Author(s): Victoria Wise, Susanna Hoffman
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 1990-01-09
Pages: 304
Review: I’ve started making my own homemade corn tortillas (I don’t even use a press, just a rolling pin). Was looking for some creative fillings and this book is the answer. Some of the recipes do take some time to prepare, but most seem worth it. Fillings sound tasty and nutritious - everything from Thai shrimp to dessert concoctions. No photos but great descriptions and anecdotes. I would recommend for anyone looking to step out of the typical ground beef or chicken strips fillings.This is a great cook book, I bought it with the Quesadilla maker, and so far it has been a great addition to my summer dinners.The Well-Filled Tortilla Cookbook is fun to read for sheer entertainment. The notes in the margins and the introductions to the different sections are infomative.

We like the section called “Lamb and Goat” with its helpful recipes for cooking Greek dishes. There are many other international recipes with detailed instructions for preparation.

There are some unique salads and some enticing desserts included also.

I highly recommend this cookbook, which is off the beaten path. I was not happy with this book. I must admit I was looking for traditional Mexican or even modernized Mexican recipes but this is not it. If you are looking for authentic Mexican flavors you will not find it here. Mole is more than dumping some chocolate in a chile sauce. I had much better luck with Rick Bayless, and Diane Kennedy.We made the Coffee Caramel Tostada Sundae’s last night - oh my! I plan to make homemade tortillas this weekend. I have one child that LOVES mexican food, I got this for him and plan to try the quesadillas and salsas too. The pear-lime salsa sounds yummy.
Price: $11.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Heather Thomas
Publisher: Courage Books
Publication Date: 1995-09
Pages: 112
Review: I purchased this book a few weeks ago when looking for recipes for Cinco de Mayo. It is now one of my favorites out of my many Mexican and Latino cookbooks - the recipes are simple and turn out well. They may not be the most low fat recipes, but the editor stayed well enough away from ChiChi’s fare. Mexican cooking appears to require much oil - blend the recipes from here with those in ‘Latina Lite’ for better health.I have purchased several cookbooks from Heather Thomas. She simply has the skill to explain cooking in a non intimidating way. Every publication of Heather Thomas that I have purchased is excellently illustrated with photos, which help make it easier to understand the whole process from start to finsih. This has brought my guests and me a lot of pleasure. If you have previously been a failure in the area of cuisine mexique, you will gain selfconfidence after reading and cooking with this book. I highly recommend it.I bought this book because I wanted step-by-step instructions and I like to see a picture of the finished product. In this respect, the book is a success. However, I was confused by the hodge-podge way the text, ingredients and procedures were presented. The photographs were not as helpful as I had hoped and the lay out very artsy. Please note there is no Nutrition Information Per Serving available. And don’t forget to stock up on oil. My suggestion is to try a different book, unless you need something pretty for your coffee table. It did make me realize that I really should buy some more festive dishes
Price: $14.98   Buy This Book

Author(s): Sarah Beattie
Publisher: Ecco Press
Publication Date: 1998-07
Pages: 144
Review: This book has a great cover, it’s a good shape (square) and even more important, it’s written by one of Britain’s best new-wave vegetarian food writers and cooks, Sarah Beattie. She definitely stands in the vanguard of modern vegetarian food - not worthy, dull and difficult, not old-fashioned or clichéd but helping the reader create food that is beautiful, fun, delicious and life-affirming. This book zips through not just the basics of Mexican food but more unusual stuff too - cactus soup, for instance. It uses inexpensive, easily-obtainable ingredients and yet always inspires you with the author’s passion for, and interest in, the magic of food.
Price: $21.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Maria Teresa Bermudez
Publisher: Golden West Publishers (AZ)
Publication Date: 1983-12
Pages: 142
Review: If you are looking for an AUTHENTIC Mexican Cook Book, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU!!!! This is a mediocre, simple and flavorless cookbook. I’m Mexican, and I know it’s cuisine. Look at the other 2 and 3 star ratings, and I agree with them. This is like a Taco Bell, Del Taco type of food. I hope no one gets offended by this, but this is what I call, “White Mexican Food”. Born in Arizona I grew up eating “real” Mexican food which I sorely missed when I moved to a nearby western state. One day I found this small inexpensive cookbook in a local bookstore. I bought it. I’ve never been disappointed with the purchase. You will find real southwestern-style Mexican home cooking. Not your fancy “gourmet” recipes found in pricey wannabe Mexican cookbooks but the real deal.

