Food to Die For: Recipes and Stories from America's Most Legendary Haunted Places

by Amy Bruni, Julie Tremaine (Contributor)

A Spooky Paranormal Cookbook with Delightfully Creepy Meals, Eerie Destinations, and Spine-Tingling Ghost Tales
Discover tantalizing recipes, spine-tingling stories, and historic photos from the most notoriously haunted locations across America in this fun and fascinating cookbook. Paranormal investigator and Kindred Spirits co-host Amy Bruni leads you through eerie hotels, haunted homes, hellish hospitals, and spooky ghost towns, giving you stories and a recipe from each place.

Whether you're in the mood for Lizzie Borden's meatloaf or want to serve up spooky prison stories along with sugar cookies from Alcatraz, Food to Die For is your guide to ghoulish gastronomy.

One of America's favorite ghost hunters, Amy Bruni takes you to mysterious hotels, eerie ghost towns, and possessed pubs in this delightfully sinister collection of stories and recipes. Each of the nearly 60 locations in Food to Die For 

Vintage photographs and charmingly creepy stories rooted in historyA noteworthy recipe associated with the people or placeFull-color, captivating, and hauntingly styled food photos to inspire a killer kitchen experienceThis terrifyingly tasty cookbook will bewitch anyone

Has a taste for the paranormal and a hunger to try new foodsLoves history, travel, and culinary curiositiesEnjoys entertaining guests in unique and memorable waysWould get goosebumps making a recipe written 300 years ago 

History buffs, thrill-seekers, and foodies will all get shivers seeing the past come to life with every enchanted recipe and delicious tale from Food to Die For.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, History, Food, Paranormal, Cooking, Ghosts

281 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[your morbid obsession Minerva🖤 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️

The concept of this book is very interesting.
The photos are gorgeous, stories are intriguing and gripping, but I personally didn’t feel a huge connection since I’m not a paranormal believer.
I’m going to be frank about the recipes, as a person who loves to cook and is also full of morbid curiosities the prospect of this cookbook was very exciting to me, but happened to be anticlimactic. Most meals referenced here are nothing special, nevertheless, it might be fun to make a spooky themed dinner.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

#FoodToDieFor #NetGalley

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

**I received and advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Bruni writes a unique combination of hauntings and complementary recipes in this nonfiction travelogue/cookbook. Each recipes ties into a brief history and haunting account of a location in the United States. Along the way, Bruni also shares personal stories of her ghost hunting career.

Bruni's helpfully breaks her book into sections based on the type of building or location for the ghost stories. A few locations also tie into her time on Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits. As for the recipes, research was masterfully done to incorporate a recipe either directly tied to the specific location or to the town or the time period. Recipes are also helpfully adapted to contemporary kitchens.

The only drawback from this collection is the lack of locations in the Midwest--most locations appear either on the East or West Coast. However, there are plenty of areas to explore based on the one to one-and-a-half page descriptions of each location provided by Bruni.

This is a good collection of stories and recipes that would be of interest to ghost enthusiasts, those who enjoy niche cookbooks, and those just looking for a unique read.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Harper Celebrate Books for the e-ARC of Food to Die For!

I LOVE cooking - it’s one of my absolute favorite things to do outside of reading & making art! And I adore cookbooks with fun themes — like Food to Die For which focuses on haunted places. This cookbook was put together by Amy Bruni, paranormal investigator from Kindred Spirits.
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This cookbook was SO good, because not only does it give you tasty recipes from various haunted locations, but it also gives you a bit of background on each of those places, — making it a cookbook you want to read from beginning to end.

I tried two of the recipes — a corn chowder that was served aboard the USS The Sullivans during WWII & cinnamon sugar cookies that were originally from the Alcatraz Women’s Club Cook Book. Both were a solid 10/10 & things I will definitely cook again!

[Casey Halvorsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for this arc!

