The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the Ma… (2024)

Hey! January 2021 Reading Vlog is up!!

You may be asking yourself just how many literary cookbooks could one person possibly own...the answer? Always at least one more.

I swear, it's an addiction.

So, this is my second Little Women Cookbook (the first one being The Little Women Cookbook and when comparing the two, I would say they are pretty even.

They are both fabulous ways of delving into this classic tale and reinventing the olden recipes.

What I liked about this one is that it gives a lot of context to the old recipes.

Did you know that to brown a dish, people used to heat up a shovel and hover it above the food until the top got crispy? Or that they did unspeakable things to calf-feed in order to make fanciful recipes?

I was horrified, and fascinated and above all curious what the next page would bring.

I loved that Wini spent the time to look into the cookbooks referenced by the March sisters and included recipes throughout the series.

Wini includes menus for different occasions based on what the characters eat and what is time-period appropriate for a picnic or holiday feast. I can't wait to see what meals taste like!

I do wish there were more recipes (I believe this book only has 60ish) and while I get that the book probably doesn't have hundreds of dishes mentioned, I would've loved to see a few more period-appropriate recipes to round it out.

All in all, this was a fabulous book and highly recommended!!

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First, lets talk about that cover. How adorable is that?! I love it. 💕 So, ok, it is no secret thatI have a thing for literary inspired cookbooks. 😍 I think they are fun. 😁 Make great gifts and are super cool to collect. 🎁 When I saw this one up on NetGalley, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. 👐 I adore Little Women, and I love to cook...winwin. 👍👍

The book is divided into four chapters...

-- Hannah’s Breakfasts 🍛
--Gatherings with Family and Friends 🍴
--March Family Dinners and Suppers 🍻
--Sweet Treats, Desserts, and Drinks 🍭

Each chapter has easy to follow recipes. ☑ A quote from Little Women, and a bit of trivia about the food item. 🔤 There are also a nice selection of colorful graphics, and photographs to get your mouth watering. 🎨

Here are just a few of the yummy sounding recipes you will find within...

-- Buckwheat Pancakes 🍪
--Amy’s "Christmas Day" Muffins 🎅
--Classic Roast Beef Tenderloin 🍖
--Jo’s Much-Improved Asparagus 🍡
--Spice-Trade Deviled Eggs 🍳
--Garden Pot Pie 🍲
--Hannah’s Pounded Potatoes 🍯
--Amy’s “Pickled Lime” Sugar Cookies 🍥
--Jo’s Gingerbread 🍪
--“Lemon Cheese” Tartlets 🍊
--Amy’s Frothy French Drinking Chocolate ☕

This would make a great gift for any Little Women fan! 💞

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I am a huge fan of Louisa May Alcott and of the era in which she wrote her classic books, including Little Women. I also own a Bed and Breakfast so I’m always on the hunt for great recipes – new and old. This cookbook was a dream come true. So often books refer to the food the characters are enjoying and, yet, in older classics it can difficult to find a corresponding recipe. With The Little Women Cookbook, we get to enjoy the flavors of that time but with modern era ingredients and, of course, cooking appliances.

I prepared multiple recipes from the book, from main dishes to desserts, and I haven’t found one yet that I didn’t love. Admittedly, this time of year my favorites included the Gingerbread and Apple Dumpling recipes, both of which were better than my own grandmother’s. If you like to cook/bake and adore cookbooks as much as I do, then this is a must-have addition to your kitchen. Bake up something wonderful and enjoy the new movie based on Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women.

Truth be told (and even with a bit of guilt as it does seem as though most of the posted reviews have been very much positive and often even glowing), I am actually more than a bit conflicted regarding Wini Moranville’s The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family. For while the general set-up of direct quotes from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women novel combined with over forty diverse recipes (from breakfasts to desserts and drinks) is indeed very appealing (and with much information on 19th century cookery as well as many appreciated photographs of the end products), I do have to admit that I have a few rather major issues with some of the foods and repasts Wini Moranville has included in The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends And Family and in fact also, it seems, with Moranville’s general attitude towards food.

