If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I was lucky enough to check out the Cravings cookbook by Chrissy Teigen from my local library RIGHT before this pandemic broke out. And what greater time to try out a bunch of new recipes except during a quarantine? I know I’m super late to the game in trying out this cookbook. But better late than never! I’m recapping the 10 recipes from the Cravings cookbook that I’ve tried so far and reviewing my thoughts on the cookbook in general below.
1. Pineapple Grilled Short Ribs (And Coconut Rice!)
5/5 Stars
These short ribs taste JUST LIKE the kalbi you can get in a Hawaiian plate lunch. Sooooooo good. I made the coconut rice as a side, but I used a rice cooker instead of making it stovetop like the recipe stated. It still came out perfect! I would buy this cookbook just for this recipe. Would 100% make again!
2. Balsamic Glazed Brussels Sprouts
4/5 Stars
These balsamic glazed brussels sprouts are really good. The only reason why I docked a star from perfection is because I felt it didn’t REALLY need all the add-ons: walnuts, blue cheese, etc. Bacon was a good mix-in, though!
3. Grilled Garlic-Soy Shrimp with Pepper’s Hot Green Pepper Sauce
3.5/5 Stars
This shrimp was actually quite good! However, I found that it was a little too salty for me. Maybe next time I would use light soy sauce instead of Japanese soy sauce for the marinade. Pepper’s hot sauce was so spicy, I had to dump it after my first try.
4. Spicy Italian Sausage Meatloaf
2/5 Stars
I think maybe I’m a plain meatloaf kind of gal. I thought the spicy Italian sausage was… too spicy? I’m going to stick to Magnolia Table’s meatloaf recipe.
5. Split Pea Soup with Crispy Hot Dogs
2/5 Stars
Overall, this soup didn’t taste BAD at all. The hot dogs added a nice smoky touch. Maybe I’m just not into split pea soup. I’ve had better legume-y soups.
6. Lemony Arugula Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
5/5 Stars
Obviously, I skipped the arugula step in this dish, but HOLY COW IT WAS SO GOOD. Plus, it was super easy! I will be making this again and again and again and again.
7. Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs
3/5 Stars
I made the recipe as written, with the exception of cooking the eggs well done because I’m pregnant. The cheese was honestly overpowering, and I usually love cheese. I would potentially make this again, but drastically alter the amounts of cheese and cream.
8. Pull-Apart Buttermilk Biscuits
4/5 Stars
I usually make easy 2-ingredient cream scones, so anything more complicated than that needs to be dang good. These were actually still pretty quick and easy to put together. I liked them better than the Magnolia Table biscuits. I only wish I got more definable, flaky layers, but otherwise a very solid biscuit recipe.
9. John’s Breakfast Sandwiches
3.5/5 Stars
Again, I followed the recipe as written, but felt that the spices were overpowering! Too salty and too.. sage-y? With adjusted spice ratios, this would be a GREAT breakfast sandwich. I would still recommend making this, just be forewarned.
10. Zucchini Fries
4/5 Stars
These are probably the best tasting baked zucchini fries I’ve made! They do need a dipping sauce, otherwise they don’t have much zing. And it’s kind of too much of one thing to eat by yourself. I would certainly make it again for a party, though!
Overall Thoughts on the Cravings Cookbook
This is a GREAT cookbook. Even though not every single recipe was a hit for me, at least two that I tried were so spectacular, they will make many reappearances in our dinner rotation. It’s enough to make me want to buy this cookbook after I return it to the library, because I know I’ll be reaching for it again and again. Plus, even the recipes I didn’t love didn’t taste bad. In general, the one negative I had was that the spice and saltiness level were repeatedly a little bit too much for me in many of the recipes. And if you know me, you know I generally LOVE spice and flavor. But with that being sad, it’s kind of an easy fix. Just adjust the amount of spices and salt to your taste. All in all, I highly recommend this cookbook, and I will certainly be checking out Chrissy’s second book from the library sometime soon!
Have you guys tried out either of Chrissy’s books? What are your thoughts? And let me know any other cookbooks you’d like me to review!