Notes about Recipes in this book

• Salsa de molcajete

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    This is a great, spicy salsa!

• Pickled jalapeños with carrots and onion (Jalapeños en escabeche)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    These are so good! Super easy and a great accompaniment to the dishes in this book!

• Avocado salsa (Salsa de aguacate)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    Tangy and tasty! We ate it with the flautas.

• Roasted salsa de chipotle

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    My favorite salsa in the book!

• Salsa verde

  • Apepin on January 09, 2022

    Simple and delicious. Versatile salsa. I served it with carnitas.

• Stovetop beans (Frijoles de la olla)

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    Great flavor. A few improvements: 1. Put all the seasonings in a large cheesecloth bag. Otherwise it is difficult to impossible to separate out after pressure cooking. 2. Use vegetable base + 2 t. kosher salt in the cooking water. 3. After pressure cooking, simmer an additional 30 minutes.

• Making beans in a pressure cooker

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    Good basic instructions. Place seasonings in a large cheesecloth bag for ease of removal.

• Cowboy beans (Frijoles charros)

  • imaluckyducky on February 18, 2023

    5 stars. Savory and a wide depth of flavor, one of the best iterations of this dish. This is in regular rotation!

• Red rice (Arroz rojo)

  • ashley_84p4kf on December 12, 2025

    This is authentic border-style rice. It’s my family’s favorite version of Mexican rice, and we make it a few times a month!

• White rice (Arroz blanco)

  • ezwriternc on January 23, 2022

    This rice was great. I couldn’t believe how simple it was and how delicious it was. This is a keeper.

  • ashley_84p4kf on December 12, 2025

    Sooooo good. If you want to make it even more authentic, use Knorr pollo bullion rather than boxed stock.

  • PennyG on May 17, 2026

    This was easy and delicious … going into the regular rotation.

• Hibiscus BBQ sauce

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    Frustrating. I love the ancho-hibiscus combination, but it gets lost in the heavy tomato paste/brown sugar/cider vinegar BBQ sauce base. It really needs to be in a different kind of BBQ sauce to shine. But I'll keep working on it, because the flavor combination is worth the effort! (Boss's comment: needs more acid & heat.)

• Mac and queso fundido

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    This is amazing! So creamy and cheesy, the mushrooms and chorizo add texture and flavor. So good!

• Cheese and poblano pepper flautas (Flautas de rajas con queso)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    I had a little trouble getting my oil hot enough, but after a few test ones, we got it right! My first time making flautas—I really love the filling.

  • ezwriternc on April 15, 2025

    They came out great. So easy and you could put anything you choose in the filling. I loved how crunchy they were. Looks impressive too.

• Shepherd-style pork tacos (Tacos al pastor)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    Al Pastor is my brother’s favorite and he said these are some of the best al pastor tacos he’s had!

• Chorizo spice mix

  • Melissa_427 on September 07, 2022

    An absolute game changer! Being able to mix up a batch of chorizo with just a pack of ground pork is extremely convenient!

  • bwilcox on July 28, 2023

    Turned out alright but I burnt it- likely a fault of oven, not recipe. Very salty and tasted good brushed atop the champurrado cake chocolate frosting, and the chocolate chip cookies from the other book

• Tuxpan tacos (Tacos Tuxpeños)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    Love these! I’m so glad there are pressure cooker instructions—the meat was so tender and tasty and done in under an hour!

• Deviled shrimp (Camarones a la diabla)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    Wow! I actually expected this to be much spicier. Instead, it was an excellent blend of flavors and a nice mellow heat.

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    Tried this with chicken instead of shrimp, and it didn't quite translate. But the flavor was very good. Next time, I'll do it with shrimp.

• Red pozole (Pozole rojo)

  • sharone7 on January 06, 2021

    I always make pozole on new year's day and thought I'd try this recipe this year. It makes a lot of soup! I loved the flavor of the chili puree (which I did the day before to save time day of), but I might remove the skin from some/all of the chicken thighs next time--there was a pretty thick layer of fat on top of the soup as it cooked that made taste-testing and adjusting a bit of a challenge. In addition to the usual onion, cabbage, and radish toppings, lots of avocado (not called for in the recipe but in the accompanying photo), cilantro, and fresh lime juice really rounded out the flavors.

• Rigatoni with cilantro pesto and sautéed oyster mushrooms

  • katiesue28 on April 12, 2023

    I really liked this as a good and quick veggie pasta. I added two jalapenos to the pesto for an extra punch of flavor. Don't be afraid of adding more mushroom and tomatoes, too. The cotija was a nice change from traditional parmesan.

• Cilantro pesto

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    Not a winner, unfortunately. Most of the recipes in this book only need minor tweaks. This is beyond that.

• Cilantro smash burgers

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    This is an excellent burger!

• The mule (La mula)

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    So good! A perfect twist on the mule!

• Michaeladas

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    This is an excellent michelada! It’s super tasty and just the right balance of spice.

• Cuba

  • BeckyLeJ on August 04, 2020

    My favorite new cocktail!

• Watermelon/mint/lime agua fresca

  • ecarlin on June 27, 2021

    Go easy on the mint, it's got a strong flavor. Put in half, taste, and then decide if you want more.

• Pressure cooker birria

  • Melissa_427 on July 01, 2022

    Made this for a brunch and served with soft boiled eggs and jalapeno cornbread muffins - so incredibly tasty! My roast may have been a little bit small, so I didn't add all 8 cups of water. Also, didn't have the guallio peppers so substituted a dried new Mexican pepper, will try again when I restock dried peppers.

  • ashley_84p4kf on December 12, 2025

    I’ve made this twice. The first time I worried I’d messed it up, but the second time through was just as flavorless. Using beef broth instead of water would likely help.