Book Review: A Few of My Favorite Things: Recipes Inspired by Family-Friendly Musicals by Veeda Bybee

Rating: 4 Stars

As someone who finds immense joy in both cooking and musicals, stumbling upon Veeda Bybee's "A Few of My Favorite Things: Recipes Inspired by Family-Friendly Musicals" felt like hitting the jackpot. This cookbook effortlessly transforms the kitchen into an enchanting theater where culinary arts meet the magic of the silver screen. If you're a fellow enthusiast of themed cookbooks, then this one is undoubtedly a treasure you need to add to your collection.

From the moment I laid eyes on the vibrant and cheerful cover, I was eager to dive in. Upon opening the book, I was delighted to discover that the contents are cleverly organized using musical terms—a whimsical touch that enhances the overall charm of the cookbook. The well-organized index, which allows you to find recipes alphabetically or by their corresponding musical makes planning easy.

The book is structured around more than forty timeless musicals, each inspiring a unique recipe that captures the essence of its story. Some standout dishes include "Von Trapp Schnitzel with Noodles" from The Sound of Music, "Violet’s Blueberry Hand Pies" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and "Mr. Gao’s Fried Wonton Moons" from Mulan. Each recipe is accompanied by beautiful photography and clear instructions, making it approachable for both seasoned chefs and kitchen novices.

This cookbook offers something for everyone with its diverse range of recipes, catering to all skill levels. It’s a fantastic invitation to get the whole family involved in the kitchen, fostering an environment where we can create cherished memories while exploring new culinary delights inspired by our favorite musicals.

In conclusion, "A Few of My Favorite Things" is a must-have for anyone who shares a passion for cooking and musical films. With over 40 musicals represented, you’re sure to find both beloved classics and new favorites, ensuring that every meal becomes a performance worth savoring.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Fun and unique cookbook.
This cookbook has a unique theme - food to go with musicals you can watch with your family. The layout is beautiful with a full-page color picture on one side and the recipe on the other. A short paragraph explaining the background of the recipe or its connection to the musical is at the top of each one. I like the additional index of musicals at the back and the format is fun too.
Overture: Essential Ingredients and Favorite Kitchen Tools
Opening Number: Breakfast
Act 1: Sides, Salads, and Dressings
Intermission: Snacks and Beverages
Act 2: Entrees
Finale: Desserts and Toppings
Some of the recipes are basic, some are very unique, and several I want to try.
Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC to use for my review.

This cookbook pairs recipes with family-friendly musicals. Each recipe ties in with a musical and is designed to be easy to make and enjoyable to eat. The cookbook offers a mix of familiar and unique recipes. It is organized by musicals and divided into sections, such as Act 1 for Appetizers. The cookbook includes pictures and clear instructions. Recipes vary in complexity from easy to more challenging. It would be a great idea to designate an evening dedicated to making all the recipes associated with a musical and enjoying them while watching the related show. This could be the perfect gift for someone who enjoys musicals.

Shadow Mountain Publishing provided a digital copy of this cookbook through Netgalley for review purposes. The opinions in this review are my own.

This was an adorable idea for a cookbook and a fun way to mix musicals and food! I will use this to plan a future musical meal. :)

This is a super cute cookbook with recipes inspired by musicals, what's not to like?! The recipes were approachable and had cute titles and musical tie-ins. There are lots of fun pictures of musical mentions. I like how many of the recipes could be tied to multiple shows. My only complaint is that there were a LOT of recipes tied to Disney movies/shows, and I expected this to be a little bit more broadway musical focused. Still a super fun read though!

Thanks to NetGalley, Veeda Bybee, and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own!

I love the way the meals are organized based on parts of a musical- Opening Number for Breakfast, Appetizers as Act 1, Intermission for Snacks and Bevvies, Act 2 for the Mains, and Finale for Desserts!! They were mixed in with cute titles with musical puns, great looking recipes, and short and sweet stories. I can't wait to try out these recipes!

I feel very fortunate to have received a copy of “A Few of My Favorite Things” by Veeda Bybee. This is a fun and unique cookbook that focuses on recipes inspired by different musicals. I love that the focus is on family-friendly musicals, which helps make this a book that would be great for Broadway fans of all ages. There was a great selection of musical featured. The author did a great job selecting recipes that really fit each musical. The graphics were fun and the photographs beautifully showcased each recipe. The recipes were culturally varied, which was great to see. There was also a great mix of well-known recipes and new or more unique recipes. This book would be great for any home cook, especially those who also love musicals. It would also make a great gift, as well. I would definitely recommend this book and am grateful to have a copy myself.

I love the way the chapters are broken down - act 1 is appetizers, intermission is snacks - it's so cute and fun. It's a good mix of foods, too. I didnt realize it was movie musicals as well as broadway musicals. (Anything Nightmare Before Christmas makes me happy) This would make a great gift.

This is a neat cookbook with recipes inspired by musicals. There are great photos throughout and the recipes are easy to follow. All of the recipes are really creative. The recipes I'm most excited to try are Baroque French Toast Sticks, No Worries Banana Bread, Baked Banana Blueberry Oatmeal, Phil's Peppermint Pretzel Bark, and Headmistress Homemade Chocolate Hobnobs. Special Thank You to Veeda Bybee, Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

There were no suggestions on modifications with food allergies which I felt was a miss to make no notes or suggestions anywhere, or recognition of diverse needs.

