Cravings - Chrissy Teigen

Check out my post from earlier in the week to see why I'm talking cookbooks this week. Plus, you won't want to miss my thoughts on Anthony Bourdain's Appetites. Today, though, we're talking Teigen...Chrissy Teigen, that is. 

Cravings

Title: Cravings

Author: Chrissy Teigen

Publication Date: 2/23/2016

Pages: 240

Genre: Food / Nonfiction

How I Found It: So many of the cooking sites I read have been talking about it. 

Date Completed: 7/4/17

What I Thought: I'll be the first to admit I had mixed feelings about Chrissy Teigen not long ago. It's only recently that I've really even known who she is. The release of this cookbook launched her into my pop culture bubble in a forceful way. Because I hadn't followed her career to date, I was confused as to why people cared about this model's recipes. But, they kept popping up everywhere. People kept raving about the cookbooks. Now that I knew who she was, she seemed to pop up everywhere. After all, her husband, John Legend, is having a pretty successful career himself. Plus, they just had that adorable baby. In the last year, I have somehow gone from feeling very ambivalently about her to following her on Twitter and reading her cookbook.

I think my mixed feelings came from thinking she was another celebrity trying to demonstrate competence in a field about which she knew nothing. *Ahem. Gwenyth Paltrow.* Turns out, this girl knows what she's doing in the kitchen. This book convinced me of that once and for all.

Teigen reminds me in some ways of one of my favorite food bloggers, Jessica at How Sweet It Is. These two can trash up food like nobody's business. They add all sorts of crazy things and, somehow, the dishes that land on the table are ridiculously good. I love this style. Imagination triumphs over the classic approach and fun, delicious things ensue.

Teigen does not discriminate. She freely admits a love for airport food and processed foods. It's a rare thing in the food world these days. Everything is supposed to be fresh and fair trade and presented beautifully. Teigen offers a recipe for chili that she recommends using to make walking tacos (that's where you pour chili and other toppings into an individual bag of Fritos and eat straight from the bag). This girl is real about her food. And I love that.

The book has such a nice balance of fun, fancy, and functional. I appreciate Teigen's approach to food. Her career necessitates her to be health-conscious, but she also knows how to indulge; as someone who is currently striving to find balance in that area of my life, I have to give her props. There is truly something for everyone here. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Chrissy Teigen. I'll be first in line for your next book. In the meantime, you can find me in the kitchen. I bookmarked a lot of recipes from this one. 

Recipes I Want To Try: Thyme Roasted Carrots, Zucchini Fries, Roasted Whole Fish, Sweet and Salty Coconut Rice, and so much more!

Rating: ★★★★☆