The recipes are tasty, use normal pantry ingredients. Purchase this cookbook for some fine Mexican home cooking!I was hoping to find basic recipes for carne asada, shrimp, marinated chicken, etc. - the type of food you find in Southern California taco shops - but I was disappointed that most of the recipes in this book use the same limited group of spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and sometimes thyme or oregano) for virtually everything. For example, “Tacos #1″ call for ground beef, onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, ready-made taco shells, lettuce, cheese, stewed tomatoes and oregano. Pretty boring for my taste. Chicken tacos call for “1 fryer chicken, stewed” without any mention of seasoning it at all. Many recipes also rely on ingredients such as evaporated milk, canned cream-style corn, margarine and shortening, canned soup and canned apple pie filling, which don’t fit my ideal of “home cooking.” There are a few interesting dishes using nopales, verdolagas and chilitepins, so this purchase was not a total loss, but I am definitely still looking for a good basic Mexican cookbook.if you’re sick and tired of the tinned enchilada sauce, this cookbook has some wonderful recipes for enchilada sauce. i insist on making my own from now on as it’s so easy and really fulfilling.

i also love tia elena’s zesty tamale pie. simply comforting!

so i suggest this book. i’m glad i bought it…a wonderful yummy bargain.I was taught Mexican cooking by a Mexican Mother-in-Law. This is the real Mexican food of New Mexico. Go for it if you want the good stuff.
Price: $9.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Margaret Kaeter
Publisher: Adams Media
Publication Date: 2003-11-01
Pages: 304
Review: Some of the recipes in this cookbook are good, but there are much better Mexican cookbooks available. It is what one should expect from a Mexican cookbook written in Wisconsin. With the title ‘The Everything Mexican Cookbook’ a recipe for menudo should be included.This is an ok cookbook, in that many of the recipes seem to work out fine and be tasty. My problem with it is that it looks like a beginner’s cookbook, yet is misleading in areas. For example, right at the start it explains how to make the most basic staple - tortillas. By using cornmeal. That is either a seriously unlucky typo or a sign the writer doesn’t cook tortillas themselves. I assume they meant corn flour, trying to make tortillas with corn meal is an exercise in futility.This book was exactly what I wanted. It’s basic, easy to follow, and the pictures were good. This really wasn’t what I expected. After buying “The Everything Chinese Cookbook”, I was really disappointed in “The Everything Mexican Cookbook.” I guess I was looking for some real authentic south of the border food and instead it appeared that some white woman was coming up with what she thought was great mexican food. Being a white woman who loves the real deal, this is definitely not it!I appreciated this otherwise hard-to-find collection of recipes, but felt that the quality of the book could have been better.

The introductory information presented the basics of Mexican cooking, including descriptions of a few types of chili peppers and a list of American substitutes for Mexican cheeses. Unfortunately, the selection of chili peppers mentioned in the list was not as practical as it could have been. Several of the types mentioned did not seem to appear in a single recipe anywhere in the book. Other types, which are common enough that I was able to find them at my local supermarket, did not even make the list. I was disappointed that the more authentic Mexican cheeses were not listed in the recipes at all, having simply been replaced by American substitutions. (I would have liked to see both listed as options, since I am able to get certain Mexican cheeses at the supermarket.)

The instructions for the recipes were rather inconsistent, as well, and someone who is not already a fairly experienced cook probably would have trouble with some of them. In the three recipes on pages 172-173, I found several problems. The first recipe calls for simmering brown rice for 20 minutes. As this seems to be all the cooking this rice really gets, this is clearly not long enough. The directions seem to have been written for white rice. The following recipe calls for fresh jalapeños, but never gives instructions for preparing them. This is a casserole-type dish and the cook is not instructed to remove them, so I would guess they were intended to be seeded and cut up (as opposed to two individuals receiving whole jalapeños in their servings!). The third recipe calls for 6 cups of water to cook 1-1/2 cups of rice, and does not offer instructions for draining off excess water. This seems to be yet another error. (Six cups is sufficient to cook twice as much rice.)

I’m glad I read this book; I was able to glean some interesting recipes from it that I would not likely have found elsewhere. However, I would have been quite disappointed in it had I paid the full retail price for it. I recommend checking it out from the library before committing to it.
Price: $14.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Lucy M. Garza
Publisher: Marion Koogler McNay Art Museum
Publication Date: 1982-08
Pages: 156
Review: This book reminds me so much of my grandmother’s cooking. It’s almost like I’m back in San Antonio, this is the closest thing I can get to real Tex-mex food here in Illinois. This is the best gift ever! I can’t thank you enough Jared, you’re the best friend ever!South Texas Mexican Cookbook

I was turned on to this book by my mother in law, who had this book since I think 1983. There are some really great receipes included. The book I received was in perfect condition…Thanks Amazon….Several of my relatives have this book and really love it.I was fortunate to see it and use it and I love it.

I am going to order one for a friend and me.I am from South Texas and I have been looking for a receipe book from this area.

