Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss

by Georgeanne Brennan, Frankie Frankeny (Photographer)

Ever wonder what green eggs and ham really taste like? They're yummy. And now everyone can whip up a batch for themselves using this fabulous cookbook. Filled with simple, scrumptious, wacky recipes for such foods as Cat in the Hat Pudding and Moose Juice and Schlopp, this unique cookbook will have the whole family hamming it up in the kitchen.  Each recipe is accompanied by the original verse that inspired it, and the pages are laminated to protect against getting splatters of Sneetch Salad, Oobleck, and Solla Sollew Stew.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Childrens, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Reference

64 pages, Hardcover

First published October 24, 2006

About the author

Georgeanne Brennan, born and raised in Southern California, is the author of the James Beard Award winning cookbook, The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals award for her book, Aperitif, among numerous others, including her best-selling memoir, A Pig in Provence, about her years raising goats and pigs and making cheese in France in the 1970s. She’s divided her life for many years between her modest home in Provence, where she learned to make French style aperitifs, and a small farm in Winters, CA. She co-founded the pioneering seed company, Le Marche Seeds International, an important source for emerging organic market growers, in the 1980s. In the 1990s she conducted week-long Culinary Vacations in Provence. In 2014 she founded the on-line store lavierustic.com. She and her work have been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, Food and Wine Magazine, InStyle, Vogue and many others. She has a bachelor’s degree in History and English from San Diego State University and master’s degree in History from UC San Diego.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads (back from hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I've always wondered what green eggs and ham would really taste like...was it spinach? Green food coloring? Surely not basil or pureed broccoli."

Like many young children, I read the Dr. Seuss books and marveled at the weird and wacky foods he'd include - and now with this official Dr. Seuss cookbook, that little part of me that never grew up is wholly satisfied...and convinced that I probably won't be eating or making many of these recipes.

A few things to consider if you are interested in this book:

The Quantity and Organization of the Cookbook -- ★★★★☆

The cookbook is split into several main sections: Breakfast, Beverages, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner, and Dessert. Each section has between five and nine recipes, which feels like a good amount for the cookbook.

The Connection to the Source Material -- ★★★★☆

I do really like how every recipe is accompanied by a quote that includes the name of the dish and a short paragraph explaining why it was included or why the ingredients were chosen.

I always appreciate when a cookbook author takes the time to cite every single recipe and the pictures of the various dishes as they were drawn by Dr. Seuss was a fun addition as well.

One thing to note is that Georgeanne Brennan makes it clear from the start that the recipes are inspired by Dr Seuss's stories - meaning she took a few (okay, a lot) of liberties when it came to ingredients and composition of the dishes.

To be fair to her, I'm not sure anyone truly knows the difference between Moose Juice or Goose Juice but she did try to match the recipes to the illustrations when available - aka Goose Juice is shown as a green juice, so her recipe includes green ingredients, like kiwis.

The Target Audience -- ★★☆☆☆

One thing to consider regarding this cookbook is the Target Audience - aka is this book made for children or adults? Based on the franchise, the pictures, and illustrations - this book is clearly meant for kids.

It's hard to imagine many adults wanting to make "Schlopp with a Cherry on Top" (which is a pile of granola with yogurt "frosting" with a cherry on top surrounded by some sort of layered cake with a hole cut in the middle) or "Nook Hook Cook Book Dogs" (frankfurters over ricotta cheese, boston baked beans and black olives).

But the ingredients and complexity of the dishes tips this cookbook firmly into the 'adult' category - for example, the "Daisy-Head Mayzie Burger" dish contains instructions to make (from scratch) six double-stacked hamburgers, make and bake gingerbread cookies (including a hand-cut daisy design), and mix and ice the cookies. It's a lot to expect a kid to do for a single meal.

Which brings me to my final category:

The Practicality of the Recipes -- ★★☆☆☆

Honestly, I really can't see myself adding any of these recipes for the regular rotation - there's a few of the drinks that are simple but I just don't feel like I would reach for this cookbook all that often to make specialty drinks.

I already have tried-and-true options for the more common dishes (i.e. the chili or the macaroni and cheese) included in the books.