For one, the fact that rather more than a few of the presented recipes call for highly processed modern day, contemporary ingredients such as store-bought instant baking mixes, frostings and icings, this does (to and for me at least) lose a bit of the feeling that

And for two, I also and furthermore do tend to find what I for one can only label as Wini Moranville’s modern USA American food bias rather a personal annoyance and frustration. For example, I am indeed a trifle offended by the author’s claims that while in the 19th century, breakfast often consisted of both sweet and savoury fare (such as fried liver, kidneys, kippered herrings and the like), in today’s world, breakfasts would as a rule supposedly not include liver, kidneys, fish etc. (as while this might indeed be true in many modern American households, in both the United Kingdom and much of continental Europe, fish and diverse meats being consumed for breakfast is still very much common), not to mention that I am also incredibly annoyed to actually not find in

Therefore only a three star ranking for

I collect cookbooks, especially bookish ones. I love Louisa Mae Alcott's book about the March family. It's been one of my favorite classics ever since I first read it as a child. Reading through the recipes and quotes in this cookbook make me want to re-read the novel! I added it to my TBR list! :)

This cookbook is filled with quotes from the book, many color photographs and wholesome recipes. I think Marmee would be proud of all the yummy food in its pages. She would gladly have served every one of these dishes to her girls, and Laurie, too! There are more than 50 dishes ranging from desserts and breakfasts to dinner and party fare. The ingredients are simple and the instructions are concise. A book lover does not have to be a gourmet cook to enjoy making any of these recipes! The dishes would be fun to make for a book club night, or just for a weeknight dinner.

The front cover art is attractive. It definitely caught my eye and made me want to peruse the recipes in this book. The page layout is easy to read. The photographs complement the recipes, rather than crowding the page. The font is easy to read. Definitely a nicely laid out cookbook! There is a full index to all recipes in the back of the book. The recipes are indexed by main ingredient, making things simple to find!

I am definitely getting a copy of this book for my cookbook shelf! My two favorite recipes are the Spice-Trade Deviled Eggs and Hannah's Cottage Pie. Can't wait to try making them, and just about every other dish in the book!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Quarto Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Wini Moranville’s The Little Women Cookbook features yummy and approachable recipes from the March sisters and their friends. I enjoyed this literary cookbook but I wish it was a little better designed and had more interesting photos.

This charming cookbook has clearly detailed recipes that are simple and easy to follow. I particularly like that the ingredients are familiar and accessible. I also love that Moranville includes set menus for dinner parties and picnics so you can dine just like the characters.

The book is divided into four chapters filled with delicious recipes: Hannah��s Breakfasts, Gatherings with Family and Friends, March Family Dinners and Suppers; and Sweet Treats, Desserts, and Drinks. There are familiar recipes like mac and cheese and fish chowder alongside unusual dishes like Jo’s Shellfish Relish and Meg’s Currant Jelly Sauce. I cannot wait to make Maple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits or Amy’s Frothy French Drinking Chocolate!

Moranville’s dedication to history truly makes this book unique. She includes information on traditional nineteenth century cooking, mentions popular cookbooks of that era and gives examples of traditional meals from the March sisters’ time. I love learning about the food history in this fun and approachable way!

I feel like I reread the novel through this cookbook! At the beginning of each recipe, there are quotes from the book that neatly tie into the recipes. There are also fun anecdotes about Louisa May Alcott. Did you know that she referred to her house as “Orchard Slump” and that her father was vegan?

The cookbook features some bright full-colour pictures and a cute page design. I love the adorable illustrations of the March sisters. However, I wish the illustrations carried throughout to make the book’s design livelier. I also wish there were much more pictures and that the pictures were more interesting and relevant to the book. They are good pictures but they could have belonged to any cookbook and they didn’t particularly reflect Little Women.

The Little Women Cookbook is an excellent literary cookbook. Although, I wanted a more interesting design and more specific photos, this is a wonderful collection. This is perfect for those who love literary cookbooks, food history, and, of course, Little Women fans. I love literary cookbooks and this will be a fun addition to my collection!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for this book in exchange for an honest review.

