The Homesick Texan Cookbook Review

The day my book came in the mail I was so excited. I got my cup of tea and sat down to really enjoy the new cook book. The first thing I noticed was the size, it was just perfect for my cookbook shelf, it would fit there nicely without being to tall, to small or just to large. I love the texture of the pages, a nice feel to my hands as I scanned every page so carefully. I began to notice that many of the photo's looked very familiar to me because I had traveled some of the same roads many times, it was home for me.

Lisa Fain, a seventh generation Texan found herself working in Manhattan and searching for the right ingredients to prepare the thing that speaks to all of us when we are lonely, and that is food from home. The taste, the comfort that only comes from the smells, the texture and the flavors of the food that gives us comfort. Lisa began to blog in 2005 and from that beginning The  Homesick Texan Cookbook was developed. 

This cookbook will take you on a tour of Texas, its people and culture and the wonderful food that is such an important part of that culture. From the far West Texas Oil towns to the high rises of Houston and Dallas to the small fishing villages on the gulf, to her heart and soul,  the farm where she spent so much time as a young woman.

Lisa has put together a  glossary of terms and even photos of those special chili peppers that add so much flavor to the recipes, making it so much easier to stock the Texas Pantry. The recipe's range from Pickles to Sweets with the classics in between, 12 chapters packed with adventure in the Texas cuisine. One of the first thoughts I had upon reading the recipes for the first time was, that gal can cook ! Now after cooking several of her recipes in the past few weeks, I still think the same thing even more so, That Gal Can Cook!!

As a native Texan, I have come to have a very deep appreciation for this cookbook. One of my favorite photo's is of her grandmother holding her pail of Black Eyed Pea's. What a familiar scene that was for me. Lisa takes you on a journey with her touching stories of her childhood and school days here in the state that she loves so much. I too lived away from Texas for a number of years and understand what it is like to search for the food and the culture that means so much to your lifestyle. She has created a way for all of us to enjoy a little bit of  Texas anytime we like, all we have to do is open The Homesick Texan Cookbook and start to cook.

It has been an honor and a privilege  for me to be asked to be a part of this Spotlight and Cook Off for The Homesick Texan Cookbook for the past few weeks, I have loved every second of this adventure! Thank you so much to Heather at Girlichef who has been our host for the event and our sponsor Hyperion. If you would like to check out the recipes that I prepared from The Homesick Texan Cookbook  please go to these links.

Dallas Gas Station Pork Tacos, Austin Style Black Beans, Sopapillas, Pasilla Garlic Shrimp, and Tomatillo Cheese Grits

I sure hope that you will come back to see me real soon.  I always look forward to your visits.

Peace and Joy

Miz Helen

*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

Disclosure:
I have received an advance copy of this book as a gift to participate in this review, however the opinions are mine.
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