The more unique recipes that the cookbook offers, like the "Green Eggs and Ham" or the "Scrambled Eggs Super-Dee-Dooper-Dee-Booper, Special De Luxe a-la-Peter T. Hooper" have either very long/complicated instructions or a laundry list of ingredients.

Overall:

Ultimately, this is a nice book to look at on the shelf, but probably not one I'll be reaching for any time soon for dinner ideas.

I could see someone using this cookbook for a Dr. Seuss themed birthday party BUT you'd really have to be a super fan cause a lot of these recipes will take a while to make, and it's a bit debatable if the kids will actually eat the Green Eggs and Ham after you spent hours on it.

P.s. I think it says a lot that the copy I got from my local library was stamped in 2008 for the date it was added to the library collection and the book felt practically new.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, considering the pretty high star rating average for Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss on Goodreads, I do seem to be amongst the minority here, but especially with regard to the overall quality of Georgeanne Brennan's featured food and beverage ideas, I have definitely been rather massively disappointed, and truth be told also with Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss as a children’s cookbook in general (since in my humble opinion, the vast majority of the recipes Brennan presents are really and truly NOT meant for children to be creating them on their own, since both the ingredients lists and also the cooking directions for Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss are often much too involved and too difficult for basic and as such child-friendly cookery).

Yes, the book cover for Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss definitely looks tempting and the Dr. Seuss illustrations gracing the pages of Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss are certainly and nicely visually fun (and there are also a select few recipe ideas in Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss that both my adult self and my inner child have found potentially appealing and also nicely balanced with regard to nutrition, such as for example the fruit based Glunker Stew and some of the beverage ideas and not to mention that I do appreciate Georgeanne Brennan including a decent number of photographs and that Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss is spiral bound, which certainly does make using this book in the kitchen and for actual cooking purposes much easier).

However, aside from my already mentioned above issues with the level of food/drink preparation difficulty regarding Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss, for me personally (and please note that I am not and never have been a very picky eater), sorry, but most of Georgeanne Brennan's recipes for Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss do not sound not all that appealing to me and in fact are often really rather strange and to the point that I do not think that I would want to even try the majority of them (and that in particular the recipe of a ham coated in cilantro and a fried egg with guacamole over the yolk sounds totally creepy and grotesque, sounds like I want to in fact gag and retch a bit). And combined with the fact that Georgeanne Brennan also has way too much sodium, sugar and fat content in most of her recipes for me, that she also does not bother to consider listing alternative ingredients for children allergic to peanuts, dairy, eggs, wheat etc. or to consider vegan/vegetarian children, yes, this one-sidedness in Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook: Recipes Inspired by Dr. Seuss, I do find hugely and massively problematic and for a 2006 cookbook rather ridiculous and sadly old-fashioned in a very major way.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over a dozen recipes including Schlopp with a Cherry on Top, Cat in the Hat tub cake, Happy Birthday to You cake, Goose and Moose Juice and of course, Green Eggs and Ham!

Super fun and mostly easy recipes that you can do at home, in a classroom or in a library.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Informational/ cookbook

Summary: This book is cookbook of Seuss inspired recipes that are as unique and silly as the story it was written for. On each recipe page there is a passage that the idea for the wacky food item came from. This book has gotten mixed reactions but it was a funny and interesting book so even if you never make any of the food it is still fun to read through.

Critique:
A. Creative food items and easy to follow recipes
B. My children and I were able to make the food together and though we haven't been brave enough to try somethings yet,working up the courage is half the fun.
C. This book is filled with unique items like Pink Yink Ink Drink and Ape cakes Grape cakes and the recipes are easy enough that children can help.

Curriculum Connection: You can mix your literature lesson s with science and make one of the recipes together as a class for Dr. Seuss Month.

[Shahna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's hard to rate a cookbook. Especially when it has nothing in it Ill actually cook.

I bought this book simply because it was Dr. Seuss and that was it. I thought it was funny.

The recipes all sound weird and I don't think I would eat any of them. The only thing that makes them Dr. Seuss related is the custom made bowls and dishes used to display them. They aren't going to look like that when someone else makes them.

This is just a book that's going to sit on my shelf and make people laugh. It's not going to be used for it's intended purpose.

