The Mexican Home Kitchen (2020)

Mely Martínez grew up in Tampico and started her blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, in 2008 for her teenage son. That origin shows: this is everyday Mexican family cooking, not restaurant food, with influences from Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Veracruz, Puebla, Estado de México and Yucatán. Pick it if you want a good family dinner on a Tuesday rather than a weekend project. The recipes are approachable without being dumbed down, which makes it the friendliest first book on this list.