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

Dash of Mandi blogger Hickman covers popular if predictable fare in this ho-hum collection of Tex-Mex recipes. Instructions are clear, but little novelty or depth is offered. A chapter on “handhelds” includes brisket tacos with coleslaw and pulled pork quesadillas, as well as tuna melt tostadas, one of many dishes in the book that involve melted cheese, whether it’s the “Mexican cheese blend” atop a skillet of ground turkey and beans, or the pepper Jack that blankets enchiladas filled with canned artichoke hearts, baby spinach, and shredded cooked chicken. A chapter on barbecue and Texas classics includes ribs coated with homemade barbecue sauce mixed with strawberry preserves, and the state’s famous Frito pie (i.e., a bowl of chili and corn chips). The order can be confusing, with a chapter of appetizers—such as bubbling pimento cheese and corn dip—appearing midway through the book. A section on accompaniments includes a standard guacamole and tomatillo salsa, and Hickman wraps things up with a trio of familiar desserts: chocolate chip banana bread (with reputedly churro-inspired cinnamon topping), a giant chocolate chip cookie in a cast-iron skillet, and key lime pie with a dash of tequila in a store-bought graham cracker crust. There’s nothing wrong with this book, but there’s nothing memorable about it either. (Nov.)