House and Home

''Transference: Andy Paiko & Ethan Rose''

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme...And Mint, Marjoram, Oregano, Chervil...

Simon and Garfunkel apparently only had four herbs in their garden, but you should have much more than that in your backyard. It is herb and vegetable planting season in Houston. Our terribly cold winter (haha) has passed, and the weather is perfect for gardening. It's a great time of year to build ... More >>

A Thoroughly Modern Market, with Thoroughly High Prices

This weekend marked the annual Houston Modern Market and Art Attack stopped by to take in the mod festivities. The Market overtook the Winter Street Studios and spread throughout the studios' two large floors. The setup was slightly confusing; most of the actual market was on the second floor, which ... More >>

Dirt and Water

Both of the cauliflower plants in the photo were the same size when I planted them a month ago. The transplants got the same sun and rain, but the normal one on the left was planted in a commercial potting soil, whereas big brother was inserted into custom soil. Why bother to mix soil? The same r ... More >>

Marfreless and Mike Riccetti Make Entertaining Easy

​Yes, you read that right: Marfreless, the legendary sign-less make-out bar in River Oaks, is partly behind a book from two Houston locals on how to make your next party the talk of the town. Or at least the subdivision. Mike Riccetti, a longtime Houston food fixture who writes for the Examin ... More >>

Top Five Edible Flowers

applelikeDandelion.​Let's get something out of the way: this post is not about fruit. Yes, I understand that much of what we consider to be fruit develops from the flowering part of the plant. But I'm talking about those botanical bits that people associate more with bouquets than with burrito ... More >>

Banishing Bugs with Bay Leaves

Photo by Katharine Shilcutt​Boric acid kills roaches (among other creepy-crawlies). Which is great if you want to dispose of roach carcasses and enjoy crafting little tinfoil boats and filling them with white powder, gleefully placing them in enticing spots like kitchen cupboards, the insectic ... More >>

Worry-Free Entertaining

Jessica RisleyPear and taleggio pizza.​I threw my first party at age 15 while the parental units were out of the country. Not the smartest idea, but the gathering was pretty legendary. Since then, I have learned a thing or two. Some bits of wisdom are pretty obvious, like "don't feed your gues ... More >>

Wildflower Season Will Suck This Year, Experts Say

A bad spring might be coming​Any Texan with a kid or a sweetie has taken part in the annual trek to see bluebonnets and other wildflowers bloom riotously in what passes for spring here. If you were getting your hopes up about Spring 2011, tamp them down right now. The long and extensive dro ... More >>

Papa Roach's Name Doesn't Bug Girls At All

It's a well-known fact that most band names are essentially gobbledygook, but here at Rocks Off, we're trying hard to decode music's oddest monikers in order to find a little meaning. ​"Would you like to come out and review the Papa Roach show?" "I'd rather be blown by a garbage disposal." ... More >>

Bedbugs Vs. Fire Ants: Which Are Worse?

You, sir, are no fire ant​Cities across the continent are having hissy fits because of infestations of bedbugs. Offices and dorms in Manhattan are being invaded, the Toronto Film Festival is afraid for visitors, it's a dire situation out there. The critters have also shown up in Houston, of cours ... More >>

Local Spotlight: Pershing Middle School

Fresh peppers grown by the students of Pershing Middle School.​What: Vegetables that taste good and teach well. Now that school's back in session, Charles Coursey can go back to what he loves: teaching, gardening and teaching kids about gardening. A history teacher at Pershing Middle School ... More >>

Herbs: Grow Your Own, Man

Apartmenttherapy.comEven Martha Stewart would be jealous of this little display.​September is a great time of year to start a windowsill herb garden. Not only are these plants attractive and aromatic, you'll be able to add fresh-picked flavor to your meals all winter long. After the jump, eig ... More >>

Bobby Heugel's Weekly Cocktail: The Margarita

​Nobody wants to talk about margaritas on May 6, the day after Cinco de Mayo. However, rather than avoiding discussing the source of the dreaded May 6 hangover, we thought we'd confront the Tex-Mex monster head-on. You can almost smell the lingering stench of artificial margarita mixes and poo ... More >>

Houston Is Under Attack...From Bedbugs

​In case you haven't been paying attention, Houston is under attack from bedbugs. Of course, Hair Balls has never had to deal with these savage beasts because all the roaches in our apartment get to them before they can get to us, but we still wanted to share some interesting, if disgusting,& ... More >>

Growing Tomatoes? Start Eating Bananas!

