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Look, I don’t want to be one of those dead-inside laughing-with-a-salad chicks.

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Read the introduction to Teigen's new cookbook, Cravings. And if you have some kind of prejudice against supermodels who love Taco Bell, there's nothing we can do to help you.

Chrissy Teigen's Cravingsis a cookbook with realistic recipes for people who like it "spicy, salty, sticky, crunchy, juicy, oozy," and if you have some kind of prejudice against supermodels who unabashedly love Taco Bell, there's nothing I can do to help you. It's fun to read, with a recipe for everyone with two eyes, a stomach, and a fork. Frito pie? A chapter called "Sh*t on toast"? Absurd sexy photo shoots with chicken wings? What's not to love? I didn't even mention the bulldogs yet. If there's one thing we can all learn from Teigen, it's not to judge a cookbook by its cover. Below, read her introduction to find out how the whole thing began. -Alex Beggs
I know, I know. A cookbook from me? The girl who had two fast-food Twitter accounts fighting for my affection in what was the oddest, greasiest exchange I have ever witnessed? The one whose visits to Waffle House and whose messed-up miscommunications with the Postmates dinner delivery guys make it to the Internet sometimes? The girl who actually celebrated Thanksgiving at Taco Bell headquarters among her closest friends she had never met? Yep. I am doing it. And doing it. (And doing it well.)

SO. THIS BOOK. My Thai mom is ESL, but I am FSL: Food has been my second language since I was a tiny little brat. A lot of kids wear superhero costumes, princess costumes. I used to fall asleep, so happy, wearing my little chef's hat or mom's chile pepper apron with oven mitts on. (Don't sleep in oven mitts you cooked in all day because ants will make you their bitch. See, you're learning something already!) I spent my childhood in the kitchen following around Thai Mom, who pretty much made everything from scratch, using tools none of my other friends had in their homes. I remember sitting cross-legged on the kitchen counter, an annoying trait I still possess, buttering piles and piles of crackers for dad's chicken soup, ripping up bacon for mom's scalloped potatoes. I remember, when my friends were over, plugging my nose and pretending to hate the exotic fish sauce my mom was using. I remember debating the finer points of flaky pastry with my chicken-pot-pie obsessed American dad. I remember the divine mix of Thai food, TV dinners, and hearty, homemade goodness that have shaped this palate of mine to this day. I remember all this but I still google my husband's birthday. Thank god he's famous.

The kitchen is a place I know well. It's my favorite room wherever I am living, and it has to be completely open and social. Our kitchen has seen way more activity than our hot tub or sex dungeon. The kitchen is the heart of any home. And my heart is in the kitchen.

But whether for business or pleasure, I am almost always on a plane. Same with John. It's amazing-we've been to so many beautiful places around the world. We've eaten every sort of meal, from the finest French Michelin-star restaurants to BBQs in Texas to street markets in the Thai village my mom grew up in. When I'm not traveling, though, I am basically a world-class shut-in.

When I am home, I am home, people, and if it wasn't for the fact that John wants genuine date-nights out with me, I would probably never. Ever. Leave. (Why he doesn't consider watching me watch Real Housewives a date-night, I will never understand.)

Which brings us to cooking. I am not lying when I tell you I can hang out in the kitchen for 12 hours straight without stopping. Just ask my live-in mom, who you might know as Pepper Thai (or, to be exact, @ PepperThai2, which is her name because she doesn't remember the password to @PepperThai or @PepperThai1 so be on the lookout for @PepperThai3 by the time this thing comes out). Or ask all the friends who I make come over instead of going to their house UNLESS they give in to my demands of my bringing over some sort of small feast. When I am cooking, I am in the moment. I'm very slowwww, rereading recipes, sipping wine, munching, sipping vodka, more munching. I really get into the dish I am making. I relax. My day job may be exhausting, but cooking is my peace. My dream is to have a big family with lots of grandkids. And we'll get together every Sunday for a hearty dinner at our house, and we'll all live in flavorful bliss, happily ever after. (Or they could become vegans. Oh my god, they could become vegans.)

