Modern, traditional and seasonal Western Americana recipes rooted in the American West, Southwest and Sonoran Desert foodways, documenting regional food culture and history from the Taste of Tucson and Unofficial Yellowstone Ranch cookbooks author and food photographer Jackie Alpers. Recipes include chicken fried steak, cowboy beans, cowboy steaks, and so many different types of chili! 

Spicy Southwestern Deviled Egg Potato Salad Recipe

Spicy Southwestern Deviled Egg Potato Salad Recipe

This Deviled egg potato salad recipe is a protein-rich Southwestern Americana side dish that merges potato salad with deviled eggs in a spicy mustard, mayo and chipotle chile sauce. Crunchy celery and red onion, and salty capers turn this classic cookout staple into a flavor explosion. 

Campfire Grilled Whole Fish

Campfire Grilled Whole Fish

How to grill freshly caught trout or other whole freshwater fish over an open campfire using a camp stove and foil. This recipe is an excerpt from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Spicy Cowboy-Style Mac and Cheese

Spicy Cowboy-Style Mac and Cheese

Spicy cowboy-style “gun barrel” mac & cheese recipe made with barrel-shaped penne pasta baked with blue cheese, Parmesan, gruyere, Irish Cheddar and cayenne chile – for a flavor explosion that will knock you off your feet.

Masa Versus Cornmeal: What’s the Difference?

Masa Versus Cornmeal: What’s the Difference?

What’s the difference between cornmeal and masa harina? How is masa used to make corn tortillas? Can cornmeal be used in tortillas? Get the answers and recipe for Sonoran corn tortillas from Taste of Tucson cookbook author Jackie Alpers.

How To Roast A Goose

How To Roast A Goose

Recipe for how to defrost and roast a whole goose, and shred the meat for tacos or sandwiches with step-by-step instructions.

Homemade Chile Powder

Homemade Chile Powder

How to dehydrate and grind chile peppers, with recipes for chili powder and custom spice blends using fresh homegrown and/or exotic store bought chiles. Preserve expensive and/or hard to find chiles.

Arizona Cheese Crisp

Arizona Cheese Crisp

Tucson’s Sonoran-style Mexican Arizona cheese crisp made with flour tortillas, roasted Hatch green chile strips and a creamy green chile Ranch salsa. Thank you Fry’s Foods for sponsoring this recipe.

Chipotle Lime Grilled Corn Recipe

Chipotle Lime Grilled Corn Recipe

Recipe for a lighter version chipotle lime grilled corn on the cob from the Sonoran Arizona-Mexico borderlands cookbook author Jackie Alpers

Lentil Charro Caviar

Lentil Charro Caviar

Sonoran Lentil Cowboy Caviar made with is made with lentils, chile peppers and red onion in a spicy citrus vinaigrette. It’s similar to Texas Caviar made with black eyed peas and the lentils do resemble fish eggs.

Salsa Chicken Lettuce Taco Wraps

Salsa Chicken Lettuce Taco Wraps

Chicken slow-simmered in salsa, then shredded for serving in as a filling for tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, and is keto when served in lettuce cups. 

Southwestern Chicken Fried Steak & Sausage Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

Southwestern Chicken Fried Steak & Sausage Gravy & Mashed Potatoes

How to make the perfect chicken fried steak dinner – includes recipe links to my smoky mashed potatoes, sausage gravy, and garlic butter green beans. Fun fact!: The vintage plate shown in this photograph matches the one from Yellowstone that this meal was served to “Jimmy” on at the 6666 Ranch in Texas.

Watermelon Moonshine

Watermelon Moonshine

Easy recipe for Watermelon Moonshine inspired by the Lainey Wilson song featured on Yellowstone. Made in a mason jar and served with lime to cut the burn. 

Pot Roast Braised in Irish Stout Beer

Pot Roast Braised in Irish Stout Beer

Pot roast with carrots and potatoes braised in Irish Stout beer is similar to recipes brought to the American West by Irish settlers. Inspired by the Yellowstone 1923 TV series. Use as the base for Cara Dutton’s Irish Pasties recipe.

Spicy Sonoran Salsa Verde

Spicy Sonoran Salsa Verde

Recipe for Sonoran Style hot green tomatillo salsa developed by Patricia Schwabe for her restaurant Penca. From the Taste of Tucson Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Spicy Bourbon Whiskey Cocktail Recipe

Spicy Bourbon Whiskey Cocktail Recipe

Bring the heat to your usual bourbon neat with a dramatic, hot and spicy whisky cowboy cocktail inspired by Yellowstone and served in the same glassware used in the Dutton family home. Get the recipe for this spicy bourbon whisky cocktail infused with lime and chiles served over ice.

Spicy Chicken Salad Lettuce Tacos

Spicy Chicken Salad Lettuce Tacos

Mexican chicken salad tacos recipe served in lettuce wraps made with rotisserie chicken. Featured in the Glamour.com article, A Week of Delicious Chicken Recipes.