👩👩👩👩 little women out of 5!

For one hundred and fifty years readers have identified with the March sisters. Louisa May Alcott drew from her family members and life, making Little Women a beloved story with relatable characters.

Set during the Civil War, with Mr. March at war far from home, the March sisters and their mother struggle to obtain their basic needs. Food insecurity impacts their home and the community. The novel begins with the preparation of a Christmas breakfast feast which the girls valiantly donate to an immigrant family. The women content themselves with a meal of bread and milk. The book ends with a meal as well, a picnic supper.

Wini Moranville, "writer, cookbook author, and lover of historic and heirloom recipes," was asked to write The Little Women Cook Book in conjunction with the 2019 Little Women movie.

With charming illustrations and quotations from the novel, it is a delight. I enjoyed revisiting the novel through the lens of communal meals. Well-chosen quotations from Little Women keep our attention on the inspiration source for the recipes.

Wini researched American cookbooks from the mid 19th c. Some foods from the novel, like the pickled limes traded between schoolgirls, would not appeal today, so Wini gives us "Pickled Lime" Sugar Cookies.

Milk-Toast was a simple meal of warm milk poured over buttered toasted bread, perhaps seasoned with salt or sugar and cinnamon. I recall my grandfather, born in 1905, enjoying it as a dessert from his country childhood.

From the passage, "The omelet was scorched, and the biscuits speckled with saleratus", Wini gives two recipes, omelets and Maple-Cornmeal Drop Biscuits, and a history of baking powder.

Other recipes from the past include:

"Meg was already covering the buckwheats..."~Buckwheat Pancakes

"It was too bad to laugh at the poor little jelly pots."~ Meg's Currant Jelly Sauce

"We'll have lettuce and make a salad."~ Jo's Lettuce Salad

"...and Amy made lemonade..."~Amy's Lemonade

Also appearing are Mr. Bhaer's Chocolate drops; Bonbons and mottoes, candies wrapped in papers printed with riddles and sayings; Jo's Gingerbread; the apple turnovers from the picnic; and Meg's Plum Pudding.

Where the novel is silent on specifics, Wini turns to recipes popular during the time period.

Newlywed Meg uses a popular cookbook, The Young Housekeeper's Friend. Indian meal--cornmeal--was popularly used in many dishes. Wini offers us Indian Meal Griddle Cakes, with a version with blueberries that caught my attention.

Meg also has Mrs. Corneliu's Receipt Book and Wini shares Meg's Macaroni and Cheese from that book. It is very like the recipe I have used all my life.

The recipes are tempting!

I was given access to a free ebook by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review

Pierwszy raz przeczytałam książkę kucharską od A do Z, i to z jaką przyjemnością! Idealna pozycja dla fanek Małych kobietek i gotowania.

A Christmas gift from a dear friend, The Little Women Cookbook is one I've had my eye on for a long time. It's marketed similarly to The Anne of Green Gables Cookbook (which I gave her, in honor of her making raspberry cordial for my bridal shower). The main difference, besides the books about which they're written, is that a descendant of L. M. Montgomery wrote the Anne cookbook and included family recipes. The Little Women Cookbook is based on historical recipes and those mentioned in the book. Moranville went so far as to track down receipt books and authors mentioned in Little Women. She followed the spirit of adult Alcott in this book, eschewing the vegetarianism that Bronson dictated in her childhood. Alcott hated it and ate a lot of red meat as an adult, and even the Marches in their genteel poverty had meaty repasts. Obviously, this book has a US bias, given that it's about a US classic, just as the Anne cookbook had a Canadian bias.

