Mexican Everyday

Purchased as a compliment to Ray Bayless PBS series.

Though I am a amateur to Mexican cooking, I have started to experiment!
And my results thus far, though less photogenic than the photos in book, are at least tasty!

My wife and I love this book for its simplicity in preparing complex flavors. We have one other Bayless cookbook and loved the recipes in it, but wanted recies that weren't quite as time intensive. This is the perfect balance.

And it inspired us to try Frontera Grill over New Years, and it was all we'd hoped.

Great cookbook if you like Mexican cooking. Rick Bayless is a tremendous chef and his recipes in this book are simple and quick for a busy lifestyle. I love Mexican food and have used many of the recipes in this book. His technics for preparing the food are well explained and easy to follow. Highly recommend this book.

I have been DYING to get this cookbook for years now and it did not disappoint what-so-ever. His recipes are quick and easy, with ingredients that aren't hard to find (and are actually pretty cheap generally), and results that are FRESH and satisfying. Also, the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (pg. 154) is to die for and worth purchasing the cookbook alone for. This cookbook is indeed that really good Mexican cookbook you've been searching for.

I am enjoying this cookbook! The enchiladas are fantastic! My family enchilada recipe is quite heavy. Rick does a great job at preserving the flavor while keeping these Mexican favorites healthy and on the lighter side. I highly recommend Mexican Everyday.

Got this cookbook after an amazing trip to Frontera Grill in Chicago. I've already made several recipes from this and I love it. The easy after-work style of the recipes in the book is something that is definitely needed in our house.

It also got me to add more produce into my diet. It has mostly been peppers, but it is a start!

This book is terrible. If you live in an area with great Mexican food you will wonder what this book is talking about. The ingredients are not good and definitely not authentic. Don't bother with this. Sadly we donated it.

I believe that the true test of a cook book is how much it gets used. Some pages should end up getting stains on them and cracks in the binding. There is nothing about Mexican Everyday that keeps me from using it - have access to a great Spice shop and fresh ingredients... just don't get excited about the recipes. On the plus side, Rick Bayless' variations on recipes are a nice touch - could help folks when trying to use up existing fridge items. The other cook book that I bought along side of this one does get a lot of use - Bobby Flay's 'Mesa Grill'. Guess that I am more of a Tex-Mex guy than a Mex guy.

If you happen to not like salads particularly much, or live far, far, away from a store specializing in Mexican ingredients (read: live overseas), this book is not for you. Unless I order the specific peppers online, or most of the other ingredients if I'm being honest, there is no way that I can cook most of the recipes. And salads take up at least 1/3 of the book. Definitely a no from me.

I wish I made more research and read more review before the purchase.
I am highly visual and yes, I need and I want picture to every recipes.
I would have given this book a 4 stars if there is picture to every recipe.

Apart from that it's a good cookbook, I recommend buying for those who don't need pictures.
I would have return this book if not for the international shipping.

Mexican food with a Gringo approach.

Written by Chicago based Rick Bayless, of the PBS series 'Mexico One Plate at a time,' this is a series of Mexican dishes designed to be easy to make with ingredients that are not impossible to get. In fact he has even been known to get things like salsa and (shudder) even beans out of a can. These are things that greatly reduce the amount of effort that goes into preparing Mexican food that looks and tastes good.

One key to cooking on a regular basis is that we all work. We are all busy. Once in a while we like to spend an afternoon in the kitchen playing with food, but on Monday it's a differrent matter. Mr. Bayless has designed a series of dishes that fit well into cooking when you get home on Monday. There's not a lot of chopping, there are simplified sauces that do not have to simmered for hours.

This is a book that has the potential of changing how you think about cooking Mexican food.

I was disappointed when I received this book from the store and searched through for something to cook that night. The recipes have too many ingredients (involving an extra trip or more to the grocery store) - and just not realistic for the working people of the world. Mind you, the food was good, but I don't have time in my life for a majority of the recipes in this book.

James Beard Award-winner Bayless approaches everyday cooking with two goals - easy preparation and nutritional balance, with an emphasis on one-dish meals. He omits complex traditional moles except for a simpler Oaxacan yellow made with masa harina and tomatoes and he frontloads the book with salads and sides, like Green Bean Salad with Red Onion and a salsa dressing or a Sweet Potato Salad with Caramelized Onions and a red chile vinaigrette.

He follows this with main dish salads and soups in which avocado, lime and tomato make frequent appearances along with smaller amounts of chicken, beef or sausage. And chilies, of course.

Several classic salsas - tomato, tomatillo, chipotle - preface quick meals from the grill, which include Grilled Fish in Tangy Yucatecan Achiote with Green Beans and Roasted Tomato Salsa, or Grilled Pork Adobo with Smoky Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Guajillo Salsa.

