Homemade red enchilada sauce is genuinely a personal affair. Recipes vary from region to region from Southern Mexico, all the way to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and within those regions, from family to family. Enchilada Sauce by Region My formative years were spent in West Texas, where the red enchilada sauce is generally […]
Sides, Salads, and Condiments
Southern-Style Cornbread
Southern-style cornbread is a controversial topic, and it’s guaranteed that I’ll have a few rocks thrown at me for my take on it. There’s an almost puritanical point of view that says cornbread never has sugar or flour in it. My grandparents that were descended from migrants from Tennessee made that kind of cornbread. The […]
White Beans and Tasso
Being a West Texan, I’m about as close to an authority on what a bean should taste like as you can find. Sometimes, though, a pot of pinto beans just won’t do it for you. You need something different. White beans and tasso is an excellent alternative. In fact, secretly, cannellini beans (white kidney beans) are […]
Candied Pecans with Blue Bell Ice Cream
Candied pecans are a simple and easy way to serve shelled pecans and go great with a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. You can put them in a bowl and snack on them all by themselves if you like, but I highly recommend Blue Bell Ice Cream with them (Blue Bell is made in Brenham, […]
11 Salsas to Master Your Taco Game
To master your taco game, you have to master salsa. In fact, if it doesn’t have a salsa of some sort, it really isn’t even a taco. Salsa is one of the three key components of a taco: The tortilla The filling The salsa When you choose a salsa for your taco, you should consider […]
Salsa de Uña
Salsa de Uña is a bright, fresh salsa that goes great on a hot summer day with a pile of tortilla chips and a cold beer. All the recipe requires is a little chopping, then a couple of hours in the refrigerator for the ingredients to marinate. From what I could gather, Salsa de Uña […]
Green Beans with New Potatoes
Green Beans (or “snap-beans”) and new potatoes were a staple in my home growing up. Green beans were easy to grow when my family lived out in East Texas, and potatoes are about the cheapest thing you can buy at the grocery store. Add a little bacon and onion, then splash a little vinegar on […]
Texas-Style Chiltepin Sauce
This Chiltepin Sauce is made from the chiltepin pepper, which was designated the Official State Native Pepper of Texas in 1997 (not to be confused with the jalapeno, the Official State Pepper). Chiltepins are scorching hot peppers, registering at 50,000 to 100,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale. For reference, jalapenos only come in at 3,500 to 8,000 […]
Guajillo Salsa
This guajillo salsa recipe is like a fancy version of the little packets of salsa you get at that certain chain fast-food Mexican restaurant in the United States. You know, that fast-food chain that isn’t really Mexican at all and serves a ton of crunchy tacos with cheddar cheese on them? I’ve added a few […]
Salsa Borracha Norteña
Salsa Borracha Norteña (Northern Drunk Salsa) is a salsa from the Northern part of Mexico that’s made especially for the beef or goat barbacoa commonly found in Northern Mexico or South and Western Texas (Barbacoa Norteña). Salsa Borracha Norteña is really less of a salsa, in the traditional understanding for us North for the border, and […]
