• dfwfoodiegeek on December 25, 2012

  West Texas Asado - This recipe is fairly involved due to making the chile sauce, but due to the long cooking time, the meat really developed amazing flavor and we scarfed it with fresh flour tortilla. I will definitely make again.

• Breadcrumbs on June 12, 2012

  This book was chosen as a Cookbook of the Month on Chowhound and I was excited about the prospect of cooking from it. When I first received this book, I flagged almost every recipe. Everything looked delicious to me!! Unfortunately, after preparing 13 recipes, there simply weren’t enough hits from this book for me to continue cooking from it. I found that because there are some quirks with the recipes (inconsistencies or errors in directions, relentless use of cumin), I lost faith in the author’s recipes. Full summary of my experience here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851923#7396948 and individual reviews all posted here in EYB.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Blanche's mustard pickles

  • paliczgy on September 08, 2017

    This pickle was inedible. Lot of pepper, lot of vinegar.

• Jalapeño, cauliflower, and carrot pickles (Escabeche)

  • DKennedy on March 18, 2012

    Page 21 - Easy to make. I cut the recipe substantially and used mainly carrots and cauliflower, with only 1 pickled jalapeño added to the brine. Great served alongside any Mexican themed meal.

• Jalapeño relish

  • averythingcooks on March 31, 2023

    I cut this in 1/2 for 1 small jar and we both really like it. It is a bit hot & a bit sweet & a bit acidic....and if you wanted to really heat it up it would be easy to add any amount of a hotter chile (ie serrano, cayenne, habanero) to taste. This came together very quickly and we will find lots of uses for this little jar.

• Tomatillo jalapeño jam

  • averythingcooks on September 29, 2023

    This is a lovely use for garden bounty yielding 2 small "more sweet than hot" jars for the fridge. I love this with cheese & crackers, I plan to use it for glazed meatballs soon and I'll make again next year for sure.

• Jalapeño buttermilk dressing

  • Breadcrumbs on June 03, 2012

    p. 49 An interesting and unique (to me) dressing. Fresh with very green flavours. We love buttermilk dressings, ranch in particular so this dressing held immediate appeal. It’s also called for in a coleslaw recipe from the book so there was further incentive to make this multi-tasking sauce. When I tasted the dressing prior to seasoning, I felt it was a little grassy-tasting and flat. I do recognize cilantro would produce different results however I’m unable to use it due to an allergy. To boost the flavours, I added approx a tbsp of lime juice. This did brighten the dressing and brought out the tartness of the buttermilk. We liked this and felt it was better; good even, on the coleslaw (review to follow) however, I think we’d have preferred buttermilk to be the star of this dressing where in fact, there is only 1/4c of buttermilk to the 1/2c each of mayo and sour cream. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851919#7379878

  • Laura on June 12, 2012

    Pg. 49. Made this as a dressing for the Cabbage and Radish Slaw recipe in this book. I made this as written with the exception that I used creme fraiche rather than sour cream and low-fat buttermilk. I liked the taste of it on its own, it had a bit of a spicy bite -- that was less noticeable on the slaw. If I were to make it again, I think I'd eliminate the mayonnaise and just up the portion of buttermilk and sour cream. I could see using this as a dip with crudites or as a dressing for steamed or grilled vegetables.

  • babyfork on September 10, 2014

    I made this to accompany the fried green tomatoes recipe in this book. I only used one medium-sized jalapeno instead of the two called for in the recipe since I didn't want it to be overly spicy. For the taste I was looking for, one worked perfectly. I did liberally salt and pepper and also added some lime juice to brighten the flavor a bit. This was great with the fried green tomatoes. I made tacos the following night and used some of the leftovers as a drizzle on my taco and enjoyed that too. I'll have to try this for the coleslaw other reviewers mentioned. I think it would make a great dip for crudité as well.

  • texannewyorker on September 19, 2016

    I love this, it's a go-to salad dressing if people don't mind the spiciness.

  • averythingcooks on January 18, 2023

    I used this on coleslaw and while we liked the heat of the jalapeno against the creamy dressing, I was sorely missing acidity. Laura's suggestion of skipping the mayo / upping the buttermilk and babyfork's addition of lime juice are both good tips. I also agree that some of the zip was lost after mixing it into the slaw. I will definitely come back & play with this one.

• Guacamole

  • Breadcrumbs on June 03, 2012

    p. 50 Terrific! I made this with reservation since we have our own favourite recipe for guacamole. Though I omitted the cilantro due to an allergy, which would otherwise be a predominant flavour, we still felt this recipe produced a lovely, fresh-tasting guacamole that allowed the richness of the avocado to shine with the Serrano and lime juice providing fresh, bright contrasting flavours. The only other change I made was to incorporate approx 1 tbsp of diced red onion to compensate for the lack of another dominating flavour. We really enjoyed this and I’d definitely make it again. The Serrano was wonderful and held greater appeal than the jalapeno that I usually add. To preserve the bright green colour of your guacamole, store with the pits of the avocado atop your dip. Not sure why this works but it definitely seems to do so. I learned this from a colleague from Mexico. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851919#7379894

• Pico de gallo

  • averythingcooks on May 08, 2022

    A good, classic pico de gallo that brought a lovely burst of freshness to braised pork tacos.

• Watermelon salsa

  • amraub on June 03, 2012

    A very refreshing salsa. The radish, watermelon, and serrano combination worked very well together. I omitted the cumin as it seemed odd to put in salsa.