Of course there's a tortilla-based chapter (Tomatillo-Sauced Enchiladas with Spinach and Mushrooms, Seafood Salad Tacos with Tomato, Radish and Habanero) and a few desserts (Skillet Fruit Crisp).

Meat, Seafood and Poultry are grouped together and more often than not the dishes include vegetables and rice, potato or beans, continuing the one-dish theme. Tomatillo Pork Braise with Pickled Chiles, or Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans, or Jalapeno-Baked Fish with Roasted Tomatoes and Potatoes require little, if any, accompaniment.

"Riffs" at the end of each recipe provide preparation tips, variations and suggested embellishments, along the line of Mark Bittman's "when you have more time" feature. Luscious color photos include ingredients, techniques and finished dishes.

The recipes are bursting with bold flavor and while many home cooks won't make the "30 minutes" goal, the elimination of extra side dishes saves a lot of time and organizing.

--Portsmouth Herald

As a preface, let me start by saying that I've been to Mexico more times than I can count, and that my wife is Mexican. We've eaten good food all over Jalisco, Sinaloa, Nuevo Leon, Guanajuato, and other places. I'd like to think that for an American, I know what Mexican food should taste like.

This book by Rick Bayless is perfect for us. My wife and I are trying to eat healthier and smaller portions, so many of the recipes in here are great for that purpose. We probably won't follow everything in the book to the letter, but it is a great starting point for many wonderful recipes.

We recently tried the birria recipe (I think it's called roasted lamb or something in the book) and it was excellent. I haven't had birria that deliciously Mexican since the last time I was in Guadalajara. It is impossible to find anything that matches that here in Texas. We are already planning the next few recipes to cook.

If you decide to check out the book, keep in mind that you should pick out a few recipes, and buy the ingredients in advance. The reason being that while the recipes are easy to prepare, you have to already have the ingredients on hand. So if you don't have something like canned roasted tomatoes or large amounts of ancho chili powder, you will need to buy a lot of them first. Just read through the introduction to the book and a few recipes that you would like to try, and buy the things that come up repeatedly in bulk.

The actual cooking doesn't take that long, and while everything in the book is not 100% authentic, Rick Bayless has some great recipes and understands Mexican food better than most people. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to cook simple, authentic Mexican food.

Having most of Bayless' cookbook offerings to date and used them extensively, this purchase was a non-brainer.

It lives up to the high expectations that this renowned chef has for Mexican cuisine, but here with the added nicety of for everyday, health conscience eating. He goes through his dietary advice at the beginning which includes portion control, yoga, etc. What is catchy as well is his leaning in this recipe collection for what can be prepared quickly and yet with robust taste and nutritional and easy-to-find ingredients, especially via Mexican staple supplier or via internet.

This Norton published volume has gorgeous full-color photos, with absolutely great pictures of various ingredients, techniques and finished dishes. Bayless also jazzes each recipe up with what he refers to as "riffs." This are wonderful options, e.g. Grilled Fish in Tangy Yucatecan Achiote he suggests one can substitute pork or chicken and vegetable substitutions as well for the green beans. There are some great sidebars as well, e.g. five page tips for quick grilling ten great foods.

This is a winner with the likes already enjoyed of: Lime-Cilantro Dressing, perfect with Jicama Salad with Watercress; Avocado-Mango Salad with Fresh or Blue Cheese, Bacon and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds; Seafood Salad Tacos with Tomato, Radish and Habanero; Seared Salmon (using Masa) with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers; Skillet Fruit Crisp; Fresh Lime Ice with Berries.

This can easily become a "go-to" volume within your collection also when you want some really great Mexican meals with all the flavor and minimal effort/ingredients.

Mexican Everyday is a cookbook that lives up to its name! Rick Bayless is an absolute master of Mexican cooking, and brings together many classic Mexican tastes into this collection of easy-to-prepare dishes. Even with my busy work schedule, I'm able to have most of these recipes on the table for dinner on weeknights. A few recipes do require a little extra planning, but they're all explained incredibly well (with pictures explaining ingredients that may not be familiar), making this cookbook friendly to cooks with limited experience. This book also offers variations for most recipes, for those wanting a new challenge.

Even if you don't make every recipe, this book is worth it for two favorites: Chicken Tortilla Soup and the classic Mexican Rice recipe. The tortilla soup is a hit with everyone I make it for -- from all areas of the country and with all different levels of tolerance for spicy foods. Bayless seems to put a rice recipe or two in each of his cookbooks; the one in Mexican Everyday is a staple around our house.

If you're looking for cheesy burritos, hard-shell ground beef tacos and other staples of what many Americans view as "Mexican" (most of which, I contend, is actually "tex-mex"), Mexican Everyday is not for you. These recipes are classic Mexican cuisine. But, I'm sure that you (like I have!) will grow to love these even more!

