The Title Says it All

In my post about how spoiled I was on Christmas, I can’t remember if I mentioned the wonderful cookbook I got.

At first I just thought it was wonderful because it has such a crafty title.

Then, I thought it was wonderful because my mom and I were looking through it and realized the author was one of my babysitters growing up! Her mom and my mom were very good friends, and when Lisa was in high school she babysat my brothers and me sometimes. I was a baby so I don’t remember any specific babysitting memories, but I remember her and her mom – and her picture on the back of the book looks just as I’d expect.

Then, I really enjoyed looking through it because it is like the merging between a book and a cookbook. Each section has a nice intro written, and there are little blurbs written before the recipes explaining why that particular item made it into the cookbook. It’s fun to read, especially if you’re a homesick Texan like Lisa.

And THEN I thought the cookbook was wonderful because I tried one of the recipes. OH. MY. GOOOOOOODNESS.

Saturday morning Austin and I were flipping through the cookbook at breakfast, trying to think of what to make for Brian that night for his birthday dinner. There isn’t a single recipe that sounds bad (well, except the entire seafood section) but I couldn’t find one that just popped out for Brian. We flipped through “chicken fried steak” and I thought “Well Brian would like that, but I already know how to make it so it isn’t special from this book…” But then I got to the side dish section and found the perfect mate for a delicious fried steak: Tomatillo Grits.

I first learned to make tomatillo salsa when I moved to Houston in 2008. I had told Brittany that my favorite Mexican dish is enchiladas verdes, so when I arrived in Houston Michael had the dish cooking – the house smelled amazing and it was such a warm welcome. He taught me to make his enchiladas, and they have been a staple in our house for the past few years. I probably make them more than any other single dish besides maybe meatloaf (William eats the heck out of meatloaf). So when I saw a new recipe that uses tomatillos I decided it must be de-lish…and I must try it! Essentially Lisa makes Michael’s verde salsa, except she adds 4 cloves of sautéed garlic and some lime juice which rocks. Then she mixed it in with some cooked grits and shredded cheese. So simple! Brian and Austin practically drank the grits from the bowl, and 2 non-southerners who haven’t been raised with such deliciousness both agreed they were very good.

I now pride my parents in choosing wise babysitters for their children. Lisa put together an awesome cookbook! So, one recipe down and hundreds to go – this book is going to come in handy as these two homesick Texans venture a little further from the motherland.


- manda