Texas Recipe Workbook

Making a sourdough starter is sometimes portrayed as a sort of mystical process that requires a complex set of rules and a special skill set. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s simply a jar of flour with some water added to it. It requires some stirring every day for a few days to […]

Creamed spinach is a Southern staple that’s perfect for serving alongside a big, juicy cut of Texas beef. Growing up, wilted greens of any kind was a regular thing on our table, and I loved all of it. I would even happily eat spinach straight out of the can. The best way to eat it […]

Maque choux (pronounced mock-shoe) is a creamy Cajun corn dish that’s loaded with bacon, bell peppers, onions, and celery. The more traditional recipes don’t include heavy cream, but rather have you scrape some of the milk out of the corn to create the creamy texture. I prefer to keep it simple and easy, so I […]

Crawfish Etouffee (etouffee means smothered in French) is a Cajun comfort food that has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. It’s basically just crawfish with a gravy made from the Cajun Holy Trinity (onions, bell peppers, and celery). I amp up the flavors with other things, like poblanos, jalapenos, and green […]

Country-style buttermilk pancakes on a Sunday morning were one of my favorites growing up. Add lots of butter and a bit of maple syrup, and it was heaven. You can cook your buttermilk pancakes in a nonstick skillet on your stovetop, but I recommend using a large griddle so that you can make a few at a […]

Sawmill gravy (or sausage gravy) was a favorite in my house growing up. It was cheap and quick, and easy to make. My brother and I were active kids, and as fast as we grew, we ate a lot. My mother had to find ways to feed us a lot of food for a relatively small […]

Homemade breakfast sausage is very easy to make and tastes lightyears better than the stuff that comes in the plastic tube at the grocery store. It’s more tender and juicy and the fresh herbs brighten the flavor in a way that can’t be done with the mass-produced stuff. Making homemade breakfast sausage is as simple as throwing […]

Homemade buttermilk biscuits are a staple in a Southern kitchen. They use simple ingredients, but if those ingredients aren’t handled correctly, they can come out poorly. The magic of homemade buttermilk biscuits is truly in their technique. There are really only two things you need to focus on to make your buttermilk biscuits come out […]

Homemade root beer isn’t something that we often make in our house because it has so much sugar, but it’s a nice treat on occasion and way healthier than the stuff on the shelves at the store. Beyond all the natural ingredients, we ferment the starter for it with a ginger bug. A ginger bug is a […]