5/5 stars

This is such an interesting concept! I love how there was so much history on each haunted location, it really brought everything together. The photographs were really stunning, however some of them are SO VERY DARK and like I get it for the aesthetic of this book, but I hope they'll be lightened up at least a bit for print as the content is quite hard to see. Some of these recipes sound super good and some I don't think I'd make, but that's more of a me thing than the recipe itself. The extensive bibliography in the back really shows how much work Ami Bruni put into this! I love how it was categorized by location type, and at the back the recipes are organized by course, AND there's a suggested meal planning section too!? How fun! This will be great to have during spoopy season, and for any paranormal investigator lover!

[Katie (DoomKittieKhan) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, listen up. This cookbook is THE cookbook that you need to get your spooky, foodie bestie for Ghoultide.

First, the overall book is simply gorgeous. The photographs by Emily Dorio are stunning. Even when I'm not cooking from this book, I want it out on display in my kitchen. Second, the recipes are relatively easy and the historical framing of the text is sure to appeal to any morbid traveler.

Amy Bruni takes home chefs of all skill levels to some of America's most haunted locations and serves up tempting treats along the way. Even something as simple as cottage cheese, or 'smearcase' as it is known in the Pennsylvania Dutch community, becomes a delectable treat to enjoy while reading about the Ceely Rose House in Ohio and the murderess Celia Rose who was under house arrest after being charged with killing her father, mother, and brother with poison. Moreover, Bruni has done her research. With many recipes coming from historic cookbooks, travel guides, and local tradition, FOOD TO DIE FOR is a macabre take on culinary history.

Some of my favorites were Puritan Pudding (surprisingly decadent), French Fruit Sandwiches (a new favorite at our house), and Ernest Hemingway's' Bloody Mary is the most perfect bloody mary recipe I have ever tried. Oh! and don't skip on the fudge sauce or "chocolate gravy" as my grandmother called it. It's like putting melty Nutella on your biscuits. So good.

And while journeying through the book is always recommended, the author has included several helpful guides at the end to help you select where to start just in case you are a dabbler. Recipes are divided into meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) as well as "themed feast" ideas which I am especially fond of like "Last Meal Luncheon". Cocktails, main courses, snacks, and savories are all included.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and netGalley for sharing an early digital copy with me in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book so much I went and bought three copies to give away during the Halloween season.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm loving this mix between haunted history and food! I'm a fan of Amy Bruni from Kindred Spirits, lover of haunted history, and love to cook so this books is perfect for me!

First, my absolute favorite thing about this book is the pictures. They are so gorgeous and haunting. I wish they were prints because I want to hang them up in my kitchen, especially for Halloween. The recipes are unique and intriguing. Not everything is something I'd make as some of the recipes are a bit out there. But the tie in with haunted or macabre history is so intriguing. I like how with each chapter/recipe we get a look in not only the background and history of it but we get Amy Bruni's unique experience with the location. And the location range from prisons to pubs to homes to hospitals. There's something for every type of haunt.

This book is a perfect addition to my kitchen.

[Kay H · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an OG Ghost Hunters fan (started watching Season 1, Episode 1), I was immediately intrigued when I saw that Amy Bruni was coming out with a haunted recipe book.

Part memoir, part coffee-table book, part photography book, part ghost story collection, part history book, and part cookbook - this is the best of all worlds. I cannot speak enough to how beautiful the photography is and how well it is integrated into the stories and recipes.

I am not the type to follow a recipe, I am more of a "dash of this, scoop of that" type of person in the kitchen, but these recipes had me intrigued. Everything from cocktails to muffins to cottage cheese Nutraloaf, it has recipes for every taste or occasion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Celebrate for an advanced digital reader copy. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cooking is something I struggle with. I am a super picky eater and most of the time cookbooks are filled with recipes that I either can't make or don't sound appetizing. But Food to Die For not only has a few recipes that I would like to try out, but it also is filled with super interesting histories of the places those recipes are inspired by. I can't wait to make Mary Todd Lincoln's cake.

5 stars

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this title!

Amy Bruni's Food to Die For is the perfect balance of a cookbook and collection of paranormal tales from the United States. Even without any previous knowledge or interest in ghost stories, the historical information Bruni provides is a fantastic introduction to the stories of each location. The recipes are written in a manner that is simple and straightforward. I appreciate the inclusion of the information about where the recipe is adapted from as a description on the recipe page. It was very fun!