This is a unique spin on a cookbook. Tying the recipes into a scene, title, era, or theme of a musical production was entertaining. The idea of combining the recipe and show for a weekly activity is a great idea. I thought the recipes were a good variety of appetizers, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts. They also consisted of simple to a little more complicated. Each recipe had a photograph of the finished product. Some of the photos gave you a clear rendition of the final product, others were too far away or not at a good angle. I think this would make a nice gift for someone that is interested in cooking, but are also fond of musicals. I would recommend the book (print) version as opposed to the e-book version. The main reason I say that is because there are a few instances where it uses two recipes together and it gives a page number to find the 2nd recipe, page numbers do not lineup with e-books. I have tried a few recipes and I thought the directions were pretty clear and easy to follow. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Veeda Bybee’s A Few of My Favorite Things: Recipes Inspired by Family-Friendly Musicals is a delightful fusion of culinary creativity and cinematic nostalgia. This unique cookbook features over 40 recipes inspired by beloved musicals, from classics like The Sound of Music to animated Disney favorites. Bybee’s personal connection to musicals, developed during family movie marathons in the pandemic, adds a heartfelt touch to the book. Recipes like “Von Trapp Schnitzel with Noodles,” “Lazy Morning Congee,” and “Pickpocket Cardamom Bread Pudding” bring the magic of the screen into the kitchen, making it a perfect addition to movie nights or themed dinner parties. The cookbook’s vibrant photography, diverse range of recipes, and thoughtful nods to the author’s Asian culinary roots make it as inspiring as it is entertaining.

While the cookbook’s whimsical concept is its strongest asset, some practical considerations, such as the need for specialty baking tools and a broad definition of “musicals” that includes Disney films, might not appeal to everyone. However, these minor drawbacks don’t overshadow the book’s charm and originality. A Few of My Favorite Things is a must-have for home cooks who love musicals, offering a joyful way to turn movie-watching into a fully immersive experience. Whether you’re a musical theater fan, a Disney enthusiast, or just someone looking for creative new recipes, this cookbook is sure to hit all the right notes.

The full review is scheduled to published on my blog on release date: https://goodleyliving.com/a-few-of-my-favorite-things-cookbook-review/

I felt like this cookbook added a lot of fun to many different recipes with lots of recipes that I am excited to test out soon.

A Few of My Favorite Things is a fun and creative cookbook. I love that it is geared toward musical buffs! All the titles are catchy word plays based on the film selected. I found the recipes easy to follow and ingredients fairly common and accessible. There are options based on any mood or occasion, such as breakfast, appetizers, drinks, dinner, desserts, and snacks. Truthfully, what I really appreciated were the pictures to accompany each recipe. It is always helpful to have a visual guide behind the inspiration and final outcome.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The concept of this cookbook made me really excited! There's another lady who creates similar meal concepts on Instagram, with Disney movies and also Christmas movies, so I was excited to see this one executed in book form! Every single recipe has a picture included, but there were a few that really do not showcase the recipe accurately enough to get a good idea of what the final product should look like (too far away, only a slice of a cake shown from the top, things like that) and the angles/image quality are little more on the amateur side, IMO. The layout is well done, with some background of why the author chose the recipe, which movies the recipe can be used for (she includes 2+ movie options for each recipe), along with detailed ingredients and recipe instructions (which, on reading through them, appear to be very easy to follow and mostly with easy-to-find, common ingredients -- if not, the author makes a note of where to find them). At first, I was confused by the book being in "acts," because the groupings didn't seem to be very cohesive, but after going back through and looking at everything again, the author's reasoning for this did make sense to me.

Overall, this is a fun book concept. The recipes are not really anything new or ground-breaking, a lot of basic recipes, although a few are more unique, but it's the concept of using your favorite family-friendly musicals and tying in fun foods that are more than just munching popcorn in order to make it a fun viewing experience!

As a musical theater fan and a home cook who loves a theme meal, this sounded right up my alley. However, I do feel that there's a disappointing amount of reliance on Disney movies instead of more unique musical theme ideas- if readers are looking for recipes inspired by Disney movies, there are already a glut of these on the market.

This was a fun cookbook. It had a wider variety of recipes than I first expected. (Think Beauty and the Beast, Hamilton, Nightmare Before Christmas, Moana, Hairspray, etc). The recipes are creative and something I would use mostly for themed movie nights. But most of them weren’t things I’d just cook every day.
I did enjoy the variety of dishes offered and how each section is musical themed. (Example— side dishes were side characters!)

Nice book. I really liked the title and the idea of it. Would be a nice gift for a theater fan. The pictures were wonderful, one for each item. And none of them seemed very complicated.

*A Few of My Favorite Things: Recipes Inspired by Family-Friendly Musicals* is a delightful cookbook that combines the magic of beloved musicals with creative culinary treats. Featuring over forty recipes, this book invites readers to celebrate their love for silver screen classics with themed dishes like “Von Trapp Schnitzel with Noodles” (*The Sound of Music*), “Violet’s Blueberry Hand Pies” (*Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory*), and “Fried Wonton Moons” (*Mulan*).

Inspired by Veeda Bybee’s own family movie nights during 2020, the cookbook is thoughtfully illustrated and offers a range of dishes, from breakfasts and sides to mains, beverages, and desserts. It’s perfect for hosting themed dinner parties, creating fun family traditions, or simply enjoying a touch of cinematic nostalgia in the kitchen. While some reviewers wished for stronger thematic connections between recipes and their respective musicals, the inventive dishes and mouthwatering photography make this a charming addition to any cookbook collection.

#AFewofMyFavoriteThingsShadowMountainCookbooks

During 2020, when home was where families stayed indoors,
Veeda Bybee decided that Fridays would be family musical
watching nights with food inspired dishes. This cookbook
is beautifully illustrated with easy to follow instructions
recipes. The recipes are not your usual fare and include
breakfast, sides, beverages, and main dishes and desserts.