• Salsa fuego

  • DKennedy on March 18, 2012

    Page 56 - Served this smoky salsa over soft tacos filled with carnitas. Used only 1/2 t. of adobo sauce, no actual chipolte and this added enough heat for my family's taste.

  • amraub on April 22, 2012

    Served to guests with a wide-range of heat tolerances at a party and even the more spice-averse greatly enjoyed this salsa with chips.

• Houston-style green salsa

  • Jane on June 11, 2012

    I decided to make this salsa to go with Carnitas (p.201) and it was the first time I had ever made either recipe and the first time I had cooked with tomatillos. I really liked the salsa - it was really easy to make, the flavor is very fresh, and it's very healthy. I had plenty of salsa left over after using it with the carnitas and flour tortillas. I have been eating it as a dip with baby carrots. I would happily eat it with lots of dishes.

  • amraub on July 14, 2012

    I have a personal preference for the version she posts on her web site (Ninfa's green sauce), but this salsa is also very good, just not quite as creamy. My guests loved it and it was a quick and easy solution for a last minute party.

• Breakfast sausage

  • amraub on June 10, 2012

    Very quick and easy to make and uses ingredients that most people have on hand. Reminded me of the breakfast sausage I had growing up. Served with buttermilk biscuits to make breakfast sandwiches.

  • lhudson on July 16, 2015

    I had never tried to make Breakfast Sausage before, so this recipe opened up a whole new way of thinking about sausage patties, I have never really like them, but this easy recipe has changed my mind. I can't wait to try different spice combinations.

• Migas

  • lkgrover on November 24, 2019

    Excellent; a good way to use stale corn tortillas.

• Black bean dip

  • ereibel on January 01, 2012

    Smooth and creamy bean dip.

• Chipotle pimento cheese

  • lhudson on July 16, 2015

    I usually find Pimento Cheese a bit boring, so this recipe was a nice change. I would definitely make it again. It might be too spicy for those who do not like the heat.

  • texannewyorker on September 19, 2016

    The chipotle makes this very spicy, but it's delicious! A nice twist on the traditional.

• Chorizo empanadas

  • amraub on April 22, 2012

    My guests and I loved these empanadas. I used the red chorizo recipe in the book and skipped on the sesame seeds. I sometimes have trouble rolling out pie crusts, but had no trouble with rolling out this dough. It's worth the extra work over using pre-made empanada dough. If you end up with extra filling, it mixes up very nicely with eggs for breakfast taco filling the next morning.

  • Breadcrumbs on June 12, 2012

    p. 95 We enjoyed these although I did find the filling to be drier than that in other empanadas I’ve made in the past. I do think its important to use a good quality, well-seasoned sausage since the flavour of the chorizo shines in this dish. I used 3/4lb of chorizo to fill my pastry shells and I still had some of the filling left over. The recipe suggests 2tsp of filling per empanada. This is simply inadequate. I referred to my other empanada recipes and 2tbsp was the typical amount required for a 5 in. pastry. Instead of rolling out and cutting the dough as LF suggests, I find it much easier to break off golf-ball sized pieces of refrigerated dough and roll into a 5 in. disk when I’m working with cream cheese pastry dough. No cutting required. I omitted the cumin. Good but not great for us. We liked the flavour and always enjoy the flaky crust produced by a cream cheese pastry but it the filling was a bit dry for us. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851920#7396832

• Queso cookies

  • amraub on April 22, 2012

    Quick, easy, and they taste like a bowl of queso in cracker form. Even better, you don't have to worry about keeping the queso warm when you put these out for guests.

  • averythingcooks on June 19, 2022

    As part of a pre dinner nibbles spread for guests, these were the sleeper hit of the night! I used a mix of orange & white cheddars because I wanted the orange colour, 18 g dough balls = 18 cookies (1/2 recipe) and I baked them for maybe 1 of 2 extra minutes because they did not seem done to me at 20 minutes. As soon as the 1st person ate one, he pushed the bowl to middle of the table and announced "everybody has to try these". They disappeared almost immediately.

• Chile con queso

  • texannewyorker on September 19, 2016

    Adding the sour cream at the end is a genius step. Makes a smooth, creamy queso without needing any Velveeta :)

  • Lsblackburn1 on January 20, 2020

    Delicious appetizer for a Tex-mex dinner party. I was afraid Serrano chilis would be too spicy so I used a can of diced hatch green chilis instead. Can’t believe the recipe says it serves 4-6 people; I feel like it made a huge amount! Served it in the fondue pot and spooned over chips.

  • amandabeck on December 30, 2023

    Made this for a party. Absolutely delicious. Definitely use mix of jalapenos and serranos-- with just jalapenos, needed a little more heat.

• Fried green tomatoes

  • babyfork on September 10, 2014

    A good recipe that turns out tasty fried green tomatoes. I found that I did not need to use the full half-inch of oil called for and they still fried up nicely. (I used bacon fat instead of oil, btw). I used less than a 1/4 inch in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and was able to get two batches out of that. Definitely make the Jalapeno Buttermilk Dressing to serve with these...it completes the recipe.

• Chorizo-stuffed jalapeños

  • amraub on April 22, 2012

    The filling with these is perfect (the leftovers work great the next morning with mixed with eggs for breakfast tacos). The taste isn't nearly as good once they have cooled, so they're not ideal for leaving sitting out at a party as an appetizer. I think the filling would also work well in more mild peppers if you or your guests can't handle jalapenos.

