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.

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.

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.

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.

Texans Love Their Coleslaw
by Trish Bales
When I first moved to Texas, from Louisiana, and tasted coleslaw I did not care for it.  It always seemed too runny, too tangy or too slimy.  It actually wasn't until I visited Vancouver, Canada that I found a coleslaw I thought delicious.  Since then, I've tasted many wonderful versions of coleslaw and it is now one of my favorite sides.

Good Eatin' Tonight: Elvis Favorites
by Lori Grossman
Let's now pay homage to Southern cooking, which is also referred to as down-home or comfort food. This often means well-cooked meat, fried foods, and rich desserts. The King of Rock 'n' Roll grew up eating Southern food and loved nothing better. In honor of Elvis's birthday on January 8, I will focus on a few of his favorite dishes.

Wreaths You Can Eat
by Lori Grossman
Wreaths are popular decorations, and not just for Christmas. One fact you might not have known – wreaths can be good eating, but not the one on your front door! Lori Grossman shows two luscious treats made in the shape of a wreath. Enjoy them during the holidays, or any time of the year.

A Texas Holiday Cheese Plate
by Trish Bales
Texas cheeses - have you tried them? Did you know that Texas produces quite a variety of delicious cheeses across the state? Trish Bales points out some popular Texas cheeses. ways to serve them at your gatherings and some dynamite recipes.

Spinach: Pride of Crystal City & Thanksgiving Side Dish
by Lori Grossman
Thanksgiving dinners and other holiday meals are beginning to take shape, at least in the minds of America's cooks. We often stick to the same menu year after year in the name of tradition. That's all well and good, but there's no law that says you can't tweak tradition from time to time. Consider adding a tasty spinach side dish to your table this year.

Old-Fashioned Treats for Tricksters
by Lori Grossman
Halloween brings back all kinds of childhood recollections for Lori Grossman. Her present-day plans are no less enthusiastic with delicious treats that are enjoyed by all ages. She includes recipes for Caramel Apples, Pumpkin Spice Bars, and Devil's Food Cake with Creamy Chocolate Frosting.

Cilantro: It's Not Just for Salsa Anymore
by Lori Grossman
If you're familiar with the herb cilantro, it's probably because you make your own salsa. Don't limit yourself, though. Cilantro can be used in lots of other dishes.

St. Arnold's Brewery: Exotic Texas Beer
by Randy Lankford
It’s not hard to get a Texan to drink a beer. It’s about like convincing a rock to sink to the bottom of a pond. It is, however, tougher to get a Texan to drink an unknown, possibly exotic beer. Like most people, Texans are creatures of habit and one of their most ingrained habits is their beer choice. There are only five craft beer breweries in Texas. The oldest, the St. Arnold Brewery in Houston, was founded by Brock Wagner in 1994.

Gracious Lady
by Lori Grossman
At her funeral service, a family friend said, "Heaven is an even more beautiful place today, because Lady Bird Johnson is there . . . and now there are Texas bluebonnets planted along those streets of gold."

Blue Bell: The Little Creamery in Brenham
by Lori Grossman
We Texans think Blue Bell is the best ice cream in the world. Despite our obvious bias, we aren't alone in our loyalty. Blue Bell is available in only 17 states (check their web site for your area), so expatriate Texans and other devotees order their choice of four half-gallons of ice cream – to be delivered by FedEx, no less. And when we say Blue Bell is out-of-this-world, we're not kidding. In 1995, astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis took some Blue Bell along for the ride.

Luby’s Cafeterias: A Texas Tradition
by Lori Grossman
If you've spent any length of time in the Lone Star state, you know what a "Lu ann" is. For those of you who have yet to enjoy this Texas treat, I'm referring to the famous combination plate that you can find only at the popular Luby's cafeterias.

Mom's Comfort Food
by Lori Grossman
Every Texas town has at least one eating establishment that loves to brag about its down-home cooking. I've seen a few that lay claim to cuisine "even better than Mom used to make." In some cases, they may be right but, in my humble (and totally unprejudiced) opinion, my mom had a few tricks of her own up her sleeve.