As a side note, I am pretty sure this is the only cookbook I have ever seen that includes a recipe for hardtack. As a history nerd, this was very exciting for me. There also seemed to be hints of humor and sass throughout the historical information. I am not sure if this was intentional or just how I was reading it, but either way I was very amused.

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it funny that years without Ghost Hunters the investigators are scrambling to find ways to make money. I know this girl has her own show that doesn't seem popular because it's just terribly done. Who wants to make a bet on which TAPs member will be publishing the next books. Someone should tell them though that because they can fake a tv show it doesn't mean they know how to write books. Sorry for the rant though.
I know I didn't finish her first book but I would swear that the information in this book is different from her first book. The recipes aren't really that bad and if some readers made them it would taste good unless you mess up the recipe. The ghost stories are short and gives you the basic legend or stories so those sections are quick reads. I guess if you want to learn more about these locations then try a drink recipe from this book and go do your research.

[Ashley Dang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and spooky cookbook filled with haunted locations and even more amazing recipes. This book combines eerie hotels, haunted homes, hellish hospitals, and spooky ghost towns with recipes related to each place and fun back ground history too. I had so much fun reading this and looking at the stunning food photos as well as the charmingly creepy stories. This book is a must have for anyone who enjoys spooky things and fun cooking/baking!

*Thanks Netgalley and Harper Celebrate for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley Food to Die For.

I loved this book! It combines two of my favorite things in the world; scary stories and food!

I don't watch reality shows, even supernatural based ones so I wasn't familiar with the author or knew she's a former ghost hunter.

In Food to Die For, (I love puns), the author takes us on a paranormal journey through spooky hotels (aren't they all in some way), ghost towns, and haunted homes and bars in this great collection of ghost stories (with recipes!)

I loved the vintage photographs and the historical background behind each of the haunted place and why a particular recipe was chosen. Some recipes are old timey fun timey which adds to the eerie ambiance to a particular spooky story.

I might make a few of these recipes nor are they to die for, but this was a fun, fascinating read.

It has sparked my interest in traveling locally again and visit one (or more) of these haunted locations.

[Tom Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The October meeting of the poly cookbook club chose Food to Die for, a collection of recipes from Americas most haunted places. I found the food to be a little bland, but the stories of each place and recipe were delightfully spicy.

My recipe was Nutraloaf, a disciplinary food from Eastern State Penitentiary. Basically a way of making a nutritionally complete meal in a utensil-free form, it was essentially a full prison dinner blended and baked. It wasn’t horrible—like a meatloaf that’s mostly filler. I wouldn’t eat it again—I’m definitely going to behave so I can have a spork.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook for anyone who likes creepy things! The recipes are all inspired by places that have a creepy history and are all unique and fun. The recipes I'm most excited to try are Blueberry Maple Breakfast Sausage, Lizzie Borden's Meatloaf,Legendary Potatoes and Cinnamon Sugar Cookies. Special Thank You to Amy Bruni,Julie Tremaine,Harper Celebrate and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

*NetGalley ARC* (thank you!)

As someone who loves everything creepy and spooky - this cookbook/food journey was to die for! I loved all the information about each haunted location and I super loved that the recipes included tied directly back to each location. I highly recommend this one for any spooky foodie out there!

[Joel Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun. There are a lot of illustrations of the haunted places and the food, but the stories of each place that the recipe originates from are interesting and well written. The author's voice is engaging and entertaining, and at the end there are suggested menus grouping the recipes together if you want to make a spooky event of things. The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow, and overall this was a fun reading experience.

[Carleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read any of the stories so this is just a review of the recipes.

I appreciated that this book has both fried oysters, a tomato soup with character, an absinthe forward cocktail, and a Caesar salad dressing recipe I’ve never seen before juxtaposed with literal hardtack and a type of loaf made to punish prisoners. Everything you need for your next dinner party.

[Paige Etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories are super interesting. Lots of places I'm passionate about covered.

[Becky Loader · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fun book! That's right. Fun--even though it is about haunted places.

It even includes a recipe from the Zoar Hotel for asparagus with hollandaise.

