Nuts and Edible Seeds

Easter Sweets: Where To Find The Best Carrot Cakes This Holiday

Carrots and cream cheese. No, that combo is not the cravings of a crazed woman in her ninth month of pregnancy; it's what brings carrot cake its magic. From the classic three-layer cake to miniature cupcakes and a cream-cheese-iced cookie, we've put together a list of where to pick up some of Hous ... More >>

Top 5 Grocery Products I Wish Existed In Real Life

In a world that contains dulce de leche Cheerios, peppermint patty-flavored coffee creamer and vegan mayonnaise, it's hard to imagine needing, let alone wanting, greater variety in foodstuffs. Yet still I do. Here are my top products I wish actually could be bought in a supermarket. 5. Cashew Butte ... More >>

Are Other Nut Butters Healthier Than Peanut Butter?

I found myself a bit stumped last week when trying to decide which nut butter -- peanut, almond or cashew -- to choose as the spread for my Monster PBJ sandwich. The food truck offers all three, as well as gluten-free bread and other options for the truly discerning sandwich diner. I've been attempt ... More >>

$7 Well-Spent at Monster PBJ

I was fully prepared to turn my nose up at Monster PBJ. A $7 peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Prepared with your choice of locally sourced breads, nut butters and jams? It sounded like a Portlandia episode. "We can pickle that!" I love it when I'm wrong. I'm officially here to tell you that if yo ... More >>

A Christmas Tradition: Mom's Best Fudge

As our own Brooke Viggiano pointed out last Friday, often the best Christmas present you can give is something you made yourself. This is especially true with friends or family members who "have it all." My mother is known for many things, but chief among them are her Christmas baked goods, includi ... More >>

The $20 Trader Joe's Challenge

Editor's note: We asked five Eating Our Words bloggers to head to Trader Joe's with $20 and write about what they were able to get. We've gathered their stories together here. Katharine Shilcutt: Objective: Two meals for two for $20 My boyfriend and I hit Trader Joe's a little before 5 p.m. on a ... More >>

The Sweet Life in Paris: Makes Me Want to Move There, Too

After moving to Paris in 2004, David Lebovitz experienced everything that any foreigner living in Paris would expect to encounter: different lifestyles, different norms and different food. In his book, The Sweet Life in Paris, Lebovitz recounts events that shaped him as an American living in Paris, ... More >>

Top 5 Ice Cream and Cake Combinations

Although cake and ice cream can stand alone as their own desserts, when you put them together, it's heavenly. It's easy to pair vanilla or chocolate ice cream with a simple cake, but there are other combinations that will make your taste buds say, thank you. Here's my top five list of ice cream and ... More >>

Happy National Trail Mix Day: The Ultimate Guide to Build the Perfect Trail Mix

The beauty of trail mix is that you can put all sorts of ingredients together to make an ultimate and flavorful snack. The trick is putting together a cohesive mix. So, in celebration of National Trail Mix Day, I have put together a guide to building the perfect trail mix, ensuring that you will m ... More >>

What's Cooking on Pinterest? Frozen Greek Yogurt Bananas

My favorite ice cream treat at Disney World is the frozen chocolate banana. I've always loved the combination of chocolate and banana, and I love it even more when it's coated with crushed pecans, almonds, cashews...pretty much any kind of nut. This week on Pinterest I found a recipe for frozen ban ... More >>

Homemade Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Biscotti...'Nuff Said

Biscotti -- which literally means "twice-baked " -- are slightly sweet and ultra-crumbly Italian biscuits. The cookies' dry, crisp texture is a result of the second baking. They are the perfect accompaniment for a frothy cappuccino, a breakfast tea or even a sweet dessert wine. More importantly, the ... More >>

Christmas Traditions: Mom's Best Fudge

Remember to cut a small square for yourself, for "testing" purposes.​My mother is known for many things, but chief among them are her Christmas baked goods, including this family recipe for fudge. Each year, lucky friends and family make out with a tin or two. And until my grandfather passed a ... More >>

