TEXAS COOKING ONLINE * August, 2003 NEWSLETTER *

Fiestaware Special Brighten your table with the newest Fiestaware color - Tangerine. Visit the new Texas Cooking Fiestaware Store today to find these, and many other pieces, most on sale. As I write this, it's 106 degrees in Austin, and the air-conditioning is working hard. There are millions of ice cubes clinking against the sides of millions of iced tea glasses here in Texas. You'd think the noise would be deafening, but it's drowned out by the roar of the air conditioners. Sensible people don't even want to think about laboring over a hot stove and are, instead, grilling outdoors and putting together cool, light dishes that flame has not touched. We have collected a half dozen or so such recipes to help you get through the dog days of summer: Gazpacho - The Real Stuff, Melon Melange, Company Chicken Salad, Sliced Tomato and Onion Salad, Cantaloupe Fruit Salad, Ruby Red Chicken Salad and Marinated Cherry Tomatoes. You'll find links to these Cool Recipes on our home page. To further bring a welcome chill to your table this month, Sidney Carlisle instructs us in the ways of freezer pies, including Paradise Pie, Frozen Peanut Butter Pie, Frozen Caramel Coconut Pie, in Pies from the Freezer. Not at all chilling, but interesting just the same is an account of John Raven's barbecue and chili experience written by the man who knows John Raven best, John Raven. You'll finally find out what Ph.B. stands for, along with most of the reasons that his advice is reliable, in his article Getting to Know John Raven, Ph.B. We'll wind things up with a sprinkling of new book reviews, our classic article, Perfect Iced Tea, and a delicious new recipe, Cream of Jalapeño Soup. And don't forget to take a look at August's T-shirt winners.

Click here for candy from the 50's, 60's & 70's Special Features Pies from the Freezer by Sidney Carlisle When it's too hot to cook, use your freezer instead of your oven. Frozen pies are easy to make and, although they do require advance planning, most recipes specify a fairly short freezing time. It's always nice to have a pie hidden in the freezer for unexpected company or a night when a plain supper could use an extra boost. Getting to Know John Raven, Ph.B. by John Raven John Raven is often referred to, here at Texas Cooking, as our barbecue and chili guru. In case you have wondered why we are so partial to him, or why his Traditional Texas Fare column is widely read and his advice sought after in the Ask Dr. John column, take a look at Getting to Know Me - A Look at John Raven, Ph.B. by John Raven, Ph.B. Don’t miss John Raven's advice column, Ask Dr. John. This month's column includes, among other topics, marinades, cast iron skillet maintenance, barbecued chicken, crab balls and pickling jalapeños. Talk about variety! Homemade Ice Cream from the New Countertop Freezers by Patricia Mitchell Lovers of homemade ice cream have reason to rejoice. And so does everyone else who has never tasted homemade ice cream, and I'd be willing to bet that's a lot of people. The new, low-cost countertop ice cream makers have enabled cooks everywhere to create delicious ice cream easier than ever. Texana Book Review: Fort Worth: Then & Now by Carol Roark with Rodger Mallison This beautiful coffee-table book explores the changes that have taken place in Fort Worth by comparing a historic photograph with a contemporary image taken at the same place. We see how things change, and stay the same over time. Do you ever golf in Texas? Jason Stone has documented every possible place to visit, packing tons of useful tips and advice in the 800 page Texas Golf Bible. Special Book Review: Charlie Wilson's War The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History - The Arming of the Mujahideen by George Crile Riveting, true story of how a fast-living congressman from Lufkin, Texas secretly funneled billions of dollars to Afghanistan to defeat the Soviets. Read more original book reviews in the Lone Star Bookstore Shop Krupp's Home & Garden Decor - 5% Discount Arbors | Waterfalls | Cherubs | Garden Gnomes Bird Baths | Bridges | Mailboxes | Trellis Beautify your home and garden with over 2,200 decorations. Enter Rebate code: cj3579 and you will receive 5% off your next order. Classic Article: Perfect Iced Tea Texans love their iced tea. We are not fanatics about it, mainly because we pretty much take for granted being able to get a good glass of tea, properly served, 365 days a year at most any restaurant. And, yes, like all southerners, we drink it year round, not just when summer is searing, but when the snow flies, too. I've been thinking of writing about iced tea for some time, but have been putting it off for one reason or another. We may all love