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

I ordered this thinking it might be a funny Christmas gift for my sister. Well, I'm reading her copy and laughing like a fool. Just came back to order a couple more copies for friends. The entertainment value is insane, and the recipes might actually be good too!

I'm not a big fan of Coolio the musician, his songs were alright but the last time he had a mega-hit was so long ago. I am, however, now a HUGE fan of Coolio the chef! I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I ordered this but suffice it to say that I am very happy with it and will be buying multiple copies to give to all the gourmets in my life. They need to expand their repertoire anyway. First off, I don't think I've ever read a more entertaining cook book in my life. The little side notes and descriptions are hilarious and I found myself laughing out loud all over the kitchen. Of course, Coolio pulls no punches so the language is rife with curse words and sexual allusions but that's part of the humor of it. The names of his dishes are funny, his cooking terms are comically weird (Dime bag of salt, droppings of hickory BBQ sauce) and the "hints" are drop-dead hilarious ("Only serve rare fish if it's incredibly fresh. It looks pretty, but like a good woman, it just might kill you.")Be sure to read the introduction and his Cool-mandments as they are funny, but they also explain his cooking philosophy and terminology. Now the recipes themselves, they're actually pretty good. They're simple, use common ingredients and they taste delish! Best of all, there is a variety of them from meat dishes, vegetarian and vegan dishes, to desserts, seafood, poultry and salads. Many of the recipes are healthy but there are also many that aren't so have your pick. The peanut butter cookies were yummy and the spinach-your-kids-will-eat was simple and good. This cookbook is definitely a keeper. I'll reach for it whenever I want something simple and yummy, or whenever I just need a laugh.

Coolio most definitely knows food. The self Proclaimed "Ghetto Gourmet" has some really tasty recipes That'll not only make your mouth water but have you ROTFLOL as you're reading them. Plus, he give easy to follow instructions, which coming from a non-cook, is a big help on my behalf. My take on some recipes 1. Drunk-Ass Chicken - This is basically a very tasty teriyaki chicken which uses Vodka, beer and Tequila, Hence the name Drunk-ass chicken. This was probably the easiest recipe. 4/5 2. Crybaby chicken - This is your basic "I CAN'T BREATHE" Level of spicy Chicken. You might want to be careful with this one. Not only is it going to burn going in, but also going out. You'll need some Preparation H if you're going to eat this. But it's totally worth it. While Coolio's recipe includes wings, I don't like wings. I found it to work with chicken breasts although, if you're going to do that, you might want to cook the chicken breasts according to their directions as Coolio's is for wings. This is the best recipe. 5/5 3. Cat me if you can - This is a catfish recipe where you need 2 eggs beaten like Michael Richards at a Katt Williams show. I don't eat seafood but I was lucky enough to cook this at my sister's house for her while helping her out. Coolio's recipe had my family begging for seconds. 5/5 4. KFC/Kompton Fried Chicken - this time, the 2 eggs are beaten like a red-headed step child. Your basic fired Chicken. Simple, easy to make. I suggest this recipe for fried chicken lovers looking for a simple quick meal. It's a fast easy 5 step recipe 5. Heavenly Ghettalin (Ghetto/Italian) garlic Bread - One of the best recipes in the book. It's a simple, cheesy, spicy garlic bread. Very easy to make. very Delicious 5/5 This is highly recommended for anyone Adult likes to make good food. Coolio has some really tasty recipes here. However, some people might not agree with the explicit language so BEWARE