Holiday Classics: The Linzer Cookie

For me, the holidays are all about family. But coming in at a very close second, like probably way too close of a second, is another one of my favorite things in the world: holiday food. I don't know about you, but when I think about this time of year, I think of cookies. We'll be featuring some ho ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Matti Merrell and Rodney Perry of Green Seed Vegan

Photo by Mandy Oaklander​Forget fat-bubbly steaks and cheese-drenched crab enchiladas. If there was one cuisine in Houston I had to dine on for the rest of my life, it would come from Green Seed Vegan. If you're just joining us, check out our chat with vegan chefs Matti Merrell and Rodney Perr ... More >>

Yoga Fuel: Everything Bars from Sinfull Bakery

Photos: Christina UticoneYou are my Everything.​This is the kind of review I hesitate to write. I am a horribly selfish person, so I fear that giving props to this product will result in my having difficulty finding it, which in turn makes me want to keep it a secret. I'm torn! But I will grud ... More >>

Racing Rachael: Hot Topic

Carrie Applegate Jaeger​I'm not really a fan of chicken pieces with nuts. *Insert inappropriate comment here, kids.* However, since my husband dog-eared this 30-minute recipe, I thought I'd give it a go. Is it a keeper? The food: Chipotle Cashew Chicken with Brown Rice and Glazed Spinach ... More >>

Food Fight: Pecan Pie

Dacapo's, left. Goode Co., right.​It may be the state tree of Texas, but the pecan sure doesn't attract the kind of attention lavished on the state flower, the bluebonnet. Put it this way: You don't see photo studios offering to capture a young Texan's first bite of pecan pie. If only! The blu ... More >>

Trying Roasted Chestnuts

olgucz​Roasted chestnuts were the first course for a beer dinner I attended the other night at the Alamo Drafthouse at the West Oaks Mall, which was pretty cool, but even better is that the event was also attended by Peter Billingsley. They were served with sparkling wine and piping hot when w ... More >>

Recipe: Mom's Christmas Fudge

Remember to cut a small square for yourself, for "testing" purposes.​My mother is known for many things, but chief among them are her Christmas baked goods, including this family recipe for fudge. Each year, lucky friends and family make out with a tin or two. And until my grandfather passed a ... More >>

Top 5 Worst Holiday Food Gifts

craftapaloozaPeppermint bark: you can't have just one. ​5. Thanks for nothing Have you ever gotten a $25 gift certificate to HoneyBaked Hams? Do you have any idea what $25 will get you there? I'm guessing half a pig's scrotum. Sorry for singling out this fine cured-meats establishment, but y ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 2: Pat Greer's Raw Vegan Kitchen

Pat Greer and her assistant Ray in the kitchen.​Yesterday we chatted with the lively raw vegan chef Patricia Greer. Today we discuss some of the items she makes - some even carnivores will enjoy. EOW: Here in Houston, you definitely have a niche market, which might be more difficult than oth ... More >>

Mint Spice Bistro

Food Fight: Battle Baklava

No matter who loses Battle Baklava, we all win!​Several years ago I found a letter from the early 1970's handwritten from my great-grandmother to my grandmother. The paragraphs alternated between Serbian and broken English, some expressing open joy that my uncle had returned safely from Vietna ... More >>

8 Common Foods (That Are Poisonous)

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Earlier this week, Katharine Shilcutt took a look at 8 foods notable for containing trace amounts of radiation. She carefully pointed out that the radiation in those foods was so negligible, there's no real threat to you or me unless we were to ingest m ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Pepitas

vanderwal​What is it?"Pepita" is the Mexican Spanish word for "pumpkin seed." Pepitas are sold either with the shell on or off and can be raw or toasted. They're very popular in Mexico - where their status as a popular snack originated from the Aztec culture. Pumpkin seeds have a high percen ... More >>

Recipe Tasting: Spinach Bread

Does this look like bread to you?​It's the end of a stretch of diet for an upcoming vacation. Refined starches are a no-no, but I can't help but miss bread. Rather than sneak over to a French bakery and blow the diet, I decided to take a stab at this recipe I found online. "Slice and enjoy as ... More >>

Summertime Splurge: Ice Cream at The Chocolate Bar

​Whether it is an innate physiological response to the sweltering heat or a more shallow desire to look good while lounging poolside, people have a tendency to eat lighter during the simmering months of summer. But this rule of thumb excludes ice cream. So despite my recent healthful eating ... More >>