This book goes along with recipes from a previous season of Bayless' cooking show on PBS (Mexico One Plate at a Time), though you don't need to be familiar with the show to enjoy the cookbook.

I really enjoy the way Rick presents cooking and his recipes. Much can be learned about an author's philosophy of cooking and eating by reading the introduction. This is one of the best I've read. I am less interested in what people may consider authentic than I am in recipes that are usable and provide results that I like and I can serve guests. That is the case with Mexican Everyday. At first I was put off by the lack of some of the old standby recipes then I read the introduction about everyday eating as compared to feasting. This book is about food that most anyone can prepare for a weeknight meal. The ingredients are easy to find and he lists alternatives to speed things up. He also knows the value of a slow cooker, something that most cookbook authors seem to miss. His recipe and instructions for slow cooker beans has become my standard. They're superb! He has a nice section on basic supplies for your pantry which really helps when you've got to put a dinner on the table in under an hour. The Pineapple Skillet Upside-Down cake that was a real life-saver recently when we had unexpected dinner guests. It was fast, easy, simple and delicious. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for an easy to use cookbook that does not include a lot of exotic recipes with complex ingredients.

One of my top three favorite cookbooks ever. I've made many of the recipes in this book many times. I like that it's generally healthy and full of flavor. I also like that he suggests substitutes so you can mix up the dishes and give more variety or avoid foods some of your eaters may not like. Love this book. I give it to my closest loved ones as a present now.

I tried the Mexican Red Rice with Ricks suggestions of garlic, roasted problano, chopped cilantro, fresh corn kernels and chicken thighs. Oh my goodness..what a meal that was over the top! I ran back to the store for more problano and roasted and chopped extra for our next few recipes. Rick made it asy for me to follow his recipes and certainly the extra additions turned a simple rice recipe into a gourmet meal. His book is a keeper for me and one that I intend to use frequently!

My girlfriend and I were won over by Rick's passion for delicious food south of the border in his show- Mexico One Plate at a Time so it was only natural that we would want to replicate some of the dishes we'd seen on TV in our very own kitchen. I was nervous and using a variety of ingredients and produce I'd never used before- Ancho-Chili Powder, Tomatillos, Serrano chili peppers, etc. It's safe to say I was not in my "comfort zone" but Rick's expertise and complete mastery of the subject helped me through. Don't know whether or not the avocado you have is ripe? Don't know how to roast a pepper? Don't know how to make a flank steak tender? Don't know even the basics of Mexican Cooking? Then this book is for you! Rick constantly reassures the cook by anticipating the questions I had and answering a few I didn't ask but probably should have!

The main thing I like about this cookbook is that the recipes are simple but the taste isn't. Several times I had to do a double take because I was sure that the recipe couldn't possibly be that easy, but it was. While cooking a Bayless recipe you will find yourself spending a lot of time in the produce aisle- this is the foundation for what makes Rick's recipe's so delicious and easy and also what makes the recipes healthier than dishes you'd find in other cookbooks! It's just a great tool if you are a die-hard fan of cuisine of Mexico.

After taking a week vacation at a cooking school in Mexico's southern interior, I became a devotee of authentic Mexican food. And because I live in Iowa, I have to make it all myself! This book provides dozens of magnificent, simple recipes that I can whip up with mostly pantry ingredients, often without the use of a blender or more than one or two pans.

I've made at least ten recipes so far and enjoyed every one. The roasted tomatillo salsa is now in the regular condiment rotation in our house. Chicken a la Veracruzana goes on the meal plan regularly. And the Grilled Roadside Chicken with Knob Onions was a huge hit at a dinner party this weekend.

Buy this book. Cook a few recipes, try a few "riffs," and read the intro about Bayless' conversion to a healthier, simpler diet and lifestyle. I promise it won't disappoint.

I like the trend in cookbooks towards simple, quick meals. How many of us have the time to take hours to prepare a meal outside of the holidays? Mexican cooking can be intimidating but Rick Bayless takes the complication out of it with this great book of simple yet delicious recipes. While the recipes are designed to be prepared in 30 minutes, I think the average home cook will be looking at 15 - 30 minutes longer, depdending on thier skill and quickness. Still, even 45 minutes isn't bad for some of these recipes. Rick has essentially dumbed down the recipes to make the preperation with more common ingredients, easily found in your pantry or grocery store. While the recipes may be scaled down and simplified, there certainly seems to be no effect on the taste. His tips for cutting prep time are not only vital to the recipes in this book, but to your home cooking in general.

The book is laid out by section in the usual manner: Salads, side dishes, soups, main dishes, desserts, etc...I'm still not all that experimental so the section on Tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, was my favorite and my family and I really enjoyed the varitions on these more common dishes such as the green chile chicken tacos, as well as the grill prepared recipes as we grill a lot. The Chicken Tortilla soup with Avacado was another winner.