• Jalapeño pinto beans

  • DKennedy on March 18, 2012

    Page 122 - Good, solid recipe. I substituted a serrano for the jalapeño and I didn't cut it up.

  • Breadcrumbs on June 03, 2012

    p. 122 Tasty. Simple enough to prepare, just allow yourself some time as the cooking duration is 4 to 6 hours. I love multi-taking dishes and since JF calls for these beans in her refried bean recipe I thought I’d make them today as a side and re-purpose them later in the week. I love beans with vinegar or some acid and spritzed each bowl w some lime juice prior to serving. This recipe produced a tasty bean dish. I’d be interested to hear from our Texan friends whether the flavours of this dish and the cooking method for preparing the beans are traditional. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851920#7379901

• Frijoles a la charra

  • Breadcrumbs on June 12, 2012

    p. 123 These beans were just ok for us. They were very hot and I only used 1 chipotle in adobo vs the 2 LF calls for. They also seemed to lack something in terms of flavour and tasted a bit flat. LF suggests you puree the tomato-bacon mixture for this dish but notes that if you prefer a chunkier texture, you can skip that step. Somehow I couldn’t wrap my mind around pureed bacon. I skipped that step! If someone else makes these, I’d be interested to hear if the flavours are authentic. This was a miss for us.

• Austin-style black beans

  • Laura on June 11, 2012

    Pg. 124. I made this recipe because another recipe in the book (Green Chile Posole with Black Beans) called for 2 cups of these beans. There were still plenty left over and we're enjoying them on their own. Together with the broth, this dish is more like a bean soup, which is fine with me. It is spicy, but not overly so. Lovers of heat might want to kick up the spices a bit.

  • senzler on January 16, 2023

    I have made this several times. Great over rice. Freezes well so perfect for a make ahead weeknight meal.

• Smoky tortilla soup

  • jayg312 on April 25, 2012

    Made 4/22/2012. Excellent recipe, just the right amount of heat. I added the shredded chicken and liked it. Also added a dollop of sour cream in a couple servings and that worked well. Will definitely make again.

  • Breadcrumbs on June 04, 2012

    p. 127 Delicious but don’t make this on a weeknight, this is a time-consuming dish with lots of dirty dishes left in its wake! We (and I in particular) loved this soup. JF has you add some smoked paprika however I skipped this step, as the mixture was smoky enough for our tastes at this point. Prior to plating, tortillas are placed in the bottoms of your serving bowls along w some grated Monterey Jack cheese and some shredded chicken if you wish. This is one of my new favourite soups; it really is wonderful. I spritzed bowls w lime juice prior to serving to boost the sour flavours. The warmth of the chilies, the subtle smokiness, the contrasting textures of the crunchy/chewy tortilla strips and the gooey cheese. Pure heaven in a bowl! This was everything I hoped it would be and more. Top marks from everyone at the table tonight. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851920#7381972

  • Laura on August 16, 2012

    Pg. 127. I can only echo what Breadcrumbs said in her note. This is a labor- and cookware-intensive dish and yet worth every minute and dirty dish. I have to confess that I did not include the tortillas due to time considerations and still we loved this. I also did not add the smoked paprika because the soup seemed perfectly smoky already. I did add the shredded chicken and all of the other accoutrements. So glad that we have leftovers for tomorrow!

  • chawkins on January 22, 2013

    Wow, what a wonderful soup, real depth of flavor, so much better than any other tortilla soup I've ever made. I used all the spices called for. Instead of the pasilla chiles, I used ancho chiles, made from home-grown poblanos, which were suggested as good substitutes. For the tomatoes, I just used a can of organic diced tomato, not fire-roasted.

  • DKennedy on April 20, 2013

    Made this based on BC's recommendation and so glad I did. Thanks BC. I disagree that it is not for weeknights. Most of my weeknight meals are at least this labor intensive, and this one had the added bonus of being a one pot meal with leftover for the next day! Note that can use rotisserie chicken and TJs cantina style corn chips to save time. I agree that the recommended amount of smoke paprika was too much. I used 1/2 teaspoon and that was perfect. I also modified the amount of chipoltes used (1 T.of the sauce from the can, no pepper) to make it more kid friendly. Other modifications: adding a dollop of sour cream, fresh corn off the cob, rinsed canned black beans, and diced fresh tomatoes - all added to the bottom of each serving bowl, along with the pepper jack cheese, avocado and chicken - makes for a hearty bowl of soup! Rated "make again" by my family. Freezes beautifully.

• Corn chowder with roasted jalapeños and bacon

  • lhudson on August 12, 2015

    Had some corn from the farmers market that I need to use in a hurry and thought this was the perfect recipe to try. The chowder was a bit to spicy for me, so next time I would cut back on the cayenne but my husband loved it.

  • lkgrover on July 29, 2017

    Excellent soup, but very spicy! I used 1/8 tsp each cumin & nutmeg, a smidgen of cayenne, and 3/4 of a jalapeno chile, and I still thought it was hot.

• Green chile chowder

  • DKennedy on March 18, 2012

    Page 132 - Wonderful soup. Omitted the jalapeños and substituted a bag of TJs frozen roasted peppers for 3 of the 4 poblanos. Roasted the remaining poblano and added it to the mix. The resulting soup was flavorful and very kid friendly. Since it wasn't spicy, it did not need the cream or the milk so I left this out. Served with pepper jack cheese. Next time will add more poblanos in addition to the frozen roasted peppers.

