Food Features:
Lavender Flower Power
by Lori Grossman
The beautiful Hill Country north of San Antonio is famous for its breathtaking stands of wildflowers – especially Texas' state flower, the bluebonnet. But now, there's also lavender "in them thar hills." And it's not just for sachets - you can eat it. too. So many lavender farms have sprouted in the area between Blanco, Fredericksburg, Johnson City, and Austin, that Blanco hosts a Lavender Festival every June that attracts thousands of lavender lovers.

Texas Wines:
Stone House Vineyard
by Randy Lankford
Growing up in southern Australia’s Barossa Valley, one of the country's most prolific wine making regions, it never occurred to Angela Moench that people did anything other than make wine. Everyone was a vintner and there were grapevines everywhere she looked. Even her own family has been in the wine business for generations. It's not surprising then, that when she came to Texas, she brought that attitude with her.

Traditional Texas Fare:
Jicama & Opuntia (Prickly Pear): Flavors of the Southwest
by John Raven, Ph.B.
With the coming of spring, it is only natural to want to do your cooking outside and avoid all the heat and smoke in the house. If you have a patio, it's the perfect place to assemble and consume your meals. If you don't have a patio, the back yard will have to do. In either case as long as you are under clear skies, the meal will taste a lot better.

Food Features:
HemisFair '68: Fare from the Fair
by Lori Grossman
"San Antonio sure knows how to throw a party. In 1968, to celebrate its 250th birthday, a world's fair, called HemisFair '68, opened on April 6, 1968. With so many exhibits to see and foods to sample, a visit was a treat for the soul and the palate." Lori Grossman's childhood memories of HemisFair also include the great international cuisine, and she favors us with some of the recipes.

Texas Wines:
Su Vino Winery
by Randy Lankford
If you're going to open a winery in a town called Grapevine, it had better be good. Especially if it's going to be located in the city's historic district. So when husband and wife team David and Chari Scott bought it in 2005, they knew they had their work cut out for them.

Food Features:
Mrs. Baird's Bread: 100 Years of Goodness
by Lori Grossman
For generations, Texans have enjoyed Mrs. Baird's Bread. The Fort Worth-based bakery most likely provided the bread for your school lunch sandwich, or the hot dog and hamburger buns for family picnics. And it all began with a woman's need to support her family.

Traditional Texas Fare:
Patio Cooking
by John Raven, Ph.B.
With warmer weather comingi on, it makes sense to cook outside whenever you can and avoid all the heat and smoke in the house. If you have a patio, it's the perfect place to assemble and consume your meals. If you don't have a patio, the back yard will have to do. In either case as long as you are under clear skies, the meal will taste a lot better.

Texas Wines:
Windy Hill Winery
by Randy Lankford
Don't let the relaxed attitude and the friendly smiles fool you. Augie and Linda Weitzen may look at ease when they're pouring wine for guests at their Windy Hill Winery in Brenham, but when the doors close they get down and dirty.

Food Features:
A Toast to Champagne
by Lori Grossman
Whether it's a celebration with a crowd of family and friends or a romantic tête à tête, a bottle of bubbly is usually the drink of choice. Unfortunately, champagne doesn't come with a handy instruction booklet or DVD. So, here's a short history, followed by some interesting facts, and recipes that will help you finish off the leftovers.

Traditional Texas Fare:
Barbecue Sauce
by John Raven, Ph.B.
Every griller or barbecuer needs the perfect barbecue sauce to accent his or her cooking skills. There are several thousand flavors of barbecue sauce on the market. I'm sure the majority of them will serve their purpose well, but the serious cook wants to have his own distinct sauce that he alone creates from various ingredients.

Texas Traditional Fare:
The History of Chili Cook-Offs
by John Raven, Ph.B.
John Raven's five-part series relates how the chili cook-off came to be, together with all the colorful characters, controversies and chili politics that have resulted in the chili cook-off phenomenon of today. Numerous prize-winning chili recipes are included.

Part One: In the Beginning
Part Two: Chili Competition Erupts in Terlingua
Part Three: The Sixties; Terlingua Cook-Off Grows
Part Four: Upheavals, Female Competitors and a Parting of the Ways
Part Five: The Chili World Split in Two

Texas Dining:
Mi Tierra: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
There's a neon sign outside the Mi Tierra Restaurant in San Antonio's Market Square. It glows 24/7 in red defiance of the night. "We never close," it proclaims, proudly. That's not entirely true. The Cortez family has closed the 500-seat restaurant twice: for half a day on November 22, 1963 when John Kennedy was in town and another half day when patriarch Pete Cortez died. Other than those 24 hours, Mi Tierra has been in constant operation since 1951.