Face it, life isn’t fair. The cards fall in random patterns, and for every winner there is an uncomfortable number of losers. But what goes around comes around, and in the seeds of calamity we often find new beginnings. Mary Margaret Adams. To Russia With Love. Letty Banda. Be It
Whether it wells from the high pine walls of East Texas, the haunted valleys of the Hill Country, the violent uplifts of the Trans-Pecos, or the salty, low-relief vistas of the coastal plains, the Texas myth shapes and claims us all.
For some, work is its own reward. For others it is a compromise, a trade-off to some ulterior purpose. And yet it is the work that defines us. There is something in the doing that gives us stature and makes us whole.
Texas was founded by risk-takers, place-makers, and folks on the run, and their spiritual descendants are our common stock. Our heritage is not a concert for the fainthearted, but if you hear the music, you’ll want to dance.
Our search for identity is really a search for familial bonds. By our children and our parents, by our forebears and our closest friends, by the reflections of those with whom we surround ourselves, so shall you know us.
When oil and real estate boomed, a lot of Texans rode the tiger. But the beast turned, and those who weren’t devoured faced the prospect of limping back. It has been a long but not uninteresting trip.
Touching bases at the Pentagon; the next lawsuit after school finance; the hidden battle for control of the Legislature.
Entertainer John Armstrong applies the scientific method to children’s birthday parties.
Stubb’s barbecue, with a side order of blues, hits the road again. Destination: Lower Greenville.
An Alpine weekly digs up all the news that’s fit to print—and then some.
Drew Allen, a co-owner of San Antonio’s Liberty Bar, came across this custardy buttermilk pie recipe in an out-of-print forties cookbook. The pie was powerfully sweet for modern taste buds, so Allen halved the sugar to come up with his restaurant’s most popular dessert.4 ounces frozen butter 1 ounce cold
Vietnamese cuisine is a multiethnic parade of Chinese techniques, French flavors, and spices from India. New ingredients, such as catfish and serrano peppers, add a Texas twang.
8 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 ounces uncooked chicken breast, cut into chunks 1/4 small head each of red and green cabbage, chopped 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves 2 tablespoons chopped bean sprouts 3 garlic gloves, chopped Green tops of 2 green onions, chopped
Spring Rolls2 ounces thin rice vermicelli 8 uncooked medium shrimp 12 ounces boneless pork loin, in 1 piece 1 large carrot, shredded 1 teaspoon sugar 8 rounds rice paper (banh trang), each 8 1/2 inches in diameter 4 large leaves leaf lettuce with thick stem ends removed, cut in half
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup nuoc mam 4 shallots, thinly sliced Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 8 ounces thin rice vermicelli 1 pound boneless pork loin 1 pound ground beef (chuck) 8 garlic cloves, minced 24 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes (use metal
Most of the specialty items needed to prepare Vietnamese recipes can be found at the following Asian and Vietnamese groceries.AustinLien, Huong Oriental Market, 8610 N. Lamar, 512-835-9618. My Thanh Oriental Market, 7435 N. Lamar, 454-4804. Say Hi, 5249 Burnet Road, 453-1411.DallasAsian Grocery, 9191 Forest Lane, 214-235-3038. Laos Store, 4536 Bryan,
AustinSaigon Kitchen, 9200 N. Lamar, 512-837-9910. This modest-looking restaurant’s bracing hot-and-sour soup was filled with shrimp, pineapple, celery, tomato, okra, noodles, and anise. Vermicelli with rice-paper pancakes that were more like omelettes came with grilled pork, fish sauce, and a platter frilly lettuce, cilantro, cucumbers, and mint. Tender frogs’ legs
Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Make Ahead: 24 hours1/2 cup dry white wine 2 shallots, finely minced 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme Dash Hungarian paprika or cayenne 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 pound mushrooms with
Preparation Time: 10 minutesCooking Time: 8 minutesMake Ahead: 24 hours1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup red wine vinegar1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, crumbled, or 1 teaspoon dried2 cloves garlic, mashed1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3/4 teaspoon salt (preferably kosher)1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb (leg or shoulder),
2 teaspoons instant tamarind Salt and sugar, to taste 2 serrano peppers 2 small new potatoes, cut into chunks 1/2 pound catfish, deboned and cut into chunks 2 tablespoons each of chopped pineapple, bean sprouts, and celery 2 teaspoons chopped garlic 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Nuoc mamIn large saucepan, bring
Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound unpeeled small new potatoes, cut into eighths 3 large cloves garlic, mashed 1 cup water 1/2 lemon 6 to 8 ounces fresh spinach (or chopped Swiss chard), washed and steamed Kosher salt and freshly ground black
