcakes and scones, roast duck, lamb chops, and 4 types of pesto. Dress up before dining on squab, potage au cresson, and salmon puffs for a Friday Night Dinner at Emily’s House, and if you still have room (Rory and Lorelai definitely would), check out the Town Square for Jackson’s famous deep-fried turkey, deviled eggs, and a chicken chow mein sandwich. Wash it all down with a nice cup of Founder’s Day Punch and you’re all set. *burp*

I enjoyed reading all the recipe headnotes since they brought back such fond memories and seminal moments — Luke baking a coffee cake for Rory’s 16th birthday, Paris sharing her Cereal Combo with Rory at Yale, Sookie making her famous risotto for the food critic, Emily surprising Lorelai with chocolate pudding, Rory asking Sookie for rocky road cookies to give to Dean.

After watching the Pilot Episode again, I noted the foods mentioned as we meet the principal characters for the first time. The opening scene of course takes place in Luke’s Diner, with Lorelai begging Luke for coffee before Rory comes in to join her mother for a cup. With Lane, it’s M&M’s, with Sookie, peach sauce and radish roses, and with Mrs. Kim, sprouted wheat muffins. When Dean first walks Rory home there is talk of “round cakes” as they pass Weston’s, and the First Friday night dinner at Richard and Emily’s includes champagne, lamb and potatoes. 🙂

In subsequent episodes, we see that Doose’s Market is a good place for Rory and Dean’s first kiss, and movie night with “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” at the Gilmore house wouldn’t be complete without pizza, popcorn, Red Vines, marshmallows, and a big jar of peanut butter. So, along with all the cool recipes you try from the cookbook, be sure to stock up on piles of junk food!

Eat Like a Gilmore also has an interesting backstory. Ever since she started watching the series back in 2000, Kristi was hoping someone would publish a Gilmore Girls cookbook so she could make some of the many foods from the show. That didn’t happen, so finally in 2015 she launched a Kickstarter campaign with a goal of raising $20,000 so she could write her own.

Candy Cane Coffee

The response was overwhelming — she more than doubled her goal with $47,000+, and was eventually approached by an indie publisher. She also got backers to suggest, submit and test recipes, making this a truly fan-based labor of love.

You don’t have to be a Gilmore Girls fan to enjoy this cookbook. It’s nice and sturdy with a good variety of recipes requiring different skill levels, it’s beautifully photographed, includes lots of fun series tidbits, and the recipes are presented in an easy-to-follow format. I also like that the book lays flat when opened to any page. I do wish that the profiles of recipe contributors, boosters and testers had been featured in the back of the book instead of at the beginning — maybe it’s just me, but I like to dig into the recipes as soon as possible! 🙂

Blueberry Muffins

Eat Like a Gilmore is a must-have for Gilmore Girls fans, and likely to convince those who aren’t familiar with the series to definitely check it out. They will soon fall under the Stars Hollow spell and want to live there so they can befriend all the quirky characters.

Who could resist a gruff, hot guy in a backwards baseball cap pouring coffee with his left hand, or all the caffeine-fueled high octane witty banter between mother and daughter? I think in this day and age of electronic devices, which can isolate and demoralize, more than ever people are craving the comfort and intimacy of a small town and being able to immerse themselves in character driven storylines centering on friendship, family, community, strong and independent women, dynamic relationships, and romance. And food :).

GG Netflix Revival first episode: “Winter”

Thanks to an entirely new audience and the fervent loyalty of older *ahem* mature viewers like me, a revival is finally happening, and we cannot wait to catch up with our favorite characters.

Will Luke and Lorelai get married? Is Rory now a famous journalist, and will she end up with Dean, Jess, Logan or someone else? Do lovable chef Sookie and husband Jackson have a passel of kids? What about Lane and Zack, Richard and Emily, Paris and Doyle, eccentric Kirk? Has Miss Patty lassoed herself a hunk yet?

Oy with the poodles already.

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🍂 PUMPKIN PANCAKES 🎃

I especially love Stars Hollow in Autumn, when the town square is beautifully decorated and the crisp air is ripe with possibility (remember when Rory and Lane, dressed as pilgrims, talked about Rory’s first kiss?). Can’t think of anything I’d rather do than take a leisurely stroll before stopping in at Luke’s Diner for a hearty breakfast.

The problem would be what to order: french toast, eggs and bacon, an omelet, donuts, muffins, or a tall stack of pancakes? If I had Lorelai’s and Rory’s gargantuan appetites, it would be all of the above. 🙂

But I do love the idea of Luke serving me a platter of light and fluffy pancakes. Just because it’s Fall, he’ll make pumpkin pancakes — rich, melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk beauties fragrant with spicy cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Just for him, I would temporarily fall off my tea wagon in favor of his coffee.

