Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
Celebrity Cravings
A few notable Texans tell us about the burgers they can’t do without.
Style & Design
January 20, 2013
The Best of the Texas Century—Culture
Anne Dingus on Lonesome Dove, Chester Rosson on Scott Joplin, Michael Hall on Buddy Holly, Don Graham on Giant, John Morthland on Ornette Coleman, Eileen Schwartz on Greater Tuna, Jennifer Olsen on Conan the Barbarian, and Michael Ennis on the painter of the century.
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2013
Where She’s From (Transcript)
An interview with former first lady Laura Bush.
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
Great Escapes: Lodging
Austin Street Retreat, 408 W. Austin Street (one block north of Main), Fredericksburg (830-997-5612, fax 830-997-8282; www.fbglodging.com). Double occupancy $125 (breakfast not included). No telephones in some rooms; no televisions; hot tubs with handheld showers only. Children allowed in Maria’s only. No smoking indoors, no pets. AE, DS,
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
Great Escapes: Points of Interest
Alamo Village, 7 miles north of Brackettville on FM 674 (830-563-2580; www.alamovillage.com)Alibates National Monument, 419 E. Broadway, Fritch (806-857-3151; www.nps.gov/alfl)Alley Oop Fantasyland Park, 1000 Parkside (on the west side of town), IraanBarnard’s Mill Art Museum, 307 SW Barnard Street, Glen Rose (254-897-7494)Big Rocks Park, 1020 NE
January 20, 2013
Other Shoe Drops—But Not On Allen Fletcher
Tomball state representative Allen Fletcher is on his way to a second term. His former business associate may be on his way to the federal penitentiary.
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Orange-Glazed Muffins
Muffins4 eggs 11/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup olive oil zest of 3 oranges 11/2 cups sour cream 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 pound cake flour (about 37/8 cups unsifted cake flour; you may substitute 31/2 cups all-purpose flour, but the texture of the
Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
Gourmet Breakfast
Orange-Glazed MuffinWith a hint or two, you might guess that these decadent orange muffins are made with sour cream. But would you ever imagine that the secret ingredient is olive oil? The flavor doesn’t intrude, it just adds a subtle richness. Recipe from Cipollina, Austin.Smoked-Salmon Omelet with CapersAs long
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Fruit-and-Nut Granola
Fruit-and-Nut Granola12 ounces plain granola of your choice (about 3 cups) 3 ounces pistachios (about 1/2 cup), roughly chopped 3 ounces slivered almonds (about 1 cup) 1/2 ounce dried apples, diced (about 1/8 cup) 1/2 ounce dried apricots, diced (about 1/8 cup) 1/2 ounce dried papaya, diced (about 1/8 cup)
Feature
January 20, 2013
Healthful Breakfast
Fruit-and-Nut GranolaNo retro granola, the Houstonian’s classy version updates the multigrain cereal of the sixties with almonds, pistachios, and a medley of dried fruits, including cranberries, currants, and apricots. Recipe from The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa, Houston.Scrambled Egg Whites With Shiitake Mushrooms and Roma TomatoesThe surprising thing about
Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
Mexican Breakfast
Cinnamon-Pumpkin EmpanadasThe incredibly flaky, yeasty crust of these empanadas is so good—and so easy to make—that you’ll immediately abandon all other recipes. The pumpkin filling, also a breeze, is traditionally Mexican. Recipe from Esperanza’s Cafe (Joe T. Garcia’s Bakery), Fort Worth.Potato Pancakes With Sour Cream-Chipotle SauceMost people look at