I loved how closely Moranville stuck to the literary feasts of the book. Jo's lobster and lettuce salad--much improved--and Meg's efforts at jam. Recipes for a Camp Laurence picnic make me long for summer, a rare thing since I'm a cold-weather gal. Moranville references historical recipes and accurate ingredients, but thankfully updates them for modern kitchens--sometimes a little too much, with boxed frosting and cake mixes, though the recipes could be easily adapted by the experienced cook. You're out of luck for pickled limes, though. I do wish Beth's "History of a Squash" recipe was included, but since it is printed in full in the novel, here it is:

"Once upon a time a farmer planted a little seed in his garden, and after a while it sprouted and became a vine, and bore many squashes. One day in October, when they were ripe, he picked one and took it to market. A grocer-man bought and put it in his shop. That same morning, a little girl, in a brown hat and blue dress, with a round face and snub nose, went and bought it for her mother. She lugged it home, cut it up, and boiled it in the big pot; mashed some of it, with salt and butter, for dinner; and to the rest she added a pint of milk, two eggs, four spoons of sugar, nutmeg, and some crackers; put it in a deep dish, and baked it till it was brown and nice; and next day it was eaten by a family named March."

You can, however, learn what blanc-mange is here, and make it yourself, to live out your Nurse Jo dreams.

In an extended literary chain, Little Women reminds me of what Phil Gordon says of Pickwick in Anne of the Island:

"'That’s a book that always makes me hungry,' said Phil. 'There’s so much good eating in it. The characters seem always to be reveling on ham and eggs and milk punch. I generally go on a cupboard rummage after reading Pickwick. The mere thought reminds me that I’m starving. Is there any tidbit in the pantry, Queen Anne?'"

Thinking of feasts in Little Women makes me hungry, so I'm going to go make Hannah's cheese and jam turnovers:

"There was a momentary lull, broken by Hannah, who stalked in, laid two hot turn-overs on the table, and stalked out again. These turn-overs were an institution; and the girls called them 'muffs,' for they had no others, and found the hot pies very comforting to their hands on cold mornings. Hannah never forgot to make them, no matter how busy or grumpy she might be, for the walk was long and bleak; the poor things got no other lunch, and were seldom home before two."

Update: they were delicious.

Thank you, Maddie!!!

This is a sweet little cookbook for fans of Little Women. The author explains at the start that she researched recipes of the time but adapted most of them for modern times. I collect historic cookbooks and love cooking old-time recipes, so was hoping for more authenticity. These recipes tend to call for things like purchased cookie mixes, cake mixes, frosting, puff pastry, etc. while I prefer to cook from scratch and would prefer more of that sort. There are some from-scratch recipes, such as for lemonade (although she offers a fancier version than they probably made, with orange and cloves and such added). There are color photos of many of the dishes and lots of sweet quotes from the books. She also gives some information about how things would have been made back then (with a kind of "aren't you glad you don't have to eat that gross stuff" tone) and lots of interesting tidbits.

Note to folks on special diets-- these recipes are heavy on wheat and meat. There is a vegetarian pot pie recipe that mentions Alcott's father was a vegan but it includes dairy. Folks who are vegetarian or gluten free may not find many recipes that will work for their needs. (Vegetarians who want to try authentic historic recipes should look for Henrietta Dwight's 1898 cookbook "The Golden Age Cook Book," which is vegetarian and praises the benefits of a "bloodless diet." You can download digital copies free from many sources and it is a very interesting historic read.)

This will be a great book for fans of the books, not necessarily for those who want to cook authentic dishes from the time.

I loved this so much, full of gorgeous illustrations, great recipes, quotes from the book, it’s such an attractive and adorable addition to the world of Little Women. I am going to have to buy in hardback now because it was so beautiful (kindle version to be used for recipes as to far too gorgeous to cause me to accidentally soil-which I would) An absolutely beautiful cookbook.

This was a truly lovely cookbook that will take you back into the classic read Little Women. Filled with homey feeling recipes directly from the classic any true fan will be transported into the book and come out the other side excited about cooking some tasty food. It was a great celebration of Little Women and will have you picking it up again just so you can find the recipes mentioned throughout. The author did a.beauty job and even included fabulous illustrations, and quotes from the stories. It is a well rounded cookbook and the recipes are easy to make. I gave the Gingerbread cake a try and it turned out beautifully. I'll be making it again for the upcoming holiday season. I look forward to trying more recipes and to returning to the classic, it is definitely a.favored read!!!

