South Texas baked flautas
One time when I was passing through Del Rio, I spotted a charming restaurant on the outskirts of town. Feeling hungry, I decided to stop for lunch. When I walked…
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Crawfish étouffée, Southeast Texas style
A few years ago, a friend of mine from Opelousas, Louisiana made crawfish étouffée for a group of us. He was sharing a piece of his home culture with his…
Chicken sesame noodles
When I first moved to New York City, there was a Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood that offered free sesame noodles with every purchase. For someone young with limited income,…
Spinach enchilada casserole
When I was growing up in Houston, we lived out in the suburbs, closer to Tomball than downtown. While I enjoyed my school, my classmates, and my home, my friends…
Texas pulled pork queso
My cousin married a woman from Kansas City. We’ve become good friends and the other day when she was doing work in Marfa, she sent me a text discussing the…
Tostadas espadas
When I pulled into Rio Grande City, I was hungry. I’d been driving all morning and after a hearty breakfast taco in Laredo, it was time to get some lunch….
Black-eyed pea gumbo
Black-eyed peas have long been the dish of choice for Texans on New Year’s Day. While this humble field pea was once considered poor-people food and not eaten by polite…
Milk punch
Last spring, my friends and I sat on the porch at Mattie’s in Austin. We shared a fried chicken dinner and enjoyed the unseasonably cool weather. With the sparkly lights,…
Green chile turkey spaghetti
When I was setting up my first apartment after college, I went to an antique store to look at furniture. Sitting by the register was a large cast-iron skillet. The…
Fancy green bean casserole
Earlier this year, I went to a Mexican restaurant that had fried green beans on the menu. The crisp coating was sprinkled with smoky red chiles, and the combination of…
