Sweet potato cheesecake
My uncle’s special Thanksgiving dessert is sweet potato pie. My brother’s special Thanksgiving dessert is pumpkin cheesecake. And since I’m going to see both of them on Thanksgiving, I decided…
Cream cheese
Lemon poppyseed French toast casserole
My stepmom is the master of the French toast casserole. The first time I ever had one was at her and my dad’s house, and she’s so adept at the…
Pimento cheese stuffed pickled jalapenos
Recently, I’ve been feeling nostalgic for the cafeteria experience. While there are many dishes I’ve enjoyed there over the years, there was always one item I was curious about but…
Texas chili powder cheese ball
The first time I wrote about cheese balls on this site, I featured a character named Aunt Betty. She was a fancy relation who impressed everyone with her culinary prowess,…
El Paso-style chile con queso, 1947
El Paso has long been one of my favorite cities. When I considered where to live upon my return to Texas, El Paso was high on the list, and eliminated…
Cherry Dr Pepper cheesecake bars
A few years ago for his birthday, my uncle asked my grandma to make a cherry pie he’d spied in her collection of recipes. This was an unusual request as…
Strawberry cream cheese kolaches
Last week I began the writing phase of my book, which means every morning I get up early and begin working. Because I like to write without any distractions, I…
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 cooked…
Armadillo eggs recipe
Once a year, a reader shoots me an email asking when I’ll be writing an armadillo eggs recipe. At first I said, “Uh, armadillos are mammals—they don’t lay eggs!” But…
Strawberry sheet cake
I have to say that it’s good to be in charge. Sure, I’m awfully busy—waking up at the crack of dawn and cooking until the sun sets. But as the…