I received a free e-copy of The Nightmare Before Dinner: Recipes and Drinks from The Beetle House, the Tim Burton and Salvador Dali-Inspired restaurant by Zach Neil.

Such a fun cookbook written with so much imagination and thought inspired recipes just in time for Halloween. Anyone can write just a normal cookbook. I hand it to Zach Neil for putting so much love, passion and time into these fun, imaginative recipes for the world to enjoy. I loved Zach Neil's introduction letting us, the reader, get a peak of his up-bringing. He was raised in a very religious family who didn't celebrate Halloween but he always dreamed of dressing up and having fun, like the other kids. Such a wonderful story of how he is so thankful for the opportunity to write these recipes and share them with other people who love to cook, as he does.

Wonderful, creative recipes such as the Edward Sauce, Cheshire sauce, Sweeney sauce, Beetle Jam, Hallowpeno Honey Cheddar Cornbread, Beetle Bacon Bread, Giant Peach Salad, The Butchers Stew, The Willy Burger, Cheshire Mac and Cheese, Frog's Breath and Nightshade Risotto, Shrimpy Hollow, Boozy Mango Sorbet with Pop Rocks, The Beetles Juice, The Golden Ticket, Alice's Cup of Tea and so many other creatively brilliant recipes. I tip my hat to you Zach Neil. Wonderfully and brilliantly done.

Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I had no idea there was a horror/Tim Burton-themed restaurant (2 apparently - one in New York, one in L.A.). LOVE this idea! So naturally I was excited to check out The Beetle House's cookbook. While the recipe names, plating ideas (straight razors instead of steak knives!) and party theme suggestions were all really creative and funny, I wasn't into the actual recipes all that much. Granted, I'm a bit of a picky eater, but a lot of these dishes just seemed like TOO MUCH GOING ON. So, while I personally probably won't try making most of these, I have put The Beetle House on my list of places to visit!

Zach Neil has provided the unique recipes from Beetle House Restaurants. I like the ability to convert the recipes into vegan as well. Many original recipes with a Halloween theme!

Review to be posted tomorrow on all sources mentioned in my profile.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Eeeeeeeeeeeep! That is my reaction when I spotted this book on Netgalley. I am an absolutely fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I just love Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, and also some other Tim Burton movies. I just had to have this one and read it. See what kind of recipes there would be!

I didn't even know there was a Tim Burton/Salvador Dali-inspired restaurant. Too bad I am not in the US, or I would have gone and visit, all these foods do sound delicious! And yes, I could make them myself, now at least, but I would also like to taste how a real chef makes these.

We start off with sauces (as expected, that is the one thing most cookbooks start with), and then slowly build up to the main course. If I wasn't hungry already, well, those main courses would have made me hungry. Dang, they all sound so delightfully delicious.

I loved the introductions to each recipe, especially those with references to movies or horror stuff.

Nice that they added a Go Vegan! option. I am not vegan myself, but I still love it when cooking books go the extra mile to add something like this.

I am delighted that most of the recipes don't use nuts. I have read many cookbooks and so many have nuts in them, this one just has a couple of them, and mostly it means almond milk, which I will be replacing with normal milk.

The recipes are all clear and easy to follow. Sometimes even with tips to make things easier or to change certain ingredients.

I was already wondering what the last chapter would be about, and but it is all about themed parties! With what recipes go well with the party, what kind of items would be best to decorate everything with. I loved it!

All in all, this was a delight! I am quite hungry now. :P I would definitely recommend this one to all the fans of the restaurant or, if you are like me, fans of Tim Burton!

Not going to lie, as a fan of the classic Tim Burton films, I had an eye on this book and wasn’t disappointed at all.

The layout is gorgeous, and the recipes seem straight forward even for a beginner. I liked the humour running throughout as it gave the book a very fun feel. The food photography is also stunning, helpfully attached to the slighter tricky dishes and drinks, to give any inspiring cook an idea of what they should be working towards.

Perhaps my favourite part of the book is the list of suggested ingredient substitutes for vegans, which a lot of cookbooks don’t bother to include, making life a bit more difficult if you’re preparing a meal for a vegan or vegetarian. Bit of a life saver to be frank.

Highly recommended.

This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review, with thanks to Netgalley and Race Point Publishing.

Any major fan of Tim Burton might be familiar with Beetle House, a restaurant where it’s always Halloween. While taking inspiration from Burton’s work, proprietor Zach Neil has crafted a menu that always hints at the fall season, with fresh and generous ingredients. Here, these recipes are collected in a sleek tome with a beautiful layout any Burton fan will love.