I started posting pictures of my meals on social media, and I could not believe the response. A few classy blokes asked for more TITTTAYYYYYY, but most of you are awesome. I'd post a picture of a dish (usually with some story of how I messed it up but it was delish anyway), and lots of you would tweet me back, ask me for a recipe, give me some tips, or just plain ol' get excited to get in the kitchen yourselves. We would have our #DrunkDinnerParties, posting pics of our successes and failures. And I started a little food blog called So Delushious. It's been amazing to share my love of food with you. I feel like I should pay you for the overwhelming joy it gives me when people tell me that something I posted got them excited to cook something for themselves.

So of course I had to write a cookbook, and of course I had to give you my best. I cooked and cooked with my cowriter, Adeena [Sussman], until everything tasted just how I wanted it-and then I cooked it again. And again for John. And again for friends. And AGAIN for the finicky eaters who don't like much of anything. Once we got those people excited, we knew we had the perfect cookbook. When it came to creating these recipes, I wanted this to be as simple as possible without skimping on the flavor. Cooking can be intimidating to a lot of people, and I want you to know you really can make a great meal without having gone to Le Cordon Bleu. I want the recipes to work every time, and without a jillion ingredients you have to go to twelve stores for. And I want them to taste UNFORGETTABLE. Like go-to-sleep-grinning because what you made was just so painfully, achingly incredible!

I know how I like my food. I like it spicy, salty, sticky, crunchy, juicy, oozy- basically any dish you know and love, jacked up to a bordering-on-socially-unacceptable amount of flavor. Let's face it, I do have to make every bite count, so if I'm gonna drag that fork to my mouth hole, it better taste crazy delicious. And I can promise you that everything in this book does.

If you're expecting a model to write a cookbook full of diet recipes for you to perfect your bikini bod, I think you'll be a little surprised here. These are recipes we love to indulge in with family and friends. Some more hearty than others, some even more hearty than the hearty ones. But every single recipe is something we love. Look, I don't want to be one of those dead-inside laughing-with-a-salad chicks, and I don't want to seem like one of those annoying "I can eat anything I want anytime" chicks. It's just that I wanted to be honest in this book about the kinds of food I love, the kinds of food I crave. I just have to find ways to make those cravings work with my day job (e.g., sometimes with a well-timed "f*ck it").

I've always loved cookbooks (I have hundreds) but what I haven't loved is having to flip through tons of different ones to find the stuff I like to make and eat. So when I decided to make one of my own I wanted it to be a bible you could flip open and use for every meal. Perfect eggs? Check. Soupmaster classics and the best salads ever? Yup. Dinner for a couple or a small group of friends? Totally. Snacks for football Sundays? Yes, indeed. They're all here-except dessert. I mean, I will go to an Italian restaurant and order another pasta while everyone else is enjoying their panna cotta. Also it is well documented how badly I suck at baking. So you'll have to Fudgie-the-Whale-it for dessert. Sorry!

So start cooking! Nothing would make me happier than to know that this book has helped make your life a little bit more flavorful and interesting. I'm sure I'll be hearing from every single one of you really soon, so I'll begin clearing out my in-box . . . as soon as I clear my plate.

xoxoxo
Chrissy

Reprinted from Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat. Copyright © 2016 by Chrissy Teigen. Photographs copyright © 2016 by Aubrie Pick. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

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Chrissy Teigen Refuses to be One of Those "Dead-Inside Laughing-with-a-Salad Chicks"

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Read the introduction to Teigen's new cookbook, Cravings. And if you have some kind of prejudice against supermodels who love Taco Bell, there's nothing we can do to help you.

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I am the kitchen pimp who won’t hesitate to fillet Bobby Flay or send my posse after Emeril Lagasse.

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I am the first to admit that I bought this book for the novelty factor, I mean, really? A rapping chef? In a word: yes! I do not own a single rap recording in any format, but as someone who values good and simple to prepare food, this cookbook is platinum. The book contains 76 recipes, and some of them are absolute standouts. "Kung Fu Chicken" (p. 51), "Crybaby Chicken" (p. 62), "Karate Meat" (p. 96), "Magical Fruit Soup" (p. 174), and "Bro-Ghetti" (p. 158) top my personal list of favorites.

