Homesick Texan’s Family Table by Lisa Fain

The angle: Recipes for gatherings big and small, straight from Lisa’s Texas heart.

Recipes for right now: Apricot Bread, Jalapeño Corn Sticks, Pico de Gallo Deviled Eggs, Chipotle-Blue Cheese Wedge Salad, Macaroni Salad, Cochinita Pibil, Shrimp Boil, Butterscotch Brownies, Peach Ice Cream

Who would enjoy this book? Anyone with a particular fondness for the Lone Star State and all its big-hearted dishes.

• Who wrote it: Lisa Fain

• Who published it: Ten Speed Press

• Number of recipes: Around 100

• Other highlights: This is a cookbook that comes straight from the heart. You can feel it on every page — the stories that accompany each recipe, the photos from Texas, and of course the recipes themselves. Lisa has her stamp on every page, and that’s a lovely way to be introduced to these dishes.

This also feels like a cookbook that’s meant to be used. The dishes aren’t delicate preparations, but hearty fare that’s meant to delight and satisfy, again and again. If you didn’t grow up in Texas, I would imagine that these dishes will feel both familiar from their “comfort food” identity and also slightly (delightfully) surprising with their liberal use of chile peppers, fresh cilantro, and Mexican spices.

As we head into summer potluck and family reunion season, I have a feeling that the big-portioned, crowd-pleasing recipes from this cookbook will come in mighty handy.

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: Homesick Texan’s Family Table by Lisa Fain

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