A review by lizziematata
Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen

5.0

Okay so, there isn't much that I can say that hasn't already been said about Chrissy and this cookbook. However, I am wanting to make it a point to not write a review about cookbooks until I have made at least one recipe from it. This also serves the dual purpose of lighting a fire under my butt to make me actually use the cookbook for it's purpose. I typically make recipes up of my own, or I go straight to Pinterest. As a result, it is an unfortunate truth that I purchased Chrissy's first cookbook when it came out, and I did not make one single recipe until a few months ago. (I made the crab cakes and they were so delicious!) Now, on to the review.
Chrissy is of course her usual funny, adorable, and candid self in this cookbook and it is just like getting a new book in that I cannot wait to crack it open and read it cover-to-cover before even attempting a recipe. Her pictures are always so great, whether they're just of the food or of her and her family. This Cravings doesn't have pictures for each of the recipes, but as far as I can tell they wouldn't be too hard to determine the outcome, like the Sweet & Savory Ham Hock Baked Beans.

As far as the actual recipes go, I typically like to go through cookbooks and flag all the recipes that I would want to make. However, the majority of the recipes in this second cookbook are recipes I want to try! The whole book would be flagged, and well, I just don't like the way that looks! To force myself to try a recipe, I chose to first make the Two-Tone Potato Gratin. Oh.My.Cheesy-Goodness! I made them for Thanksgiving and they were a hit! I will definitely be making these again! They are indulgent for sure, but they are comforting as well and also have a fresh hint to them due to the fresh rosemary and thyme. My only dilemma with this recipe is that I can't decide if I want them to become a Thanksgiving classic or something I make every now and then just for dinner when I'm craving these potatoes! I'm not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes unless they're in my mom's sweet potato casserole, but this recipe has turned me around on them being used in savory dishes. How can they be bad when they're covered in heavy cream and parmesan and gruyere cheese oh-my! Mmm just thinking about them! I also made the crispy potato smashies which are super simple and easy, but tasty nonetheless! It was also a recipe where I happened to have everything already in my pantry! Those are the best kinds of recipes to me as I can't typically afford to go out to get extra ingredients that I didn't already incorporate into my grocery budget.
Anywho, that is my long-winded explanation of why this book absolutely gets 5+ stars from me!