I received From Crook to Cook as part of the Cannonball gift exchange and it combined two of my favorite things- cooking and celebrity memoir- while adding a dose of rapper realness, although infinitely more readable than Gucci Mane, so while I never would have purchased this for myself it was the ideal gift. From Crook to Cook has something for everyone. The cooking purist can revel in Martha Stewart’s foreword, the celebrity voyeur will appreciate Snoop’s candor including snaps from his kitchen and some of his favorite places to eat during his touring and the stoner will appreciate his cereal round up.
Everyone else can enjoy what seem like pretty decent recipes.
I wasn’t sure if I’d manage to get this reviewed before the end of CBR10 because a cookbook review requires, in my opinion, for the reviewer to have completed at least one recipe. So while I read through each recipe shortly after receiving this gem it wasn’t until Christmas morning that I was able to test out Snoop’s skills by making his Cinnamon Rollin’ for my family. These aren’t complicated if you’ve made dough before, and even if you haven’t he gives pretty clear instructions, but they’re a little time consuming. Since I wanted to make these for Christmas morning I ended up making my dough Christmas Eve, it takes about two hours when you factor in the dough rising, and pre-baking the rolls saving only the glaze for Christmas morning.
The biggest thing I’d change would be the amount of bourbon I used in the glaze. I’m so thankful I didn’t glaze half of the rolls so my elementary school aged nephews and recovering alcoholic uncle could enjoy Christmas breakfast as well. Snoop says the bourbon is meant to give the glaze a little bit of a twang but 2 tbsp was a bit heavy handed for my family and I would half if next time or even leave it out completely. Besides having a bit more hair of the dog than one expects at 8:30 am on a Tuesday they were a big hit and I will probably make them again the next time we have a morning get together.
Snoop moves from breakfast to cook book staples lunch, dinner, dessert and drinks (including a “Wake ‘n’ Bake Corpse Reviver”). Because it is a book written by Snoop he also includes as chapter on parties which includes recipes and a playlist for Thanksgiving, football games and other get-togethers with friends. Some people on Goodreads have wondered if this book was ghostwritten but I don’t think anyone but Snoop could have written such gems as:
I like my pancakes just like I like my money- stacked high to the ceiling.
If you don’t know, you won’t know: Snoop Dogg has a sweet tooth. Now it might be something to do with all the “medicine” I be chiefin’ on, but that sweet tooth has a tendency to hit during the late-night hours.
For you bougie mofos, here’s a cocktail that’s a little more high class than the gin and juice I was swiggin’ from a plastic cup. It’s even got a fancy-ass name: the Gimlet.
Oh, and in case you were wondering while Snoop prepares Thanksgiving dinner he is listening to “Love on Top” by Beyonce as well as “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross.
Yay!!!!!!!!!
This makes me very happy. I hope someone gave you Michelle Obama’s Becoming for Christmas.
My sister in law gave me a B&N giftcard I’ve already earmarked for Becoming but I’m not allowing myself to start anything new until I finish my 2018 review backlog!
It does not surprise me that Snoop Dogg puts a lot of bourbon in his cinnamon rolls.
It had never occurred to me to put any bourbon in my cinnamon rolls. I feel like I need to try this. First, I need a working oven and then I need some bourbon.
No working oven??
Our oven died in May, right after my landlord’s son was in an almost fatal motorcycle accident and I said, let’s not worry about it now. My landlady’s daughter, who renovates homes, offered a free almost new oven, but everything was still too chaotic to organize the delivery, installation and removal of the old oven. Around the time our household calmed down enough to organize a new oven installation, the daughter’s life took a turn for the chaotic. this year has brought us 6 surgeries, 1 stroke, 1 near fatal accident, several minor accidents, and 2 deaths in the family. This is why I have had no working oven for 8 months and it’s not really anyone’s fault. January is looking good though, so I hope to have one in the next two weeks. I also hope that 2019 gives us a break.
Oh, wow! That’s a lot for one family to have to deal with. Glad you’ll have an oven again soon. You’re going to need it to cook from a certain book >:)
I made guiness cupcakes with bourbon cream icing for work once. I didn’t realize they were boozy until I offered them to a coworker who literally coughed after one bite. Oops! For snoop, I’d try my hand at bourbon bakery again.