Poteet Strawberries Forever
by Lori Grossman
It's springtime in South Texas, which means two things – bluebonnets and Poteet strawberries. Poteet, which calls itself the "Strawberry Capital of Texas," is about 30 miles south of San Antonio. When you're driving into town, you know you're in the right place when you see the city's water tower. It's shaped like a strawberry.

Tomatoes: The Golden Apples of Cooking
by Lori Grossman
Red or green, canned or fresh, Lori Grossman finds tomatoes a pretty juicy subject. Along with tomato trivia and history, she manages to come up with some fine tomato recipes.

Easy Tex-Mex
by Corina Miller
The aroma of roasting chili peppers, simmering borracho beans and fresh tortillas is a welcoming odor for any Tex-Mex food aficionado. And luckily, it's a treat that even serious Tex-Mex food lovers can savor any night. While experienced cooks describe the dramatic details involved in preparing chicken enchiladas with green poblano and tomatillo sauce, the intense labor behind spicy pork tamales or the efforts used to hand roll sopapillas, there's an easier path to Tex-Mex treats.

Pass the Biscuits, Pappy
by Lori Grossman
Because food is necessary to sustain life, it plays a part in almost everything, even Texas politics. During the 1938 governor's race, biscuits were on the lips figuratively and probably literally, too of many Texans.

Cinnamon or Cassia? The True Story
by Lori Grossman
Cinnamon is one of the "must-have" spices. Whether you're a frequent cook, or only drag yourself into the kitchen on special occasions, it's a pretty safe bet that you have cinnamon in your cabinet or spice rack. But how much do you really know about cinnamon? John Raven, Ph.B. - one of Texas Cooking's resident experts - listed some basic information in his article, The Spices of Life. It piqued my desire to learn more about my favorite spice.

Yamboree's the Place to Be
by Lori Grossman
If you're a yam fan, then clear your calendar for October 18-21, 2006. The 69th annual Yamboree is the place to be. Gilmer, Texas has hosted the East Texas Yamboree since 1935, only skipping two years during World War II. The population of this Northeast Texas town (normally around 34,000) swells to include nearly 100,000 festival-goers each year. Word has spread far and wide – so far that cable's Food Network featured the Yamboree on its program All American Festivals. Learn the differences between yams and sweet potatoes, and get in on some great recipes.

Mouthfuls of Culture
by Sally Daverse
It is said that an army travels on its stomach. While food writer Sally Daverse doesn't exactly travel on her stomach, she plans her outings with food very much in mind. She also relates that meatballs can be a savory, spicy experience even when they don't contain meat, and provides Greek- and Caribbean-influenced recipes that make her case.

Essential Extracts
by Lori Grossman
Do you remember helping your mom cook? I certainly do - especially when it was time to do some baking. My responsibility was assembling the necessary ingredients. And, always, Adams Best vanilla extract was my favorite. Our cupboard contained other Adams extracts (almond, lemon, etc.) plus the requisite four-pack of food coloring. If you grew up in Texas, your kitchen cabinet probably contained a few Adams extracts, too.

The ABCs of Foolproof Fudge
by Sally Daverse
Every great cook starts somewhere, and mastery arrives to those who are willing to try new recipes and make some mistakes. See what happens when Sally Davers uses her kitchen as a playground by cooking with new ingredients and techniques. Her test recipe: Foolproof Fudge.

Castroville: Little Alsace of Texas
by Lori Grossman
Lori Grossman reveals recipes for Alsatian desserts and other foods found in Castroville, Texas - a.k.a. "The Little Alsace of Texas." Not only are there many interesting festivals year round, but this small South Texas town serves up foods based on its cultural heritage, such as Kugelhopf and Castroville Parisa.

Broken Arrow Ranch
by Randy Lankford
Texas is known for its whitetail deer hunting. What isn't commonly known is that whitetail deer meat can’t be sold. The Broken Arrow Ranch in Ingram, Texas is filling the gap between supply and demand.

Corn on the Fourth of July
by Patricia Mitchell
Corn is the most American of food. Although it is thought to have originated in central Mexico, Native Americans had been cultivating it for well over a thousand years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue. And when the Pilgrims were struggling along, barely surviving the winter of 1620, Native Americans came to the rescue with, among other things, corn. Under the tutelage of Squanto, the colonists planted corn in the spring of 1621, and their survival was assured.

