Food

Better Grains

For a staple as old as early human societies, wheat has had a rough go this century. First it was calories, then it was carbs. These days, it’s the mysterious, invisible, nominally understood ...

Yeasted Waffles

A couple of opinions about food that I stand by: Hot dogs over hamburgers, cakes beat out pies and pancakes don’t stand a chance against waffles. Yes, hot, crispy waffles straight out of the iron ...

Something About Berries

Humans have long had a love affair with berries—both wild and cultivated—for their deliciousness, versatility and beauty. Native Americans first used berries in tinctures to treat pain, heart ...

Cooking with Cheese

Cheese, glorious cheese! It’s “milk’s leap toward immortality,” according to writer Clifton Fadiman. With earliest known origins that date back to 5500 B.C., cheese has long been a source of ...

Pot Stickers

I remember the first time I ate a dumpling. I was visiting New York City on a school trip and our chaperone took us to the iconic Joe’s Shanghai in midtown Manhattan for dim sum. We were ...

First Bites

A few months ago, our farmer neighbor told us how her grandmother would give her babies a picked-clean chicken bone to help with teething; I laughed, thinking how odd and even dangerous that ...

Navigating the Tofusion

Ah, tofu—ridiculed by some, loved by others, scoffed at by many and scarfed down by hungry vegans and vegetarians, worldwide. It’s viewed both as a wholesome choice and an unappetizing foodstuff. ...

This is the taste of my childhood: sitting on the bed of a truck in South Texas eating this ice cream with Hill Country peaches on top. As you can tell, my Grammy passed along her love of turquoise ...

Food for the Soul

When my grandfather died on Christmas Day in 1993, he was in the home where my extended family traditionally celebrates the holiday. My grandmother, though distraught, quickly decided what to do ...

Healthy Heat

Spice, heat, fire—some of us can’t handle even a touch of it in our food; others can’t get enough. Regardless of personal thresholds, many people, including some Central Texan foodies, believe ...