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Zuzu Bailey's "It's a Wonderful Life" Cookbook
Newly updated in honor of the 75th anniversary of It’s a Wonderful Life !
Celebrating one of the most beloved, heartwarming American Christmas films of all time, director Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life , this book is replete with movie lore and recipes meant to delight cooks, tempt their friends and families, and entertain movie buffs and collectors alike--presented by the actress who played star Jimmy Stewart’s youngest on-screen daughter…
From savory main courses to festive desserts, within these pages you’ll find 250 old-fashioned recipes inspired by life in fictional Bedford Falls, including Violet's Spicy Chicken, Silver Bells Christmas Cookies,Henry Potter Pot Pie, Fifty-Cents-on-the-Dollar Chuck Roast, Harry Bailey Hero Sandwich, Mrs. Martini's Creamy Linguine, Clarence Oddbody's Heavenly Hot Mulled Wine, "Zuzu, My Little Gingersnap” cookies, and many others to warm your heart, and please your palate.
As a bonus, the book is filled with stills, bits of trivia from the movie, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and reminiscences from the stars of the film and others who helped make it. This updated version will contain even more of these fun film anecdotes!
Celebrating one of the most beloved, heartwarming American Christmas films of all time, director Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life , this book is replete with movie lore and recipes meant to delight cooks, tempt their friends and families, and entertain movie buffs and collectors alike--presented by the actress who played star Jimmy Stewart’s youngest on-screen daughter…
From savory main courses to festive desserts, within these pages you’ll find 250 old-fashioned recipes inspired by life in fictional Bedford Falls, including Violet's Spicy Chicken, Silver Bells Christmas Cookies,Henry Potter Pot Pie, Fifty-Cents-on-the-Dollar Chuck Roast, Harry Bailey Hero Sandwich, Mrs. Martini's Creamy Linguine, Clarence Oddbody's Heavenly Hot Mulled Wine, "Zuzu, My Little Gingersnap” cookies, and many others to warm your heart, and please your palate.
As a bonus, the book is filled with stills, bits of trivia from the movie, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and reminiscences from the stars of the film and others who helped make it. This updated version will contain even more of these fun film anecdotes!
272 pages, Hardcover
Published September 28, 2021
11 people want to read
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March 8, 2022My husband brought this book home from the library because It’s a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies. At first I was confused. It’s a Wonderful Life Cookbook? I didn’t remember there being that much food in the movie. I was overthinking it. These recipes are not dishes that were featured in the movie. They aren’t even necessarily the kinds of things people might have been eating in 1947, when the movie was made. It’s just that Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey in the movie, believes that sharing food together is one of the things that helps us share love with people, and strengthen community, just like the heartwarming values expressed in the movie.
First Karolyn tells her own story. She was a child actor in Hollywood, playing in a number of other movies besides It’s a Wonderful Life. When she was a teenager, both her parents died, and she went to live with relatives in Missouri. There she began a “normal” non-Hollywood life. She was grown and married and living in Kansas when people started to seek her out and ask her about It’s a Wonderful Life. She shared her memories and memorabilia, but after a while she began to wonder what all the fuss was about. She had never watched the movie she had played a part in.
When she did watch the movie she was blown away by the wholesome message. She was no stranger to sadness. She had lost a son to suicide, and a husband to cancer. She wanted to promote this movie, and she did, doing appearances whenever she had the opportunity. Target had a promotion where they reunited all four Bailey kids from the movie, and sent them on a cross-country tour. The book is sprinkled with photographs, trivia questions, quotations, and statements from the other Bailey kids, as well as Donna Reed’s daughter, and Frank Capra’s grandson.
But the recipes. I didn’t actually make any of them, at least not yet, but I would say that these are no fancy-schmancy recipes with hipster ingredients. This is comfort food. These are dishes made with potatoes and carrots and onions, and canned soups, and ground beef. These are things you might bring to the potluck, and people would say, “That is so good.” In fact this cookbook reminded me of the spiral bound cookbooks that church ladies print as a fundraiser.
Some of the recipes are contributed by actors from the movie. Most of them are tied to the movie with cute titles, like anything Italian is Mancini, and anything with crab in it is Potter, because he was crabby. At the end are recipes for a traditional Christmas dinner, since It’s a Wonderful Life is a Christmas movie, but the recipes are for year round use. There is even a recipe for throwing hamburgers and hotdogs on the backyard grill, and a recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (one of the child actors in the movie didn’t like the studio food, and his mom always packed him a PBJ for his lunch).
But I enjoyed the movie trivia the most.
First Karolyn tells her own story. She was a child actor in Hollywood, playing in a number of other movies besides It’s a Wonderful Life. When she was a teenager, both her parents died, and she went to live with relatives in Missouri. There she began a “normal” non-Hollywood life. She was grown and married and living in Kansas when people started to seek her out and ask her about It’s a Wonderful Life. She shared her memories and memorabilia, but after a while she began to wonder what all the fuss was about. She had never watched the movie she had played a part in.
When she did watch the movie she was blown away by the wholesome message. She was no stranger to sadness. She had lost a son to suicide, and a husband to cancer. She wanted to promote this movie, and she did, doing appearances whenever she had the opportunity. Target had a promotion where they reunited all four Bailey kids from the movie, and sent them on a cross-country tour. The book is sprinkled with photographs, trivia questions, quotations, and statements from the other Bailey kids, as well as Donna Reed’s daughter, and Frank Capra’s grandson.
But the recipes. I didn’t actually make any of them, at least not yet, but I would say that these are no fancy-schmancy recipes with hipster ingredients. This is comfort food. These are dishes made with potatoes and carrots and onions, and canned soups, and ground beef. These are things you might bring to the potluck, and people would say, “That is so good.” In fact this cookbook reminded me of the spiral bound cookbooks that church ladies print as a fundraiser.
Some of the recipes are contributed by actors from the movie. Most of them are tied to the movie with cute titles, like anything Italian is Mancini, and anything with crab in it is Potter, because he was crabby. At the end are recipes for a traditional Christmas dinner, since It’s a Wonderful Life is a Christmas movie, but the recipes are for year round use. There is even a recipe for throwing hamburgers and hotdogs on the backyard grill, and a recipe for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (one of the child actors in the movie didn’t like the studio food, and his mom always packed him a PBJ for his lunch).
But I enjoyed the movie trivia the most.
July 28, 2021
This one just made me feel whimsical and nostalgic! The little behind the scenes bits and photos were fun. The recipes are “old school” and will be fun to put together this holiday season. Simple, down to earth, and evokes a nostalgia for vintage Christmases. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews