Gregory Beard says his wife did drugs in front of their child, yet a Harris County associate judge awarded her custody. Beard spent the summer fighting to get his baby back.
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 with several different kinds of the sweet, creamy, toothsome confection.
The fudge isn't coveted so much because the recipe is some great secret. Instead, it's the sheer amount of effort and
Photos by Robb WalshIt was the anthropomorphic taco art that made me pull over to check out the taco truck called Industrial Tacos Snacks at the corner of Crosstimbers and Airline. I mean, look at the smile on that taco. I purchased a half-liter of Mexican Coke and a quesadilla al pastor that the proprietrix gave to me wrapped in aluminum foil without any garnishes. But when I started unwrapping it, she asked me if I wanted a plate and some onion and cilantro. When I said "yes, please," she ki
Photos by Katharine ShilcuttChef Jo checks her shopping list before venturing into the storeJo Gonzales is a personal chef. Most people look puzzled when she walks the aisles of the grocery store in her bright orange embroidered chef's coat or pulls up in her SUV with its magnetic signs announcing her business name: Chef Jo's Home Cooking. "What on earth is a personal chef?" they ask. It's a question she answers every day.
Unlike a chef at a restaurant or in a commercial kitchen, a
Photos by Robb WalshAs I mentioned, I bought some fresh pickling cucumbers at Dilorio's farm stand on Monday. I made homemade Kosher pickles with them. Kosher pickles are fermented -- there is no cooking or canning involved. You put the cucumbers in a brine and let them ferment in a dark place. That's it. Lower East Side pickle-makers fermented their pickles in barrels (as in the movie Crossing Delancey).
I watched Alton Brown make kosher pickles on television one time. He had an excellent meth
Photo by Robb WalshI can't write this column on an empty stomach. It's difficult to maintain your trademark acerbic wit when all you can think is, "I would literally murder somebody for that hamburger / pizza / pastry / whatever insane but incredible dish from Feast we've featured this week."
Having taken a sandwich break, we can now move on.
The week started with a review of Bluebell's three new ice cream flavors - damn it, now I need to find some ice cream -- followed by Mike Giglio's
My brother Dave got me hooked on these hot and spicy saltines. He says they're the perfect oyster crackers. I haven't tried them with oysters yet, but I will soon. The home version of these has been around for a long time. You mix up a package of dry ranch dressing mix, some kind of dried chile peppers and salad oil and pour it over saltines in a container, then turn the container until the mixture is absorbed. Easy, but messy.
