Chrissy Teigen’s “Cravings” cookbook review

The cookbook Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat was a Christmas gift from my sister this past December. She is continuing the tradition (with me) that my Dad set for my Mom…which was buying her a new cookbook each year for Christmas. I was super excited she picked this one out because I have heard great things! Plus…I love Chrissy. :)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I love the photos! I admit that I’m a visual person…and I like photos of the food I’m about to make. It helps gauge if you followed the recipe or completely failed at it.
The format of the recipes are in a good format, and easy-to-follow. The designer in me craves good typographical layouts when it comes to information/instructions. Cookbooks fall into this category for me. There are some AMAZING cookbooks out there (I won’t name names) that drive me nuts because the layout and instructions are super confusing. I hate flipping back and forth to follow the recipe.
Lastly, I like Chrissy’s intros to each recipe. You can hear her playfulness in each description…and gives her readers a hint of her personality.

SO FAR…

I tested out some of the recipes this past New Years Eve to enjoy during the 2016 Peach Bowl. Yes…my Dawgs played, and yes…they lost. :( Despite the loss, the food was good and this is what I fixed up for me and my friends:

Roasted Jalapeño and Chorizo Queso
Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon

THE VERDICT

The Roasted Jalapeño and Chorizo Queso was FANTASTIC. It definitely had some heat…and I even left one step out! The recipe called for halving and seeding the jalapeños, but instead of tossing the insides out, it asked to stir it in at the end. I had a feeling it was going to be hot without this step and I was right. I left this part out and I was still happy with the result. The only other complaint (from a few guests) was that the chorizo I selected was too “cinnamon-y.” So next time I will find a chorizo less so.

The Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon was really good. I may make it next time without the bacon (for a slightly healthier option) but it’s definitely a close second to my Mom’s famous potato salad recipe.