• Squash and pork stew (Calabacitas)

  • DKennedy on March 18, 2012

    Page 135 - Effortless one pot dish that would make a great weeknight dinner. It does not hold well, as the longer the corn, zucchini and squash are in the sauce, the more muddled the results. Tip: Make ahead to the point of adding the corn and squash, then add to the dish 10 minutes before serving.

  • Lsblackburn1 on September 08, 2020

    Loved the balance of flavors in this and a great way to enjoy summer veggies. I cooked this for about 2.5 hours, so the squash was pretty soft, but I was okay with that. Used 2 Hatch chilies instead of Serranos.

  • LittleTex on February 01, 2022

    Made in instant pot: cooked pork 28 minutes, released pressure, cooked zucchini and squash 1 minute, released pressure immediately. Came out great except I cooked the pork too long initially.

• Sopa de fideo

  • PennyG on April 07, 2014

    Excellent, Excellent, Excellent! As you can tell, I loved this. This will be a go-to recipe from this point forward for me. My only addition was Queso Fresco, along with the lime and cilantro, when serving.

• Seven-chile Texas chili

  • wcassity on December 25, 2013

    Great, complex flavor. Big hit at office chili cook off.

  • Maura on August 16, 2014

    Won a chili contest with this recipe, I added 2 cups beef stock when I started the 5 hour cooking process. It was outstanding.

  • DKennedy on December 31, 2014

    This is a good, solid chili recipe, though it will not make to "go to" status for me. I cut down the peppers by a lot and it was still pretty hot. I used 1 of each pepper that called for two, 1/2 of each pepper that called for 4, and 2 of each pepper that called for 6. I left out the cayenne and chipotle all together. I liked the technique of soaking the peppers and then discarding the liquid. I usually add that liquid to my chili. I think if I had done that here this chili would have been unbearably hot. Also removed most of the seeds, replaced the water with chicken stock, and added a splash of fortified red wine. Cooked up on the stove top for 4 hours, refrigerated overnight and then cooked again for 2 hours. The heat mellowed considerably overnight.

  • averythingcooks on September 26, 2022

    This results in a rich, deeply flavoured base with very tender chunks of beef. The only thing I didn't have was the Mexican chocolate and in place of straight cinnamon, I am working through a supply of "chili/cinnamon rub" and so used that. The issue for us is this....as good as the end result after the 5 hour simmer was, we really do want a chili with more variety so yes, I also finished it with a big handful of different colours of sauteed sweet peppers, some corn & ("uh oh",,,if you've read her thoughts on this) beans. It's a matter of preference of course, and we loved our final bowls topped with chopped onion & cheddar.

• One-hour Texas chili

  • TrishaCP on February 06, 2012

    This was pretty tasty- however I needed to make a few tweaks. I used 3-4 T of masa harina- my chili was way too watery otherwise. I also added a can of kidney beans towards the end. I know that LF wants people to appreciate the integrity of the chili and beans separately, but I don' t think this chili stands alone as a complete meal without the beans- without them, it is more of a topping chili (for Frito Pie, per the original recipe on her website, for chili dogs, etc.) than a main course.

  • averythingcooks on July 08, 2023

    Based purely on personal preferences, we have come to the conclusion that this style of "just meat + some kind of seasoned puree/sauce" chili (which I've also made from other books) is just not for us. We like variety on our spoons and so I always end up adding extra ingredients during the cook (sweet peppers, diced tomato, roasted red peppers, black beans, corn & pickled jalapenos + some brine this time). Having said that, I really do like the puree with dried chiles, onions & garlic that is used here and will use that when I freestyle a chili next time (and maybe keep some handy in the freezer). The end result was very good with some grated cheese & diced red onion but as I said, the chili that I ultimately made was certainly not Lisa Fain's intent.

• Carne guisada

  • sheepishjen on June 10, 2017

    Great way to cook cheaper cuts of beef and it is refreshing to have a beef stew that is not your usual carrots, onions and red wine deal. I halved the recipe and it worked beautifully

• Green chile posole with black beans

  • Laura on June 12, 2012

    Pg. 146. Often when I receive a new cookbook I like to randomly turn to a page and, assuming the recipe is appealing, make whatever recipe is on that page. That's how I came to make this posole. The picture was gorgeous and with the list of ingredients, it seemed like it couldn't miss. It was a lot of work, what with having to make the Austin-style black beans as an ingredient in the posole. And quite frankly, the results were disappointing. It just did not wow us at all. The flavors did not work for us and it was a bit tart. Admittedly, I have never used hominy before and perhaps I'm just not a fan, although I've had posoles in restaurants and loved them. Anyway, I don't think I'd make this again.

  • scheele on October 12, 2025

    Yummy vegetarian pozole. Not as hearty and flavorful as some others I’ve had (I think due to lack of meat). I used a can of black beans instead of making the separate beans recipe the author calls for. Considering effort/payoff, I’d make this again for a quick soup that’s decent to good.

• Cheese enchiladas with chile con carne

  • Lsblackburn1 on April 27, 2019

    These were amazing! Equal to what you’d find in a good restaurant. And not too fiddly to make either. Served with avocado and the red rice.

• Sour cream chicken enchiladas

  • Rinshin on October 03, 2022

    Because my husband does not care for spicy food, this was perfect and he very much loved it. Instead of Serrano, used salsa verde and liked the tanginess. I reduced the sauce ingredients by half and made 9 enchiladas and was still quite saucy. Although this was very tasty, I would reduce the sour cream amount next time and perhaps increase the sour tang by increasing the salsa verde. Used leftover roast chicken instead of making chicken from this recipe and added some frozen baby artichokes in the filling. Will repeat for sure.