Sonoran-Style Charro Beans

Sonoran-Style Charro Beans

Vegan recipe for the saucy, whole Sonoran-style pinto beans that you see cowboys (charros) eating in old Western movies, from the Taste of Tucson cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Topopo Salad Recipe

Topopo Salad Recipe

The Topopo salad is Tucson, Arizona’s most unique regional salad. It’s is a visually stunning volcano of chopped lettuce and mixed vegetables piled high on a bean tostada. This monumental salad was first inspired by a volcano in Sonora, Mexico.

Sonoran-Style Red Pozole

Sonoran-Style Red Pozole

Pozole is a traditional “low-and-slow” braising recipe. It takes about 3½ hours to cook from start to finish because pork shoulder is a fatty cut of meat that takes a while to break down. But the pork fat is what gives this soup its richness. My Sonoran-style version of this dish is topped with lots of fresh vegetables and citrus.

Bison Nachos

Bison Nachos

Bison are a seminal component of Western American history. The massive bison hunts of the 19th century resulted in their near extinction. With conservation efforts in place, the Yellowstone bison are considered the last truly wild herd of American plains bison in existence. Regenerative bison farms have reintroduced this healthy beef alternative into American food systems.

Easy Chile Colorado con Carne

Easy Chile Colorado con Carne

Cubed beef simmered in red chile sauce for enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, salads or burritos. From the Taste of Tucson Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

Southwestern Creamy Corn Chowder with Popped Amaranth

Southwestern Creamy Corn Chowder with Popped Amaranth

Recipe for a rich and creamy, Sonoran-style charred corn chowder made with ingredients local to the Arizona-Mexico borderlands and topped with popped Amaranth a gluten-free, ancient grain native to the Western and Southwestern United States that can be popped like popcorn which adds a nice crunch.

Wild Morel Mushrooms, Onion and Acorn Soup

Wild Morel Mushrooms, Onion and Acorn Soup

Wild morel mushroom and onion soup with toasted bread and melted cheese inspired by ingredients local to Northern Montana where the TV series Yellowstone is set. From The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers.

The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook Resource & Gift Guide

The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook Resource & Gift Guide

Shop for products from the Yellowstone TV series as seen in The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers. This comprehensive list includes ingredients featured in the cookbook, cookware and plates and glassware used as props on Yellowstone, 1883 and 1923, and cooking resources.

Texas-Style Chili con Carne (Without Beans)

Texas-Style Chili con Carne (Without Beans)

Chile Colorado con Carne recipe from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook. In the season 4 finale of Yellowstone, the bunkhouse gets into a heated debate over whether or not chili has beans. The Unofficial Yellowstone cookbook shares a recipe for both chili with and without beans because Texas where the character “Jimmy” had recently visited, is famous for their Chile Colorado which is made without beans – it’s mainly beef and red chiles, and it is fabulous. Get the chili with beans recipe… and more in The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook.

Western Americana Mixed Nut Brittle

Western Americana Mixed Nut Brittle

Inspired by ingredients local to the Northwestern U.S. this crunchy, spicy, sweet mixed nut brittle is perfect for holiday gifting. Walnuts, hickory nuts, and hazelnuts are grown in Montana where the television series Yellowstone is set

Sheet Pan Garlic-Butter Green Beans

Sheet Pan Garlic-Butter Green Beans

After a hard day’s work at the 6666 Ranch in Texas, Jimmy devoured a plate of Country Fried Steak smothered with gravy and a side of green beans. I’m sharing my recipe for Sheet Pan Roasted Green Beans to whet your appetite… you’ll have to wait for The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook for the main course.

Dry-Fried Asparagus

Dry-Fried Asparagus

Dry-fried asparagus is charred and crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. It has direct contact to the pan without oil or butter. Asparagus grows wild in Montana where the Yellowstone TV series is filmed.

Cara Dutton’s Butte Pasties

Cara Dutton’s Butte Pasties

Traditionally made with leftover Sunday pot roast, Butte pasties are a beloved Montana via Ireland tradition to this day. 

Tri-Colored Smashed Potatoes

Tri-Colored Smashed Potatoes

These tri-colored smashed potatoes utilize heirloom varieties of produce, which help restore diversity to local agriculture. This recipe is an outtake, cut for space from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook by Jackie Alpers

The Red Domino Gin Cocktail

The Red Domino Gin Cocktail

A cocktail recipe from The Unofficial Yellowstone Cookbook author Jackie Alpers for Gin & juice – Yellowstone Style! With ingredients local to the Dutton family ranch. Drinks from the Yellowstone Bunkhouse: The Red Domino Cocktail.

Sonoran Hot Dog Tacos

Sonoran Hot Dog Tacos

Is it a hot dog? Is it a taco? Is it Beans & Franks? Yes, it is! My hot dog tacos are made with charro beans and topped with pickled red onion and a special sauce. This recipe is an excerpt from Taste of Tucson: Sonoran Style Recipes Inspired by the Rich Culture of Southern Arizona by Jackie

Campfire Corn on the Cob Recipe

Campfire Corn on the Cob Recipe

The secret to perfectly grilled corn in the husk for campfires or cookouts is soaking the ears first.
The photos are gold winners of the London Photography Award for Food Photography.