Full Review on The Candid Cover

The Little Women Cookbook by Wini Moranville is a must-have for fans of the classic Louisa May Alcott series. The book contains simple recipes that are inspired by the food in the books. Also, there are some cute illustrations and quotes from the stories to accompany the instructions.

One of my favourite classics, Little Women, is a story that celebrates families and sisters. The Little Women Cookbook carries on this theme with some straightforward recipes that will bring you back to the world of the March family. Recipes, such as Jo’s Much Improved Asparagus and Amy’s “Pickled Lime” Sugar Cookies, will evoke strong memories of the books and its characters.

❀ WHIMSICAL IMAGES

This cookbook not only features recipes that are influenced by Alcott’s books, it also contains some whimsical images and photographs. In addition, the author shares quotes from the stories and some history about the era the book was written in. These little tidbits make the book much more than a collection of recipes, but a companion for fans of the original stories.

Mr. Bhaer’s chocolate drops are represented in this book, and the Vanilla Butter Cookies that are included in the cookbook are quick, easy, and delicious. They were definitely gobbled up pretty fast at my house, as I imagine Meg’s children would have in Little Women.

❀ GREAT GIFT IDEA

If you have a Little Women fan in your life, this book would make a great gift. It is a pretty cookbook that will be a great addition to any shelf. It makes the wait for the new movie a little bit easier, for sure!

I am so excited to be receiving this for review. I love Little Women. I remember reading it a couple of times when I was a little girl. This cookbook brightens my day and my moms.

What a charming little cookbook! I have a deep nostalgic love for both Little Women and for heirloom recipes (even though I can't eat many of them due to dietary restrictions), and this book offered plenty of both, presented in an absolutely beautifully designed and formatted cookbook, full of fascinating culinary history, biographical tidbits about Alcott and her family and home, and lovely artwork.
This is honestly one of the best tie-in cookbooks I've even read. The recipes as presented sound delicious and accessible to the modern reader, without sounding anachronistic to the historical period of the book it honors. Due to be dishes typical to its era, there really is almost no dish that my vegan-preferring, gluten intolerant self can hope to eat, but for those without similar dietary restrictions, the dishes sound delicious as well as nostalgic, updated with modern conveniences, ingredients, and measurements that surely all the Marches, particularly the kitchen-challenged Jo, would have loved.
Each recipe is presented in a charmingly beautiful book, complete with lovely color food photography, and short but fascinating and relevant information about each recipe, not only how it ties in to the Marchs' story, but also historical context for the dish, and even reasons and methods of updating the recipes to make them more accessible to contemporary readers. No longer must cooks heat a shovel over open flame and apply it to the top of mac and cheese in order to brown it, for instance. We have much better ovens than cooks of their day did, and can trust them to evenly bake and brown such dishes. The author is clearly passionate about the topics of both Little Women and of food and cookbooks, and has clearly done due diligence with researching both topics. I learned so much from reading this, and enjoyed every minute of it.
I hadn't remembered just how much food figures into the Marchs' story, so the inclusion of quotations from Little Women throughout the book, and references to culinary facts and trends of their era, such as the contents of the actual cookbook Meg uses when she's first married, are fascinating and charming. I'll admit that there's some repetition of quotations and stories. Many of the food passages in the story feature multiple dishes, that are spread throughout this cookbook, and so stories, quotations, and historical facts can be repeated several times by the end of the book. But that small fact is the closest thing I'd have to a complaint about this book.
I'm so grateful that #Netgalley and Harvard Commons Press/ Quarto let me read an advance copy of #TheLittleWomenCookbook in exchange for an honest review. I loved every minute of it, and highly recommend it to cookbook lovers and fans of Little Women alike, especially if you have a conventional diet that permits enjoying all the recipes featured here. Even if you cannot, or do not wish to, cook the recipes, the book is lovely enough to be a fun coffee table book or addition to a cookbook library.

I have to say I love cookbooks that accompany or support books.
This is not just a cook book, filled with quotes, references to Little women, an the time it was set in, historical facts, and recipes.
The pictures are wonderfully mouthwatering.