it, but that does not necessarily mean that we all know how to make it. However, the recent appearance of television ads for a new iced tea concentrate ("New! Easier!"), that you dump into a pitcher of water brought me to my feet and onto the virtual soapbox. Read the entire article - Perfect Iced Tea. Texas Cooking Reader Special Get 20% OFF at MexGrocer.com with a min. purchase of $25. Enter special coupon code: MEX7CJ Valid through 9/30/2003. New Recipe: Cream of Jalapeño Soup This elegant soup was served at Grady Spears' Reata restaurant in Fort Worth. The Reata, which was on the top floor of the Bank One Tower, was closed after the 37-story building was heavily damaged by a tornado in 2000. Ingredients: 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 5 fresh jalapeños, stemmed and seeded 3/4 cup finely chopped onion 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 avocado, peeled and diced 2 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes 8 cups heavy cream 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Mince the jalapeños and set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the jalapeños, onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until vegetables are softened (not browned). Remove the pan from heat and stir in the avocado, tomatoes and cream. Lower the temperature and return pan to heat, watching and stirring so the cream does not separate. Bring the soup slowly back to a simmer and cook for about 35 to 40 minutes to reduce by one-third. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro, reserving some for garnish. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro. Notes: Grady Spears is a great Texas chef. He has several cookbooks to his credit, among them A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos, which is highly recommended. Bags & Backpacks for Fall - 20% OFF special (until 08/31/2003) Stop Spyware! Kazaa, Gator and other similar programs have been sneaking their way onto people's computers wreaking havoc to their systems. This malicious set of programs are difficult to remove. They flood the screen with their own pop-up ads, and they open the computer up to a host of viruses. If you have programs like Kazaa, TopText, Gator, WhenU and others on your system, take a moment to learn about the problems these programs cause. We have written a useful and quick tutorial that informs you about them, and how to uninstall them from your computer. Free Catalogs Get Great Savings From These Free Catalogs Clothing Bridal / Wedding Wine & Brew Sporting Goods Hobbies / Crafts Pets _________ Click here for MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS Town & Country Food & Wine O (Oprah) Country Living House & Garden Ellé Decor The best prices! Buy as gifts! T-Shirt Contest We award T-shirts to ten readers every month. The winners are announced in the first newsletter of the month, so watch for the first newsletter in September. July Contest Winners Sherry B. of Houston, Texas Barbara H. of Grapevine, Texas Eddie J. of Fresno, California Ronnie L. of Knoxville, Tennessee Mason L. of San Antonio, Texas Jay M. of Santa Rosa, California Stephanie S. of Richmond, Virginia Donita T. of Little Rock, Arkansas Glenda W. of Grand Rapids, Michigan Marcella W. of New York City, New York Congratulations winners! We are frequently asked if we award T-Shirts to non-US residents, and the answer is Yes. We have had quite a few Canadian winners, and have also sent T-Shirts to winners in England, Australia, Ireland, Switzerland and Germany. The Rules Since we began our T-Shirt giveaway five years ago, our contest rules remained unchanged. Readers have been able to enter as many times as they like, and their entries were retained in our database. As you can imagine, our contest database has become very large (which is good), BUT much of it consists of old email addresses that are no longer valid. Therefore, we are making the following change in our contest rules: Readers can still enter as often as they like; however, each contest entry will expire three months following the date it was entered and will disappear from the database. This will greatly reduce the number of "names in the hat" and improve the odds of winning. We think this change will result in an even better contest. Subscription / Unsubscribe Help This newsletter is sent to you because you, or someone on your behalf, indicated you would like to receive it when you signed our Guest Book or entered our T-Shirt Contest. If you wish to stop receiving the Newsletter, click here or point your browser to http://www.texascooking.com/unsub1.ihtml If you would like to change your email address, please send an email to txmailbox@texascooking.com. ©2003 Texas Cooking Online. All rights reserved.