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Nut Mix

​Nuts are a great way to curb hunger cravings. This tasty nut snack mix is a slightly sweet, slightly clumpy version of a trail mix -- simply speaking, this is a granola minus the actual oats. It was created as a post-workout snack and something to toss in a camelback, as the protein and raw s ... More >>

Local Spotlight: Maison Burdisso

Jackie Burdisso​WHAT: The best French macarons in town -- and proof that good taste is hereditary. In Houston, the word "macaroon" typically inspires visions of lightly sweet, chewy mounds of shredded coconut tenaciously held together by egg whites. But a "macaron" -- minus one O -- is a deli ... More >>

Brew Blog: Beer and Cashews

​We had some spare cashews in the pantry and, being the innovative people we are, figured we should try to pair them up with a beer suited to their unique flavor. Step aside, peanuts. It's cashew time. We stopped by the D & Q and found two bottles we thought might fit with our chosen nuts. F ... More >>

Recipe: Horchata Cubana

​We Houstonians love our horchata. We are more used to the traditional Mexican-style horchata, which contains cinnamon and lime and often is served as a hangover cure on Sunday mornings (or a hangover starter when mixed with rum on Saturday nights). Cuban horchata, however, is simpler and trad ... More >>

Ceviche Challenge at Yelapa Playa Mexicana

Recipe: Granola

​Instead of baking cookies or giving ornaments during the holiday season, we like to give little packs of granola. Everyone eats it, even if they're on a diet, and it's good to keep in your desk. This particular version uses raw honey to help with pesky seasonal allergies, as well as organic e ... More >>

How To Make The Perfect: Fudge

Note: This is a rerun of a popular post from last Christmas. We'd be remiss in not sharing our favorite fudge recipe this time of year. Enjoy and good luck in your fudge endeavors. My mother is known for many things, but chief among them is her famous Christmas fudge. Each year, lucky friends and f ... More >>

Crispy and Crispier

Crispy Cashew Calamari at Eddie V's

Native Pecan Report

​The native pecans are nice and meaty this year. I knew it was pecan season when I saw two women walking around my neighborhood collecting nuts in a Shipley's Donut bag. Then I saw a very clever individual shaking the branches of a native pecan tree by means of a long pipe with a hook taped on ... More >>

Tasting Bluebell's New Flavors

With this Groom's Cake, I thee wed?Three flavors, which one will come out on top? Our little Texan creamery sends out rotational flavors -- each made for three months before being replaced -- alongside the year-round lineup. Sometimes old seasonal flavors make a comeback; sometimes the flavors are ... More >>

Healthy But Flavorless Pecan Oil

I shelled out almost $13 for this bottle of pecan oil at Whole Foods. It doesn't taste like pecans--the manufacturer says that's a good thing. They were doing a demonstration at the store using the pecan oil to fry fish. The fish tasted fine, but I wondered why no flavor was a benefit. They lady sai ... More >>

No Peanut Butter At HISD Schools

HISD is making a bold, courageous move against the scourge of possibly poisoned peanut butter.It's cleaning out all its vending machines of any trace of peanut-butter crackers, confiscating any such potentially deadly crackers from kids' lunches, and even taking away PB&Js from students who boug ... More >>

Mom's Christmas Fudge

My mother is known for many things, but chief among them is her famous Christmas fudge.  Each year, lucky friends and family make out with a tin or two.  And until my grandfather passed away last year, she would always make an enormous gift basket for him each year at Christmas, filled wi ... More >>

Miss Pop Rocks: Cats Are Awesome

Sandy's Produce Market

One healthy meal at Sandy's Produce Market will wipe away all of your high-cholesterol sins

And Just Where Was Tinker Bell In All This?

Precision Pecan Pie

Roland's Swiss Pastry and Bistro

A Slice of Chocolate, Please

The Chocolate Bar

Walker, Texas Ranger

Carl Walker, Brennan's of Houston

Best Street Festival

The Southwestern Bell African-American Arts Festival

Hot Plate

Hot Plate

Hot Plate