Thumping Watermelons in Luling
by Lori Grossman
It doesn't matter when the official first day of summer is -- calendar-wise. For me, it's not summer in Texas until I take my first bite of sweet, juicy ice-cold watermelon. As a native Texan, I might be just a tad prejudiced, but I think the best watermelons anywhere grow right here in the Lone Star State.

Finding the Chipotle in Your Spring Menu
by Trish Bales
While we are enjoying the cool evenings and the song-filled mornings, we can also enjoy some refreshing menus utilizing fresh spring ingredients by adding some traditional Texas spices for that extra flair. The tradition of smoking a jalapeño thereby turning it into a chipotle pepper has been a part of Texas cuisine since it was passed down to us by the Aztecs.

Cascarones: "Eggstra" Good Fun
by Lori Grossman
While explaining that cascarones are little packages of fun that are part of Latino tradition often surrounding Easter and Cinco de Mayo, Lori Grossman shares instructions for making your own, plus tasty recipes for making good use of the eggshell contents, including Smashing Scrambled Eggs, Fiesta Pepper Salsa and a to-die-for Chocolate Roll Cake.

Sweet Potatoes for Dessert
by Patricia Mitchell
If you have volunteered to bring a dessert to your family gathering this Thanksgiving, you are probably combing the Internet in search of the right recipe. If sweet potatoes sound good to you, then your search has been whittled down to the six recipes in this article -- four pies, a cheesecake, and the ultimate sweet potato pudding casserole.

Brining the Turkey
by Patricia Mitchell
The jury is in, and food authorities agree that the average supermarket turkey will benefit from a leisurely soak in brine, a simple saltwater solution. Brined turkeys are moister, better flavored and have a crisper skin than turkeys straight from the store. The process is simple, with only three major elements to keep in mind.

Bohanan's Prime Steaks & Seafood: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
Mark Bohanan runs one of the state's top steakhouses, serving top grade beef that cannot be found anywhere else. Starting with humble cafeteria beginnings, Chef Bohanan has created one of the top five restaurants in San Antonio.

Not Your Average Burger
by Patricia Mitchell
Grilling has advanced to a fine art. And grills, not to mention grilling accessories, are sophisticated and often expensive. With all that in mind, however, the single most popular item emerging "hot off the grill" in millions of American backyards and patios this summer is the Plain Old Burger ("POB" for short).

Texas Hills Vineyard
by Randy Lankford
"If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly." That was Gary Gilstrap's philosophy ten years ago when he pulled up stakes in Colleyville, a suburb of Dallas, and moved his wife, Kathy and their dog, Natasha, to Johnson City and opened the Texas Hills Winery. It all began with little more than a big idea and a small soil sample.

Biga On The Banks: San Antonio
by Randy Lankford
"It's Italian slang for a bread starter. You'd keep a biga around the house and use a chunk of it to start your bread dough." That's as close as Bruce Auden comes to explaining the name of his restaurant, Biga On The Banks on San Antonio's Riverwalk.

Break a Few Eggs: Making an Omelet
by Patricia Mitchell
After a long day at work, people everywhere return to a home full of hungry mouths, often without having any opportunity to plan for any kinf of meal. In this state, it is easy to let the situation spin wildly out of control. Fortunately, cooks can look to the lowly egg for rescue.

Expert Waffling
by Patricia Mitchell
It's easy to see what foods are America's favorites. Patricia Mitchell spotlights one favorite, waffles, looking at the benefits of making fresh waffles in the morning. Homemade waffles straight from the waffle iron are a real treat.

Halloweenie Chili Beanie
by Patricia Mitchell
For many years Ranch Style Beans, a brand that was founded in 1872, were made in Fort Worth. Fort Worth residents with memories that go back 15 or 20 years will remember the water tower off East Lancaster that, except for its conical top, was an exact replica of a can of Ranch Style Beans. I am still a big fan of these savory chili beans. I don't know that I could ever duplicate them, and have never tried since the genuine article is available in Texas and many other parts of the country.