• lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

  This is a spectacular book. Marcela has a gift of creating truly Mexican recipes that are doable by American cooks with access only to American grocery stores. She grew up straddling the wolds of Tijuana and the San Diego area. She is truly Mexican with a clear understanding of American kitchens. She is a classically trained chef who is passionate about sharing the depth of the Mexican culinary experience. The section on salsas alone is a masterclass on authentic Mexican flavors. Plus, the book and its lush photography are beautiful. I have gifted it many times. She’s the real deal.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Birria quesatacos

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Make this! It’s a weekend project but if you love food, it will be worth it. The broth/fat are the keys here to making extra flavorful tacos. Her header notes tell the story of a relative suggesting she pivot to open a restaurant to sell only these tacos. They are that good.

• Ensalada de nopales

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Easy and delicious. Don’t be afraid of cactus! I did not add the cauliflower to this recipe.

• Frijoles machacados

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Easy recipe. Elevates refried beans far beyond canned versions and lighter (but more flavorful than lard based recipes). My teenager loves these

• Frijoles de la olla

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Base for frijoles machacados. Easy additions quickly elevate dried beans

• Tacos gobernador

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    To. Die. For. Easy and the people you make this for will not know what hit them. The cheese turns this dish into a cross between a taco and a gourmet quesadilla. In an online post she recommended Chihuahua cheese over Monterey Jack. Sometimes Costco has shredded Chihuahua cheese. I don’t live on the West Coast nor near Mexico— Costco is the only place I have been able to find Chihuahua cheese in my part of the country

• Burritos de machaca

  • averythingcooks on November 24, 2025

    This was a good use for a chunk of a "not a great" roast. The braised/shredded beef + flavourful sauce made a great burrito filling. The intent is a very simple/no rice (which we appreciate) burrito but I did add a couple of things when rolling. She suggests serving with her "salsa taquera" so I smeared each tortilla with a similar, smooth (pretty hot!) home canned salsa & added grated cheese + a spoonful of spicy corn salsa. I will make these again.

• Tamales with chicken in salsa verde

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Marcela taught me to make tamales in one of her first online classes during covid. With prepared masa (that I easily found in a Mexican market and can also be ordered online) tamales are actually quite easy. I have made tamales using her birria recipe for stuffing as well.

• Basil poblano Parmesan croutons

  • averythingcooks on November 27, 2025

    I did some scaling (roughly 1/3?) & eyeballing...especially the basil as I still really don't know what is meant by "a bunch". A 1st taste suggested that they needed more salt/parm BUT in my steak salad with an assertive dressing & lots of funky blue cheese, these were great. I will continue to play with the ratios & my torn bread pieces were likely smaller than intended as they were done well under the time suggested.

• Sopa de albóndigas

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Comforting, filling soup that is a meal in itself. I make with homemade chicken broth. I have made with ground beef meatballs and ground lamb meatballs. Both are excellent. I leave my carrot and zucchini pieces quite big (2” chucks) versus the dice she recommends. A local restaurant serves it that way and I find that the bigger chucks keeps the veggies from overcooking and getting mushy.

• Corn-studded fluffy white rice

  • lissabeebe on May 16, 2025

    Super easy and my teenager loves this…