Book Review: The Homesick Texan's Family Table

This cookbook, The Homesick Texan's Family Table, is a beautiful book filled with gorgeous pictures of food and the Texas countryside. 

I wasn't sure how much I'd find that I actually wanted to try, but actually have many that I'd love to try first!  It seemed that everytime I turned the page, I'd change my mind about which was first on the list!  I am dying to try the buttermilk bacon-fat flour tortillas, since I've been trying to become better at my own!  I love breads so obviously the Oatmeal Bread, Buttermilk Dinner Rolls and Angel biscuits are also on my list!  The rest of the breakfast dishes sound delicious as well, and I may even have to venture into making my own sausage, because the Bacon-Molasses Breakfast Sausage sounds so good! And this is all just from chapter 1, the Breakfast and Breads chapter!

Every section and recipe start with a anecdote about the origin, or some memory of the recipe with relation to the author's family, and her writing adds so much to the book. It feels like you are sitting down with her as she shares her family with you. I love how she takes family recipes and gives them (sometimes) a new twist, such as with the simple Chipotle Ranch-Spiced Oyster Crackers. j

The recipes are not filled with wild and crazy ingredients or tools, but really seemed to use ingredients that could be found anywhere.  The author lives in NY and notes and the beginning that she cooks in a tiny kitchen.  It's refreshing (and helpful) to read a cookbook where the cooking feels attainable- I don't have to have a restaurant style kitchen to succeed!  Throughout the recipes, especially in the main section, she notes about how while Texans may do it a certain way (grill, smoker etc), she uses the oven/broiler etc due to her circumstances and I love that  the recipes are written this way for the ordinary home cook. 

The recipes do include a lot of peppers and other spicy-er ingredients, but if you like Texan and Mexican style food, then you'll love this cookbook.  Even if you don't, there are definitely recipes for you as well (the dessert section is amazing... Fresh Peach Ice Cream, Molasses and Spiced Pecan Ice Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, Gingerbread, Pecan Pie... mmmm..... And there are other recipes too without too much kick, like the Shrimp Boil, and Catfish Tacos.

I'm so happy to have this cookbook on my shelf and can't wait to cook from it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.