[Nathan Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used to think many of the foods featured in Dr. Seuss sounded delicious. I still do.
However, these interpretations leave something to be desired.
Yes, some are quite tasty, but for all the work and extra ingredients required I could make something better.

This wouldn't be a problem if this was a family activity with the kids. Unfortunately all the extra steps are not suited to little ones.

I could see this being useful for a child's Seuss themed birthday meal, but little else.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the fact that the cookbook included so many Seuss quotes, so you could see where the idea for the recipes came from. I also liked all the images from the books. The recipes just weren't that exciting, seemed like the author kind of half-assed them. With all the imagination in Dr. Seuss books, I just thought they couldn't been more interesting. There's only two recipes, Moose Juice/Goose Juice and Sneetch Treats that I would consider making myself. Recommended for ages 5+, 2 stars.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the concept adorable and my son Jack spends hours poring over this book, planning recipes he would like to make. Unfortunately, the recipes are either things I will never actually get around to making--the title recipe is a ham coated in cilantro and a fried egg with guacamole over the yolk, which I just can't see myself doing--or, in the case of the ones we have made, very average.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the author was very creative, trying to come up with recipes for Dr Seuss's nonsense foods. But I also feel she misstepped on some (I would have done a beef or pork roast for Who-roast-beast, not a chicken). Not a bad cookbook exactly, but it wasn't quite as fun as I was hoping, either.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our children's favorite, we love reading this classic every week!

[Maribeth Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Junior Books Project

Category: Informational

Source: Textbook pg 280

This cookbook will be great not only for adults to enjoy, but especially the kids (with adult supervision, of course!) This cookbook has page after page after page of recipes inspired by characters in Dr. Suess' beloved books. There is even a recipe for Green Eggs and Ham! You can find recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, and beverages! There is no way you can go hungry from lack of meals and imagination with this book!

The front of the book looks just like the original Dr. Suess, "Green Eggs and Ham" book. The difference is that the green eggs and ham picture isn't a cartoon, it is REAL green eggs and ham! When you open up the book, the spiral binding is revealed. You can't tell when the book is closed because there is a solid spine covering it up. After opening up past the title page, you see the table of contents. Here the recipes are separated by category and color--Breakfast (orange), Beverages (green), Lunch (pink), Snacks (blue), Dinner (lime), and Desserts (turquoise). A short introduction follows describing how the author came up with these wonderful meals found in the Dr. Suess books to come to life. Not only did she want the recipes to be fun and delicious, but healthy as well! When you open the book to the recipes, many pictures are taken from Dr. Suess books and added into the recipe. The book is very colorful!

What a great way to incorporate all of the fun and quirky foods Dr. Suess makes up in his stories into real life foods that you and your children can enjoy! Not only are they delicious, but the author makes a conscious effort to make sure these foods are healthy as well! I've got to try the Cindy-Lou Who-Wreaths! Perfect for the upcoming holidays!

This is a great book to teach math with the different ingredients and of course culinary arts! Also, you can get kids to try to make up some of their own recipes.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Description: This unique cookbook is inspired by the writings of Dr. Seuss and will motivate young chefs to leaner to cook through these wacky recipes.

Genre: Informational - Cookbook

Intended Audience: 5th - 8th Grade

Curriculum Connection: In Health and PE classes, students are often tasked to keep journals of what they eat as they learn about proper nutrition and food groups. Students are taught to use cookbooks and cook simple meals to figure out what types of things they are eating. This is a unique cookbook for young people that will make them want to try these meals.

Personal Reaction: When looking for an informational book, I ran across this one and had to check stout for myself. Since this is inspired by Dr. Seuss, I like all of the references to his characters and terminology that are unique to Dr. Seuss books. I also enjoyed the fact that each recipe included an excerpt from a Dr. Seuss book that relates to the recipe.

Assessment of Visual Appeal: I looked at the copyright information and the pictures included in the cookbook are art from actual Dr. Seuss books. Seeing familiar characters and images keeps the book authentic as it is inspired by Dr. Seuss. The recipe pictures are silly and appealing to students. I thought it was bright and colorful. I did find some recipes hard to read, however, since some of the pages were very cluttered.

