More Mexican Everyday: Simple, Seasonal, Celebratory

I got my first book by Rick Bayless soon after it was published and now have 7. Although we live hundreds of miles from his restaurants, my husband is from the Chicago area and I have been to Topolobampo a number of times and Frontera grill a couple. I have also traveled extensively in Mexico and love that I can use recipes from this book to re-experience dishes I've eaten in Mexico in a shorter time without sacrificing flavor or texture. Some of the traditional preparations in his early books, and in Diana Kennedy's books on Mexican cooking, are very time consuming and these are so much easier. I especially like the slow cooker recipes. I've made carnitas (one of my favorite foods when done well) the traditional way and am so impressed by the slow cooker results. I've never had a rice cooker, preferring the texture I can achieve on stove top, but may get one after reading some of the recipes in this book. ,

I bought this cookbook for my husband for Father's Day. (My husband picks out what he want to eat and I make it.) We own two of Rick's other books so I was not sure that this book would have much that was new, but I was wrong. I have made many of the recipes over the past few weeks and have loved all, but one. In the beginning of the book Rick explains what kitchen tools a home cook needs. He convinced me to buy a slow cooker and I have really enjoyed using it. I have also been using my grandmother's cast iron frying pan again that I had stopped using many years ago. Then he explains some basic recipes that can be made ahead and then used to add depth of flavor to meals that can be cooked more quickly. Included are wonderful photos that show you the food and in some cases how to prepare it. When I am done, my food actually looks like the pictures and tastes as good as it looks.This is perfect for a home chef who needs to get food on the table quickly during the week and has more time to do some cook ahead on the weekends. If you like central american flavors, you will love this cookbook.

I have the first version of this cookbook too (Mexican Everyday), so after looking at the table of contents, I knew I wanted More Mexican Everyday. Right away I prepared a couple recipes, including the tomatillo sauce base, which is bright and full flavored. I had no serrano chilis, so I used the jalapeño chilis I had on hand. I think serranos have more heat, but the jalapeños stood in quite successfully. Just bought the heads of garlic to make the Roasted Garlic Mojo sauce. I only discovered Rick Bayless recently, and not through his television shows. My daughter-in-law is not a fan of chilis, but she loves the tomatillo sauce! You know I'll be making more recipes from this book.

Rick extends and enhances the philosophy he laid out in the first Mexican Everyday, with a streamlined, yet still complex and delicious approach to Mexican home cooking. Whereas the overwhelming majority of the first everyday book could be cooked from a standard issue american grocery store, with no special equipment, More Mexican Everyday explores the use of specific appliances like slow and rice cookers and a more complex range of produce that might require a trip to Whole Foods or a farmers' market. Although this raises the requirements for home cooks, Rick is always there to explain how these recipes can fit into everyday life. Also, he includes recipes for 4 seasoning pastes and adobos (he calls them "secret weapons" and the total could be taken to 5 if you include the salsa macha recipe on page 333), which are worth the price of admission all by themselves. A great addition to my library of Mexican cookbooks!

These recipes offer bizarre combinations of ingredients that did not appeal to me. At least this book, unlike many of his others, included some photos. But I wasn't interested in trying any of these recipes, so I returned the book.

I recently bought this book and have only made two dishes from so far - the pork carnitas and the roasted tomato salsa. Both were amazing and the directions were very easy to follow! I've made tomato salsas before, but none was as well received as this one. I also made another Rick Bayless dish not included in this book - the Guajillo Chilaquiles - google it! It's very easy to make and so full of great flavor.With this book I've managed to impress my husband, who is from Veracruz, Mexico and is desperately missing the flavors of his country, and I'm excited to try more dishes since the ones I've made so far, without any alterations whatsoever, have been so well received by my family.Thank you, Rick Bayless, for really making me excited to get into the kitchen and cook something new!

Excellent and easy to follow directions. Great idea for contents of covered recipes at front of book, summary, ingredient list, abundant color (before, during and after) pictures, directions in Rick's conversational tone, recap for shopping list. Wished it was not a hardback book, will be used often.

I heard Rick Bayless interviewed recently on the America's Test Kitchen podcast and decided to buy the book he mentioned throughout the interview. He has some good ideas, particularly his "secret weapons" that he always has in his refrigerator, viz. green chile adobo and red chile adobo. His "go to meals to know by heart" are interesting though not all to my liking. This is a good book to have on hand though. It is well-written and easy to use as a reference.

Fantastic, my wife already spent a whole week cooking from it