I am intrigued with the spice trade deviled eggs, and the beef stew with molasses and apple cider vinegar.

More than anything though I will be trying the hot milk sponge cake,

All in all a lovely book that would make a lovely gift.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is just the loveliest cookbook! I love all of the little snippets from the novel, the illustrations are so cute and the recipes are delicious and so easy to do yourself. My only issue is that I wish there were more photographs of the food but overall it's a wonderful and sweet cookbook.

I got hungry almost as soon as I opened this cookbook. The pictures are stunning! So are the descriptions. Every recipy has a connection to Little Women, a book that I simply love and have re-read several times. I not only got hungry, I now also want to read that book again. The recipies all have clear instructions, and seem to be easy to make. Okay, enough reading about food commenced, I now simply have to make not only the lemonade, but those other things as well!

I received a free e-copy in turn for an honest review.

The Little Women Cookbook
Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family
by Wini Moranville; Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is a classic even today. It has been made into movies and lives on long past the time it was first published. Food is integral to life and it was also part of the March family’s life, too. In this book the author has presented recipes based on information in Little Women and also from information she gleaned from cookbooks of the era. She has modernized the recipes for today’s cooks and yet...if you really think about it...cooking methods and ingredients may change a bit over time while still maintaining the comfort and history they have provided through the ages.

I am a cookbook collector and remember the books Louisa May Alcott wrote. I loved Joe perhaps best of all and remembers of the family so enjoyed her book, too, when I found it. Louisa May Alcott was more than the writer of Little Women and this book provides you with what more she was. There is a photograph of the house she wrote in, mention of her life and books and homes and orchards.

This book has information with and within each chapter that is educational and interesting. Illustrations are beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed looking through and imagining creating the recipes. That said, I also have eaten many of the recipes mentioned growing up in the Midwest (I am 67) and remembered as I read the milk toast my mother served...especially when I was sick and the oatmeal I ate then and still make today and then others like buckwheat pancakes, griddle cakes, sandwiches, pot pies, macaroni and cheese and cookies. The fun bits added were how they browned macaroni and cheese long ago since there were no broilers and why blanc mange is not made the same now because we have easier ways to do it.

Anyway, this was a fun book to read and I can see families having it to cook from if they watch Little Women or read it together. I can also see teachers who might use the book in classes also having integrated cooking lessons using this cookbook.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I recommend it? Yes

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Harvard Common Press for the ARC – This is my honest review

5 Stars

What a lovely treasure for those of us that have long loved Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. With a new movie being released near Christmastime 2019, I've been rereading Little Women. I was very happy to find this cookbook, full of recipes mentioned or inspired by the stories in the book. It is obvious that the author did a lot of research for recipes from the time, but she has also updated her recipes to make them more palatable to the modern palate (and the modern cook!). The book itself is a fun read. Each recipe features a quote from Little Women, and notes from the author that give the recipe context in the Little Women story and/or time period. Most recipes feature full color pictures of the intended result, and there are many pages that feature additional information about a particular activity or type of dish in the context of the March family and the lives they lived. The book is colorful, well organized, and features recipes that with detailed but simple instructions. I've only tried one recipe so far: Hannah's Cottage Pie, but I loved it and had a very old version of Little Women playing on my Ipad as I cooked. It was fun, tasty, and had the added benefit of nostalgia and warm memories! I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So excited to get this in hand when it's published - as a long time fan of Little Women, I was curious how the cookbook would be done. I love the photos, and the history that is given in addition to the recipes. Will definitely be an excellent addition to a shelf, and looking forward to recommending it for a "What I'm Giving" table at our store!

Everything about this book is perfect and so adorable : first and foremost, the art is the sweetest and I wish all my books were as pretty. Then, the recipes have been adapted to what we eat in 2020 for the most part, but I also appreciate all the historical context, little anecdotes and extracts from Little Women.

I've read it twice in a row and enjoyed it even more the second time.

This was a cute little cookbook full of the warmth of the Little Women book. I think though that I would probably only cook one or two things out of it.