January 20, 2013
Potato Pancakes With Sour Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Potato Pancakes With Sour Creamy Chipotle Sauce
Sauce2 teaspoons prepared chipotle sauce 1/3 cup sour cream (low-fat if desired) 1 tablespoon milk 1 tablespoon chopped chives (optional)Whisk ingredients together. Warm in a pan or microwave oven before serving.Potato Pancakes2 3/4 pounds unpeeled red potatoes 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 4 tablespoons flour 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Cinnamon-Pumpkin Empanadas
Pumpkin Filling1 15-ounce can pumpkin 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 1/4 teaspoon ginger (optional) 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)Mix ingredients together and set aside.Empanada Dough1/3 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/4-ounce packages dry yeast (41/2 teaspoons) 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
The Culture
January 20, 2013
The 2005 Bum Steer Awards
It was a year of: Alamo amour, bollixed Bush, cheeseburger chagrin, dissed Davy, egregious ethics, film flops, guileful gynecologists, hibiscus hullabaloo, in-flight idiocy, jiggling Janet, konservative kross-dressers, laughable liposuction, microphone mishaps, numskull name-nabbing, opinionated obits, pot parfaits, Qaeda qualms, reckless Rather, streaking solons, tasteless Tecate, UT users, vulgar veeps, Wicca
Feature
January 20, 2013
2005 Bum Steer Awards
Better close off the balcony too Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, of Houston, requested that a corridor in her Washington, D.C., office building be closed off for eight hours so that she could meet privately with singer Michael Jackson.4—6 minutes to high cholesterol An eighteen-wheeler overturned on Houston’s Loop 610, spilling
Feature
January 20, 2013
The Bottom 10
10. The AlamoThe film was as big a disaster for Disney as the 1836 battle was for its valiant defenders—a commercial and critical flop that, unlike the original, is better forgotten.9. The Texas Longhorns baseball teamThey lost twice at the College World Series: once on the field to Cal State—Fullerton,
Feature
January 20, 2013
The Quaid Family Circus
Over the past two years, veteran actor Randy Quaid and his wife, Evi, have transformed themselves from a pair of artsy eccentrics into a tin-pot update of Bonnie and Clyde. Though the Houston native and his wife of twenty years haven’t engaged in any homicides or bank robberies, they
News & Politics
January 20, 2013
The 2010 Bum Steer Awards
It was a year of accomplice apes, bedraggled Bugattis, Christlike Cheetos, dim-witted deli-owning Democrats, egregious errata, fatal foreplay, gun-toting golfers, heartless high school hoopsters, ignoble implants, jackass judges, killer Kims, laughingstock legislators, miniature museum mummies, nincompoop ne’er-do-wells, overwhelming odors, pandering Perry, quazy Quaids, reassuring Riddle, shameless Stanford, territorial T. Boone,
Food & Drink
January 20, 2013
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,
Contributors
January 20, 2013
Contributors
Ed Gabel and Joe Zeff, Mimi Swartz, and Bill Minutaglio.
Contributors
January 20, 2013
Contributors
William Martin, Katy Vine, and Todd Hido
Music
January 20, 2013
Girl Talk
Executive editor Skip Hollandsworth discusses this month's feature "O Sister, Where Art Thou?"
Contributors
January 20, 2013
Contributors
Dan Winters, Anthony Giardina, and Wyatt McSpadden.
