Snoop Dogg is a weed lover. He has said so openly since the start of his career, in the early 90s.
From that “bubonic chronic” he bragged about on ‘Gin and Juice’ to his numerous successful forays into today’s legal cannabis industry, almost 25 years later, the D-O-double-G and marijuana are practically synonymous. That’s why we were initially a little disappointed when we found out Snoop’s first cookbook, “From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg’s Kitchen,” wouldn’t include any recipes that incorporate cannabis.
It’s not as if cookbooks that combine marijuana and cooking are remotely taboo anymore — see “Bong Appetit” and “Edibles: Small Bites for the Modern Cannabis Kitchen” for two examples from late 2018 alone. And it seems unusual that one of the titular stars of “Mac & Devin Go to High School” would shy away from a chance to include pot in… anything. However, it is not clear why “From Cook to Crook”, a book that teaches readers to prepare their own home-cooked meals, refuses to do so.
It’s also not true that the plant doesn’t appear at all in “From Crook a Cook.” In the text, there are a lot of winks and cheeky references about smoking marijuana. Snoop mentions “OG Munchies” three times in the book. In each section, he lists his top cereal, candy, and chips. He encourages his readers to get “baked!” In the recipe for brownie sundae, he says “go get baked!” And one of the recipes, dubbed “The Lunch Briz-eak,” is literally just a plate of fruit with honey and peanut butter on it that you’re supposed to eat while you get high at work — though, for the record, it sounds tasty.
All we’re saying is, it’s kind of a weird branding choice to not even have a cannabutter recipe in the Snoop Dogg cookbook.
The book is still a lot of fun if you like Mr. Doggy Dogg or want to cook some really delicious meals at home. The book is a delight to read. Its pages are colorful, Snoop cracks jokes throughout the copy and there are beautiful photographs of many of the dishes described therein — plus, a great shot of Snoop smirking while he holds a lobster.
The whole thing starts off with a bite-sized opener from his TV co-host Martha Stewart, an introduction from Snoop and a visually delightful tour of Snoop’s cabinet and fridge, photographs absolutely included. The book is divided into sections on food, including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Desserts, beverages, as well as drinks, are also included. C’mon!) C’mon!)
This book contains dozens of recipes. You could conceivably cook Thanksgiving dinner using “From Crook to Cook” alone, which is genuinely impressive. There are also many extras hidden amongst the recipes. For example, the final chapter includes playlists for cooking. Snoop Dogg’s Game Day Playlist includes “Eye of the Tiger”. You can also find out more about the following: “Black & Yellow,” which we simply cannot argue with.
These recipes will not appeal to those who are trying to reduce their calorie intake or eliminate foods like dairy, meat or gluten. Biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, fried bologna sandwiches, chicken and waffles, lobster thermidor, chocolate chip cookies and s’mores pie all make appearances in Snoop’s cooking repertoire, for good reason — they’re all delicious. The book is for those who’ve tried chocolate on their pizzas at least one time, in case they were disappointed. It’s really, really good. This food isn’t going to get you high but “From Crook To Cook” will satisfy your hunger after you have worked hard at getting high on your own.
We tried Snoop’s recipe for dinner in the interest of accuracy. Overall, we approved. The Last Meal Shrimp Alfredo, apparently inspired by Snoop’s love of the Godfather (gangsta sh*t is another big motif in this cookbook), was intense and required a fair amount of prep and cleanup. The recipe was simple to follow and the sauce thick and creamy. It tasted better after a couple of hours, when eaten while watching ‘The Great British Baking Show,’ if we catch your drift.
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Published in Cannabis Now’s print edition. Learn More