  • rmardel on June 12, 2023

    I was craving some sour cream based enchiladas and tried this recipe. It was very good, although a bit more saucy than I might prefer. Will note that for the future. Otherwise made mostly as written with the exception of using chipotle Chile instead of cayenne, and I started with leftover roast chicken. Worth repeating with less sauce. Will probably stand up to adaptation as well.

  • averythingcooks on January 02, 2025

    I used 6 corn tortillas + 8 oz of cooked chicken and mindful of the comments here, scaled to the sauce to 1/3 (still using 2 serranos) & these were still pretty saucy. We like our filling with lots of "stuff" so I sauteed the onions with a big mix of diced sweet & hot peppers, added black beans & corn and mixed it all with the chicken. With roasted tomatillos from my garden in the freezer for the sauce, I skipped the broiler step & we both loved these enchiladas. My scaled down version made enough for 2 dinners + 2 lunch portions. Enchiladas verdes are fast overtaking the red version as the house favourite.

  • redbird on May 16, 2026

    Very tasty. Brought back memories of living in Texas. Definitely agree with others that the amount of sauce is excessive. I'm going to try freezing the unused sauce despite it having sour cream in it. We'll see if it works!

• Pork tacos, Dallas gas station style

  • dorothy_2zgupb on February 14, 2026

    Really good recipe. Made some modifications, cooked the pork on the smoker and then put it under the broiler to crisp up.

• Lemon lavender bread

  • Breadcrumbs on March 08, 2012

    I imagine this would be lovely w anise instead of lavender.

• Carnitas

  • DKennedy on March 18, 2012

    Page 201 - Simple but delicious recipe. Served with Jalapeño pinto beans, and Salsa Fuego.

  • Jane on June 11, 2012

    It was so easy to do though it takes a long time to cook. I was using half quantity of meat but kept the liquids in the same quantity as the recipe since I couldn't see a pan with no lid could keep that amount of liquid for 2.75 hours. I was glad I did as I cooked it for less time (I made my cubes smaller than 2 inches) and the liquid was all gone. The result was very tasty though I think I should have left more fat on the meat for the final stage of crisping. I served it with flour tortillas and and Houston-style green salsa (p.59)

• Mexican red chorizo

  • amraub on April 22, 2012

    I made this to go in the book's empanadas and chorizo-filled jalapenos. It comes together quickly and easily once the chiles were rehydrated. Next time, I'll make a larger batch so I can freeze some of it to have on hand for later. I used Mexican oregano and hickory smoked paprika. It's so nice to have a good recipe to make chorizo rather than trying to find Mexican chorizo here. It's also nice not to worry about having to remove the chorizo from the casing for many recipes!

• Jalapeño mustard roast chicken

  • amraub on May 17, 2012

    Excellent roast chicken. The mustard is prominent, but overwhelming and the jalapeno adds just a hint of heat. The skin came out nice and crispy while the meat was juicy and flavourful. I marinated overnight rather than just 8 hours.

• Fancy-pants King Ranch chicken casserole

  • Jane on June 18, 2012

    This isn't the kind of dish I would usually make so perhaps it's not surprising that I was disappointed. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't worth the effort. A freshly made creamy tomato and pepper sauce is layered with shredded chicken, cheese and tortillas then baked. It was like a Tex-Mex lasagna. As I said, not bad, but I don't plan to make it again.

  • bernalgirl on October 28, 2020

    So good. I’ve also made with leftover carne guisada or pulled pork. Add an additional poblano and bell pepper to bulk up the vegetables. Good dish to feed a group, reheats well.

• Cabbage and radish slaw

  • Breadcrumbs on June 03, 2012

    Cabbage and Radish Slaw – p. 255 I love the idea of having slaw in a taco so I made this dish with the idea of serving the slaw along w the shredded Pasilla Tomatillo short ribs (p. 195). To make this recipe, you’ll need to prepare the Jalapeno Buttermilk Dressing p. 49. FYI, I cheated and used a bag of pre-shredded cabbage. If you’re shredding your own, JF suggests you toss w some salt and let sit for an hour prior to draining and carrying on as set out above. This was good, not great. It was nice atop other ingredients in a taco but I don’t think I’d be yearning to eat a bowl on its own. When we re-serve, I’ll toss in some lime juice and see if that brings the slaw to life. I’d definitely omit the cumin seeds as I found them to be out of place and even odd tasting relative to the remaining ingredients. When I do use cumin seeds, I tend to toast them in a dry pan to bring out the oils and flavour. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851922#7379886

  • Laura on June 12, 2012

    Pg. 255. We liked this, but didn't love it. I served it over a bed of watercress. It was a nice, light, refreshing dish, but the flavors were not as vibrant as I would have liked. I did not use the cumin seeds, otherwise followed the recipe as written. For the buttermilk dressing I used creme fraiche in place of the sour cream because I had it on hand. The slaw was a bit watery, so I think you could easily cut back on the amount of dressing.

