Black-eyed peas for New Year's Day

My first New Year's Day in New York City, I was panic struck: where was I going to find my annual dose of black-eyed peas? Not having an...

Mexican hot chocolate and a molinillo

Editor's note: I've been travelling through Oregon celebrating Christmas with my two favorite Homesick Texans—my dad and my brother—...

Let's make tamales: part 2

You have pots of stewed meat simmering on the stove, bowls overflowing with cheese, green chiles and refried beans, a huge lump of masa and...

Homesick Texan Q&A: Joe Armstrong

Meet Joe Armstrong. He’s a New York City publisher whose name has graced the top of mastheads such as Rolling Stone (in it’s '70’s hey ...

Homesick Texan holiday gift guide

Living in New York City, I have friends and family scattered all over the place. Thank goodness for the advent of online shopping, which has...

True grits

I did not grow up in a grit-eating family. I’d beg and beg my mother to make grits, but she’d always say, “We don’t eat grits in this family...

Let's make tamales: part 1

Back in September, the delightful Wednesday Chef cooked a Regina Schrambling recipe for tamales . She was not impressed. No disrespect to Ms...

Homesick Texan Q&A: Julie Powell

Today’s Homesick Texan Q&A is with Julie Powell. Julie’s year-long, online account of how a disenchanted temp found salvation by worki...

Family, farm-fresh food and oyster crackers

Well, I’ve been to Texas. And while I thought most of my homesickness was rooted in missing Tex-Mex and barbecue, after spending two days at...

G.T.T.!

I've gone to Texas! I'll only be there for 48 hours but that should be enough time to visit with most of my family and fill my belly...

Kick the can: making fresh cranberry sauce

Cranberry sauce for many means this: a tubular, red, gelatinous substance that slithers out of a can, shiny ridges included free of charge. ...

Food for thought: "Our Daily Bread"

If you aren’t subscribing to Very Short List , you should. It’s a pithy, smart and cutting-edge daily dose of culture brought to you by Simo...

Bobby Flay's Texas Red throwdown

Did anybody see Bobby Flay’s Throwdown last night with two-time chili cook-off world champion Cindy Reed Wilkins? Wow! Her story is actually...

Frozen but not chosen

I’m a busy person. And while I’d like to cook everyday, it’s just not possible. Now I make a mean batch of cheese enchiladas and soon I’ll s...

You bet your boots

I've written before of my love of cowboy boots. And while this article in today's Times by Alex Kuczynski has little to nothing to...

Homesick Texan Q&A: Matt Armendariz

Most readers of this blog are probably already familiar with today’s Homesick Texan, Matt Armendariz. But if you have never visited his gorg...

Sweet potatoes, hold the marshmallows

Growing up, not a holiday dinner or church potluck supper was complete without a casserole dish filled with baked sweet potatoes topped with...

A big idea in a tiny package

Not everything in Texas is big. The burger above? Your typical fast-food burger, probably measures about 5 inches across. But check this out...

My cheating heart

I never thought I’d fall so hard for another cuisine. I’ve eaten in a lot of places that offered untold surprises such as fresh tuna sliced ...

Tastes that are as big as Texas

After eating myself silly for the past few days, I’ve decided to take a break and just sit still in front of the computer for a while, until...

Homesick Texan Q&A: Vickie Brown

Vickie Brown who writes the delightful and informative blog The Moveable Feast is a personal chef in Southern Virginia. Or as she puts it, ...

Texas Red FAQ

I’ve received lots of queries about my chili, so I thought I’d answer some of the more frequently asked questions: Where do you buy dried an...

How to make a pot of Texas red: Part two

"The aroma of good chili should generate rapture akin to a lover's kiss." - Motto of the Chili Appreciation Society Internatio...

Every dog has its day

I was perusing Off the Broiler yesterday and I discovered this: a Paterson, NJ delicacy called the Hot Texas Weiner. Now Texas isn’t real...

How to make a pot of Texas red: Part one

"Chili is not so much food as a state of mind. Addictions to it are formed early in life and the victims never recover. On blue days in...

Freddie Fender: 1937-2006

I'm cooking some Tex-Mex, listening to the "Lone Star" soundtrack when I hear the news: Freddie Fender is gone. I'm two f...

No cupcake left behind

Did you know that in Texas they have something called the “ Safe Cupcake Amendment ?” That’s right, under the Texas State Law cupcakes are a...

Homesick Texan Q&A: Stephen Tobolowsky

You may not know Stephen Tobolowsky by name, but you certainly know his work. He's an actor who has appeared in a host of movies and TV ...