2001

Shaved Celery Salad With Beets and Pecorino Romano Cheese

In this recipe, three ingredients—celery, fennel, and beets—that are usually minor parts of a salad take center stage.

True Believers

Senior editor Pamela Colloff talks about "faith-based" terminology, the Rebekah Home for Girls, and corporal punishment.

Shopping Spree

Writer-at-large Suzy Banks tells the story behind this month's cover story, "The Shops Around the Corner."

Texas Tidbits

Italians made their way to Texas—and made their mark.

Texas History 101

Folks have favored the taste of Dr Pepper for a long time.

Happy Trails

Soak in some South Texas history—without hanging your wallet out to dry—in Victoria and Port Lavaca.

Room With a Boo

Having a ghost of a time at the Menger Hotel.

The Shops Around the Corner

In these big-city neighborhoods, at these offbeat stores, you'll find the perfect presents—from lava lamps to vintage kimonos—for everyone on your list.

Centered

When David Robinson opened a school for poor kids in September, he proved once again that he was San Antonio's most valuable player.

Freddy Fender

Freddy Fender sings a different tune.

The Inmate

Vanessa Leggett plots her own true-crime story.

Merry Tex-mas

Break out the hog-bladder balloons and get ready to chase livestock! It’s time for a look at Texas’ Christmas past.

Tex Education, Part 4

Can you keep up with the state's most famous Joneses? Get to the bottom of this burning question—and 21 others—by taking the final installment of my Texas literacy test.

A Long, Strange Trip

The life of Roky Erickson——one of the most influential Texas rock and rollers of all time——has been one calamity after another. His family and friends have taken care of him with the best of intentions, but you know what they say about the road to hell.

Fear Itself

Mimi Swartz finds fear at home.

Guad Is Great

Forget about the Rocky Mountains. For first-class kayaking, fishing, and bird-watching, head to the Lower Guadalupe after Labor Day, when the drunken armada of tubers retreats to shore and nature returns in full strength.

Play Rite

How can I prove that Houston has the best children's museum in the state? Let me enter a few exhibits into evidence.

War and Peace

Over there, and over here.

Fine Art

VIDA DE LA RAZA It may strike some people as funny that Cheech Marin, the actor who catapulted to fame as a crazy, glassy-eyed dope smoker in Cheech and Chong movies, has been a serious Chicano art collector since the late seventies. But Marin is sincere, for the moment, as

Straight Talk

I DREAM OF TEXAS Barbara Eden, fondly remembered for her role as the foxy genie on the sixties sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, will be in Lubbock November 30 through December 2 starring in a national tour of the Broadway show The Odd Couple: The Female Version. Eden will be

On Stage

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE The holidays just wouldn’t seem right without perennial favorites like The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, and Miracle on 34th Street. Of course, you know how all those feel-good shows are going to end, so this year we encourage you to expand your repertoire. Check out these

Anniversary

A TIME TO REMEMBER When the heads of the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg planned the museum’s official mainland commemoration of the Pearl Harbor anniversary, they knew it was going to be important—this, after all, is the sixtieth year since the 1941 attack. More than three hundred

Restaurant Guide

Around the State

That’s Amore

Count me among those who are smitten with the fantastic regional Italian food at Da Marco. The little central Houston cottage—with its white tablecloths and walls painted in tones of sunflower and daffodil—is enchanting, and chef-owner Marco Wiles is practiced in the art of seduction. His rustic cauliflower soup leads

“The Count’s Soup”

This excellent recipe for a classy black-bean soup has cognac to give it an extra flavor dimension.Crema Conde (The Count’s Soup)2 cups cooked black beans (Bush’s brand black beans are good if you’re not up to cooking beans from scratch) 4 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped 1 small

Chiles in Walnut Cream Sauce

This dish, served in the fall when a fresh crop of walnuts has just come in, makes a spectacular display with its colors of the Mexican flag: red, white, and green.Chiles en Nogada (Chiles in Walnut Cream Sauce)Walnut Cream Sauce1 cup cream 1/2 cup queso fresco or mild feta cheese

Red Pepper Salsa for Tamales

This recipe was made to go with the corn-and-poblano tamales from Hot Damn, Tamales!, Fort Worth. But it’s a good salsa for many purposes, and a pretty one too.20 Roma tomatoes 2 cloves garlic, peeled 5 red bell peppers, roasted, seeded, and skinned 4 ounces canned chipotles in adobo sauce

