A Literary Picnic

Cookbook by: Alison Walsh

“Whether you’re a kitchen novice or a seasoned home cook, you’ll find recipes here that were made with you in mind,” Alison Walsh. I was so excited to see A Literary Picnic: 5 Menus of Outdoor-Friendly Recipes Inspired by Classic Literature by Alison Walsh as I had previously reviewed her A Literary Holiday Cookbook (see my review here) and loved it.

As an avid reader myself I always find myself wondering about the food they are eating in the stories, and it doesn’t matter what genre the book is from. We all remember Mr. Collins and his boiled potatoes comment from Pride and Prejudice.

A Literary Picnic: 5 Menus of Outdoor-Friendly Recipes Inspired by Classic Literature offers a wide variety of recipes that are perfect for an afternoon outdoors. I love to soak up all of the good fall weather by spending an afternoon outside with a delicious picnic. These recipes are easy to make, and readers of all ages will love them.

Poison Apple Punch

I drink mostly water during my day but love to have a flavorful drink with my meals. The poison apple punch is a quick to make and tasty punch to take on any outdoor picnic. I really expected the pomegranate juice to take over the punch, but the recipe had the perfect ratio of ingredients which allowed everything to blend really nicely. For the punch I just used sparkling apple cider instead of hard apple cider as I am not a big drinker and preferred to have it nonalcoholic, but it would work either way.

The poison apple punch will be a drink I make again and again for all types of gatherings including picnics. It will be enjoyed by all ages – just make sure you make enough – you may need to double the recipe for a large gathering.

Mushroom Scones

If you been reading my blog you know I love mushrooms, so I knew I had to make the mushroom scones the minute I saw the recipe. The directions were easy to follow and they didn’t require any special ingredients. I did have to add the additional 2 tablespoons of half and half into the mixture so the dough would come together. It didn’t take a long time to make them, although I did have a lot of cleanup since I spilled a beaten egg on the counter while making these, lol.

Overall I was really please with how they turned out. The only thing I would change is add an additional tablespoon of the half and half as the scones would be a little more moist. I am going to make these again as they are delicious, plus a great way to use up extra mushrooms and sweet red peppers!

Overall I loved A Literary Picnic: 5 Menus of Outdoor-Friendly Recipes Inspired by Classic Literature. The recipes are easy to follow and love that they are grouped as a menu each with an appetizer, entree, side dish, dessert and beverage. It makes it so easy to decide what will go well with each other. This cookbook is only available in the Kindle version but I have found that I love Kindle cookbooks as they can go with me anywhere. Plus then you have the cookbook at your fingertips to choose a recipe while shopping and you will know what you need to get.

I would recommend A Literary Picnic: 5 Menus of Outdoor-Friendly Recipes Inspired by Classic Literature for all cookbook fans and all literary fans. If you are new to cookbooks it’s a great starter cookbook to get you going on your cookbook collection.

Now you can get the A Literary Picnic: Extended Edition: 9 Menus of Outdoor-Friendly Recipes Inspired by Classic Literature in kindle edition or hardcover!