I love a cookbook that also tells a story! Readers who love Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women will love this book. Filled with recipes and comfort foods, quotes and comments from the book, The Little Women Cookbook is a wonderful addition to any shelf!

3.5 stars

Wini Moranville researched historic cookbooks from the time period of the novel to put together this cookbook aimed at casual readers. This full-color book is very visually appealing with bright colored endpapers, illustrations of the March sisters and photos of Orchard House and recipes. It is divided by meals.

Chapter 1: Hannah's Breakfasts; Chapter 2: Gatherings With Family and Friends; Chapter 3: March Family Dinners and Suppers; Chapter 4: Sweet Treats, Desserts and Drinks. Breakfast recipes include some odd choices like Buckwheat pancakes, a staple of the 19th-century; cheese and jam turnovers ("muffs" for the March sisters) and an explanation of what the Marches would eat for breakfast and why. Chapter 2 includes a mix of savory items such as sandwiches, relishes, vegetables, and such. These things do not appeal to me but I liked the sidebars providing tips for picnics and entertainments like the characters have in the book. Dinners and suppers at the time were heavily meat based and this being New England, also fish based. I especially like the recipe for macaroni and cheese but think the author could have used the correct word of "salamander" instead of the dumbed down "shovel" and the broiler does the same thing.

Sweet Treats has my personal favorite array of mouthwatering treats but I'm a little confused by some of the author's choices. Why include bonbons if the recipe is merely cake pops made with box cake mix? I do understand using frozen puff pastry but making a cake is not that hard. Amy's "pickled lime" sugar cookies are a cute nod to Amy's pickled limes. I appreciate the author explaining what pickled limes actually are but again, why use pre-made sugar cookie dough? Sugar cookies are the most basic cookie. Any kid can make them! It seems to be random which recipes call for mixes and which ones are totally from scratch. I also didn't understand why the author included such a fancy recipe for Apple Slump. I've made the official Alcott family recipe. It's less complicated and still amazingly delicious. This is one recipe where I have used pre-made biscuit mix (only when I didn't have enough flour) and it turned out just as good as homemade. Essentially, you make baked apples, drop on a biscuit topping and bake again. No cornstarch necessary.

This cookbook also contains a brief biography of Louisa May Alcott and an index of recipes. This book does not have a bibliography or works consulted.

For me, this cookbook falls in the middle of the pack of the three Little Women cookbooks The Louisa May Alcott Cookbook is very basic without historical context and only black and white illustrations from the novels. The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family is for children and the adults who help them cook, casual cooks/bakers and for general cooking. The Little Women Cookbook: Novel Takes on Classic Recipes from Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and Friends is for scholars and serious cooks/bakers and super nerds like me! If I were going to gift one to my nieces, if they bothered to read the novel, I would choose The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family.

The Little Women Cookbook: Tempting Recipes from the March Sisters and Their Friends and Family by Wini Moranville, Louisa May Alcott

October 1, 2019
Quarto Publishing
112 pages
Health, cooking, nonfiction
Rating: 5/5

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a must have for all Louisa May Alcott fans! It is vibrantly illustrated and organized into four chapters: breakfast, family gatherings, dinner and desserts. The author also includes some history about Louisa May Alcott and the author's fascination with historic and heirloom recipes.

Food is the kind of love you can see.

It begins with a delightful travel back to the March family and the lessons of generosity learned. Episodes from the story are revisited as they demonstrate how certain foods played an intricate role in their daily lives. The author has done extensive research and where no specific dish was identified she found recipes around 1850-1880 taking into account the March family resources and food popular at that time.

A popular breakfast of Milk-Toast is a reminder of simple times. Of course, the meals changed with the seasons and available crops. It would not be uncommon for one to serve a breakfast of cornbread, fried liver, boiled eggs and fried potatoes. They tended to eat a heartier and more varied breakfast than generally served in America today.