These pancakes are filling and satisfying, perfect sustenance for braving a chilly November day and topping off your Thanksgiving weekend. With cinnamon butter and lots of maple syrup (maybe even a little whipped cream), a stack of these is like having dessert for breakfast. Luke can flip my pancakes any time. 🙂

Pumpkin Pancakes

  • Servings: 8-10 pancakes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1-1/3 cups pumpkin, cooked or canned
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Prep oven: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and position a cookie sheet or oven-safe plate on center rack with at least 3 inches clearance above it.

Mix dry ingredients: In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

Mix wet ingredients: In large mixing bowl, add egg, and whisk until smooth. Add buttermilk, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.

Make batter: Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients — whisk to combine. Add pumpkin. Whisk. Add butter. Whisk. This is the batter.

Fry pancakes: Coat a large frying pan with 1 T vegetable oil. Over medium high heat, allow the oil to warm up for 2-3 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into pan. Use pan’s handle to angle pan back and forth until batter is spread evenly. Fry pancake for 2-3 minutes; once the very center begins to bubble, wait 30 seconds then flip the pancake. Once you see the pancake puff up/rise in the pan, fry for another 60-90 seconds. Remove pancake and place it on plate in oven to keep it warm. Repeat until all batter has been fried. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Jama’s tip: My batter was quite thick, so instead of measuring out 1/2 cup of batter per pancake, I used a 1/3 cup measure to pour the batter onto my griddle, and then I leveled the batter slightly with a small spatula so the pancakes cooked faster and more evenly.

~ from Eat Like a Gilmore: The Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Gilmore Girls by Kristi Carlson (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016).

 

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Writer/creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has always known how the series would end and what the final four words spoken would be. Fans everywhere are having fun speculating. What do you think they are? 🙂

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EAT LIKE A GILMORE: The Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Gilmore Girls
written by Kristi Carlson
photography by Bonnie Matthews
published by Skyhorse Publishing, October 2016,
288 pp.
*Includes Author’s Note, Reference Guide, Contributor Profiles and Metric and Imperial Conversion Charts

❤️ Signed copies available via the Eat Like a Gilmore web page.

❤️ Here’s the official book trailer:

 

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❤️ Here’s the official GG Netflix Revival Trailer:

 

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 🍰SPECIAL BOOK GIVEAWAY!! 🍩

The publisher has generously donated a copy of Eat Like a Gilmore for one lucky Alphabet Soup reader. For a chance to win, simply leave a comment at this post no later than midnight (EST) Wednesday, November 30, 2016. You may also enter by sending an email with “GILMORE” in the subject line to: readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot) com. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, please. Winner will be announced on December 2. Good Luck!

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❤️ Click here to read my 2010 post where I discuss Gilmore Girls food in more detail.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING (DO YOU PLAN TO EAT 4 THANKSGIVING DINNERS LIKE LORELAI AND RORY DID?)!

HAPPY VIEWING ON FRIDAY!! GILMORE GIRLS FOREVER!

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wkendcookingiconThis post is being linked to Beth Fish Read’s Weekend Cooking, where all are invited to share their food-related posts. Put on your best bibs and aprons and come join the fun!

*Interior spreads posted by permission, text copyright © 2016 Kristi Carlson, photographs © 2016 Bonnie Matthews, published by Skyhorse Publishing. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2016 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.

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57 thoughts on “[review + recipe + giveaway!] Eat Like a Gilmore: The Unofficial Cookbook for Fans of Gilmore Girls by Kristi Carlson”

  2. WAAAAAAANT!!!!!! I can’t wait for Friday and Gilmore Girls! Thinking of wearing Juicy sweatpants (actually, I don’t own a pair but I wish I did to watch GG) and Rory’s Reading Is Sexy t-shirt while noshing on Mallomars, Pop Tarts, pizza, and Chinese food, while watching! My plan is to watch 1 episode a day in a row, but maybe I’ll watch all four and then re-watch again and again and again….! Oy with the poodles, already and In omnia paratus!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Must confess I’ve never eaten Mallomars! Must remedy immediately. I also plan to watch just one episode a day. Would rather savor and anticipate than OD. I do have a Babette Ate Oatmeal black t-shirt to wear! 🙂

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  4. Happy Thanksgiving Jama. I’ve never eaten four Thanksgiving, but there was a time when we had to be at “two” dinners! What a treat for Thanksgiving weekend!

