Old Time Hawkey's Recipes from the Cedar Swamp: A Cookbook

by Old Time Hawkey

Step into Old Time Hawkey’s magical world with 100 comforting recipes and stories inspired by the beauty of northern Michigan

Well hello, buddy.

Old Time Hawkey, aka Fritz, is always there to offer a hot apple cider or an ice cream sundae on a tough day, to help you drift off to sleep with a story or a retro video game.

His first cookbook, Old Time Hawkey's Recipes from the Cedar Swamp , features over 100 cozy recipes divided into three categories—indoor, campfire, and companions—with comforting recipes like Pumpkin Pancakes, Dutch Oven Nachos, and Fireside Apple Cider.

Fritz is a storyteller by nature; he includes stories about his life in his Michigan cabin (with his dogs Donnybrook and Kris Draper), which reveal how the nature around him shapes his cooking. This book takes you on an adventure through the forest, then helps you cook a comforting meal before drifting off to sleep.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking

256 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2024

Reviews

[BookDragonAshh · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband has been following Old Time Hawkeye on social media for awhile now and constantly shows me his videos. So naturally, he preordered this cookbook for me the second he found out about it.

I received it today, literally only moments ago, and I am already obsessed with it!

I love to cook and I LOVE collecting cookbooks but I can honestly say that this is by far my absolute favorite. I can't tell you how many times I have obtained a cookbook, just to be disappointed because I only liked a couple of recipes. Although, I have yet to try any from this particular book, I can already tell I will love all of them. This cookbook is not like others that are filled with things that most won't eat. I really feel like everybody could thoroughly enjoy this one.

Not only is this book filled with things my family will actually eat, but all of the recipes seem doable. Seriously, all of these recipes are simple enough that I don't feel intimidated to try them.

So, recently I found out that I am allergic to gluten and that has made cooking a bit of a challenge. Not that it's necessarily hard, but I have been cooking for years now and then it felts like all of a sudden, everything I made I could no longer have. It definitely made me lose my love for being in the kitchen, and made cooking a miserable experience.

With that said, I feel like most of the things in this book is either already gluten free, or can easily be substituted to meet my needs. Flipping through the pages, I seriously cannot wait to get back in the kitchen and find my love for food again. I am so pleasantly surprised at how versatile this cookbook is.

I also want to comment on the quality of the book itself. Almost all of the recipes had a photo to go along with it. I can't praise cookbooks with images enough, honestly. The pictures are all so vibrant and really make the food jump off the pages. I'm so impressed.

The pages themselves are really thick and sturdy. It feels like you are accidentally turning more than one page at a time. Obviously this is a big plus for a book that I will undoubtedly be referencing a lot and will use in the kitchen. I feel like it can definitely handle the wear and tear.

Seriously, I am not paid to praise this book, by any means. I just genuinely fell in love with it instantly.

I will updates when I try some of the recipes. I can't wait.

[Lingonberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute cookbook for fans of Old Time Hawkey and woodsy nostalgia. There are some great camping recipe ideas and I love that every recipe has a picture. I will definitely be trying Grandma's Reese's Bars!

[Jodi Dildy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait to try these recipes- every single one looks and sounds delicious! I love the simplicity of the recipes and the ties to family that they have- I am going to cook my way through this cookbook 😍😋

[Cindy Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old Time Hawkey is our comfort watch in this house. When my daughter was having surgery I pulled up his tiktok to calm her when she was anxious. Whenever we are sick we scroll through reels. Can't sleep, eh? We pull up our buddy and scroll a bit, listening to his calming voice.
We've tried a few of the recipes from his channel before, but since reading this book we've tried a few more. They were all so good, the kids want to add them to the rotation. I'm most excited for camping trips next summer to try some of the campfire recipes.
I highly recommend this if you love simple comfort food.

[Diana Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything looks and sounds delicious!

I am excited to cook these recipes.
I'm going to try the banana French toast in the morning.
Cheesy potatoes sound amazing. Everything looks and sounds delicious. It is almost 3 a. m. where I live in the USA. I have just finished reading this awesome cookbook, it has some nice history, with some short stories as well. I'm sitting here feeling very hungry. I can't wait to wake up and try a few of these dishes. Thank you! Diana in Pennsylvania

[ReD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying this: I was influenced.

Old Time Hawkey is one of the few social media personalities I follow. I've long enjoyed his videos romanticing time spent outdoors with your dogs, enjoying comfort food cooked over a fire, and ice cold pops. I saw his cookbook on a shelf and picked it up soley because I recognized the name.

I have a strict rule with cookbooks: I borrow them from the library first. If I like or anticipate that I'll like at least 45% of the recipes in them, I will consider buying them. I go through a lot of cookbooks and have only purchased maybe 4 using this criteria. Usually, I find 1-2 recipes I like and the rest of the books are just pretty pictures, expensive ingredients, or full of things i would dislike eating.

