Black-eyed pea and chorizo soup

It’s good to be back in New York. See, like so many others (and perhaps even yourself) I was affected by the East Coast blizzard and spent a...

Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve salad)

A few days ago, I admitted that I hate beets. Now, you’d think I’d announced I hate sunshine or bluebonnets the way people reacted. “How did...

Gifts for your favorite Texans

I'm an awful procrastinator when it comes to holiday shopping. I’m lucky if I get it all done by February. This year, however, I’ve reso...

Pepita-lime crescent cookies

I had a design meeting with my book editors recently. My contribution? I brought cookies. They enjoyed the cookies but then I felt guilty. S...

Turkey tamales with guajillo-cranberry mole

My dad’s family always gets together the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I think this is smart as there’s nothing more stressful then either ha...

Pecan cobbler with sorghum syrup

If you stop at a barbecue joint or at a catfish shack in small towns across Texas, more than likely one of your dessert options will be peca...

Cactus casserole with rice, ancho chiles and cheese

Every year at this time, I face the same problem. See, I’m a bit lackadaisical when it comes to buying my plane ticket home for Thanksgiving...

Sweet potato biscuits with chorizo cream gravy and Foodways Texas

On Wednesday mornings, I take a tour of Texas’s foodways via its newspapers. I may learn about Mexican cookies being baked in San Antonio; a...

Saag paneer enchiladas

When I first moved to New York City and discovered that the Tex-Mex was seriously lacking in this town, I embraced Indian food. Now, if you’...

Buttermilk pie

“Two cups of sugar?” I said to myself as I read over my great-grandma Blanche’s recipe for buttermilk pie. That amount sounded outrageous! B...

Green chile hominy casserole with chorizo

My grandma thinks I am incapable of making any recipe without chile peppers. And she finds this very amusing. Take our conversation about ho...

Pickled green tomatoes

There was a day back in June when I was driving my mom’s car around the Brazos Valley. I didn’t have a destination, I was simply enjoying th...

Chocolate chip pecan cookies...with bacon grease

Does the world really need another chocolate chip cookie recipe? I’d say probably not. But when someone mentioned to me that they made their...