• Pasilla tomatillo braised short ribs

  • Breadcrumbs on June 03, 2012

    p. 195 – I used canned tomatillos and I also used bone-in short ribs because that’s what the butcher sells and, the bone is really what this cut is all about, isn’t it?! Our beer of choice was an Innis & Gunn Canadian Cask – a full-bodied, oak aged ale. Since LF indicates you may use beer, beef broth or water I opted to use one bottle of the I&G and some homemade beef broth. This dish was aromatic and enticing as it simmered away atop the stovetop. Since my liquids did not cover the meat, I opted not to completely uncover the pot for the final 90 min simmer. I shredded the meat in some of the stock and made tacos topped w Monterey Jack cheese and some of the coleslaw from this book Were these the best short ribs we’ve ever had? No. Were they tasty? Yes. I particularly liked the tang that the tomatillos brought to the mix, a very nice contrast to counter the richness of the meat. The spritz of lime stirred in at the final stage of cooking further enhanced these flavours.

  • amraub on May 28, 2012

    Made with bone-in short ribs and canned tomatillos (400ml can for 1/2 of the recipe). Beef turned out delicious and very tender. The cooking aroma made it hard to do the full 3 hour simmer, but it was well worth it. Served with Houston-style tortillas.

  • averythingcooks on January 18, 2023

    I also used bone-in short ribs, beer & roasted tomatillos from my garden freezer stash. I basically agree....tasty but not the best short ribs I've made. We had them as tacos and so the toppings (pickled onions, spicy salsa, corn & pepper relish etc) did enhance the flavours a lot.

• Red chile rice

  • Breadcrumbs on June 03, 2012

    p. 276 - Very nice rice. I love smoky flavours so this dish held much greater appeal for me than it did for mr bc. For the same reason, I preferred it over similar, Spanish-style rice dishes I’ve had in the past. I made 8 recipes from this book today and this was my favourite. I have to say, the cumin definitely seemed out of place in this dish and I omitted it. I find the author’s recipes in-precise and the tomatoes here are an example of what I’m talking about. LF indicates a 1/2c yield after combining 3/4 drained chopped tomatoes, 1/4 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic and a tbsp of lime juice. Even if you pressed your tomatoes, you’d definitely have more than a 1/2 cup yield. Prior to serving, I popped the rice under the broiler and melted some Monterey Jack cheese atop. Yum!

  • lkgrover on November 08, 2016

    I used a whole can of diced tomatoes; all other ingredients as in the recipe. I blended it in a mini-chopper; got 2 cups yield for the tomato paste. (Used about 1 1/2 cups in my rice: very spicy!) I have been melting cheese on top of the rice to make it less spicy. (Cojita cheese because I used it in the tacos that was my main dish.)

• Texas caviar

  • Breadcrumbs on June 04, 2012

    p. 261 I make a black bean salad that has very similar ingredients and flavours as this dish. I liked this recipe as LF gives you the option of using canned beans. Since I planned to make 8 recipes from this book today, any short cuts were welcome! This recipe produces a fresh and flavourful side dish or dip – you decide how you wish to serve it. We enjoyed this one. Prep is simple if you’re using the canned beans. Beans are drained and rinsed then tossed w green onions (why omit the white part?!! Sorry, I just can’t do it!), cilantro (parsley due to allergy), jalpenos, tomatoes (of which I doubled the quantity as I wanted to serve this as a salsa), yellow pepper and garlic. A dressing of lime juice, olive oil, cumin, S&P is whisked together before incorporating. I added some lime zest to the mix as well. Fresh and flavourful. We both agreed we prefer my black bean salad though. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851922#7379916

  • Cochise on November 30, 2019

    Flavourful salad, needed a bit of extra lime juice to freshen it up. You could double the tomato if you please.

  • hbakke on December 30, 2021

    Page 261. I doubled the lime juice and tomatoes and used the whole scallion rather than just the greens. This was a nice bean salad that I would make again.

• Cucumber salad

  • Breadcrumbs on June 12, 2012

    p. 258 - This salad turned out to be ok but I wouldn’t make it again. Cucumbers are sliced then salted and allow to sit, refrigerated for at least an hour. This was my first issue w the recipe as the step seems unnecessary and the drained, rinsed cucumbers had lost their fresh crispness as their water was displaced. If you look at the photo in the book, the cucumbers appear to be freshly sliced vs prepared in the manner LF suggests. I went w the yogurt version of the dressing, which was extremely thick - too thick in my view and I ended up thinning it out w water the following day. I also used fresh dill in place of cilantro due to an allergy. Again, if you look at the photo in the book, the dish seems to contain fresh dill and no cilantro is visible. I think we’d have liked the dressing if I’d gone w the sour cream version but it was the texture of the cucumbers that blew this for us. They were limp, similar to the texture of a sliced pickle.

• Dr Pepper ribs

  • Breadcrumbs on June 12, 2012

    p. 199 Disappointing. This recipe was far too hot for us. The heat was so overpowering that we simply didn’t want to continue eating the ribs. We definitely enjoy hot, spicy food but something about this just didn’t work for us. I’d note: LF’s rub calls for 1/4 cup pepper. Not sure if this contributed to the over-bearing heat of our dish but I’d cut this quantity in half if I made these again. Other recipes for this dish call for the ribs to be placed fleshy side down in the baking dish, which would allow for the meat to become infused with the Dr Pepper flavour while cooking. LF has you put the ribs meat side up. For the final 30 mins of cooking we chose to finish these on the grill. These looked and smelled sensational so it was a huge disappointment to find the heat to be overpowering. The meat was tender and juicy. I would definitely make Dr Pepper ribs again, just not with this recipe. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/851921#7396810

  • amraub on June 20, 2012

    I cut down a bit on the amount of rub used and cooked these ribs in the slow cooker with the glaze on the entire time. The sauce was good and the ribs were tender and flavourful. One of my friends asked for the recipe immediately after they were served.