​I went with "Sweet Million" cherry tomatoes this year. I hear these little cluster tomatoes ripen fast and taste like candy. Last time I planted tomatoes, I chose Celebrity, Beefsteak slicing tomatoes and one Brandywine heirloom. And I waited and waited and waited for a tomato to ripen on the ... More >>

Giant Watermelon Radishes

​Here's a radish that you could snack on for a few days. It's called a watermelon radish. The first time I recall seeing one was at Soma, the upscale sushi restaurant on Washington. Here's what I said about it in the review: "The salad came on a glass plate with one cobalt-blue edge. It was ... More >>

Urban Gardening: My Organic Dirt Patch

​Inspired by the incredible urban gardens Jim Sherman tends in the Fifth Ward, I decided to take a shot at the urban gardening thing myself. ​ So I went to Wabash Feed Store and bought some dirt and some locally made organic fertilizer. San Jacinto Environmental Supplies on 34th St. make ... More >>

Urban Gardening: Deer Tongues and Kumquats

​I had one of the best salads in recent memory yesterday. Urban gardening expert Jim Sherman cut a bunch of greens and herbs from one of his demonstration gardens in the Fifth Ward and filled up a plastic shopping bag for me. I took the fresh greens home and tossed them with a simple mustard v ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week In Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Guns and Tacos: Hilarious and topical (with pictures and captions that alwa ... More >>

The Institute For Justice Triumphs Over the Feared, But Well-Appointed, Interior-Designer Cabal

The epic, no-holds-barred, deathmatch among the people who decide if that throw rug in your living room is declasse or not has ended.Two groups went in; one group came out. And it was The People!! The amateurs-with-attitude who dared to take on the ogreish cabal of professional interior designers.As ... More >>

Jimi Hendrix's Brother Has Got His Own World To Look Through

Photo by Renee McMahonBeing Jimi Hendrix's baby brother is a rough gig. And Leon Hendrix doesn't make it any easier on himself.He's lost battles over his brother's estate, he's been a drug addict and crook, he's scratching out a living playing his brother's songs before small, bored audiences, but h ... More >>

The Interior Designers Are Fighting! In Texas!

Austin will be the scene for what no doubt will be a very tasteful demonstration and briefing tomorrow, as a little-known civil war between interior designers bursts into the open.The Institute of Justice, an ACLU-like legal organization, is working with interior designers in Texas to stop what the ... More >>

East End Urban Market

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Recession Thanksgiving Tip: Drink Beer Instead of Wine

Airline travel is down, grocery stores are giving away free turkeys to get customers in the door, and everybody is looking for ways to economize this Thanksgiving. But before you decide to save money by buying a jug of Riunite instead of an expensive wine, consider serving your guests American cra ... More >>

Everybody's Looking for Some Higher Ground, a Report from Fort Bend County

Airline travel is down, grocery stores are giving away free turkeys to get customers in the door, and everybody is looking for ways to economize this Thanksgiving. But before you decide to save money by buying a jug of Riunite instead of an expensive wine, consider serving your guests American cra ... More >>

Mexican-American Culture

Airline travel is down, grocery stores are giving away free turkeys to get customers in the door, and everybody is looking for ways to economize this Thanksgiving. But before you decide to save money by buying a jug of Riunite instead of an expensive wine, consider serving your guests American cra ... More >>

Paper Tigers

Viva Piñata is adorable -- and misleading

Merry Christmas and Pass Me the Jim Beam

Viva Piñata is adorable -- and misleading

Image of the Week

Houston Garden Center

From Gaza, with Love

Young Palestinian refugees make moves for peace

Psychedelic Peppercorns

Try a spice at Sichuan Cuisine that's been banned in the States since 1968

Buggin' Out

That next smash hit from Hollywood may be the work of Houston's own roach wrangler

Best Picnic Spot

That next smash hit from Hollywood may be the work of Houston's own roach wrangler

Best Asian Grocery

That next smash hit from Hollywood may be the work of Houston's own roach wrangler

Triple Time

You only live once, but not in Life (x) 3

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

You only live once, but not in Life (x) 3

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

You only live once, but not in Life (x) 3

Best Talk Radio

Home Improvement Hotline

Best Florist

David Brown

In the Garden

Meet Camille Waters, an urban guerrilla armed with lettuce

Best Vietnamese Restaurant

Vietopia

Winging It

For business or pleasure, here comes the Great Butterfly Chase

Gulag Gardens

At Hobby Airport, the rallying cry is "Free the ferns"

Keep Off the Grass

Felder Rushing lectures at the Harris County Agriculture Extension Center

Thanks for Nothing

The Chronicle's annual parade of prepackaged Thanksgiving recipes needs to be canned

Slaying Mantis

The Chronicle's annual parade of prepackaged Thanksgiving recipes needs to be canned

Six Legs, One Joke

The Chronicle's annual parade of prepackaged Thanksgiving recipes needs to be canned

Time to Sow

A man named Verious plants a seed, and a vision takes root in the Third Ward

The Texas Rose Rustlers

They went in search of the vehicle of fragrance, and found adventure and companionship.