The book is irreverent, is full of colorful and innuendo-laden language (not for kids), and does have a few idiosyncrasies, e.g. "dime bag" stands in for "tablespoon", etc. All of this is explained in chapters one and two. The book isn't big on illustrations, other than a very nice color insert section of completed dishes, and it doesn't go into great detail on techniques, rather gives simple, easy to follow directions. There are inserts from Coolio's assistant, Jarez, in the recipes giving useful and funny information (his advice on p. 75 regarding the advisability of drinking marinade is especially insightful and entertaining).

The introductions to the recipes, the recipes themselves, and even the ingredient lists are well seasoned with humor: "Crybaby Chicken" requires among other things three kinds of peppers and a box of tissues, while his vegetarian chili requires a fire extinguisher. Some of his more unusual recipes need a little explanation. As an example, his recipe "Peanut Butter Chicken Love" has this to say by way of introduction: "Chicken and peanut butter may seem like a strange combination, but they go together like gin and juice, biscuits and gravy, O.J. and prison", while the more conventional (but delicious) "Chilly Beany" explains that "I always liked chili, but I never really 'needed' it until I got stuck in a snowstorm in Moscow. I had just done a show and was hungrier than a model in Paris and colder than Ted Williams's frozen head."

It's been a while since I have seen so many simple yet genuinely good dishes in a single cookbook: there may be only 76 recipes here, but a very high proportion of them are home runs. I recommend this book for adults with a sense of humor and a love of cooking.

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Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price

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Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price [Coolio] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Cookin' with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price

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If it doesn’t sound too grotesque to you in your weakened state, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and I will introduce to you the multi-faceted, subtle art of dealing with a hangover that goes far beyond the traditional British solution of chucking a full English at it.

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How have I gotten myself into this? I glance around the spotless, meticulously organized kitchen: trussing twine, skewered, mallets - is that a cleaver? Holy crap.

...

Instantly I feel hands on me, lifting me carefully from the tiles. Long, powerful fingers cradle me from underneath and expertly tuck my giblets back in place. Holy cow. Something clenches deep inside me.

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Dripping Thighs, Sticky Chicken Fingers, Vanilla Chicken, Chicken with a Lardon, Bacon-Bound Wings, Spatchcock Chicken, Learning-to-Truss-You Chicken, Holy Hell Wings, Mustard-Spanked Chicken, and more, more, more! Fifty chicken recipes, each more seductive than the last, in a book that makes every dinner a turn-on. "I want you to see this. Then you'll know everything. It's a cookbook," he says and opens to some recipes, with color photos. "I want to prepare you, very much." This isn't just about getting me hot till my juices run clear, and then a little rest. There's pulling, jerking, stuffing, trussing. Fifty preparations. He promises we'll start out slow, with wine and a good oiling . . . Holy crap . "I will control everything that happens here," he says. "You can leave anytime, but as long as you stay, you're my ingredient." I'll be transformed from a raw, organic bird into something-what? Something delicious . Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy . Like Anastasia Steele, Miss Chicken finds herself at the mercy of a dominating man, in this case, a wealthy, sexy, and very hungry chef. Fifty Shades of Chicken is a cookbook of fifty irresistible, repertoire-boosting chicken dishes that will leave you hungry for more.Fifty Shades of Chicken
So begins the adventures of Miss Chicken, a young free-range, from raw innocence to golden brown ecstasy, in this spoof-in-a-cookbook that simmers in the afterglow of E.L. James's sensational will have you dominating dinner.

And before long, from unbearably slow drizzling to trussing, Miss Chicken discovers the sheer thrill of becoming the main course. A parody in three acts-"The Novice Bird" (easy recipes for roasters), "Falling to Pieces" (parts perfect for weeknight meals), and "Advanced Techniques" (the climax of cooking)-

With memorable tips and revealing photographs,

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Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook

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Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook [Fowler, F.L.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Fifty Shades of Chicken: A Parody in a Cookbook

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Deb Perelman, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

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Deb Perelman, The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

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Whenever I’m asked how I got here - presumably, to a place where you’d have my cookbook in front of you, not my writing lair with a bay window overlooking the sea my sofa with an explosion of wooden train tracks around me - I always wish I had a better kitchen story to share. ‘Just tell us your story!’ people say, but I think that they’re lying. I think that people want me to tell them a good story.

