Grandma’s lemon pie
My eldest nephew Austin recently became a high school student. Since he’s been old enough to stand on a chair, he’s been helping his parents in the kitchen. These days,…
Citrus recipes
Margarita bars
A little over a year ago, I decided to stop drinking. The extra pounds and lack of sleep were not worth the few minutes of giddiness that a beer or…
Lemon lavender lamb chops
“You really are a Texan,” said a fellow guest at a group dinner in College Station one spring evening. He was referring to my choice of the beef entrée over…
Satsuma marmalade
Over the past few months, I’ve met more people who prefer marmalade than I’ve ever encountered in my life. For instance, I’d be visiting and would make a batch of…
Pork carnitas ribs
Pork carnitas ribs are slowly cooked in a citrus and garlic glaze until the meat is savory, tangy, and rich, much like its Tex-Mex namesake.
Texas grapefruit meringue pie
This early recipe for Texas grapefruit pie is a custard meringue pie, much like lemon meringue pie. A familiar and welcome twist.
Ruby Red grapefruit chess bars
The first time I learned about chess bars, I was at the Strand Bookstore in New York City browsing through its collection of regional, community cookbooks. While the Strand does…
Pork shoulder roast with garlic, citrus, and herbs
When reading a Texas community cookbook from the late 1950s, I came across an herbed pork roast studded with garlic, rosemary, and citrus. Often when I go through mid-century cookbooks,…
Lemon bread
When I first moved to New York, about once or twice a year my mom would send me a loaf of lemon bread. It was my favorite thing. The bread…
Orange pecan cinnamon rolls
When I was young, my mom was a health food nut. We’re talking a full-on carob, wheat germ, no sugar in your cereal kind of health food nut. It was…