  • ellencooks on August 21, 2017

    We all really liked these! I have a favorite dry rub I use on ribs but am glad I tried this. I usually grill my ribs for a long time over indirect low heat but these came out very good. The sauce was sweet and spicy. There was a lot of pepper, as noted by Breadcrumbs.

• Houston-style flour tortillas

  • amraub on May 28, 2012

    Finally, I've found the tortillas that I miss and crave! The dough comes together very easily and rolls out nicely. I found I needed to turn the heat on my cast-iron skillet to medium or else they burned too quickly. The flavour on these is much richer than tortillas made with milk and vegetable oil.

  • averythingcooks on July 01, 2022

    Having already made her San Antonio style flour tortillas, I tried these, using shortening in place of lard as suggested. These are easy to put together & roll out but I continue to struggle to keep the cast iron pan at a steady heat level....pretty predictable that tortilla #3 will burn and thus initiate the constant heat adjustment and moving the pan on / off the heat. Oh well, as promised, these were soft, a bit flaky and delicious.

• Tomato cobbler

  • amraub on June 06, 2012

    This recipe had so much potential, but it just didn't work for us. The two biggest problems are the recipe calls for entirely too much butter and the bottom layer needs salt. I had high expectations for this recipe, but the execution just didn't live up to them. If the bottom layer is supposed to be more cornbread-like, then it should have bacon grease instead of butter and buttermilk instead of milk. The dish might also benefit from some cheese. I enjoyed the leftovers more than the initial taste because I had lower expectations and I think with a lot of tweaks this could become a good dish, but as is, it was a bit disappointing.

• Mexican coffee ice cream with ancho chile hot fudge

  • sck on March 29, 2014

    Too creamy for my taste. We threw some of it out. And that doesn't usually happen with i e cream in my house!

• Date bars

  • DKennedy on February 04, 2017

    These are in the oven right now. I made them from my Super Bowl Sunday spread. I substituted a mixture of GF flour (1 c. less 1 T.) then added 1 T. bean flour in place of the 1 c. regular flour called for in the recipe. These are a snap to put together and pretty tasty right out of the bowl. Anxious to see how they taste once they are cooked.

  • csp on March 31, 2025

    Very rich tasting for such a simple recipe. I reduced the sugar by a 1/4 cup side my dates were very sweet.

  • Lsblackburn1 on April 28, 2020

    These are easy to make and very delicious. On the sweet side so will be perfect for an afternoon tea break.

• Poblano macaroni and cheese

  • sheepishjen on June 10, 2017

    This is a mac and cheese recipe to die for. It has such amazing flavors and is for once different from the usual variations that simply call for different types of cheese or breadcrumbs. With cumin, lime and the chiles, this absolutely pops with flavor!

  • Patrickn on November 05, 2023

    While I like the spice mix and the addition of roasted poblanos, the base mac and cheese recipe is lacking - I’ll be looking to incorporate this smart and delicious flavor profile to a better base recipe.

  • julie_vkkl68 on May 09, 2026

    Good

• Cactus salad

  • sheepishjen on June 10, 2017

    My first time using fresh cactus paddles that I found at the farmers market. This is a tasty and simple recipe.

• Ruby Red sweet rolls

  • wcassity on December 25, 2017

    Good again. Better the next day - the citrus mellowed, less bitter. Sweet but not sickly sweet like standard cinnamon rolls.

  • wcassity on January 07, 2013

    These came out perfectly. Lovely sweet flavor with hint of citrus. Very tender rolls. I'm not a seasoned baker but I followed the recipe and had no issues. Had to let the dough rise for about twice the time suggested, and had to cook them for a bit longer than 15 minutes in order to get golden brown tops.

• Tex-Mex squash casserole

  • wcassity on August 13, 2012

    Tasty, homey summer casserole. I used 1/2 jalapeno versus two on account of my young children, and it was consequently missing some needed kick.

  • ellencooks on August 21, 2017

    I really liked this casserole. I halved the recipe and added a bit more squash so it would fill a 9x9 pan. Definitely a dish to repeat!

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 29, 2019

    Nice! I used only zucchini because my garden is bursting with them. Forgot to buy jalapeños, but didn’t really miss them. I had no idea how the crushed tortilla chip base thing was going to work out but it did! Very tasty.

• Apple cheese scones with jalapeños

  • jacqie on October 03, 2023

    I doubled the egg and buttermilk called for in the recipe (dough was not going to come together otherwise) and loved the result. I got about 12 scones from the recipe of decent size.

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 23, 2019

    This recipe easily doubled so I’d have enough to take to a brunch and leave some at home! I did find I needed to use more buttermilk than it called for - maybe because my organic buttermilk was so thick? Also they needed more like 20 minutes to cook. Delicious- big hit at the brunch!

• Mexican shredded beef salad (Salpicón)

  • Bloominanglophile on June 12, 2024

    I made this with some brisket purchased from a BBQ joint, so just added the dressing to the meat. It made for a decent salad for a quick dinner.

  • lisari on August 04, 2025

    5 hours but completely hands off & well worth the result. I could not find ground chipotles so used chili powder & a bit less cumin.

• Crawfish rolls

  • Bloominanglophile on September 14, 2013

    I think this recipe is good--unfortunately my crawfish tails weren't the best. Good for a quick meal--must try this again!

• Redfish on the half shell

  • lhkelsey on August 08, 2015

    This is now my favorite way to cook redfish! Really nice flavor and very easy.

