I love Mexican food. In my town of 1500 we have actually have a Mexican restaurant. It's pretty much what you would expect a small town Mexican restaurant would be... cheesy beans and rice and various burritos soaked in sauce. They try, but it's really not very fresh. When I crave Mexican it pretty much always comes out of my own kitchen.
I loved the idea of this Mexican Slow Cooker book by Deborah Schneider. A good crock-pot recipe is gold. I have made enough same-tasting-goo in the crock-pot to be skeptical of some recipes. However, Deborah has a lot of really great and original ideas for the old crock.
The book features Soups, Mains and Guisados, Street Food Favorites, Basic Rice and Beans and Other Sides, and even Desserts. A lot of the recipes are simple, flavorful dishes. There were actually quite a few things that I plan to make. It seems like the dishes are very authentic, although I am certainly no expert in that area. There are a few specialized ingredients that I wouldn't be able to find locally, but others might. Generally when a special ingredient is called for, and alternative is offered. Which I appreciate.
I should warn, this is not a set-it-and-forget-it book or recipes. There are maybe a few recipes that don't require any additional steps. For the most part though, the recipes ask you to take additional steps after you add the ingredients. Meat needs browned or taken out, the lid needs cracked or things need to be added. If you need to throw it all in the crock-pot and head for work, these might not be the best recipes. Personally, I am home all day with my littles, so a few extra steps doesn't bother me. If it gives me more depth of flavor I'm up for it!
I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my review.
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