Sonoran Hot Dogs Recipe from El Guero Canelo Restaurant

Sonoran Hot Dogs Recipe from El Guero Canelo Restaurant

Authentic Sonoran Hot Dogs recipe from El Guero Canelo Restaurant, winner of the James Beard American Classic award for their Sonoran Hot dogs. This recipe was featured in Taste of Tucson: Sonoran-Style recipes inspired by the rich culture of Southern Arizona.

Sonoran Style Carne Asada Quesadillas

Sonoran Style Carne Asada Quesadillas

Sonoran carne asada, scallions, cheese and crunchy tortilla chips stuffed in quesadillas and grilled. Many years ago, Ben Galaz owner of BK Tacos taught me how to make Sonoran-style carne and cebollas asada. I’m using his recipe though he cooks the meat on a Santa Rita style grill with a wheel to adjust the height of the grate, and I use a Weber Kettle. If mesquite wood is not available, hickory, pecan or cherry are good substitutes.

Spicy Sonoran Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Spicy Sonoran Mashed Potatoes & Gravy

Because I’ve been known to eat a Thanksgiving meal that consists almost entirely of mashed potatoes and gravy, I replace the cream and some of the butter in the recipe with an aromatic garlic and chile infused broth that I cook the potatoes in, resulting in lighter mashed potatoes that are BIG on flavor.

Old West Style Chili

Old West Style Chili

Old West style spicy vegan chili recipe made with plant-based meat, black beans and mushrooms. Served with vegan shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Sonoran One-Pot Arroz Con Pollo

Sonoran One-Pot Arroz Con Pollo

Arroz con pollo is one of the recipes most requested by locals from my Taste of Tucson cookbook and I’ve always found chicken and rice to be a comforting combo. This is a great make ahead recipe for workday lunches. At first glance El Pato salsa de chile fresco may look like pureed tomato sauce, but it’s got a medium spicy kick of heat that will convince you otherwise.

Sonoran-Style Chicken Tortilla Soup

Sonoran-Style Chicken Tortilla Soup

Flavorful Sonoran-style tortilla soup with rotisserie chicken, diced tomatoes, green chiles, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado and crumbled Mexican cheese in a clear broth.

Nacho-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Nacho-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Sweet bell peppers stuffed with creamy nacho cheese, avocado, pickled jalapeños, black beans and crunchy tortilla chips.

Beef Patty Tacos Recipe

Beef Patty Tacos Recipe

Teresa Matias told me that to help satisfy her children’s cries for burgers when buns weren’t handy, she would fold a hamburger patty into a tortilla and fry it. Topped with cheese, lettuce, and tomato, it later became a regular menu item at her restaurant, Teresa’s Mosaic Cafe. Apparently, a lot of moms had the same experience, because the beef patty taco has been standard restaurant fare around southern Arizona since at least the mid-1970s.

How to Grill The Perfect Cowboy Steak

How to Grill The Perfect Cowboy Steak

Making authentic cowboy steaks is really easy. When I asked Bryan Keith, the Grill Master from Pinnacle Peak Steak House if he had any additional tips he said, “Put some love in it!”

Sonoran-Style Street Corn Hot Dogs

Sonoran-Style Street Corn Hot Dogs

I’m pretty sure I invented the Elote Dog when I first developed this recipe for The Food Network in 2018. Since then Elote Hot Dogs, inspired by Sonoran-Mexican Street Corn have become a sensation with hot dog enthusiasts all over the word coming up with their own version. Here’s my recipe for hot dogs topped with elote, mayo, lime and spices and served in a bolillo roll.

Three Sisters Masa Pizza

Three Sisters Masa Pizza

Corn, beans and squash are three of the earliest domesticated crops grown by Native Americans in the Sonoran region. For this recipe, prepared corn masa, which is usually used to make tortillas or gorditas, is pressed into a cast iron skillet for the crust. If you’ve never tried tepary beans, this recipe is an excellent way to experiment with them, but you can substitute black beans instead if you want.

Sweet Pepper Poppers

Sweet Pepper Poppers

MIni Sweet Mini Pepper Poppers stuffed with jalapeno cream cheese and topped with panko bread crumbs. Recipe development and food photography for the Food Network.

Northern Style Southern Biscuits

Northern Style Southern Biscuits

Until recently, the only biscuits I ever made at home came from a Pop n’ Fresh can, so when friends from overseas asked me for a real American biscuit recipe, I scoured every book I could find, starting with the biscuit tome Southern Biscuits by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart, and ending with Alton Brown’s always insightful analysis in I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking.

Spicy Sonoran Potato Salad

Spicy Sonoran Potato Salad

Here in Southern Arizona, our famous Sonoran style Mexican food is often garnished with pickled red onions and Mexican limes. I’ve incorporated those flavors into this mayonnaise-free spicy potato salad tossed with a chile-lime vinaigrette.

Rolled and Baked Breakfast Tacos Recipe

Rolled and Baked Breakfast Tacos Recipe

Wake, roll and bake for breakfast with these crispy rolled and baked sausage, egg and cheese breakfast tacos, with instructions on how to make rolled tacos.