• Guajillo-chile fish tacos with cabbage slaw

  • lkgrover on November 08, 2016

    I used 1 teaspoon ground guajillo chiles (from Savory Spice Shop). Decreased the cayenne pepper to a "pinch" (maybe 1/16 teaspoon). Also substituted packaged coleslaw mix (containing white cabbage and a few carrots), because I am too lazy to chop red cabbage. I like the flavor of the modified tacos: spicy, but not too hot. It is refreshing to have fish tacos that are not breaded and fried.

  • ellencooks on January 27, 2018

    I just made the slaw to go with shrimp tacos. I would make again! Nice!

• Green chile rice

  • LittleTex on February 01, 2022

    Great but will try using only one poblano pepper next time for more subtle flavor. Made in instant pot, rice came out overcooked; reduce liquid amount next time.

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 11, 2019

    The flavors were excellent. It did burn slightly on the bottom and then I was afraid the rice was a bit mushy, so I might try cooking it in the oven next time to compare the results.

• Coconut tres leches cake

  • annmartina on July 08, 2017

    I think there might be an error in this recipe. The cake comes out heavy and dense and flat. Other people online have had the same outcome. Possible the eggs need to be separated and the whites whipped and folded in?

• Chocoflan

  • annmartina on July 08, 2017

    I baked in a bundt pan and it took over two hours to bake

• Kolaches

  • ellencooks on March 19, 2021

    Made with apricot and plum fillings made with fresh fruit cooked down. These were good but next time I want squeeze more fruit into them.

  • lavenderfields on August 03, 2025

    There seems to be an error on the apricot amount - on her website it's 1/2 lb, not 1/8 lb! Website instructions slightly different as well, like brushing butter on dough before second rise instead of after baking, and recipe makes 18 kolaches. A dozen as per the book turned out a little too big.

• San Antonio-style flour tortillas

  • rionafaith on April 09, 2020

    I think I didn't roll these out quite thin enough because they puffed more than I expected when griddling. They are almost more like a thin naan than the tortillas I'm used to. I used rehydrated powdered milk in these cause I'm running low on the regular stuff, so maybe that has something to do with it? Though I'm not super familiar with Texan food so maybe they're supposed to be like this. Still made a great taco!

  • averythingcooks on April 19, 2022

    We loved these (used to wrap mojo style pulled pork). I cut in 1/2 to make 4 which was a mistake - I should have made all of them! The dough initially was very "loose & sticky" as described but the 2 minute knead really did result in a smooth, firm ball. I rolled as thin as I could (re: rionafaith's comment)..... the 1st tortilla was not really a success (pan not hot enough?) BUT the next 3 puffed/coloured beautifully. I would repeat this for sure but I also want to try her other version (Houston-style) for comparison.

• Tomatillo cheese grits

  • averythingcooks on July 19, 2024

    While reading this recipe, I realized I already had a very similar tomatillo-serrano sauce in my canning cupboard. I made a different basic polenta recipe then used this idea of stirring in the white cheddar & my sauce (to taste) at the end. I served some salsa braised chicken over top & we both loved it. Such a good idea.

  • Lsblackburn1 on April 23, 2020

    I made these to go with her Sunday brisket (because everyday is Sunday cooking right now). So delicious. I did not need any water added to the purée and wondered if it was going to be too much, but the end result seemed like a good salsa to grits ratio.

• Ancho cream corn

  • averythingcooks on June 20, 2022

    I cut this back to roughly to 1/3 (a bit of guess re: how much of the dried ancho to use....probably closer to 1/2 but it was still good) for the 2 of us which was lots as side dish. I added some diced red onion & sweet pepper with the garlic and then proceeded as written (except feta in place of cotija). Oh yes, very tasty!

• Corn tortillas

  • averythingcooks on August 31, 2022

    My 1st try at corn tortillas with my new cast iron tortilla press.....and clearly this is going to take some practice. It seemed very straight forward but they did not puff at all in the hot pan and I've now read a lot / watched enough videos to know for sure that my tortillas were pretty much a fail. I have other books (with perhaps different masa harina/water ratios & hopefully helpful tips re dough consistency) and I am determined to get this right!

• Sweet potato muffins

  • Katielang on March 12, 2018

    Very moist and sweet muffins. Only used 1/2 cup of dates. Might cut back the sugar by half next time. Used homemade purée from baked sweet potatoes.

• Pasilla garlic shrimp

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 11, 2019

    This was delicious! I served it over the green rice (will try polenta for tonight’s leftovers). The only change I’d make is to salt the shrimp... I don’t think the recipe said to and I definitely wanted it.

• West Texas carne asado

  • senzler on January 16, 2023

    Words cannot express how much I love this recipe. Every time I make it someone asks for the recipe.

• Tex-Mex meat loaf with a chipotle-tomato glaze

  • julie_vkkl68 on May 09, 2026

    It was good but I think I’d prefer others more

• Simply Recipes

  Paging through the cookbook, practically every recipe is one that jumps out at me to make. Oh, I wanna make that. Oh this one too. Oh, that one looks good. Chicken-fried steak. Biscuits and gravy....

  Full review

• Smitten Kitchen

  The book, by the way, is fantastic. The day I got it, I stopped what I was doing...and read the whole book, cover to cover and was overwhelmed with a desire to book a flight to Texas.

  Full review

• Creative Kitchen

  Congratulations on such a beautiful cookbook!! It’s definitely one I recommend for your cookbook collection.

  Full review