Eating at home doesn’t have to be boring, and you can do it with a Houston twist thanks to a recent surge in excellent local cookbooks. Whether it’s soups, meals to do a body good, or Tex-Mex comfort food, local authors are here to guide you.

Houston Soups & Sips

Erin Hicks with Jodie Eisenhardt

You’ve wished for infinite servings of Ritual’s creamy seafood-gravy soup? Make your own at home. This book provides the necessary guidance, plus advice on what to drink with it—Roussanne wine or Chimay Triple Blonde beer—among its 60 recipes and pairing suggestions from local restaurants. This is Hicks’s fifth Houston-centric cookbook; in the past, she’s tackled everything from Mexican food to desserts.

Naturally Nourished: Food-As-Medicine for Optimal Health Cookbook

Ali Miller

The author—a Houston-based registered dietitian, weight-management specialist and diabetes educator—has serious credentials to back her claims about recipes for dishes that will safeguard your health. Her creations, though, are not about privation. Try the bourbon-peach pork tenderloin and banana-cacao ice cream.

The Enchilada Queen Cookbook: Enchiladas, Fajitas, Tamales, and More Classic Recipes From Texas-Mexico Border Kitchens

Sylvia Casares with Dotty Griffith

The marinade for her fajitas. The secret to her perfect tortillas. The tricks to her enviable tres leches cake. Casares, the titular Enchilada Queen, shares them all, and also shows off her literary bent—her brother Oscar is a noted author—with stories of her family’s Brownsville roots. Oh, and yes: All your favorite enchiladas are in there, too.