Wishlist Wednesday: H-E-B Cookbook Edition

Y'all. If you've ever been to Texas (excluding the Dallas area and a few other areas...), you've likely seen an H-E-B. H-E-B is more than a grocery store or supermarket. H-E-B is amazing. H-E-B is TEXAS. 

So, I found this cookbook that is over 200 glorious pages of H-E-B recipes! 

"Made in Texas celebrates the great food and great people that have been the heart of H-E-B for the last 100 years. — For this special cookbook, we've collected favorite recipes from customers across the state. Inside you'll find everything from hearty classics to fresh, new dishes -- all displayed in beautiful, full-color photography that brings to life the diversity and rich culture that is Texas. We invite you to share in this tasty selection of Starters, Breads, Side Dishes, Soups and Stews, Entrees and Desserts."

Y'all. H-E-B recipes! I can't find any inside photos of the recipes, but I don't care. I want this. I need this. I may have only been a Texas resident for 8 1/2 years, but I fell in love with H-E-B the very first time I visited there (Honey Graham's Nana had an H-E-B right around the corner so when we visited her, we were able to get there very easily). 

Okay, so those of you who don't know what H-E-B is, you're totally missing out. Again, it's not your average grocery store. 

Most of H-E-B brand's foods are local. In fact, a good friend of ours grows and sells her family's produce and flowers to several of the closes H-E-B stores. Strawberries come from Poteet. Peaches come from places such as Fredericksburg, You have like, a million choices of wine from nearby wineries. Shrimp comes from the gulf. Beef comes from local farmers. Melons come from the valley, corn chips are made from corn in Hondo (Their tortilla chips are even Texas shaped. ), Texas red grapefruits come from farmers all over the state, and Mootopia milk comes straight from San Antonio cows. H-E-B boasts it's local products, and taking a quick walk around will ensure your seeing many, many tags on products that proudly hail from the Lone Star State. And ya know, honestly, I very much prefer H-E-B's own brand of food to the name brands. I can't say that about any other grocery chain. H-E-B coffee (Cafe Ole!) is my very very favorite coffee. 

Many of the BBQ sauces and salsas H-E-B sells were created by Texans. In fact, you can find a page on H-E-B's website just dedicated to their produce growers. I LOVE this. H-E-B considers its farmer family, and believe me, you can tell. 

Their coupons and savings are absolutely incredible. They have their "yellow coupons" all over the store (I dare you to not find one within 10 feet of any product in the store), including Combo Loco Meal Deals, which give you at least $10-$15 dollars worth of free product when you buy the main component of the meal in question. 

I love that stores in Austin have differently stocked items than the ones in San Antonio. They really cater to their local neighborhoods. They pay attention to what people are buying and what people are requesting and then make sure they have what they want. In fact, the three closest H-E-B stores to Nana's house all had slightly different stocked items because the people in their immediate neighborhoods had slightly different needs. I LOVE THAT. And H-E-B is good about keeping items in stock and having a great selection. 

H-E-B is amazing at giving back to the community. It's hard to go to an event here in Texas where H-E-B is not involved somehow. In fact, I recently took Cocoa Puff to a parade in the city my parents live, and one of the floats was an H-E-B float with a GIANT shopping cart with H-E-Buddy (their mascot is a large grocery sack!). The crowd went NUTS over this float. Back last year when we went to "Touch-A-Truck" in San Antonio, there was another giant H-E-B shopping cart and the line was HUGE to check it out. They sponsor local 5-K races, adoption drives, pet vaccination clinics, and just about anything else you can think of. H-E-B is really something special. 

Anyway, hopefully now you can see why I really want this cookbook. Not only is the food FANTASTIC, but it's just an all around amazing company. 

What's your local grocery store? Do you love it?