Rick proves that Mexican need not be intimidating and time consuming. This is a book that I am happy to have in my collection!

I have used this cookbook extensively for the past 16 months and have made almost every single dish at least once and several other favorites multiple times now. I am still in aw of this book for it's coverage of Mexican culinary tastes, techniques, and cultural influences. I have not been bored a single minute using this book. Somehow or another, the book makes cooking informative, fun, and satisfying to a much greater degree than any other book I have used.

For those of you hesitant to take Mexican cooking cues from an aparent American cook, you could not be more wrong. I would bet that Rick Bayless has a greater grasp of Mexican cuisine than any other cook in America. One need only sample his dishes from the bright Yucatan (like his Cochinita Pibil)or the earthy Northern region of Mexico (his Birria or Pollo Asado- estilo Sinaloa)to understand Bayless' total mastery of Mexican food.

It is not enough for me to say that this book is good and that the dishes are good, Rick Bayless understands precisely what it is each dish should taste like. In other words, he remains true to the cuisine but offers superb techniques to overcome the challenges that the Mexican cuisine presents. He understands that the more complicated dishes are nearly impossible, save for a few times a year. Bayless solves these problems without sacrificing a thing, thereby unlocking the potential of cooks at home everywhere. As a Mexican and lover of true Mexican cuisine, Bayless has made any faovrite dish possible and has taken my cooking at home to new heights.

This book has been fun and rewarding to say the least. Buy this book if you love to cook and would like to find out what Bayless knows, that Mexican cuisine is on par with any cuisine in the world.

- PS. Invest in a good slow cooker, this book will make excellent use of it. Dishes that traditiaonally take 24 hours in preperation and cooking time- like Birria, Barbacoa, and Cochinta Pibil are acheived in the kitchen. The results will blow your mind and your friends and family who can appreciate the difficulty and time it takes to make suche dishes, will be astonished.

I bought both Authentic Mexican and Mexican Everyday together - both books are excellent at capturing the authentic flavor of Mexican food that you just won't find at all those 'Mexican' restaurants that serve the ground beef burrito combos [Yuck!]. Mexican Everyday, however, offers simplified recipes. Simplified does not mean less authentic or watered down versions; the dishes are full of flavor and maintain the spirit of true Mexican cooking, they are just easier to prepare thanks to Mr. Bayless' shortcuts and techniques. He microwave-steams veggies, he offers tips and riffs that help you along in ensuring your final dish is as delicious as the wonderful pictures in the book look. He also focuses more on healthier versions of dishes - baking versus frying, steaming versus boiling, and so on. As with any authentic ethnic food, there are some ingredients that may be a bit difficult to find, but he offers alternatives to those hard-to-find products to make sure you can still make the dish and have a great-tasting final result. Mexican Everyday is my go to book when I want something fast, easy, and delicious. I've made several of his dishes out of this book, and I always get complimented on them. I highly recommend this book for people who don't have a lot of time to spare, but want a true home-made and delicous meal.

I really liked the structure of this cookbook. It’s a fun one to read, and it will make you a better cook with the “rifs on…” following each recipe. Chef Bayless gives a lot of suggestions how to take the basic recipe and make it seasonal, vegetarian, etc. It has heat – if you like things super, super hot, you can amp up the chiles easily. And if you’re like me – it’s easy to lean back from the amount of chile. Most importantly, every recipe I tried really was fresh and fairly light – even the pork and chorizo tacos weren’t weighed down with cheese. When I’m eating Mexican, THIS is what I’m looking for. You can check out my full review with a few pictures at 99cookbooks.com.

This cookbook taught me so much about Mexican cuisine. It was one of my first cookbooks and is still one of my favorites, though the pages are so worn from use that the binding is totally falling apart! One of my favorite parts of this book is the section with "Riffs" on the original recipe. This allows for a ton of variety as well as allowing for compensation of hard to find ingredients, although most ingredients are available at most chain grocery stores. The other things the Riffs will do is expose you to the variety of different regional flavor variations and teach you how groups of flavors combine together. Before this book I didn't know about regional cuisines in Mexico. Now when people ask me to cook them some Mexican I ask them from what part of Mexico!

I really couldn't recommend this book more highly, it is an absolute must buy for any beginning student of Mexican cooking.

I was given this book by a friend recently and it is divine. The flavors are unlike any I have ever tried combining before, and they are so refreshing and fresh tasting. A new family favorite is the Chipotle chicken with romaine lettuce and the carmelized onion and steak and oh, there are so many to like. Quick to prepare, healthy, enjoyable food. I have not had any trouble finding the ingredients at the market and in many cases he gives several substitutions or variations on the recipe. I have truly enjoyed this book and it has given me a new outlook on Mexican food. It doesnt have to be all cheese smothered and sourcream covered!

