Rodriguez - The Tex-Mex slow cooker: 100 delicious recipes for easy everyday meals

Texas: Were famous for our gorgeous blue bonnets, our brisket, and our tall glasses of refreshing sweet tea.

Im a native South Texan (born and raised!), and Ive spent the past six years perfecting some of my favorite Tex-Mex recipes. With The Tex-Mex Slow Cooker, Im celebrating a childhood dream: writing my very first Tex-Mex cookbook. This book is a reflection of the flavors of my childhood, with my own special twist on the classics. By adapting these recipes for the slow cooker, I hope to help you spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying soul-satisfying meals with your family and friends.

Raised by Mexican parents, I was fortunate enough to benefit from Mexican traditions as well as the fusion food culture of Tejanostenderly known as Tex-Mex. With everything from brisket tacos to guava Champagne, Tex-Mex cuisine is a blend of two incredible food cultures I love.

South Texas is the birthplace of some of the most unique flavors in the world. If living here has taught me anything, its that combining distinct flavors can make your foodand your lifeway more exciting. A childhood spent near the Gulf Coast meant that Ive always had access to amazing tacos, the freshest seafood you can imagine, and some pretty incredible beaches. And I wouldnt trade that for the world. South Texas is truly a magical place, and I feel blessed every day to call its Coastal Bend region my home. Sweet Lifes focus is a delicious blend of traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Texan cuisines; its where I share my passion for intense flavors, fresh ingredients, and the importance of creating food memories with the people you love. Sweet Lifes focus is a delicious blend of traditional Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Texan cuisines; its where I share my passion for intense flavors, fresh ingredients, and the importance of creating food memories with the people you love.

Every post on Sweet Life is filled with the vibrant culture of south Texas, so its not just about our amazing food. Here in south Texas, weve also perfected some pretty incredible cocktail flavors as a result of our unique cultural fusion. In these pages, youll find cocktails like my Ruby Red Paloma Punch (page 171) and Spiked Caf de Olla (page 186) that will leave you wanting more. So if youre ready to try some amazing recipes, lets dig in! Here, youll find nearly one hundred recipes including everything from breakfast to appetizers to entrees to dessertsall youll ever need to cook up the perfect south Texas meal. As a proud Tejana, I invite you to join me on this journey, and to experience all the rich culture Texas has to offer.

Here in south Texas, its hot.

Really hot. As we often say, its 100 degrees in the shade. In conditions like that, were not about to spend the day laboring over a hot stove or cranking up the oven. In the summer, South Texans do two thingswe grill, and we load up our slow cookers with goodness. One of the great things about slow cookers is that they dont use a lot of energy or give off much heat, so they keep the house cool andmost importantlythey allow you to relax and let great food cook itself. Why should you sweat it out, rushing back and forth in the kitchen? And when it comes to entertaining, well, forget it.

If south Texas culture is about anything, its about entertaining the people you love by sharing both great food and memorable stories. You need to be with your guests to share those stories, so slow cooking is a great way to get out of the kitchen and back with your guests. Another of my favorite things about my slow cooker is that I can set it up in the morning and then come home after a long day to a home-cooked dinner. My life is busy, busy, busy. I never know what to expect each day, but I can always rely on my slow cooker to get the job done. How to Choose a Slow Cooker I still remember when I got my first slow cooker. How to Choose a Slow Cooker I still remember when I got my first slow cooker.

I was a new mom and military wife looking for easy ways to get meals on the table. I knew a few things about slow cookers, but I soon discovered that there were plenty of things I didnt know. To help you get the most out of your slow cooker and make the best possible meals, Ive put together a few tips to help you choose the right slow cooker for you. HOW BIG SHOULD MY SLOW COOKER BE? Size matters. When choosing your slow cooker, one of your first considerations should be its size. Think about how many people youre cooking for, what types of recipes you plan to cook, and whether or not youre a fan of leftovers.

If youre cooking for a large family, or you wish to cook in large quantities for other reasons, its best to go with a larger (at least 6-quart) slow cooker. If youre generally cooking for a smaller crowd, or plan to use it for making appetizers, sides, drinks, desserts, or small quantities of food, you might want to consider a smaller (3- to 4-quart) cooker. Following is a simple table that can help you decide what size slow cooker is best for you: