Hatch chile pimento cheese
A friend in Southeast Texas was describing her pimento cheese, which was popular with her friends. “It always goes first at parties,” she said. She then began to divulge her…
Dip recipes
Vegan queso
This summer, the Texas Rangers ballpark in Arlington will be featuring nachos topped with a vegan queso that is made from cashews. When I heard the news, I was surprised….
Jalapeño dill pickle dip
When a friend set out some snacks for us to enjoy, she pointed to a bowl loaded with chopped pickles and speckled with dill. “This is pickle dip,” she said….
Queso with black beans, Austin style
When I was in my early 20s living in Austin, after a night on the town my friends and I would find ourselves at one of the city’s all-night cafes….
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…
Texas caviar
Back when I first lived in New York, finding black-eyed peas was a challenge. While I do enjoy them year-round, it was around New Year’s Day that I became most…
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…
Guacamole with corn (guacamole con elote)
Some things never change and that old saw about Texas weather being predictably unpredictable still holds true. Take last Sunday, for instance. In the morning, the sky was clear and…
Texas caviar chile con queso
This time last year, I was asking people for black-eyed pea recipe ideas. Most shared with me dishes that involved lots of pork and peas, a common combination as the…