I began cooking Mexican food at home 5 years ago while living in upstate New York where authentic Mexican restaurants are scarce. While I loved the results, many of the dishes were time consuming and unrealistic for weeknight cooking. I purchased the newest Rick Bayless cookbook hoping it would introduce Mexican cuisine beyond tacos to our mid-week dining.

So far, I am very pleased with the cookbook. Rick left out more time consuming recipes such as mole or chile sauces made with whole, dried chiles and in their place has recipes that rely on chile powder, tomatillos or other quick cooking ingredients. To my delight, there are several slow-cooker recipes included which are perfect for mid-week meals.

So far, I have made the fire roasted salsa, slow-cooker beans, chipotle-balsamic dressing, the adobo marinade and the Yucatan rice. All were delicious and very easy. The salsa has quickly replaced store-bought as it can be made in minutes. It's even quicker if you forgo the roasting of the jalapeno and garlic, which I've done with fine results.

As a bonus, the majority of the recipes are quite healthy with little added fat or cheese. I also appreciate the chapter on main dish salads. I expect to use this book frequently during the week and would recommend it to anyone who loves Mexican food and would like to make it at home.

`Mexican Everyday' by quadruple threat celebrity chef Rick Bayless is a must-buy for all dedicated foodies, lovers of Mexican food, fans of fast recipes, dieters (more on this later) and the cookbook collectors among us. Before I opened this book, I respected Bayless for being an accomplished home-grown American chef in Chicago, a leading expert and writer on authentic Mexican cooking, a respected TV chef educator on PBS in the tradition of St. Julia rather than on the commercial Food Network and, lastly, the author of a truly great `cook with kids' book, `Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures'. About the only thing Rick has not accomplished is to beat Bobby Flay on `Iron Chef America', although he did loose by only one point.

Just as I did when I opened Jacques Pepin's `Fast Food My Way', I expected to find a `sell-out' book in one way or another. My worst fear was that this was just copied from recipes in his other books. At best, I feared it was simply a cash-in on Rachael Ray's popular '30 Minute Meal' formula. I am here to report that it is none of these, but a culinary and intellectual revelation surpassed by few other true cookbooks.

Bayless' success in this book is grounded in his total mastery of his subject. He knows things so well; there is no hint of any misstatement, certainly none that I can detect in the world of chemistry or technique. I will simply assume his pronouncements on authenticity are authoritative. This great facility with his material even overcomes Bayless' former clumsiness with writing. He seems to have found his voice or a better copy editor.

The introduction is a total surprise to the reader when Bayless launches into a discussion of his weight problem, and how he began dealing it with yoga, weight training, and portion control. None of these reflections make Bayless a weight watchers expert, but the things he personally learned on his journey to loosing excess weight is a great lesson and inspiration for anyone with a weight problem. But what does all this have to do with fast Mexican food.

The starting point is Bayless' statement that many classic Mexican dishes have a lot of `extras' loaded on top of its basics. This is the first time I have ever heard this statement and I must say that my knowledge of Italian and French cooking indicates that the same is NOT necessarily true of these European cuisines. I do suspect that it may be true of Thai cooking, but that's just a hypothesis at the moment. So, Bayless' first step at slimming down both himself and cooking times was to remove much of the traditional frills such as moles and red chile sauces. He then gives a masterfully concise list of things to pare down recipes and speed up prep times by citing which techniques can be speeded up or simplified with things such as the rice cooker, microwave oven, food processor, and blender. In spite of this, Bayless also states that in a pinch, you can do everything in this book with a really basic set of tools. The one oddity in his recommendations is the fact that he is virtually the only major chef I have read who endorses the use of a garlic press.

The `second' introduction is a rundown of pantry items for Mexican cooking. Aside from a few brand recommendations, I suspect his earlier books cover this material in far greater detail, but it is well done for the Mexican cooking newbie.

The Table of Contents is done in the very best way for a book of this size. Every recipe name and page number is given in the Contents in English. The Spanish name in smaller type is given on the page with each recipe. Almost as good is the fact that each chapter is intelligently divided into sub-subjects as follows:

Chapter 1: Salads and Other Easy to Make Sides

Dressings

Vegetable Salads

Beans and Rice

Chapter 2: Contemporary Main-Dish Salads

Chapter 3: Classic Main Dish Soups

Chapter 4: Quick Meals from the Grill: Seasonings, Salsas, and Skills

Rubs and Marinades

Classic Salsas

Grilling Springboards:Classic to Contemporary

Chapter 5: Soft Tacos, Enchiladas, Tostadas and Tortas

Chapter 6: Seafood, Poultry and Meat Main Dishes

Chapter 7: Desserts (five recipes)

Each recipe ends with some `riffs' which, like fellow Chicagoan Charlie Trotter, are jazz-influenced improvisations on the original recipe. Unlike Trotter premium cookbook prices, this fine volume retails for $29.50. It would be a good buy even at the typical $35.

