Cooking with "The Homesick Texan" by Lisa Fain

[Darienne]

I'm not from Texas and have actually eaten very little in Texas over the years. Sad to admit, Texas is basically on the southern route from Ontario to Utah for us. (Don't hate me because I am an ignorant Canadian. )

We stopped in Terre Haute, IN, for a decent cup of coffee at the local bookstore and I decided to buy one cookbook to read both to myself and out loud to my DH on our current trip and it was the The Homesick Texan by Lisa Fain. I have been following her blog for some time now and had decided to get the second book but the store had only the first. Bought it. Read extensively from it. Going to get the second book also.

I had already made a strawberry ice cream from Fain's blog and now have made Tex-Mex Meat Loaf with Chipotle-Tomato Glaze and the Tomato Cobbler. Both were great successes. The photo was not.

While in Moab, UT, where you can't buy the more 'Mexican' ingredients anyway, I think I'll make a lot more of her recipes. Can't buy those ingredients back home in the far frozen north either. Well, like achiote paste, epazote, traditional chorizo, all the cheeses, etc.

Anyone else cook from this book?

[Jaymes]

I've got the book and do read the blog. Most of the recipes are things I'm pretty familiar with, so don't know that I'd say I've formally "cooked from the book," if that means selecting a recipe and following it beginning to end. I refer to it a lot, though, when I'm making something I've made for years to see if she adds something I hadn't thought of, or uses a method that might be better in some way than mine.

And I link to the blog quite often to illustrate this or that about Texas cooking. Just did so over in the "dried beans" thread when trying to explain Texas Ranch Style Beans.

[Darienne]

I've got the book and do read the blog. Most of the recipes are things I'm pretty familiar with, so don't know that I'd say I've formally "cooked from the book," if that means selecting a recipe and following it beginning to end. I refer to it a lot, though, when I'm making something I've made for years to see if she adds something I hadn't thought of, or uses a method that might be better in some way than mine.

And I link to the blog quite often to illustrate this or that about Texas cooking. Just did so over in the "dried beans" thread when trying to explain Texas Ranch Style Beans.

Hi Jaymes,

Of course you would know the recipes. You could write your own book. And I do use some of your recipes already.

I should have added that I did add to the Tomato Cobbler recipe. Added a sprinkle of cheese on top and Ed suggested adding black beans and rajas to the mix. Maybe corn. Tex-Mex a la Ontario.

[heidih]

Here is the eGullet friendly link to the book.