Feature
January 20, 2013
The 2000 Bum Steer Awards
A year of asinine actresses, bare-bottomed bongos, curious car washes, dunderheaded deejays, elongated enchiladas, furious filmgoers, Gore goofs, huge hydrants, ice in demand, jettisoned Jagger, kooky Kansans, lecherous legislators, misinformed McDonald's, newsmaker nuts, odorous ocelots, promiscuous passengers, questionable quizzes, ridiculous recipes, speedy sports-team owners, traveling toilets, ubiquitous underwear, vapid vegetarians,
Feature
January 20, 2013
Buy & Sigh
CUSTOMIZED DECORATED CASKETS, ranging from the “Return to Sender” model, painted to resemble a brown-paper package and stamped with the deceased’s final (earthly) destination, to the golfer’s choice (above), “Fairway to Heaven,” depicting an inviting green, from Dallas’ WhiteLight casket company ($3,000 and up).MECHANICAL BULL “for training, for fun, for
Feature
January 20, 2013
Swill & Fill
CINCINNATI CHILI, which contains unsweetened baking chocolate and is served over pasta, as detailed in an article in Texas Monthly’s sister magazine Cincinnati (about $4 a bowl).A SIX-HUNDRED-POUND PUMPKIN, auctioned on eBay to benefit the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children ($2,550).DOUGHNUTS from Donuts-4-U on Commerce Street in Dallas, located
Feature
January 20, 2013
Nail & Fail
Just as George W. Bush’s knowledge has been put to the test, so should that of Bum Steer readers. Answer these questions correctly and you can leave here with a million Bum Steer awards:Part A. World Leaders. How did George W. Bush answer these questions?1. Can you name the president
Feature
January 20, 2013
Scan & Ban
THE CHEATER’S HANDBOOK, by Southern Methodist University graduate Bob Corbett (Regan Press, $12), which explains how to cheat your way through college. “Go with an old beat-up pair of jeans with as many holes as reasonably possible . . . you can write answers directly on your legs and then
Feature
January 20, 2013
Thanks A Million 1999: $1 Million
BILL AND ANGIE BARRETTDallas, $1 million$1 MILLION to the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER AT DALLAS to establish the Barrett Family Center for Pediatric Oncology. Mr. Barrett is the chairman of Willow Distributors.LOUIS A. BEECHERL, JR.Dallas, $1 million$1 MILLION to the UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN to fund programs
Feature
January 20, 2013
Thanks A Million 1999: More than $1 million
FRED THOMSON COUPER AND MARY FRANCES BOWLES COUPERHouston, $10 millionA home, eighteen wooded acres, art, and furniture valued at a total of $10 MILLION to MEMORIAL HERMANN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, in Houston. When the Coupers no longer live in the house, it will be converted into a wellness center. Mrs. Couper
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Shrimp Cocktail Huatulco
This gorgeous seafood cocktail is named after Huatulco, the impossibly beautiful seaside resort in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave tails on) salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 fresh tomatillos, husked and diced 1/4 onion, minced 1 ancho chile, stemmed, seeded, and
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Mango-Key Lime Margaritas
This tropical margarita is much fruitier and easier to drink than a genuine Mexican margarita. If a frozen drink gives you a headache, omit the crushed ice and serve on the rocks.1 shot (1 ounce) tequila 1 shot (1 ounce) Cointreau 1/4 fresh mango, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup fresh
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Buttermilk Chess Pie
Dough 2 cups flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), divided into several pieces 1/3 cup shortening, divided into several pieces 1/4 cup ice waterIn a food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and shortening. Process (or pulse) until the
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Blue Cheese Cornbread Stuffing
Cornbread 1 cup buttermilk 1 egg, beaten 6 tablespoons sugar 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 cups fresh corn kernels 1/4 cup seeded and diced jalapeño (2 large jalapeños) 2 1/4 cups cornmeal 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 cup flourPreheat the oven to 350
Recipe
January 20, 2013
New Potatoes With Sun-Dried-Tomato Mash
2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup cilantro 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup coarsely chopped rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes (about 1 ounce or .06 pound dry weight) 1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 4 pounds new potatoes, washed and thinly slicedPreheat the
Recipe
January 20, 2013
