The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook
Guaranteed to Please the Appetites of any Mortal

By Leeanne Griffin

Fans of “The Office” might remember Kevin Malone’s character making a reference to “Edward Cullen’s Cornflake Chicken” during an episode last season.  And he wasn’t just making that up ~ there really IS a “Twilight” cookbook!

Gina Meyers’ Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook melds recipes, quotes, trivia, upcoming conventions, party planning tips and cocktail suggestions . So if you can’t get enough Bella and Edward, here’s your chance to bring them into your kitchen.

While it’s not haute cuisine, the yummy recipes are pretty easy to handle ~ and will definitely be a hit with younger palats. Starters, snacks and side dishes are named after “Twilight” characters and references, including “Jacob Black’s Grilled Cheese,” “Chief Swan Salad” “Stuffed Bella Peppers,” “First Love Chocolate Mousse” and “You’ll Need To Get Out The Forks Baked Beans.”

Entrees delve a bit more into the beloved series with dishes including chicken enchiladas (remember Bella cooking these while distracted by thoughts of the mysterious Edward?) vegetarian fare, Italian-influenced items and a mushroom ravioli dish that Bella ordered on her first date with the secretive vampire.

The recipes are labeled by difficulty ~ an icon of one to three forks identifies them from “easy” to “hard.”

Beyond the food, this book has value as a theme-party planning guide. There’s a lot of creativity in the cocktails chapter, well beyond the anticipated “Bloody Mary.” A “Bad Vampire” blends equal parts vodka and Tia Maria. “Breathless” stirs up white crème de cacao, Cointreau and Jamaican rum with lime and soda. Several varieties of party punch appear, including a “Bella Loves Edward” mixture of vodka, raspberry sherbet, pink champagne and 7-Up.

Suggestions for party favors, activities, decorations and scavenger hunt ideas round out the book. You can even test your guests’ “Twilight” knowledge with several trivia quizzes, also provided.

Still thinking about sinking your teeth into that Cornflake Chicken? Here’s the recipe:

1 cut-up chicken, washed
3 cups of crumbled cornflakes
¼ cup of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove skin and rinse and dry chicken. In a medium-sized pan, pour oil and dip chicken in oil. Roll in crumbs, shake off excess and let chicken set briefly. Place cornflake chicken on a rack in a baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes uncovered.

Planning a Halloween party but don’t want to feature blood as the main beverage?  Here’s a great alternative:

Twilight Time for A Party Punch

6 ounces concentrated orange juice, thawed
1 ½ cups of pineapple juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 bottles champagne
1 bottle Chablis

Directions: Mix and keep cold. Just before serving, add 2 bottles of chilled champagne and 1 bottle of chilled Chablis.

Give into your epicurean temptation and sink your teeth into Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook. The recipes will leave you breathless and hungry (not to mention thirsty!) for more ~ which you can find at www.unofficialtwilightcookbook.blogspot.com.

Love at First Bite: The Unofficial Twilight Cookbook by Gina Meyers can be purchased from www.iUniverse.com, www.amazon.com and all major booksellers.