One thing I especially respect about Bayless' book is the way he is so true to the sense of his title in that this book deals with things Mexican cooks actually do everyday when they are pressed for time, without bypassing the need for some basic cooking skills such as roasting peppers or harvesting the flesh from a fresh avocado. Part of this `everyday' doctrine is the statement that regular weekend and holiday feasting is as much a part of sensible weight control as is everyday portion control.

Thus, Bayless has essentially followed in Pepin's footsteps by giving us a collection of authentic but trimmed down recipes from a great world cuisine. And, all this is done with a recipe writing style that is better than most I have seen. The list of ingredients is done with lots of clarifying details regarding preparation, quality, and choices, such as in the selection of the best vinegar for a dish, when several may be good.

Note that rather than giving a list of sources at the back of the book, Internet sources are in the leading section on Mexican pantry items.

This is an excellent book. Possibly it's very best audience is those who want to start out in Mexican cooking but are intimidated by the work involved in many Mexican staples described by Senor Bayless and Senorita Diane Kennedy.

I bought this gift for my husband since we love mexican food and enjoy watching Rick Bayless on his PBS shows and going to his resturant in Chicago. Book was nicely laid out with pictures, easy to read receipes, description and tips on purchasing ingredients. Can't wait to buy the items and start cooking!

Most of the recipes I've tried so far taste wonderful, are simple to make and dead-on that Mexican flare. (I live in a predominately Mexican area so most of the ingredients listed in this book are very easy to find.) I think some people purchase this book intending to make tacos or burritos or that "normal" Mexican food. But this is true Mexican cuisine from all different parts of Mexico, each region has it's own taste and preferences and I feel this book reflects that. I married into a very large Mexican family and have had trouble imitating my in-laws amazing cooking. What I love about this book is that along with each recipe is cooking techniques, alternative flavorings and alternate methods of preparing the dish so you learn quite a bit as you go along. My husband is happy, so I know I'm doing good, ain't nobody alive can cook like his mama!

I bought this book about a year ago and had used it occasionally, noting like many others that there are several ingredients that I just couldn't find at my local grocery store and not wanting to make a special trip to find them. Well, this summer I have been trying to eat healthier and have been cooking much more, and after making the grilled roadside chicken which uses ancho chile powder (that was at my local grocery but rather expensive) and finding it to be DELICIOUS, I decided to just go online and purchase ingredients. I found that [...] had everything I was looking for, and since the bulk of the shipping cost comes from your first item, I recommend doing as I did-going through the book to find everything you might want to make and order all at once. For example, he uses ancho chile powder in large amounts for several recipes, so I went ahead and bought a pound, plus some dried chiles (guajillo and negro), achiote paste, avocado leaves and chipotle chile powder. I actually found the prices to be very reasonable aside from shipping cost, but like I said, that's why you'll want to buy as much as you can all at once. Then, once you have this stuff on hand, you are suddenly able to make all kinds of stuff, and I don't think I've ever used a cookbook this much, as I probably make at least a couple of his recipes every week-there are so many yummy and easy recipes, and my husband and I have both LOVED everything we've tried so far- the grilled roadside chicken, the roasted poblano and potato salad (I added broiled salmon), the lamb jalisco (except I used a chuck roast), used the Yucantan marinade on grilled chicken, chicken enchiladas, and even the skillet upside down cake with peaches. What I love most is that there are very few recipes that you will even see on a menu in a Mexican restaurant, but they are easy, healthy, different and delicious! So, BUY the book, order what you need to online, and then get cooking!!

I am a huge fan of Rick Bayless, but with two children aged 3 and under in my house, it is difficult for me to find the time to make some of his more elaborate recipes. With "Mexican Everyday", however, Bayless has provided the solution for cooks like me. It is indeed possible to get authentic Mexican meals on the table in under an hour.

These meals are indeed fast to prepare and very tasty. The three I have made so far (Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos, Guajillo-Spiced Pork and Potatoes, and Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans) have been hits. They do require some specialized ingredients but most of them were found in my local grocery store.

This cookbook is going to become one that I return to frequently and I highly recommend it.

I'm always on the lookout for relatively straightforward recipes to get my through the weeknight slog. After awhile, the simple Italian, French, and American-style recipes just get boring, and I was on the lookout to add flavor without adding fat or significantly more cooking time. I bought this book on a complete whim, and it's quickly given me several weeknight standards.

