Pickled black-eyed peas
When Helen Corbitt, the famed Texan chef, arrived in Texas from New York in 1931, she was presented with the state’s love for black-eyed peas, a field pea that is…
Dip recipes
Felix queso
So, first things first. I never had the famed Felix queso at its original home, a Southeast Texas regional chain of restaurants owned and operated by the late Tex-Mex pioneer…
Baked jalapeño pimento cheese dip
Jalapeno pimento cheese is baked in a skillet, making for a hot, creamy, and spicy cheese dip perfect with tortilla chips. Chile con queso’s Southern cousin has arrived!
Jalapeño bean dip
Homemade bean dip is a cinch to make. This one is gussied up with bacon and jalapeños and best served with corn chips.
Bob Armstrong Dip: queso with taco meat, guacamole, and sour cream
About 43 years ago or so, Robert “Bob” Armstrong walked into Matt’s El Rancho in Austin and asked the owner’s son, Matt Martinez, Jr., to surprise him with something new….
Peach and bacon guacamole
This last week of August is confusing. For me, Labor Day marks the end of summer, but with the return to school, the beginning of football season, and the first…
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…
Bacon-jalapeño cheese ball
While I was home for Thanksgiving, I found in my grandma’s cabinet a North Texas community cookbook from the 1970s. It was a fairly typical cookbook, with chapters on appetizers,…
Stuffed pumpkin with cheese, bacon and chipotle chiles
The day before I left for my Texas tour, I made an incredible dish. It was a baked pumpkin stuffed with bread, Gruyere, sharp white cheddar, bacon, chipotle chiles, cream…
Corn and black bean salsa recipe
Goodness! Where has this week gone? I can’t believe it’s already Saturday! I reckon this is what happens when you have a book coming out almost a month—your life starts…