Corn Poblano Tamales

Masa2 cups (1 pound) chilled lard or vegetable shortening 6 cups dried masa harina for tamales 2 tablespoons ground red chile 2 teaspoons cumin 2 tablespoons baking powder 3 tablespoons kosher salt 3 to 3 1/2 cups warm water or chicken stock, and a few tablespoons more if needed Using

Roasted Corn Tamales

These polenta-like tamales are a specialty of Cafe Annie’s.2 cups fresh yellow corn kernels (about 4 ears) 2 cups (1 pound) masa harina for tamales 2 cups (1 pound) stone-ground white grits 1 generous tablespoon salt 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter at room temperature 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) lard

Cranberry and Pecan Tamales

The filling for these sweet holiday tamales is mixed right in with the dough.1/2 cup chilled butter 1/2 cup chilled lard or vegetable shortening 4 cups (2 pounds) dried masa harina for tamales 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 3/4 teaspoons salt 1 cup brown sugar 2 cups dried cranberries

Cucumber Soup

This easy soup can be prepared in about ten minutes flat, not counting the chilling time.Sopa de Pepino (Cucumber Soup)4 cucumbers, peeled and diced 1/4 white onion, peeled and diced 1 garlic clove, peeled and diced 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 teaspoon salt pepper to taste fresh mint or parsley

Tortilla Factories

In April 2001, Texas Monthly ran a feature on tortillas, including a list of local factories in selected cities in Texas where you can buy freshly prepared masa for making tortillas or tamales. Here is an updated list of the factories that were still open for business in November 2001.In

Shipping News: The Best Mail-Order Tamales

Every November and December, the phone calls and e-mails pour into my office: “Where can I order tamales to be shipped to friends?” Here are the best of the companies I’ve ordered from. Each one prices its shipping differently, but overnight delivery runs at least $20 whether you order one

Shelf Help: The Best Store-Bought Brands

Watching tamales being mass produced is a bit like watching sausage being made: it takes the romance out of the process, to say the least. Once you’ve seen the two huge drums mixing the masa and tumbling the mechanically shredded meat—and the extruders ejecting one never-ending tamale from two concentric

Texas History 101

For Prairie View A&M University, diversity has always been a top priority.

Ghost Town

South Padre Island has changed since part of the Queen Isabella Causeway collapsed. The beach is deserted, hotels have shut down, and commuting is a pain.

Spaghetti alle Vongole

This is Ferré’s version of the classic Italian recipe for spaghetti with clams in white-wine-and-garlic sauce.

Texas Tidbits

Instead of simply decorating your tree this holiday season, select your own at one of the many tree farms around the state—and if you're really in the spirit, cut it down yourself too.

Happy Trails

Spend a fabulous weekend in Austin without going near a tourist trap.

Books That Cook

Cooking Fearlessly

Tall Tales

Photographer Laurence Parent and senior editor Joe Nick Patoski talk about climbing, the best shot, and their new book, Texas Mountains.

Report Card

Executive editor S. C. Gwynne tells the story behind this month's cover story, "How Good Is Your Kid's School?"

Deep Singing

DEEP SINGING The Dallas Opera premieres popular composer Tobias Picker’s new English-language adaptation of Emile Zola’s Thérèse Raquin this month, and it will sizzle. Picker, who gained a Texas following with such haunting pieces as Old and Lost Rivers and The Encantadas while serving from 1985 to 1990 as composer-in-residence

Straight Talk

HOLD ON, MR. EX-RESIDENT ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson will be the grand marshal in the Las Palmas Del Sol Sun Bowl Parade in El Paso November 22. Have you been the grand marshal of an El Paso parade before? No, this is a high honor. Let me tell you

Sports

THE CHAMP The Cowboys’ stock may be down (okay, it’s Black Tuesday down), the Rangers may be struggling (okay, struggling like a beached whale), but at least we can brag on the Astros, who at press time were in the thick of the pennant race. Home team or not, though,

A Great Weekend

REMEMBER THE ALAMO CITY In San Antonio a prima ballerina takes the stage and beginner mariachis meet their masters November 16-18. But there’s more. Your weekend itinerary: Friday morning after ten o’clock, wander through the McNay Art Museum’s recently refurbished mansion and see “Corot to Picasso: European Masterworks From the

How Good Is Your Kid’s School?

Find out in our rankings of nearly every public elementary, middle, and high school in Texas–the most comprehensive and accurate ever done in the state.

Keith Graves

Keith Graves draws from the experience of his projects.