Mandi Hickman - The Tex-Mex Table: 60 Knockout Recipes from the Lone Star State

Like most people, Ive loved food my whole life.

The cooking part came to me later, but Ive always had an appetite for trying different things. I first learned how to cook when my husband, Robbie, and I moved to Houston, Texas, about six years ago. Something about moving far away from family, who all lived in New Jersey where I grew up, made me realize it was probably time I learned to cook for myself. The restaurants and food trucks in Houston were all so unique and they inspired me to get creative in the kitchen. I fell in love with creating my own recipes very quickly. My husband and I only lived in Houston temporarily.

A few years later, after moving around a bit, we ended up back in the Lone Star State, this time in Austin. I started to get serious about food blogging after that. It has been quite the journey. I can confidently say Im almost always thinking about food and how I can create dishes with my own spin on them. The food scene here in Austin has always been my biggest inspiration. Everywhere you look, there is food! I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but I always try to break it up with some dining out or takeout.

Every time we try a delicious new dish from the Austin food scene, I tell my husband, I need to try and re-create this at home. Youll find some of that inspiration in these recipes! Because Im from New Jersey, youre probably wondering why a Tex-Mexinspired cookbook? Well, I was very homesick my first few years in Texas. I missed my family and friends more than anything. When those waves of homesickness came crashing in, I found so much comfort in the food scene here. Fast forward a few years and now Texas truly feels like home to mefood and cooking were a big part of creating that feeling. When family comes into town, we take them all over the city to try our favorite taco spots, BBQ, southern comfort food or margaritas.

It may not be the food I was surrounded with while I was growing up, but it has become my favorite by far. The people in Austin put a lot of passion into their food. They get up before the sun rises to smoke a brisket, they try to perfect their chili recipe for years and they sure know how to make a good taco. Tex-Mex cuisine is vibrant, flavorful and fresh. Its comfort food thats made with love. Its simple but it makes people happy.

You truly cannot be in a bad mood when you are presented with a margarita on the rocks, a taco platter and guacamole. Its impossible! Tex-Mex is good-mood food. Enchiladas, nachos, queso, fajitas, margaritas and tacos of all sorts are just a handful of the dishes you will find in this cookbook. These recipes are the perfect blend of traditional and evolved. Theyre meant to bring people together. The best part is you can live anywhere and make and enjoy these Tex-Mex recipes.

Theyre easy, attainable and, most importantly, delicious. So, whether you say yall or yous guys, lets get cooking!

Heres an entire chapter dedicated to my favorite food of all time: TACOS (and of course all the other fun handheld options you can make with tortillas, like quesadillas, tostadas and taquitos). Most of us can agree that these dishes are full of flavor and just straight-up drool-worthy. But many of us also love them because of the various ways we can use them to make tortilla-based meals. Tortillas should be a household staple because of their versatility. When it comes to tacos, the options are endless.

You can do classic ground beef or succulent shrimp; blackened fish (). If you want to take a break from tacos and change it up, tostadas, quesadillas and taquitos are just as delicious and some of my favorite ways to use tortillas. It all depends on what youre craving. Tostadas are crunchy, quesadillas are warm and toasty and taquitos are crispy! Tortilla-based dishes are everywhere you turn in Texas. In this chapter, Im bringing all the flavors to you to make in your own kitchen.

Breakfast tacos are a morning staple in Texas. Breakfast tacos are a morning staple in Texas.

Id never had one until I moved to Texas, and now theyre one of my favorite meals. Whenever I have my family or friends in town, we make sure to go out to get breakfast tacos at least once. The amazing thing is that they are so easy to make at home. Theyre the perfect breakfast for hosting, too! Bring a little bit of Texas to your morning routine with this line-up. Yield: 8 tacos 1 lb (454 g) store-bought shredded hash browns Oil of choice, for cooking the hash browns 4 slices of bacon 1 (4-oz [113-g]) can diced green chilis 8 eggs, whisked cup (57 g) shredded pepper Jack cheese 8 flour tortillas, warmed Pico de Gallo (), for topping In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the hash browns with a glug of oil until slightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the hash browns from the pan and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the slices of bacon and cook over medium heat until crispy. This should only take a few minutes on each side. Remove the bacon and add it to a paper towellined plate. Return the skillet to the heat, leaving the drippings or adding 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil of your choice, and add the diced green chilis and saut for about a minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the whisked eggs. When the eggs begin to set, add the shredded cheese.