I enjoyed the stories about the haunted places almost more than the recipes!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful cover and pages. Interesting stories and a few recipes I might try.

[Suzis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the stories that went with the places and recipes!

[Allison Hammat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the name and cover art for this book and I swear it sang a siren song to me and I HAD to have it! This is the perfect book for those who are spooky at heart and love to cook. When I originally looked at this book I assumed it would be a cookbook with some small snippets of ghost stories in it, but instead I was surprised to find a history on haunted places sprinkled with ghost stories and a partnering recipe, which I LOVE!!

Bruni includes menus at the end of the book to pair the various recipes together. I love the idea of sharing a ghost story with each course.

Bruni, please come out with a Part Two!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[Marinna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Macabre vibes and cozy food - what a beautiful combination! Amy Bruni does a knock-out job with Food to Die For. As a professional paranormal researcher, she has been to the places she writes about and can really capture what it would have been to live in the era with the recipes she shares. I love that there is a collection of historic recipes that also have something spooky about them.

Bruni writes about her mom's caesar salad recipe that was never written down and was lost when she passed away. That little bit in the introduction really solidified the effort I have been putting into creating a physical memory of recipes I use with my own family. Living in a time when home cooked foods are becoming less and less common, I found so much pleasure in reading the history as well as the recipes found in this cookbook. Some of the recipes are hundreds of years old! Also, thank you Amy for teaching me where the word 'salary' comes from... I had no idea!

Food to Die For is separated into 6 chapters, including eerie hotels, horrifying homes, other-worldly watering holes, hair-raising historic landmarks, hellish institutions, and ghoulish ghost towns. Each entry has a photo of the location and the recipe - with a dark twist (LOL to the 'Lumpy Dicks' recipe - I also learned that dick is an old-fashioned name for pudding)! This is one of the most unique cookbooks I've read and I'm looking forward to adding both some of the spooky locations to my list of future destinations as well as adding the recipes to try!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Celebrate, and the author Amy Bruni for an ARC of this delightfully dark cookbook!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food to Die For is an interesting & unique fusion of history, ghost stories and recipes. The stories and photographs of haunted hotels, such as the Stanley in Estes Park, CO, haunted homes like Lizzie Borden’s house in Fall River, MS, landmarks like the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, and institutions like the Ohio State Reformatory (of Shawshank Redemption fame) serve to make sense of this juxtaposition of genres. As for the recipes themselves, most were not that appetizing, but there were a few gems like Cripple Creek crab cakes. As for the hardtack recipe from Saint Augustine’s Old Jail Museum or the one for Nutraloaf from the Eastern State Penitentiary, NO THANKS!

Author Amy Bruno’s fav is mentioned in the dedication: “Dedicated to the memory of Lizbeth “Lizzie” Borden, whose killer meatloaf recipe inspired the idea for this book.”

[Ink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food to Die For by Amy Bruni is aesthetically stunning, highly interesting and utterly intriguing!

I am not into paranormal investigation techniques, or ghost hunting, but I am absolutely here for the history and stories behind them, the locations and now, the recipes! Very well written, Bruni explores the location, the history of the location, the ghosts and stories behind them and caps the section with a recipe related to the location

The book has prep guides for ghost hunting and vintage cooking and this was a really nice touch imho

When I say this book is gorgeous, I mean absolutey, deliciously gorgeous. A dark gothic aesthetic for the photography, bright vivid pictures of the locations and beautiful typesetting and borders for the recipes. This book is an absolute keeper for any kitchen (the recipes are pretty awesome too)

Thank you to netgalley, Harper Celebrate and the author Amy Bruni for this gorgeous ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25/5

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher

A mix between cookbook and supernatural anecdotes. While an interesting twist on the classic cookbook concept, I wasn't wowed, not by the recipes nor the tales. It's fine for the first couple pages then it falls into the same format again and again: Introduce spooky place, mention supernatural happenings that may or may not be real, insert recipe, profit. The recipes were generally simple enough, I think anyone with a modicum of cooking experience could easily follow along and achieve a tasty meal. I found the layout of the book to be quite nice, it looks professional and glossy, but some of the food pictures left a lot to be desired, I think they weren't sure if the pictures should have more of a spooky or an appetizing vibe. A little more food styling could've gone a long way.

[Opal Edgar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are you a fan of haunted house stories?
This book takes the most famous haunted hotels, restaurants, houses, jails and boats of America and offers a historical recipe from that place.
The real value of the book is mainly in the local histories and strange ghost stories and other occurrences listed within the pages. It is fiercely researched and beautifully designed in a very retro kind of way with images of every single place and food it talks about.
The recipes are from their time period and not very appetising, except for a beautiful pecan pie and the crumbed oysters - probably because I'm partial to those. There is a lot of soups, meat stews and breads, which is to be expected. I liked the regular cocktails which offered a nice change. The suggested menus at the end is also a nice touch.
I enjoyed this curiosity, though I won't be cooking from it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read a digital ARC of this provided to me by NetGalley, Ami Bruni, and Harper Celebrate. I loved it so much that when I saw it out in the wild, I had to have the physical copy.

From stunning photography to little known facts, this book is a smorgasbord of delight for history fans and culinary art lovers alike.

Up your spooky season or movie night with a recipe or two from this book.

[ashley and the never ending TBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to scratch a travel itch while spooking yourself making dinner? This right here is what you need.

This book is just as much a history book as it is a cookbook but with a flare.

The photographer for this killlllled - pub intended. I love food and an easily influenced by good pictures but this has me wanting to try everything (even though I suck at cooking and don’t love all the ingredients used)

My personal favorites were Alcatraz and Williamsburg VA (not far from where I live so always is interesting to me)

Have you ever read a book and thought— this would be perfect for insertnamehere? I had that thought for multiple people throughout.

[Sara Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

** “Food can bring the dead back to life. … All it takes is a whiff of something nostalgic or the taste of something familiar to send your senses and memories into a time warp. One bite can transport you back to memories and places you hadn’t thought of for years.” **

Amy Bruni, known for her roles on paranormal shows “Ghost Hunters” and “Kindred Spirits,” steps back into the literary world with “Food to Die For: Recipes and Stories from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places.”

After getting into how she got into the ghost hunting world (she has her father to thank) and explaining different types of paranormal experiences and tools one can use, she goes through six different types of haunted locations and then shares a recipe connected to that location either through its past or current history. She also shares histories of each location, who might be haunting the location, and its reported hot spots.

Featured locations include:

* Eerie Hotels — including a hotel that inspired Steve Spielberg’s “Poltergeist” and the infamous Stanley Hotel that inspired Stephen King’s “The Shining.” One intriguing recipe was Goober Pea (Peanut) Soup from Gettysburg.

* Horrifying Homes — including the Lizzie Borden House, Villisca Axe Murder House and the Conjuring House. A recipe of note is Ernest Hemingway’s Bloody Mary.

Other-Worldly Watering Holes — including restaurants and bars.

Hair-Raising Historic Landmarks — including ships like the Queen Mary, forts and the Donner Pass. A recipe to note: the White House’s Mary Todd Lincoln’s White Almond Cake.

Hellish Institutions — including asylums like Waverly Hills Sanatorium, and jails and prisons, like Alcatraz.

Ghoulish Ghost Towns — both mining and religious communities, including the infamous Tombstone, Arizona.

Bruni wraps up the book with a Meals to Die For section, which includes themed feast ideas like A Civil War Feast and Ghost Town Grub, utilizing the recipes found in the book.

Deeply researched, the books does include an extensive bibliography. She does an incredible job of simply yet interestingly sharing the history of a number of legendary haunted locations, while cleverly adding a culinary addition to its story. “Food to Die For: Recipes and Stories from America’s Most Legendary Haunted Places” is also beautifully designed, with color photos, historical photos, and full pages for both the recipe and a full color photo corresponding to each recipe. My only issue was there were no captions for any of the photos.

Fans of the paranormal, Amy Bruni herself, cookbooks and diving into the history of locations will love this book, which comes out July 30.

Five stars out of five.

Harper Celebrate provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.