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    1. Only Lorelai and Rory could eat 4 Thanksgiving dinners. Their industrial strength appetites are legendary. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Linda!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Happy Thanksgiving Jama!! I giggled in delight so many times while reading this post, both my boys kept running over to see what was bringing me such joy. They piped in with shouts of “Donuts with SPRINKLES!” and “Oooohhh PANCAKES!” And enthusiastic shouts of “Is today Pancakes Day??” (Saturday is always Pancakes day in our house. Daddy is the resident pancake chef so we have pancakes on Saturdays when he is home. He’s a school teacher so he’s off all week and it feels like everyday should be Pancake Day – and with recipes like these – indeed it should be!) Thanks so much for another truly delightful post. ❤ !!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Happy Thanksgiving, Jama! The pumpkin pancakes look scrumptious!! And I must be the only person who has not ever seen the Gilmore Girls–ever!! I must remedy that! 🙂

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    1. Yes, you must remedy that immediately! I know you’ll love the show, Maria. As a writer yourself, you’ll especially appreciate all the rapid fire dialogue.

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  9. GG is my favorite show to watch with my two daughters (my hubby pretends he doesn’t like it/watch it, but he knows everything that is going on ;). I love how you describe your waiting patiently for the revival, “clenched fetal position withdrawal”, Jama. Hee-hee. This cookbook is long overdue – I’m so glad Kristi Carlson wrote it (along with all the other GG fans). I always marveled at how Lorelai and Rory stayed SO skinny with all that they ate – oh, to be a fictional character on a TV show. I think the last four words will be Lorelai saying to Rory, “Let’s go to Luke’s”. Can’t wait until Friday! =)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Love your last four words, Bridget. That would be perfect! I also like (Luke to Lorelai): Will you marry me? Or, Rory holding her new baby: Her name is Lorelai. 🙂

      Len also enjoys the show and is a Lauren Graham fan. I also wondered how Lorelai and Rory could eat so much and still stay so skinny. Also, how a single mom could afford to eat out most of the time and have such a great wardrobe.

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  10. Love Gilmore Girls!!! Drooling over a whole book of those recipes too! 😊 Crossing my fingers….

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  12. I was going to catch up on all the episodes before the 25th but have made it through only season 3. I love the show so much, and was always rooting for Jess. Are you watching This is Us? Milo Ventimiglia is in it!

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    1. No, haven’t seen Milo’s new series, but did see him in a couple of interviews promoting it. I like how all Rory’s beaux are so different.

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  13. So cool. A Gilmore Girls cookbook. My daughter and I can’t wait to see the new show. Thanks for sharing, Jama!

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  15. I’m not sure if I’m more excited that my son is coming home from college for Thanksgiving (first year, first time home) or for the Gilmore Girls revival! (If he sees this, then it most certainly is him, otherwise…not so sure!) This cookbook seems like it is as much fun to read as it is to cook from.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. I am dying to see the show. I will be binge watching all 4 – 90 min episodes for sure! I’ve got my Luke’s Diner tee ready to wear along with pancakes, pizza, and Chinese food all day. This has been my favorite show since the day the pilot aired. I own all seasons on DVD and watch it again and again. Someday I’ll watch it with my 3 daughters when they are old enough. I can’t wait for the revival and the cookbook looks absolutely amazing!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Wow! It sounds like you are all set! GG Fan through and through. When you watch the original series with your daughters, it’ll be like seeing it for the first time all over again. Have fun binge-watching!

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  17. Pingback: chronological book review archive (2008-2016) | Jama's Alphabet Soup
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  20. That’s a really interesting story about how the cookbook came together! I’m impressed that so much effort and love was put into it. (I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls! Can you believe it?) Your pancakes look delicious!

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  21. I love this post — and am so glad I found your blog through Beth Fish Reads. I work in a bookstore, and we have been selling the Gilmore Girls cookbook, although I haven’t cooked from it yet. Those pancakes look yummy!

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  22. OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH Must have, must have, must have!!!! Love that you shared that opening scene video. I didn’t watch the other one cause I’m going to wait until I can see the new episodes straight through. Maybe tomorrow????

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  23. I must live in some sort of vacuum, never having heard of Gilmore Girls??!! Was the series on cable? At any rate, the book does look good enough to eat:)

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    1. It was on the old WB network, then moved to the CW network. If you like a small town setting, quirky characters and fast paced dialogue, you’ll enjoy this series.

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  30. I hope you enjoy the revival episodes! There’s so much wonderful looking food in this post but I have to save I may have almost licked my screen for that Candy Cane Coffee! 😉

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  31. Reblogged this on Living Out Loud and commented:
    I didn’t watch tv when this show aired, but my friends always talked about watching “Gilmore Girls” so I kept it in the pocket of my mind to look into later… Last January I finally started watching Gilmore Girls sporadically.
    By August, I was hooked! My boyfriend makes fun of me for watching it, but he doesn’t mind listening to it too. So now I am finally hooked as ever and almost caught up!!!
    I can’t wait to start watching “A Year in the Life!!!”
    ❤ Alana

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