Thank-you for having this book so i can get a copy.

Omelia SalinasMy family grew up in South Texas, and it’s a good thing or the cookbook would not be very helpful. The recipes are what you would expect from South Texas, however the details needed to prepare these authentic recipes are simply not to be found in this cookbook. I also have the Tex-Mex Cookbook, and the San Antonio Tex Mex Cookbook, and both offer well written recipes which you can duplicate. I would only recomend this cookbook for nostalgic reasons, a much better choice would be the tex-Mex Cookbook, both historically and for the recipes. Ms. Garza, I want to personally thank you for putting a book together that has all my childhood food recipes together. The food is exactly how I remember my mom’s cooking. I have also purchased this book as gifts, so my friends can also pass this wonderful traditional food on to their families and friends. Many Thanks
Price: $16.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Mad Coyote Joe
Publisher: Northland
Publication Date: 2001-08-25
Pages: 144
Review: My wife and I purchased this as a gift for my brother and his fiance and they loved it! Simple, easy to follow recipes that are very true to the real thing. My wife is originally from the Mexican state of Sonora, right below Arizona, and she gave this book her seal of approval. What else needs to be said? Yes, this is a good book for the gringo. I read it cover to cover twice before using the recipes simply because I enjoyed it. I have cooked professionally for 16 years, but never made acceptable Mexican dishes. I attempted them occasionally, but didn’t have enough information beforehand to get the results I was looking for. I sought the most authentic Mexican restaurants in my area and patronized them for my sub-border fix.

Since I got this book, I have not been able to put it on the bookshelf and my larder has a growing list of new items that I am enjoying. I have become familiar with the local Latin markets and their owners. The many chili pepper flavors are no longer a mystery and I’m enjoying my own homemade tortillas, salsas, carnitas, etc.

All the recipes are informative, flavorful and yet simple enough to leave room for personal adjustment and interpretation while maintaining authenticity. Your meals will taste like you grew up with a Mexican grandmother. This book has changed the way I look at Mexican food, markets, restaurants, and culture. The author could have been more explicit with preparation technique. Some of it seems a bit over simplified, but once you get started, you find it all conforms to “your kitchen”. There are no hard rules in this kind of folk cooking.

If you like Mexican food to begin with, you will likely be very pleased with with the results. Now my Mexican dishes are as good or better than any restaurant I’ve tried, because I can do it all from scratch. This book is inspiring and fun. Although it is the only Mexican cookbook I own, I have looked perused many over time and find this one to be quite satisfying. I don’t feel that I need another book on the topic, but I will likely seek another to further expand my repertoire. That is, if I can find another which I like as well as this one!

Though I am a card-carrying gringo, I do hail from San Diego. Therefore I know of what I speak when it comes to Mexican cuisine. The recipes are easy to follow and spot on. I never made my own enchilada sauce before. It’s so easy and the recipe is really delicious. No more cans for me! I also recommend the green rice, and the way he recommends poaching the chicken is really tasty. We do that ahead of time and use it for a number of dishes during the week. This is one of those that you’ll go back to again and again. I’m actually online to buy 2 more today as gifts!This book is awesome. From this book I made the best enchiladas I have ever had. The only suggestion I would make to the author is to supply similar ingredients for substitution if the ingredients are not found in your area. Many of the ingredients are specific to Mexico and the very south Southwest. I based my purchase of this book on previous reviews & I am not disappointed. However, this is really what the title says: it is a book for gringos. I have some experience with Mexican food & I was hoping for a few more recipes but it really is exactly what the title promises.
Price: $16.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): Robb Walsh
Publisher: Broadway
Publication Date: 2004-06-15
Pages: 288
Review: My cookbook arrived in perfect condition and in a timely manner. I am very satisfied!This cookbook is a great book to read and “yummy” recipes. I love the old history of the Tex-Mex cooking. It is so interesting, and the recipes are so great, that I cannot put the book down long enough to make something in the book. There are so many great recipes, I just don’t know which one I want to make first. I also am going to get his other cookbook, The “Legends of Texas Barbecue”, I know it will be another winner. You will not be disappointed in this book. You will love it!!Great book with complete Tex-Mex recipes and the history of most with great stories and pics. The best Tex-Mex book I could find.This is more then a cookbook, it’s a history lesson too! I was excited over all the wonderful recipes and they made my mouth water. But the photos & stories of the history of Tex-Mex cooking, had me sitting all day reading! Now I am ready to get cooking!Robb Walsh’s “Tex-Mex Cookbook” is more than a mere collection of authentic (and excellent) Tex-Mex recipes: it’s a loving tribute to the development of Tex-Mex cuisine, Tejano culture, and the pioneering restaurants (and their owners) that launched Tex-Mex into popular American culture and beyond.

