Following From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen, rapper Snoop Dogg pays homage to Earl "E-40" Stevens, his "big homie" who "paved the way" for Snoop on the West Coast. "Watching him expand his love for food and cooking over the years," Snoop writes, is "why Snoop Dogg Presents Goon with the Spoon had to be the next cookbook, ya dig?" Witty, personal intros accompany each of the 65-plus accessible recipes, including fruity Mimosas 3 Ways, with "a little kick in the mix"; Cognac Mashed Potatoes; and Roasted Karats. Vivid, eye-popping, and mouth-watering photographs by Antonis Achilleos include full-spread close-ups, like the duo's "decadent" Fried Chicken and French Toast Sandwiches, which are "hella fun to make." --Cheryl McKeon, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, N.Y.