The Tex-Mex Table: 60 Knockout Recipes from the Lone Star State, written by Mandi Hickman, features a vibrant collection of Tex-Mex recipes perfect for home cooks. A few highlights include Easy Breakfast Tacos, Chipotle-Agave Chicken, Baked Strawberry Barbecue Ribs, Creamy Queso, and Churro Chocolate Banana Bread. I will also be sharing her recipe for Cucumber-Lime Margaritas following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
This recipe contains alcohol. It is intended only for those over the age of 21 (in the United States). Please drink/eat responsibly.

Mandi Hickman
Mandi Hickman is a food blogger and photographer. She created the food blog, Dash of Mandi, as a way to share homemade and delicious meals for busy people.
She currently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and dog.
The Tex-Mex Table

Mandi begins The Tex-Mex Table with a short introduction and how she fell in love with Tex-Mex cuisine with the inspiration of the Austin food scene. From there, she jumps straight into the recipes with notes at the beginning of each chapter.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Tacos & Tortilla Handhelds, Tex-Mex Meats & Mains, BBQ & Other Lone Star Classics, Oven Meals with Tex-Mex Flair, Crowd-Pleasing Appetizers, The Best Salsas & Fixins, Seriously Good Sides, and Sugar & Booze: A Southern Send-Off.
The contents have a list of included recipes with page number for easy reference.
The enticing photography is also by Mandi. Every recipe is paired with a full-page photo of the finished dish.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English. The headnotes share basic information, personal stories, yield, serving ideas, and tips.
Cucumber-Lime Margaritas

It has been quite a while since I have tried a new Margarita recipe, so I was excited to come across Cucumber-Lime Margaritas in The Tex-Mex Table!
Many of the dishes I have made so far come together with minimal effort, but this Margarita was the easiest by far at less than 10 minutes!
Cucumber slices are muddled in a cocktail shaker to release their juices, then shaken with tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and ice.
After dividing between the two salt-rimmed glasses, the drinks are topped off with lime seltzer water (Mandi recommends about 2 to 3 ounces, 60-90 milliliters per glass).
Serve immediately garnished with additional cucumber and lime slices. That’s it! I especially loved the combination of cucumber and lime. They created such a refreshing drink perfect for summer.
Other Dishes

I also made the Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos, Tex-Mex Meatballs & Rice, Quick Pickled Red Onions, and Tex-Mex Fried Rice.
The Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos were such an easy dinner option with the help of the slow cooker. Beef brisket is slowly cooked with chipotle chilies, green chilies, beef broth, and spices until tender, then served in tortillas with cabbage, cheese, pickled red onions, and cilantro.
The Tex-Mex Meatballs & Rice were a personal favorite. It was such a flavor-packed weeknight meal! Seasoned chicken-based meatballs are simmered in red enchilada sauce with rice until tender, then topped with a shredded Mexican cheese blend and cilantro.
I made the Quick Pickled Red Onions to go with the Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos. They came together easily with just a handful of ingredients for quite the delicious accompaniment to a variety of dishes.
The Tex-Mex Fried Rice was such a fun use of pantry staples. Leftover cooked white rice is pan-fried with onion, jalapeƱo, salsa, green onion, and spices for a flavorful side.

The Tex-Mex Table is a great pick for those looking for Tex-Mex recipes to easily recreate at home. There is a nice variety from appetizers and snacks to mains, sides, drinks, and desserts. Many of the recipes come together in just one pan/pot/baking dish for simple weeknight clean-up.
Most of the ingredients are readily available in the average American grocery store. A few items that may require further searching include fresh seafood, chipotles in adobo, cotija or queso fresco, diced pimentos, Old Bay seasoning, pepitas, tomatillos, poblano peppers, liquid smoke, and Key lime juice.
Cucumber-Lime Margaritas Recipe
Excerpt from The Tex-Mex Table
Cucumber-Lime Margaritas
Ingredients
- 3 slices of lime
- Sea salt
- 8 thin slices of cucumber plus more for garnish
- 3 ounces (90 milliliters) silver tequila
- 2 ounces (60 milliliters) Cointreau
- Juice of 1 lime
- Lime seltzer water
Instructions
- Run one lime slice around the rim of your glasses.
- Fill a shallow bowl or plate with the sea salt. Gently dip the rim of the glass in the salt until it's coated.
- Add ice to the glasses, then set aside.
- Add the cucumber slices to a cocktail shaker and muddle them to release their juices.
- Fill the shaker with the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and ice. Shake well to mix.
- Divide the margarita between the two prepared glasses.
- Add your desired amount of lime seltzer water to each glass (Mandi uses 2 to 3 ounces, 60 to 90 milliliters).
- Garnish with a cucumber slice and a slice of lime.
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