I bought the cookbook.

It took three tries of talking myself out of it but it's on my shelf now.

I made a few of the comfort food recipes and enjoyed them. The pudgie pie ones are nice for the backyard firepit we've got. Some of the dips have bee winners for picky eaters.

You can likely find all of these recipes online or through his videos, so if you're thrifty, this book won't be an ideal purchase. But, if you like having a hardcopy of recipes free of advertisements and long stories on recipe blogs, it's a nice treat.

[Tricia Hooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well hello buddy! I am OBSESSED with old time Hawkey, and received this cookbook as a gift from my brother. It did not disappoint. Loved the nostalgic stories, beautiful pictures, and kind words sprinkled throughout. I also really liked how Fritz organized the sections of the book - cooking outside vs inside. All the recipes seem easy to make, and many include store bought ingredients. Though be warned it is definitely not a health-conscious cookbook — this is alllll about comfort food.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A seriously awesome cookbook that is so worth the purchase. Every page of this book is mouthwatering and super simple to make. I really appreciate it when a cookbook isn't filled with 100 pretentious and hard to source ingredients. Do yourself a favor and buy this cookbook. It deserves a permanent place on your countertop.

[Adara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the pictures, the nostalgia. Made the white chicken chili and butterscotch steamer. The steamer was AMAZING! Looking forward to making more recipes. I’ve made a few from his Instagram and everything feels easy and cozy. Book is heavy on campfire recipes so I’ll have to wait to try some. Chicken chili was great but I’ll be doubling the beans next time.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a big fan of Fritz for a while and have been following him on Instagram for years. When I saw that he was coming out with a cookbook, I raced to get one. I am so happy I did because every recipe has been absolutely phenomenal. My husband is a really picky eater and has loved every recipe I’ve made. Would highly recommend

[Kendall Kuharevicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of delicious looking recipes! As a Michigander who loves to camp and be in nature, this book provides a lot of amazing recipes to use for those campfire days/nights. You don’t need a campfire to make any of these of course, there’s home-cooking in here as well, but I personally appreciated the much needed camping inspiration.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is so so so dang cute. The recipes are really good, and the layout is super clean and easy-to-follow.

I have ADHD and a lot of cookbooks have paragraph-y or cluttered layouts that make my brain itch. But this book feels like a comforting magic tome with some very cozy recipes. Currently, my favorite cookbook.

[Ciara]

This is very cute if you like his YouTube series. It's just bordering on useless for a vegetarian though but I'll try a few of the drinks! I'll not give it a rating since I'm not exactly his target audience.

[Meredith Tuesday · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I have followed him on social media for a while but I had no idea he wrote a cook book! I love the different options for cooking inside or outside and the recipes are very approachable and nostalgic. Also delicious. Made the cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast!

[Kyle Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found out about OTH back on TikTok during Covid… he’s been a refreshing feature on my Instagram feed ever since.

This is a cookbook. If you are a fan of the nostalgic, the outdoors, and dogs then you’ll at the very least enjoy OTH. If you enjoy OTH and food then you’ll likely enjoy this book.

[Ak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve made two recipes, one of them twice already. So far, this cookbook is a big hit.

[Kris Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome cook book! Taking a lot of these recipes with us when we go camping this summer! Thanks, Buddy!

[Alyssa Magilsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this cookbook to support one of my favourite TikTok creators. So many recipes and the pictures are beauty! We've tried 2 recipes so far, and they're great!

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best cookbook ever. I'd read anything this man writes. 😍 Holy wah. Fritz, keep on keeping on my dude, you rock. Much love to Kris Draper and Donnybrook. Stay as always, good boys. 😘

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the chapter on pudgy pies, or if you’re from Northwestern Pennsylvania, mountain pies.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

super cute, i bet if i'd ever "seen" him i would like it better, definitely a 3.5

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to make the cinnamon roll pancakes, the fiesta corn dip, and the campfire lasagna.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes and stories in this book! The pictures of the recipes look yummy!

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pre-ordered this and read it when it came out & it's a great cookbook! I've made several of the recipes & my family has enjoyed what I made so far.

[Eva Gachus · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some pretty good recipes in here.

[Lucas Wooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple. Tasty. Practical. Not just some influencer money grab. Actually a really good cookbook. Well worth the purchase.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Cathy Usher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started following Old Time Hawkey on Instagram after a recommendation from my college-age son. I love the comforting, calming posts and the food always looks great. When the cookbook came out, I bought a copy for my son and another for myself.

We've tried three of the recipes so far. All three (chicken chili, apple cake, and chili mac) have been great! They're easy, don't require a lot of fussing around the kitchen, no weird ingredients or implements. Although, the pudgy pie chapter is going to require a trip to Farm & Fleet - I'm willing to make the sacrifice.

[Joel Straw · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5🌟
FINNA BE CHEFFIN HELLA SOON.

SWAMP ON TOP.
🦆