Stop and Smell the Lavender
Staples of Provençal cuisine, such as olive oil, goat cheese, and honey, are being produced in Texas? Mais oui.
July 2004 Issue
Features
Feature
The Unknown Soldier
Hector Perez loved his country enough to die for it. A year later, his family is still paying the price of patriotism.
The Magnificent Seven
Meet a diver, a high-jumper, and five other Texas athletes who hope to put the pedal to the medal at the 2004 Olympics.
Them’s Fightin’ Words!
All over the world, and all over this country, the Texas stereotype is mocked and maligned (so what else is new?). Does it matter, really, if everyone thinks we're fat, violent, prudish yahoos?
Feature
Letters Home
Seventy-five Texans—sons and daughters, brothers and sisters—have died in Iraq since last March. Here are some of their final words.
Columns
Kinky Friedman
Arrivederci, Melanoma
I never thought about saving my skin, until things got as serious as cancer.
Michael Ennis
Apocalypse Now
What sets Dallas apart from other sophisticated American cities? Its unique end-of-the-world industry.
Gary Cartwright
One School Left Behind
Austin's Garza High is a rescuer of lost souls. Too bad President Bush's education-reform law considers it a failure.
Cecilia Ballí
The Framing of Mario Medina?
Did Mexican authorities find the man who killed a crusading Nuevo Laredo editor? Or have they taken the easy way out (again)?
Reporter
Criminal Justice
Greg Ott, Free
Greg Ott, the philosophy graduate student who was convicted of killing a Texas Ranger in 1978, has finally been released and is getting on with his life.
Fertittaville
Restaurant mogul Tilman Fertitta means to redevelop Galveston into what some say will be a Gulf Coast version of Atlantic City. No wonder he's making waves.
Web
Hill Country Growers and Producers
Goat Cheese: Wateroak Farms, 8187 Water Oaks Lane, Bryan; 979-279-2373. Call for hours. Also available at Bryan-College Station and Austin retailers.Herbs: Generation Farms, 1109 N. McKinney, Rice; 903-326-4263. Call or go to susantaylortours.com for hours. Also sold at many supermarkets.Honey: Lone Star Honey/Walker Honey Company, 8060 E. U.S. 190,
Recipe
Honey-Mustard Lamb
LAMB2 boneless Texas lamb loins, about 1 pound each, trimmed salt to taste 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence 1 teaspoon Texas honey 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard 2 tablespoons Texas extra-virgin olive oilCut lamb into 8 equal portions, and rub
Recipe
Mesclun, Fennel, and Candied-Pecan Salad
LEMON-BASIL DRESSING1 bunch fresh basil 1 shallot, coarsely chopped 6 tablespoons champagne vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 eggs 3/4 cup salad oil 1/4 cup Texas extra-virgin olive oil salt and white pepper to tasteIn a food processor, purée first 5 ingredients. Slowly add oils and process until incorporated.
Recipe
Goat Cheese Sampler with Texas Tapenade
2 cups pitted niçoise olives or other French black olives 1/4 cup Texas extra-virgin olive oil 1 anchovy filet 1 teaspoon capers 1 teaspoon pickled nopalitos, available at many supermarkets, including H-E-B and Central Market (or omit and double amount of capers) 1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves only, chopped 1
Pat's Pick
Nice Ice, Baby
Forget sorbetto, gelato, and ice cream. Our new favorite summer cool-me-down is the paleta, Mexico’s answer to the Popsicle. It’s frosty and fruity and comes in dozens of flavors both familiar and exotic. Little known north of the border until fairly recently, the paleta was invented—according to legend—sometime in the
Pat's Pick
Julia’s Bistro
On the outside, this Houston newcomer is black and white. Inside—no joke—it’s red all over: cherry, fire-engine, magenta, crimson, electric pink, and burnt orange. If that caffeinated color scheme doesn’t wake you up, the menu will: With stops in Latin America, Asia, the Mediterranean, and other culinary ports of call,
Going for the Gold
Photographer Michael O'Brien, who took portraits of Olympic hopefuls for "The Magnificent Seven," discusses how to get the perfect pose.
Web Exclusive
In Their Own Words
Read passages from letters written by Texas soldiers who died in Iraq.
Happy Trails
Happy Trails
What are the farms in The Hill Country like? After visiting three on a recent Sunday, I discovered they're anything but ordinary.
Land Rover
Scott Cohen, the executive chef at La Mansion del Rio Hotel, in San Antonio, puts a Texas twist on Provençal cooking.
Web Exclusive
New School
Garza High School principal Vicki Baldwin talks about the daily assault on public education, President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind policy, and what a non- traditional school like Garza has to offer kids.
Web Exclusive
World View
Executive editor Mimi Swartz on Texas bashing and the return of the cowboy stereotype.
Texas History 101
Texas History 101
From World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Fort Hood has remained a stalwart structure in U.S. military history.
Web Exclusive
Cave Clan
As Natural Bridge Caverns celebrates forty years since its dedication, its patron family looks back on three generations of cave life.
Smooth Operator
Associate editor Katy Vine on Houston businessman Tilman Fertitta and his impact on Galveston's tourism revival.
Recipe
South Texas Ratatouille
1 white onion, diced 1/2 cup Texas extra-virgin olive oil 6 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into batons (sticks) 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch by 2 inches 1 small zucchini, cut into batons (as above) 1 small yellow squash, cut into batons (as above) 1
Web Exclusive
Great Divide
Executive editor S.C. Gwynne on the controversy among Episcopal leaders and the future of the Anglican Church.
Web Exclusive
Grieving Process
Writer-at-large Cecilia Ballí, who wrote this month’s feature “The Unknown Soldier”, discusses reporting a story about death and the need for media sensitivity.
Texas Tidbits
Texas Tidbits
The Olympics bring fame to medal winners, but sometimes the luster fades and names are forgotten. Here's a list of a few Texas-born sports heroes who may not have made it on your radar screen.
Books That Cook
Books That Cook
Members of the Houston Astros Wives Organization know that peanuts and Cracker Jacks are likely to strike out at the dinner table, so they’ve put together a playbook for cooking called From Home Plate to Your Plate! Even if you’re prone to major-league errors, you’ll be batting one thousand with
Miscellany
Atsbox
George Lopez
What was your first act like? I did my first act the night of my high school graduation. I was embarking on a profession where you had to be entertaining and charming, and I wasn’t equipped to take it all in. I couldn’t take compliments. I was negative. I read
Atsbox
07.2004
In 1960 four students from St. Mary’s University, in San Antonio, were caving in Comal County when one of the boys felt an unexpected draft. A crawl through a narrow corridor led them to a network of caverns filled with breathtaking formations, and four years later, NATURAL BRIDGE CAVERNS—named for
Atsbox
Coming Attractions
Go FishIf you’ve ever tried to reel one in, then you know the struggle between fish and fisherman can be quite a challenge and a thrill. From July 8 through 11, some seven hundred people will test their strength, know-how, and guesswork (you gotta figure out where the fish will
Susan Combs
“Billy can go to a 7-Eleven and buy a soft drink and must pay sales tax, but Billy goes to school, buys a soft drink, and pays no sales tax.”
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