They want to hear that I’m a fifth-generation chili maker from Texas or that I only eat food that I hunt, forage, or find under the wheel of a car. That I went to cooking school and spent years on the line being yelled at by a  French guy with his name over the door. Or maybe I was in a thrift store and found a collection of handwritten Hungarian recipe cards and made it my life’s work to bring an old’ lady’s cooking back to life. People want a story with drama and excitement. They don’t want to hear that I’ve been a record store shift supervisor, a swirler of soft-serve frozen custard, an art therapist, and an IT reporter.

They don’t want to hear that I just like to cook.

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David DiBenedetto with Philip Rhodes. The Southerner's Cookbook

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David DiBenedetto with Philip Rhodes. The Southerner's Cookbook

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We Southerners are picky about our ingredients. Almost snooty…I’ve witnessed heated debates on the best oyster for a roast: the prevailing opinion in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, where I live now, being Beaufort Clusters. (And how dare you steam them too long!) When the local farmers’ market gets green peanuts - the best for making boiled goobers, aka boiled peanuts — our cell phones buzz with text messages. ‘They’re here.’

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David DiBenedetto is the senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun, where he oversees all print and digital platforms. Formerly the executive editor at the title, DiBenedetto was part of the team responsible for the magazine's National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2011. Previously he was the editor of Salt Water Sportsman, where, in addition to implementing a complete redesign of the 78-year-old magazine, he led the title to its first-ever National Magazine Award nomination (General Excellence) in 2007. Salt Water Sportsman was the first and is still the only, fishing publication to be nominated for such an honor. Prior to his time at Salt Water Sportsman, DiBenedetto was the deputy editor of Field & Stream. He began his career at Men's Journal in 1995 as an editorial assistant just three days after graduating from college and worked his way to senior editor in 2001.

Also an author, DiBenedetto wrote On the Run: An Angler's Journey Down the Striper Coast in 2003 for HarperCollins. The book received numerous accolades, including a coveted starred review in Publisher's Weekly. The magazine has so far published four books during his tenure: New York Times best-selling titles The Southerner's Handbook, Good Dog, The Southerner's Cookbook, and the latest edition, S is for Southern: A Guide to the South, from Absinthe to Zydeco.

DiBenedetto was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, and now resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Jenny; their children, Rosie and Sam; and their two dogs, Boykin spaniel, Pritchard, and Labrador Retriever, Story.

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The Southerner's Cookbook: Recipes, Wisdom, and Stories (Garden & Gun Books, 3)

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The Southerner's Cookbook: Recipes, Wisdom, and Stories (Garden & Gun Books, 3) [Editors of Garden and Gun] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Southerner's Cookbook: Recipes, Wisdom, and Stories (Garden & Gun Books, 3)

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Do you like to eat?

No, do you REALLY like to eat?

Do  you like to get lucky?

Because, my man, it is this last question that should inspire you to read on. Babes like men who cook. That’s right, it gives them shudders to have you cook them a great meal. Ecstatic shudders in places you want.

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Do you know a male between the ages of 18 and 35 that is desperately in need of NOT being single? Man Meets Stove is a comedy cookbook for men who've never cooked anything without a microwave. We wrote the Man Meets Stove cookbook as we had observed that the men-desperately-in-need-of-cooking-help market was vastly under served. The number of college students surviving on dried noodles and corn chips is just appalling. We are here to help. Man Meets Stove will help men cultivate skills, cooking and otherwise, that will assist them in their fledgling attempts to date women. You can thank us later, ladies. The cookbook includes the following tutorials and recipes: - Oils and other lubricants - Bacon, the other spice - Jet Fuel for the Revolution - Drunk Broccoli - Eggscellent Eggs - Grilled Cheese Sandwich Three-Way - Roast Beast - Chicken and other Vegetables - Heart Attack Hollandaise - Spicy Bacon Candy - Wake Me Up Before you Go Go Brownies (Caffeinated Brownies) ....and others. Every recipe comes with its own song dedication. It is an eclectic mix, with a slight emphasis on 80s pop and hair bands. We apologize for sticking slightly with what we know.