Gatherings with friends and family were not complete without favorite meals over picnics or Sunday roast. Evening suppers were quite light since their hearty meal was at breakfast. Sandwiches and salads were quite popular with rather peculiar ingredients amongst the upper-class including pigeon pie, duck, tongue, blanc-mange, cheese and biscuits. Back in the day, celery was considered a delicacy and displayed proudly in a vessel on the dinner table. An interesting recipe in this book is called Cheese, Butter and Celery Sandwiches. Again, what seems like a humble meal today was deemed a special treat as celery was expensive. Interesting since living in New England at the time, lobsters were plentiful! Salads would often display their flavor a through the greens available than the dressings applied. In addition to milder lettuce, they often had mustard greens, sorrel and watercress.

Family dinners consisted of inexpensive readily available ingredients such as fish and lobster, potatoes, biscuits and pot pies. Some interesting recipes are Creamed Ham on Toast, Hannah's Cottage Pie, Maple Cornmeal Drop Biscuits and Garden Pot Pie.

Sweet treats and desserts are always a favorite. As today, cookies of all sorts used everyday pantry essentials such as flour, sugar, eggs, milk and fruit. You will find a variety of dishes which have been adapted for today's convenience.

I enjoyed this cookbook for its recipes as well as its trip down memory lane.

The Little Women Cookbook is a treat! --as sweet, hearty, and satisfying as the Victorian inspired food that the recipes tempt us to prepare (with or without the children in our lives ).

I have already enjoyed Garden Pot Pie. For vegetarian cooking, which I do, it’s a perfect main course. Served in small portions, it also works well as a side dish for meat-based meals.

And I’ve already enjoyed the Fruit and Nut Trifle, which has a pleasing mix of textures--plus it presents beautifully.

Next up? I’m looking forward to making (maybe for the same meal) Hannah’s Pounded Potatoes (much more poetic than mashed potatoes!) and Maple Cornmeal Drop Biscuits. I think my granddaughter will enjoy baking Amy’s “Pickled Lime” Sugar Cookies. My grandson will probably vote for Buckwheat Pancakes.

The recipes in this book are many, and there’s something for all skill levels (yes, use a mix now and then!). The photos are well-styled. The layout is pleasing. It’s a lovely book.

But the very best thing about it??

The writing.

As with The Bonne Femme Cookbook, the recipes in The Little Women Cookbook are embedded in good writing that makes the reader truly feel the best reason for cooking: to celebrate community, family, and friends by offering them simple, splendid food just as the March family does.

Full Review:

5 Stars - I recommend if you enjoy Little Women and cooking. This would make an excellent gift.

A cookbook with recipes and tibits from the time period of Little Women. Moranville has spent time researching the foods mentioned in the book, and cookbooks written during the time period to share similar recipes to the ones Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy would have made and enjoyed. Some are updated versions for modern cooks, while others are fairly true to their 1800s recipes.

The cover drew me to this cookbook. The illustrations are absolutely darling, and made me want to dive back into the world of the March women. I love that the author of this book did a lot of research related to not only which dishes were mentioned in the book Little Women, but also into recipes from cookbooks written in that time period. While some of the recipes are updated for modern cooks and palates, some are also fairly true to their 1800s versions. I loved learning more about the world during the time of the book through tidbits of history and every day life that were shared in these pages. The excerpts from Little Women containing the particular dishes were also so sweet and brought a lot of nostalgia to the cookbook. I think that flipping through this lovely book will definitely inspire readers to have a boating party picnic or apple orchard picnic of their own. From recipes for apple turnovers, to chicken salads, roasted meats, and vegetable pot pies this book has many tempting recipes. I will definitely be picking up a copy of this for my own shelves after it publishes on 10/1.

Right After Reading:

If you love Little Women, cooking, and learning tidbits of history you will enjoy this one! I feel like I learned a lot about cooking, entertaining, and daily life in the mid 1800s while reading this, and had a lot of nostalgia for a much beloved story. Full review to come. Publishes 10/1.

This book was given to me and my fellow book club members as a gift from Tammy. The author is a member of her church. We read Little Women, went to see the movie together and brought recipes from this book to our meeting at Tammy’s house. It was all so wonderful! I have since used several recipes from the book and love to read the historical references behind the recipes and the life of Louisa May Alcott.

Fresh and sweet, but not earth-shattering.