Why Must Read From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen (Snoop Dogg Cookbook, Celebrity Cookbook with Soul Food Recipes) (Snoop Dog x Chronicle Books)?

I bought this to be a gag gift for my mother, after she signed us up for a cookbook exchange and I got her name. The intent was to get something that would make her laugh, but also have nutritional, useful, and unique recipes. I expected something silly to come in the mail, but this book is "legit" as Snoop himself would say. My mom owns an in-home bakery, and I am the only one who cooks in a household of four college students, therefore a book that could handle being passed around the kitchen, and flipped through regularly without the cover or pages deteriorating or damaging easily. As a very traditional Midwestern family we also enjoy recipes that carry tradition or sentiment. Crook to Cook has all of these. Each recipe comes with a story of its significance to the rapper's life, as well as an in depth breakdown of basic ingredients needed for each section, so you can be sure you have enough of everything in stock. The book is very visually pleasing. Every recipe came with a visual to follow, as did the fun "what's in my pantry" section, that came with each chapter. This was extremely fun to look at, and inviting. The recipes all have proven unique, but not challenging, as other reviews promised. The book offers a lot of variety in meal type as well. The dinner section is especially diverse, with everything from mac and cheese, to lobster tail. Browsing the table of contents, I was concerned that very few of the recipes were as simple as their promotion stated, but each has proven to be the same level of difficulty with varying levels of prep time necessary. Physically, the book itself was well constructed. Though technically ‘paperback’ the cover is actually a thick vinyl, and the pages a lightweight cardstock. This made the book seem more durable, and less susceptible to damage from food residue to humidity from cooking. The cover seems as though it could easily be wiped down if a spill were to occur. The binding was thick but not stiff, and weighted just enough that I could leave the book open on my counter and it would hold the page I had turned to. Before passing the gift on to my mother, my roommates and I all looked through it, and the binding showed no signs of creasing. Overall I would say this book exceeded expectations and was well worth the purchase.