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Man Meets Stove: A cookbook for men who've never cooked anything without a microwave.

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Do you know a male between the ages of 18 and 35 that is desperately in need of NOT being single? Man Meets Stove is a comedy cookbook for men who've never cooked anything without a microwave. We wrote the Man Meets Stove cookbook as we had observed that the men-desperately-in-need-of-cooking-hel...

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Let’s get this out of the way right up front. I’m a white boy from suburban Massachusetts where Old El Paso taco nights were mother’s milk.

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Tacos: Recipes and Provocations: A Cookbook

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Tacos: Recipes and Provocations: A Cookbook [Stupak, Alex, Rothman, Jordana, Sung, Evan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Tacos: Recipes and Provocations: A Cookbook

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My high school experience was similar to the TV show Glee, but instead of getting a slushy thrown in my face, it was a Frosty that came plowing at me in a drive-by. Some hormone-crazed almost-a-woman legitimately threw a Frosty out a car window, aimed at my face. Yeah, high school wasn’t my jam. But what I found much more insulting than the Frosty being whirled at me like a football was that this girl and the audacity to throw out a full Frosty. She just wasted it. Straight up. That may have been the moment I began to understand my unhealthy relationship with food.

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It's official! On August 18th, 2015, my third cookbook will be released! A cookbook that I could not be more proud of, more excited for, and more in love with. A cookbook that is filled with not only over 100 recipes I am excited to show the world, but a book that showcases my realistic viewpoints ...

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Zach Golden, What the F**k Should I Make for Dinner?

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Zach Golden, What the F**k Should I Make for Dinner?

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I once heard of a man who baffled scientists with his reputed ability to forego eating for years on end, and well, that man is dead. And I can’t imagine a less fun party guest. Some people say it’s a drag to have to feed yourself, but plain and simple, those people are douchebags.

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Sunday-night dinners at the home of my father’s parents were always quite the scene. My sweet grandmother - a woman who proudly donned her Sunday best for Mass and washed my mouth out with soap for saying “pee” instead of “tinkle” - would be burning something in the oven and scuffling about the kitchen with a spoon in her hand, dripping sauce on the tiled floors.

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It's like you live your whole life pretty damn sure that you don't like pain of any kind. It could be a trio of oiled-up supermodels waving that bullwhip or nipple clamp, but you aint having any of it. Then something happens. Life changes. You learn some very dark shit about yourself. And Mission Chinese shows it to you.

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The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook | Danny Bowien & Chris Ying | Talks at Google

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“It’s really important to buy the right ingredients for a recipe. Once in a while, someone writes to me to say they made my chocolate cake and it didn’t come out right - and what’s wrong with my recipe? I’ll quiz them and find out that oops! they didn’t have any cocoa powder on hand so they used sardines instead.”

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Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust: A Cookbook [Garten, Ina] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust: A Cookbook

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Ginny Kay McMean, The Make Ahead Vegan Cookbook

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Ginny Kay McMean, The Make Ahead Vegan Cookbook

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"When I first became vegan, I bought some cookbooks and did not realize that I had obtained some down-and-dirty, no-nonsense, hardcore vegan cookbooks that took no prisoners."

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Ginny Kay McMeans is the recipe developer, photographer and blogger behind Vegan in the Freezer. All the recipes are easy to follow and can be used by beginning cooks on through the experienced.

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She lives in Southern California with her husband and all the other critters that love perfect weather.

Visit her at her website:

https://veganinthefreezer.com/

For questions about the recipes, spices, or anything, contact Ginny at the following:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/VeganInTheFreezer

Intagram: www.instagram.com/vegan_in_the_freezer/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/VeganFreezer

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The Make Ahead Vegan Cookbook: 125 Freezer-Friendly Recipes

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