The book begins, appropriately enough, with a short primer on Tex-Mex in a chapter called “That Loveable Ugly Duckling.” Walsh explores the exact meaning of Tex-Mex: is it Americanized Mexican food, or that hybrid blend of Mexican and Indian cooking found only in Texas? The following chapter is a wonderful collection of Tex-Mex dishes (burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas, fajitas, refried beans), ingredients (including a photo guide to fresh and dried chiles) and kitchen tools (which are easy enough to find if you live near a large Mexican (or Hispanic) community: the tortilla press, comal, and molcajete).

The recipes begin in chapter two, starting with old-fashioned cowboy breakfasts: cooked pinto beans with a touch of bacon grease, fried onion and garlic, and chiles, Ox Eyes (skillet eggs in hot sauce), migas, nopalitos and eggs, and cowboy coffee (with a touch of cinnamon and orange peel).

The remaining chapters explore the development and marketing of chili (including ample vintage photographs of San Antonio’s legendary Chile Queens at work), the rise of the Tex-Mex restaurant in San Antonio and Houston, San Antonio puffy tacos, “junk food” Tex-Mex Frito pie, bean dip, nachos, and chile con queso. There are a few sweet desserts to round out your meal, including several praline recipes, cookies, and a decadent chocolate caramel flan cake.

The recipes are clearly written and easy to follow, but it’s the historical sidenotes and many rare photos that I found so intriguing about this book. There are interviews with pioneering Tex-Mex restaurant owners, tidbits of Mexican and Tejano history and lore, and snippets of WPA reports documenting food in Texas in the 1920s and 1930s, and stories about the Anglo marketing of chili powder, canned tamales, Pace salsa, and chain restaurants like Chili’s (complete with vintage advertising and recipe books). The book closes with a look at Tex-Mex’s global spread to France (helped along by the 1986 film BETTY BLUE (37°2 le matin) (DIRECTOR’S CUT) (IMPORT, ALL-REGION)), South America, Thailand, Japan and the Middle East. And for those who love a good tipple, yes, there’s a chapter devoted to the invention of the frozen margarita, fruit margaritas, and sangria.

There’s something here for everyone, but the health-conscious beware; authentic Tex-Mex is all about the flavor, which includes large amounts of rendered lard (fresh, not store-packaged, hydrogenated, and flavorless) and occasionally Velveeta (chosen for its ability to stay soft after the food cools). There’s also some cuts of meat that many Anglos will find unappealing: cow head (used for barbacoa) and beef tongue (menudo, or tripe soup, is curiously absent here). And tender palates beware: Tex-Mex and Mexican food make ample use of the hottest chiles (serranos and habaneros), although you can substitute less-spicy ones (but you’ll lose some of the flavor). If you live in a small town, you may have difficulty in tracking down Mexican ingredients such as masa harina, piloncillo, and dried chiles, but Walsh thoughtfully includes several mail-order (and Internet) sources.

A fantastic gift for fans of Tex-Mex (what most Americans call “Mexican”) food, expat San Antonians, or anyone who’s interested in culinary (and regional) history will enjoy the Tex-Mex Cookbook.

Price: $17.95   Buy This Book

Author(s): S. K. Bollin
Publisher: Golden West Publishers (AZ)
Publication Date: 1993-10
Pages: 123
Review: This is simply not worth the money, unless you need instruction on how to mix canned tomtatoes with canned refried beans and Velveeta cheese. Oh yeah, don’t forget the packet of Taco Seasoning Mix.

To make Chili Tamale Supreme, you need a can of tamales, a can of chili - with or without beans - grated cheese and chopped onion (no indication of quantities on the last two ingredients). Wow, thanks for the culinary knowledge. Sheesh.

My guess is that this is a collection of recipes from packages of Kraft food products. Terrible.Quick-N-Easy Mexican Recipes: Marvelous Mexican Meals–In Minutes! by Susan Bollin is a delightful and “kitchen cook friendly” compendium of Mexican culinary recipes each of which can be accomplished in just minutes for quick, easy, delicious dining. Showcasing more than 150 tasteful and easy dishes for dips, breads, soups, salads, appetizers, beverages, entrees, and deserts, Quick-N-Easy Mexican Recipes offers wonderful “south of the border” recipes ranging from Sloppy Joses; Chile con Queso II; and Nogales Cheese Dip; to Marinade por Fajitas; Mexican Eggnog; and Saltillo Corn Pudding. With a comb binding for flat spreading the book on the kitchen counter, Quick-N-Easy Mexican Recipes is very strongly recommended, especially for the novice chef wanting to build up their collection of ethnic and regional cookbooks for its array of flavorful and quick Mexican dining for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or in-between snacking.

Price: $9.95   Buy This Book