Cookbook Review: Queso! by Lisa Fain

Source: From Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Queso! Regional Recipes for the World's Favorite Chile-Cheese Dip by Lisa Fain
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Publication Date:  September 26, 2017

 

Format:  Hardback

Rating:



 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

A fun, full-color look at everyone's favorite cheese dip, with history, tips, facts, and 50 recipes from beloved food blogger Lisa Fain, "the Homesick Texan."

Queso (aka chile con queso) is a spicy, cheesy, comforting cult favorite that has long been a delicious addition to any party, barbecue, or family gathering. This appealing and accessible book features a mix of down-home standards and contemporary updates, from historical, regional, and Mexican quesos to vegan and dessert quesos, including Chile Verde Con Queso, Squash Blossom Queso Fundido, Fajita Queso, Cactus and Corn Queso Poblano, Frito Salad with Queso Dressing, Pulled Pork Queso Blanco, and Sausage Queso Biscuits. Whether you're relaxing with friends, having a few people over to watch the football game, or entertaining a hungry crowd, queso is the perfect party food for good times. 

Review: 
I love getting cookbooks to review for many reasons, here are a few:
1. because I am a horrible cook.
2. they have loads of instructions for me to follow to do better at the cooking.
3. the pictures are always amazing and they make me WANT to cook.

And how can you go wrong with a dip made of CHEESE? You really can't. So I requested this book to give it a try and while I have not yet made anything out of it, I have read through a good amount of it and wanted to offer my opinion of the book itself versus how the recipes turned out (because lets be real, I am probably still going to mess this up)!

The book itself is a hardback, sturdy book with thick pages great for turning with your hands covered in food. And it has a lot of wonderful information right off the bat - there is a section about different types of chiles and how to roast them (very important for a chile-cheese dip) and then a section on various cheeses as well. Some notes from that section include - Velveeta is not 'American Cheese" but it's own type of awesomeness and that if you want to make queso, you should be shredding your own cheese versus buying those bags of pre-shredded cheese. Following this treasure-trove of info are the recipes, each section starts with a brief history then jumps into the recipes themselves - almost all have images and all have the normal list of ingredients and instructions but they also provide how many servings they make and how to serve them (as a side, with chips, with warm torillas... etc).

This is a wonderful cookbook, I can't wait to make a cheesy mess all over my kitchen trying out the recipes! 
This would also make a great gift for the cheese-loving cooks in your family!