The Sonoran Grill

I had some time to kill while waiting for a flight to take off from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. I started looking at some cookbooks, and this offering from Mad Coyote Joe was displayed prominently. Once you flip through this book, it's as good as bought! MCJ is upfront about his background - he's not a trained cook, but he loves the food he makes, knows it backwards and forwards, and has a passion for letting others know about how to make the stuff he loves. Most importantly, the language he uses is clear and concise and is therefore accessible to all levels of readers, including those like me who have to ask our spouses where they keep the butter.The recipe for Joe's 'Two-Chile Salsa' is alone worth the price of admission. This is the type of dish you bring to a gathering and as the guests gorge themselves you're bound to get an incredulous "*you* made this?"-type of reaction.

Cookbooks are my hobby and I read dozens of them all the time. Most fail because they are frequently of foods that require complicated preparation and/or are foods that the average American doesn't enjoy. Another failing of most cookbooks is that the author has tried hard to fill the book up with recipes rather than giving a few that are tried, true and tasty. Mad Coyote Joe has obviously tried all of his recipes because everything in his book is delicious besides being easy to prepare. He has also chosen a popular setting for preparation of his culinary masterpieces. Most people like to do barbecue for assembled friends and parties and Joe has given us lots of food presentations with which to impress our friends and families. This cookbook is so good I am going to buy one for everyone on my Christmas list.

Mad Coyote Joe's "The Sonoran Grill" could have been just another Southwestern cookbook. But it isn't. Richly patterned with pictures of succulent dishes and recipes that read like poetry -- "whole slow-smoked suckling pig with citrus-chili negro marinade" -- this cookbook bedazzes the eye and preps the palate for unexplored delights. Meanwhile, Joe settles you comfortably into the Southwest itself, with background stories of his experiences of the peoples and places he loves. Best of all, the book promises, you don't have to be a culinary magician to bring real Southwestern excitement to your backyard grill. Just follow the recipes -- and take your time.

Author, Mad Coyote Joe, shows you how to go from mediocre to margaritaville with this easy to follow book, The Sonoran Grill. Packed with his best recipes from the popular southwestern cooking show, The Sonoran Grill, you will never look at grilling food the same way again. This book covers chile peppers, soups, salads, salsas, side dishes, sauces and rubs, main dishes, drinks and desserts...Mexican Green Rice, tequila grilling sauce for fish, grilled coconut shrimp, grill-baked paella, and almond kahlua flan to name a few of his mouthwatering recipes. The recipe for Habanero-lime butter will have you laying down on the floor and screaming with ecstasy and is worth the price of the book alone!