New Year's Day queso compuesto

A year or so ago, I was visiting Texas in August and stopped by my grandma’s farm to say howdy. She asked if I was hungry, as she’d just co...

Complexion candy, a date, fig and pecan confection

The other day I found myself in a cookie coma. After eating nothing but cookies and homemade candy for several hours straight, my belly hurt...

Bacon-jalapeño cheese ball

While I was home for Thanksgiving, I found in my grandma’s cabinet a North Texas community cookbook from the 1970s. It was a fairly typical ...

Chilaquiles with ancho tomatillo salsa

When I first moved to New York, one of the dishes that was lacking was migas. That Texan breakfast staple of eggs scrambled with fried torti...

Homesick Texan gift guide 2011

Doing things for others is said to be a path to happiness and that may be why this time of year is filled with so much joy. While I’ve been ...

Tamale cornbread dressing

The first time I heard of tamales used as a stuffing was in Mary Faulk Koock’s The Texas Cookbook , where she tells a story about a friend o...

Sweet potato salad with cranberries and pecans

“What are you cooking this week?” asked my grandma. I told her I was making sweet potatoes. “They’re good for your eyes!” she said. My grand...

Stuffed pumpkin with cheese, bacon and chipotle chiles

The day before I left for my Texas tour, I made an incredible dish. It was a baked pumpkin stuffed with bread, Gruyere, sharp white cheddar,...

Texas Ranger cookies

When I was eight, my dad drove us from Carrollton to Arlington to see the Texas Rangers. It was my first baseball game. While my previous sp...

Tex-Mex fried pies

“I have four words for you,” said a friend. “Tex-Mex fried pie!” “Isn’t that three words?” I said. “Whatever,” he said. “But have you had on...

Entomatadas recipe

It’s that time of year when tomatoes are about to say farewell, and I’ve been eating them as often as I can. One of my favorite meals with s...

Chopped beef sandwich with a spicy barbecue sauce

Last month, when I driving down 290 on my way to my cousin’s wedding weekend in Bryan, I passed my alma mater—Cy-Fair High School. School wa...

The Homesick Texan Cookbook has finally arrived!

Life is funny. If you had told me 16 years ago when I moved to New York that someday I’d be writing a cookbook about Texan cuisine, I would ...

Chicken fajitas recipe

“Austin made me the best chicken fajitas,” said my grandma. “I have never had chicken taste so good.” My uncle is more renown for his squash...

Hatch chile apple cobbler

Last weekend, I flew home to Texas for a family wedding. It was the Aggie branch of my family—a group that not only lives near College Stati...