Chocolate smoothie
When I was growing up, there was a chocolate powdered drink known as an instant breakfast. You poured a packet into a glass, added milk or water, stirred, and then…
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Green chile macaroni and cheese
On a recent call to my mom, she told me she was in Taos, New Mexico. She’s been retired for a couple of years, and my brother and I joke…
Pecan cranberry wedding cookies
When I think about the Dallas weddings I used to attend as a child in the 1970s, the one constant was a heaping plate of round white cookies. They were…
Turkey chili Frito pie
When a friend threw a late-fall party, she served turkey Frito pies. Her husband is unable to eat red meat, so the family has become quite adept at replacing beef…
Salsa verde turkey meatballs
Meatballs have been on my mind. A few weeks ago, a friend mentioned he had a new Italian meatball recipe that he wanted to cook with me. He was curious…
Broccoli grape salad, North Texas style
“Is broccoli salad on the menu?” a woman asked me as we waited in line for barbecue at Goldee’s Bar-B-Q in Kennedale, Texas. There was not, I replied. She shook…
Green chile blue cornbread
As my kitchen filled with the scent of roasted green chiles and blue corn, I was looking forward to the skillet of cornbread taking shape in the oven. After baking…
Hot Hatch honey mustard chicken
Whenever I have a serious deadline, I create a new diversion to avoid completing my task. For instance, when I was writing my Queso book, I decided it was an…
Cherry lime slushy
Iced beverages are a summertime staple in Texas, a tradition that goes back many years. Before at-home refrigeration was widespread, people would shop at neighborhood ice houses to purchase the…
Sour cherry pudding cake
Recently I’ve begun looking into my ancestors’ roots. This isn’t a new project, but it’s the first time I’ve researched my family’s history outside of Texas. Curiously, I’d never thought…