Asparagus Wrapped With Smoked Bacon
4 pounds fresh asparagus 16 pieces smoked bacon kosher salt to taste freshly ground black pepper to tastePreheat the oven to 325 degrees. Trim off the woody ends of the asparagus and blanch for 45 to 60 seconds. Plunge immediately into an ice-water bath; when cooled, drain and set aside.Cook
Recipe
January 20, 2013
“Onion Jam” Relish
1 1/2 pounds red onions (about 2 large onions) 1 1/2 pounds yellow onions (about 2 large onions) 4 bunches scallions (green part only) 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar kosher salt to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/4 cup brown sugarPeel
Music
January 20, 2013
On The Road in Texas
Texas was Elvis‘ home away from home in the early days of his career, a direct result of getting on the “Louisiana Hayride.” He signed a contract in late 1954 with the popular radio show, which was broadcast live every Saturday night from 50,000-watt KWKH radio in Shreveport. (CBS syndicated
Travel & Outdoors
January 20, 2013
A Family Affair
Richard King and his wife, Henrietta, founded the King Ranch. Their daughter Alice and her husband, Robert Kleberg — shown with their children in the turn-of-the-century photograph at the right — founded the family that sustained it. When Henrietta King died in 1925, the ranch’s 1.2 million acres were divided
Feature
January 20, 2013
Revoltin’
BUT YOUR BETTER HALF CAN COME, HONCameron County sheriff Omar Lucio did not invite district attorney Yolanda de Leon to a barbecue for law enforcement officials because the party was for men only.SORRY. I MEANT TRAILER GENTRYIn a TV interview during the Kerrville capital murder trial of Darlie Routier, Dallas
Feature
January 20, 2013
Rightin’
HE GOT NAILEDRound Rock mayor Charlie Culpepper apologized to “all of the purveyors of fasteners that operate in our city” after he was quoted in a newspaper article as saying “you couldn’t buy a nut, bolt, or screw in Round Rock without going to Wal-Mart.”NEXT TIME MAKE IT “HEALTHY BOVINE”A
The Culture
January 20, 2013
The 1998 Bum Steer Awards
A year of altered antlers, bawdy broadcasters, comedian corrections, dining detectives, emancipated emus, fossilized felines, gullible Gore, hemline harassment, insatiable igniters, jazzed-up jewelry, Kay’s kennelwear, lottery loonies, metric madness, numerous nudes, 007 oenophiles, poultry protesters, questionable quizzes, revengeful revenuers, Spam slingers, tie tirades, unallowed uniforms, variant videotapers, warning! water, x-humed
Feature
January 20, 2013
’Rithmetic
The Bum Steers Math Quiz.
Feature
January 20, 2013
Readin’
The Bleacher Bible By Chris Sneed, Cotten Publishing of Lubbock, $9.95. Heckling manual by a diehard Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball fan. “You’ve got jungle disease: you look like Tarzan but you swing like Jane.”Cigar Chic: A Woman’s Perspective By Tomima Edmark of Dallas, The Summit Publishing
Feature
January 20, 2013
1998 Bum Steer Awards
The Escapees Are the Ones Who Are Jogging Fast Nacogdoches County changed its prisoners’ work-crew uniforms from ultra-bright orange to old-fashioned black-and-white stripes after alarmed citizens reported sighting escapees who turned out to be joggers.Try Our Famous Vanilla Waivers, Coffee With Chicanery, Subpoena Noir, Hot Tea With a Twist of
Feature
January 20, 2013
The Bum Steer Calendar
JanuaryBEN BARNES Under fire by federal authorities, the former lieutenant governor gives up his $25,000-a-month lobbying contract for Gtech, the company that runs the Texas Lottery. Not to worry, though. Later it is announced that Gtech agreed to pay Barnes and an associate $23 million to buy out the contract.FebruaryTEXAS
Feature
January 20, 2013
Retailin’
RADIO GIRLS 1998 CALENDAR, featuring five women deejays from Texas, including (left) Cindy Scull of KEGL-FM, Dallas, from RML Productions of San Antonio: $12.95.PETMITT, a disposable pet-waste mitt for scooping up doggy doo, designed by Betsy Aberg and Virginia Prejean of Dallas, from PetMitt of Dallas, available by calling 1-800-PETMITT:
Music
January 20, 2013
Steve Brodner’s Sketchbook (1)
“And don’t forget to come back next week for the Greensheet Awards. Everybody in Austin can win something if you just stick around long enough in this town. A lot of people dressed up tonight and a lot of people didn’t give a s—t, did they? Nobody’s going to work
Music
January 20, 2013
Steve Brodner’s Sketchbook (3)
Mark: “They’ve mixed a lot of the Western side with the original, but they’re not original. And this right here is the biggest joke I’ve ever heard. She’s doing mudras [hand movements] through the whole thing, but she’s not even doing the mudras right.” Dan: “It’s nonsensical, the way they’re singing.