Thus far, I've made the Lime-Cilantro Dressing, Jicama salad, Fried Beans, Chipotle Beef Tacos, Mexican Scrambled Egg Tacos, and Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana. I have the Pork Tinga in the slow cooker right now. They've consistently been both simple and stellar. I would have bought the book for the pork tenderloin recipe alone. I wasn't the biggest fan of the jicama salad, but that had more to do with me not being a fan of jicama than the recipe. I just really appreciate the consistency of high quality that the recipes have had thus far, and my sweetheart really appreciates the food.

Amazing! I have loved everything I have made from it. Everyday might be a bit of a misnomer, and living in a rural area means that not all the ingredients are accessible, but as a someone with reasonable cooking skills, it is very easy to sub in what I can find. There is a great variety of dishes and it has helped my husband who hates cheese discover and love Mexican food.

Every recipe I have made from this cookbook has been a big time hit in my house. It has made my addiction to mexican food worse because it has exposed me to more variety than is found in your average mexican restaurant. Rick Bayless also gives a section for each recipe suggesting riffs. I really enjoy the riffs because they have given me insight into how the foods go together and rather than mindlessly following the standard formula I can tailor the recipe to my preferences. All this, plus, the dishes are super speedy to make.

Love your book, Rick! Thanks a million :-)

I love this book. Too much, it seems, as the binding is completely broken. The recipes are authentic--I live on the border and can compare with my Mexican friends' recipes. They are easy. They are flavorful. It is the only Bayless book that I use, although I own the others. Buy it. But complain to the publisher about that horrible, cheap binding.

This book makes Mexican totally accessible. I'm so excited to cook through this book because I love Mexican food, but eating out gets expensive and always has too much cheese and lard. Rick's book makes it a lot healthier with regional flavors and cooking techniques.

I rarely write reviews on the store, but this book truely deserves my high praises. Everything I cook out of this book turns into a keeper recipe that my family & I absolutely love. I'm a bit of a cookbook hoard with books from Kellar & Flay being some of my favorites. But this single book has become my go-to about 5 days a week for a good meal. Its amazing food that you can make quick. In the real world, people dont have 3 hours at night to make a high-class dinner. You can make meals out of this book without sacrificing any flavor. Thank you, Rick!!!

I have purchased many cook books in my time and most of them have ended up collecting dust on my book shelf. Not this one. This is a book that I actually use. The recipes are simple, and straightforward. Some have said that this is "white" mexican food but I am mexican and I don't have a problem with that. These recipes are much easier and in some cases, healthier than the traditional versions.

Overall, this is a great, well-written cookbook!!!

I expected this to be a basic book on Mexican cooking; it is not. The author does provide a lot of background info. This may be a good book for a cook who's looking for new recipes, but not for a beginner.

Mexican Everyday is a beautiful cookbook. My husband and I had watched Rick Bayless' show on PBS, and fell in love with his simple but enthusiastic approach to Mexican food. The introduction to this book is inspiring. Rick's "riffs" make the recipes very approachable. Though most ingredients are easy to find, he makes good suggestions for reasonable substitutions. My only complaint is not enough pictures of the dishes.

I never write reviews, but I need to tell the world about this cookbook!
It is incredible!
Every single recipe I have ever made from this book - now over 25, have all been out of this world. All recipes use whole foods - with no spices but salt most of the time. The flavor all comes from the peppers and garlic and onion he calls for. If you like Mexican, this is the best cookbook you can find I can almost guarentee!
Unless maybe you buy one of Rick's other books (:

My boyfriend and I love this book. We've made 6 or 7 recipes out of it and so far they've all been great. I have one quibble and one caveat:

-Everything takes longer to cook than the recipe says.

-There are actually more vegetarian options than listed in the index - several of the taco recipes are veggie as well. My household is semi-vegetarian, trying to save meat for special occasions. This has served us well for that purpose.

Recommended!

If you want an easy way to save money with delicious food, this is the book for you. The ingredients in Mexican food are so cheap, yet the flavors can be quite complex. This Chicago institution describes each ingredient and where you can get some of the more exotic ones. All of the dishes take advantage of some of the savory flavors possible with Mexican sauces and spices.

This is a great cookbook. The recipes work and the results are delicious. I love Rick Bayless and I love this cookbook, Unfortunately, I can only give four stars because the physical book itself is astonishingly poorly made. I am a person who takes very good care of books but this one started falling apart maybe the third time I used it. It's a shame the construction of the book does match the excellence of the content.

This is a very good book for a beginning cook although some of the recipes are not really authentic mexican as I would hope they would be. This is a christmas present for my sister and I think she will really enjoy it - she might just have to tweak some of the recipes (ex. use chicken versus spinache).

I love this guy, he taught me everything I need to know about cooking. My husband is hispanic and he says my mexican food is better than some of his family members, especially my salsas. Rick is great and I love his TV show on pbs-- his book has great authenic recipes that everyone will love.

