Saved by red beans and rice
To celebrate Mardi Gras, I decided to try and to make gumbo. I failed. It wasn’t the fault of the recipe, I just don’t think I’m hard-wired to stand in…
Main dish recipes
A true, authentic Texas chili recipe
I love to buy chiles, especially when I find ones that are soft and pliant, so fresh you can imagine they were drying in a Mexican field maybe just last…
Carne guisada, Tex-Mex stew
I receive many emails from y’all, asking when I’ll be writing about a certain favorite Texan food. I’ve had requests for everything from deep-fried pickles to peanut-butter pie. But the…
Making my own Mexican chorizo
When I was young and silly, I found a recipe for mussels and chorizo. I loved chorizo—it was that tangy, spicy sausage I ate mixed with my scrambled eggs at…
My oven-baked brisket
Brisket is one of those things that every Texan eats and every Texan has a definitive recipe on how to cook it. We smoke it, we braise it, we roast…
Pinto beans, three ways
It doesn’t take much to please me. Give me a big, steaming bowl of charra beans, borracho beans or even plain, porky pinto beans and I will be delighted. Beans…
Making corny dogs at home
Football, cooler weather, and chili cook offs all signify that it’s autumn in Texas. But no October is complete without a trip to the State Fair of Texas. Held in…
In search of West Texas asado
Have you ever had asado? Nope, not carne asada. Asado. You haven’t? Don’t worry; I hadn’t either until a couple of months ago. But I don’t think it’s too farfetched…
Hurricane Ike and some homemade peanut butter
My brother Jacob was married in Portland, Oregon last weekend. A joyous occasion, definitely, but there was a hint of anxiousness as Hurricane Ike barged into our hometown of Houston,…
Marfa and a plate of stacked enchiladas
“Oh Texas, rise and sing along, forever a part of you is gone. Oh Texas, say a word today in praise of the Old Borunda Cafe” From the song “Old…