[Rachael Lauritzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We just made Flapjack Flapper's Flapjacks (only we didn't have bananas, so we put raisins in instead and we didn't have peanuts, so we put Lisa's apricot syrup on instead) and they were awesome! The peanut butter in the batter is a brilliant idea--although I found my pan smoking more than usual, not sure why. The outsides also threatened to burn pretty quickly while leaving the middles undercooked, so I added extra milk to thin the batter. They may just need to be cooked lower and longer than what I did.

I love that they include excerpts from the books and how the recipe photos are frequently juxtaposed with the art--they really did a good job visually. And if our "flapperjack" try this morning is any indication, the recipes are tasty and appealing to kids.

Next time I'm making the flapperjacks with chocolate chips. My 4 yr old turned me down on it this morning (??) in favor of the raisins (she wants to save the choc. chips for cupcakes), but I'm thinking it might just have to be done. Not sure if chocolate syrup on top would be overdoing it, but we could settle for whipped cream....

[Brittany Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Category: Informational (Hobbies, Crafts, Creative Arts, How-to books, Sports, and Recreation)
Source: Page 280 in the textbook

Considering Dr. Seuss is my favorite ever, I may be a little biased to this cook book. I even bought it for my kitchen :) I thought it was so fun and creative of Georgeanne Brennan to create funky recipes that go along with Green eggs and ham. Many children probably wonder what green eggs and ham taste like, but Brennan takes it to a whole new level with Flapjack Flapper's Flapjacks and Who Roast Beef. You may not get to use this book in the classroom, but it is definitely a fun book to use at home with your kids. These recipes are so wacky and fun that it will make cooking fun for the whole family. The illustrations are awesome and the pages are laminated to protect the recipes while cooking! Most of the recipes are healthy in the cookbook, so that is also a plus. I just love love love this cookbook and I'm so glad I saw it in the textbook! :)

[Erin Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Junior Book Log

Informational Category

Source: Textbook

Green eggs and ham cookbook- A neat “informational book.” I found this book to be one of the most interesting, with fun and silly recipes available for the whole family! What a creative way to bring the timeless classic to life, in your own home. I found this book to be a great idea to incorporate reading with real life situations. If children find a connection amongst reading and other tasks in life, they may be more intrigued to read it. When children feel as if they are in charge of something, they feel a sense of autonomy, and more likely to have intrinsic motivation. I liked how the recipes are for the most part fairly healthy. I would like to include this in a health lesson, to discuss how various foods are healthy for our bodies, and why we should strive to stay healthy!

[Christian Vazquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it was the first book that I have read when I was starting to read. All my favorite teachers has read this to me when I was younger and that was hoe I fell in love with this book. I sometimes read this to my little cousin because he is also in love. In this book a man bugs this person about this trying to eat green eggs and ham because he thinks it is very delicious.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this in the bookstore and couldn't pass it up. My kids love helping me in the kitchen and this cookbook is perfect for them. The recipe titles come right out of the Dr. Seuss books and will certainly make cooking more fun.

[Louvaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful book with yummy recipes! The kids will love helping out with these recipes based upon Dr. Seuss books. Simple, easy-to-follow directions and cool pictures add to the appeal. This is one way to spend family time together or share with any little person you love!

[Andrea]

Saw this at my daughter's school today and it looked so interesting. There is a great restaurant named the Hi-Spot on Madrona in Seattle that serves a green eggs (scrambled with pesto) and ham dish that is so yummy.

[Marlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very exciting! A lot of the recipes were extremely weird, but that is to be expected from a Green Eggs and Ham cookbook. Not everything turned out for us, but we did make some yummy food and enjoy the process of making it either way.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The potato soup is wonderful! Fun recipies.

[Anders Hokenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tought me to never say something is weard or groose untill you try them on a train or with a mouse.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat-o!

[Tommy · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you don't like ham......................YOU'RE CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Patrick Stoner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that can teach children fun and easy ways to cook. They can have fun with this book during down time or even to take home. They can enjoy it with their friends

[Abraham Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good book for both cookbook lovers & lovers of dr. suess

[Elizabeth Webber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun way to incorporate activities in with the books children love. Sparking a love and understanding of books using all the senses! Wonderful.

[Mickey Romero · Rating 3 out of 5]

awsome gotta try it

[Larry Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic for rhyming words.