This may be an excellent book but it just wasn't what I was looking for. I was looking for a basic mexican food cookbook with ideas and variations for your standard tacos, burritos etc... This is not it. Many of the ingredients cannot be found at our local market. I am returning book.

A must for your collection of Mexican cooking. You will re-live the mornings at home when the aroma chocked you to death but when you sat and ate it was all worth it!! If you truly love Authentic Mexican food will you understand what i am saying.

I have not tried any of the recipes from the cookbook, but I read it cover to cover. I would give it 3 1/2 stars for user-friendlyness. The directions for many of the recipes begin by giving instructions and then saying "...or you can do it like this....or you can do it like this...or you can add this but it is optional" I think that makes for very distracting instruction, as the recipes read more like essays that encourage note-taking. For a book billed as "Everyday" I think it is a little misleading, as some people may think it's a collection of quick, make-this-tonight recipes. It is actually a collection of simpler, or simplified versions, of Mexican fare with the author's riffs on many dishes. These seem like the kind of recipes you try out (along with the author's suggestions and tips and hints, which there are a lot of, right in the directions for the recipes, where they really don't belong), and master, and ONLY THEN can you make them "every day." Which is fine, but not really what the title encourages people to think, so buyer beware.

Like I said, I cannot comment on the food. The recipes LOOKED tasty and simple enough, and they looked like real food you could feel good about feeding to friends and loved ones, so A+ for that. I did make swiss chard with onions according to his directions from the swiss chard taco recipe, and I thought it turned out great, flavorful and healthy. It's my go-to way of preparing chard now.

I think there is some good food to be made from this book, I even think the author's tips and suggesttions help the reader choose the best way to prepare a dish and make it feel like their own. I just wish it was more user-friendly; the format could be better.

I did read the reveiws for this book before I bought it and most were accurate. I haven't tried any of the recipes in this book yet, but I have read it from cover to cover. It is entertaining, but I am not sure how often I will actually use this cookbook. A lot of times Rick recommends buying ingredients from websites, and I just don't plan that far in advance. Granted living in Chicago, I have a lot of grocery options, but many the recipes will require an additional trip to a Mexican grocery store.

I love this book--one of the best Mexican cookbooks ever.

I DESPISE the BINDING so much so that I give it ONE STAR.

How could such an important book be bound so poorly.. It's glued not sewn and falls apart easily.. SAD!

I did read the reveiws for this book before I bought it and most were accurate. I haven't tried any of the recipes in this book yet, but I have read it from cover to cover. It is entertaining, but I am not sure how often I will actually use this cookbook. A lot of times Rick recommends buying ingredients from websites, and I just don't plan that far in advance. Granted living in Chicago, I have a lot of grocery options, but many the recipes will require an additional trip to a Mexican grocery store.

I love this book--one of the best Mexican cookbooks ever.

I DESPISE the BINDING so much so that I give it ONE STAR.

How could such an important book be bound so poorly.. It's glued not sewn and falls apart easily.. SAD!

As much as I love Rick Bayless and his recipes when I buy a recipe book I want to see what the dish I am making is supposed to look like. I know back in the days of the Joy of Cooking book...when my mom cooked the recipe books didn't have pictures but THEY SHOULD NOW. Had I seen this book before I ordered it. I would not have ordered it. I ordered it simply because Rick Bayless made it but HATE that it doesn't have pictures...CHeap!

Just did my first meal from "Mexican Every Day". What a crock.

After spending half a day scrounging up a variety of ingredients, and painfully following the "scoop" this and "scoop" that directions, we ended up with a very mediocre meal. We did the "Grilled Red-Chile steak with sweet plantains, red onion & chipotle salsa". The salsa was unremarkable. The plantains & onion were worse. The rub wasn't bad, but very similar to a rub in the original "Webber Grill Book"

That would not be so bad, I mean what celebrity chef doesn't bomb once in a while.

However, following the great "Bayless technique" cost me a $60 All Clad sauté pan. The recipe calls for "browning the garlic and tomatillos" on the stove in a non-stick pan. Being an idiot I followed the "Great Ones" instructions. After 30 minutes of scrubbing I am trying to salvage the Pan, but doubt I will be successful..

This book was a father's day present and I hope Mr. Baylees reads my response and not my daughter.

PS: This ain't my first rodeo

I used to think this guy was great! Lively, enthusiastic and he did it the right way by going down to Mexico and actually living there while accumulating knowledge and recipes. Then, I actually tasted his food (Frontera Brand) in the supermarket. Man, this is some of the most boring, raunchy, lifeless Mexican Food anyone ever tasted. Next to zero flavor. Seems like he takes a good Mexican Recipe and drains all the passion and flavor out of it. Don't waste your money on this No Talent Kook. Googling Taco Bell Copycat Recipes is a MUCH BETTER use of your time.