Any good cookbook needs perfect recipes and a great hook. Fortunately, The Nightmare Before Dinner delivers on both. It is light on recipes, with approximately 60, but it’s the perfect amount before the Tim Burton theme gets spread thin. Edward Burger Hands. Wonka Wings. Big Fish. It’s all here, and it never feels like the theme is shoehorned in. These are delicious sounding, often autumnally hearty, recipes with a fun twist.

The photographs are gorgeous and include lots of visual references to the Tim Burton aesthetic. The book is light on photographs, though, with only around half the recipes represented. As well, the portion on party planning is a little thin. The few parties mentioned include a menu and recommended decorations, but they are light on information. However, the recipes are solid, and many include vegan substitutes for animal-derived ingredients, which is a nice addition.

Perfect for Halloween! The recipes are inspired by a Tim Burton and horror themed restaurant. The recipes all have cute names, such as Sweeney Sauce, Evil Dead Shrimp, and Silence of the Lamb Chops. The page borders are lovely, spooky, and make for an aesthetically pleasing design.

There were color photos of about every other recipe. I would have given this cookbook 5 stars had there been a good photo for every recipe. I mostly read cookbooks for the food porn, and google recipes when I’m actually cooking, and this one really is lovely to browse.

If you’re looking for something to inspire your next Halloween party, this is a fun place to get ideas.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

I’m a Tim Burton freak, so I’m very glad to have received a review copy. The recipes within are all allusions to Burton’s movies, so it was mindblowingly awesome to see each one and reminisce. I especially love the Beetlejuice ones. Looking forward to making many of these! I would highly highly recommend to fans of Burton’s movies.

I only had to see the title of this book to know that I wanted to read it! When I saw it was by The Beetle House I was even more excited! I have always wanted to visit one o locations. Until I can do that, this cookbook will tide me over.

I enjoyed the spin the chefs and mixologists did on particular dishes. Creepy up your hamburger or add a little zest to your macaroni and cheese with these recipes. The directions were easy to follow and most everything seemed like something I could cook. I also really liked that party themes were added. That was a great touch. I also loved the artwork through the book.

The only thing I didn't like was there wasn't a picture of each dish. I am very visual so it helps me to see the dish and how it is presented. I was annoyed that in the theme section they just repeated photos from earlier in the book. I would have rather had photos from the other dishes!

The cookbook you never knew you needed.
Our family is kind of obsessed with Tim Burton movies. To the degree that one of my daughters had a Nightmare Before Christmas Birthday party when she turned 5.
I can't wait to surprise my kids with themed meals and movie nights.

Even if themed food isn't your thing these recipes sounds delicious! The "graveyard noodles" are first up on my list to make. A delicious sounding "zoodle" dish. Second up in my plans will be the "Love It Pot Pie". My younger kiddos aren't ready to see Sweeny Todd yet. They will devour a new take on a chicken pot pie though. Anything that involves chicken, creamy sauce and "Halloepeno Honey Cheddar Cornbread" will surely be a hit around here.

Delicious looking photos. Easy to read recipes.. A wide array of recipes from sauces, apps, meals, desert and even cocktails. The bonus is suggested menus for parties and other tips. Such a fun book to flip through and will be even more fun to actually cook from.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book. What a fun premise. The book was full of creepy artwork but the photos took it a bit too far. Some of the pictures were quite gory and ruined my appetite. The recipes had great names but weren't things I would probably make. I think the idea for this book was a good one it just failed a little in the execution.

If you're a BEETLEJUICE/Halloween fan, you may have heard of Beetle House (located in both NYC and LA). Zach Neil explains why he created the restaurant/bar: "THE IDEA WAS SIMPLE. CREATE A SPACE WHERE PEOPLE WHO LOVE HALLOWEEN, HORROR FILMS, AND GOTHIC DARK MUSIC CAN GATHER FOR A MEAL AND DRINKS. A SAFE SPACE WHERE IT REALLY FEELS LIKE HALLOWEEN ALL YEAR ROUND AND PEOPLE CAN COME AND ENJOY GOOD FOOD, GOOD DRINKS, LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC, AND FEEL COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE TO BE AS FREAKY AS THEY WANT TO BE. THIS WOULD BE MY HOME FOR THE FREAKS, WEIRDOS, AND GROWN UP GOTH KIDS OF THE CITY."

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE DINNER is a collection of recipes from the menu, and would make a great present for every friend you have that's addicted to Halloween (in my life, there are many of us who celebrate year round).

This is a must have cook book for any fan of Tim Burton’s beautifully weird and wonderful world.
Using puns a plenty, the book whips up everything from sauces to all courses. It’s easy to follow and has some switch tips to help included those who are vegan.