I will be honest. I had no earthly idea what to expect when I chose to order this selection. I even thought maybe the whole cookbook was a joke...Well, that it was, but in a good way... and it was filled with suprisingly yummy home cookin' recipes too. But the preface to each and every recipe, and some of the recipe names, are just flat out ghetto-comedy-licious. (He refers to his cooking as "ghetto gourmet") Can the rapper cook? Hell-to-the-yeah he can. My sig. other is a chef and I have a few culinary years under my belt as well. Who the heck knew we'd EVER admit to loving a Coolio Cookbook? Do you need to have culinary training? Far from it! If you like eating you'll like the cookbook. If you love cooking you'll love how the dishes turn out. If you can't cook, you will still love it because it offers dishes that are simple to prepare but turn out great each time we've prepared one. But with recipe names like Heavenly Ghettalian Garlic Bread, Pimpin the Chicken, Tricked Out Westside Tilapia. Kompton Fried Chicken (KFC), Steak Thru My Heart, Shrimp Alli Bubba etc., you cannot help but be entertained while deciding what to cook... ... But better yet, you'll smile just as much when you bite into it. These are like family recipes that you ask for after enjoying a meal at someone's house. From scratch, stick to your ribs, Southern style... Most you can make quickly and most contain fresh and non-processed ingredients. There is a wide range of dishes covering everything from scores of chicken dishes to pastas to shrimp to beef to sea bass to hearty soups to veggie chili to desserts to salads in all honesty I originally thought this would be a great "white elephant gift" due to the humor contained within his stories, tips, and excerpts, but I've cooked several dishes and been pleased in ease of prep and instruction but, more importantly, in taste. The tilapia with beer, green chiles and malt vinegar was excellent, as was the artichoke cheese dip, lasagna, bass, chicken a la Jarez Mrsalala... His dishes are easy to follow, with ingredients you can locate readily, yet there is a spin on almost every one to take it from boring to gourmet and memorable... Yep, this is a keeper for me. We are already enjoying it and expect to continue to do so. Negatives? Wish it contained nutritional info for me personally...but would I expect a cookbook called "ghetto gourmet" to contain it? Naw, so I forgive him that... It's easy readin', cookin' and lip smackin eatin'... Suprisingly so. And Coolio proves Ghetto Gourmet means light on the budget and heavy on the taste. (But I also dare you to read his cooking tips or recipe descriptions and not laugh out loud...and that's the part that makes it a fun gift in addition to the recipes.)

Cookin' with Coolio is surprisingly very good. Who knew Coolio could cook! It is very funny and is written as only Coolio could write it. It has a lot of his humor and it is very amusing but the language is vulgar so keep that in mind if you are easily offended. His recipes call for a dime bag of this or a nickel bag of this. I found that a dime bag is equal to one tablespoon and a nickel bag is equal to ½ tablespoon. One thing that I really like about this cookbook is that all of the recipes call for common and easy to find ingredients. It has nice color photos of a couple dozen of the recipes. In general I really like this cookbook. Here are a few of the most interesting recipes that I found in the book. Heavenly Ghettalian Garlic Bread Soul Rolls (deep fried spring rolls wrappers with beef or turkey and seasonings) Finger-Lickin',Rib-Stickin', Fall-Off-The-Bone-and-into-Your-Mouth Chicken Crybaby Chicken Chickena la Jarez Marsalala Peanut Butter Chicken Love (sounds strange but looks good) Grilled Italiano Breasteses Popcorn Steak Cat Me If You Can (Catfish) Jarez Make-It-Rain Peanut Butter Cookies

I know a lot of the people who order this are going to order it for the novelty factor. It is novel, and it's laugh out loud funny to read. Coolio keeps his spices in dime and nickel bags and it's the first cookbook I've read that needs a language warning. But getting past the novelty into the recipes because I love to cook, this book is full of easy to prepare good food. His stated goal is to get people eating healthier and being less dependent on fast food. With that in mind, a lot of the recipes are inexpensive and have minimal prep work. 10 minutes of prep and most of them cook up pretty quickly. So you have food that's faster than getting in your car and driving to a burger place. Most of it is a lot healthier too. Use your judgment, if it calls for a cup of mayonnaise, it might be unhealthy. The recipes use a lot of canned foods and sauces to make it quick and easy. There are some very healthy options as well that look absolutely delicious. I'm looking forward to trying the chili for my family. There are some very tasty vegetarian meals and options. The shrimp recipes look amazing. I've used the fork steak recipe after seeing it on his cooking show and it was a huge hit with my family. He states anyone can make a good expensive steak, it takes true kitchen skill to make a good steak with a cheap cut of meat. I appreciate that philosophy. Learning the basics of cooking can make budget cooking way better than what your friends do after seeing a gourmet show and trying with the costly things. About cooking basics- he doesn't go into great depth but he does explain the terms and methods very well including not assuming his readers know how to boil an egg. The recipes are adaptable, basic recipes that will serve well in any home kitchen and could quickly become comfort food standbys and some of them are easily impressive enough to serve to guests with a more formal presentation. It appears Coolio doesn't eat pork, so a lot of the recipes call for harder to find things like beef bacon, if you do eat pork, you can substitute regular bacon. The rest of the ingredients can easily be found at any big grocery store.