Houstonist is as aware of the increases at the grocery store as you all are, so we are working on creative ways to stretch our food dollars. Plus, we aren't wild about wasting our leftovers, although, there's only so many meals before that lasagna loses it's luster (freeze individual portions for lunch or another weeknight). We have come up with a great breakfast, or sometimes dinner, option for using our leftovers that is never boring!......

Easter is this Sunday!!! Just like we do every year, we will hide eggs in improbable places for the kids, devil the ones they find, gorge on chocolate bunnies (bite the heads off first, it's therapeutic) and feast on baked ham. We have espoused our love of bacon, particularly on a burger, and now, we will bamboozle you with a recipe for the best ham you ever wrapped your soup coolers around, unless you hate......

As part of our many resolutions made at this time every year, we thought we should get our hands on some tarts -- and luckily, Central Market is there to oblige us. Confident Cook: Tarts (Hands On) Saturday January 19th from 10AM to 12:30PM A bargain at $45 The Central Market Cooking School has a variety of classes from the practical Knife Skills and Seafood 101 to Souffles Galore and those couples cooking classes (Hmmm,......

Okay, okay - this is a no-bake, not from a "box", as creative as you want to be, addition to your holiday party, goody swap or gift. After all, it's not about buying up all the gift cards at the convenience store on the corner - it's the thought that really counts. Also, these are great additions to little treat bag/thank you gifts for your holiday guests. What is it? Chocolate Bark creations!!! Very......

One of Houstonist favorites (which really means very little, because we are hard pressed to find a cookie we DON'T like) is the simple, honest, and slightly gussied-up sugar cookie - the Snickerdoodle! In a very lame homage to that "Stewart" lady, we get festive this time of year, rolling our holiday version of the cookies in red and green sanding sugars. It's all in the presentation, you know. Snickerdoodles 1 1/2 cups sugar......

So, if Thanksgiving is all about pie, pie and more pie, Christmas is all about cookies, for us, for Santa, for everyone we can pawn them off on give them to. Here at Houstonist, we love food, cooking it, eating it, telling you how to make it and where to find it. We'll even let you know if it's all "meh" not so much. Holiday desserts are the best and the calories do not count......

Pepitas, or toasted pumkin seeds are a great addition to fall, and Halloween and can be eaten as a snack, put in homemade snack mix (you know, with fruits and nuts and chocolate) or granola and sprinkled on your favorite soup - they're flexible and easy to make! Besides, what else are you going to do with all those Jack O'Lantern guts? If you compost them we promise you'll be pulling rogue pumpkins out of......

So, Houstonist noted that today marks the beginning of two religious holidays, holy days or observances and decided to dig a little deeper. We admit it, with one being Islamic and the other Jewish - we had visions of a highly divided Bethlehem. How does this affect Houston? Well, Houston is home to a melting pot of cultures and religions and understanding your neighbors, coworkers and friends is important. Plus, we were feeling a little......

Most people we know either love okra or hate it. As okra season is in full effect, we thought a little ode to the okra will convince the haters to give it a second chance. The okra, a relative to the hibiscus and cotton plant, is a little tubular vegetable with fuzzy, tender casing and round, edible white seeds. Okra also has a sticky core that causes the up-turned noses and looks of disgust among......

Houstonist has told you about one of our favorite lunch bargains - Vietnamese Sandwiches, and at $1.50 - $3.00 a pop, they're a definite bargain. Now, we'll give you a recipe, in case you feel all picnic-like over the weekend and want to make your own. As with most of our recipes, we encourage a little "gastronomic experimentation" as your taste allows. Like the "jalapeno/cayenne/serrano/garlic" additions - we love more - that is just us.......

It's still rainy (newsflash) and we understand the forecast for the weekend calls for steady rain, scattered toad stranglers and patchy drizzle. If you find yourself temporarily blinded by some ridiculously bright orb hanging in the sky, well, that is the .25% chance of isolated sunshine - color yourself lucky, provided you don't fall down or wreck the car during this flash of brilliance. Since you are all cooped up and surrounded by grayness, you......

Brisket, what else you gonna fix for that backyard great room partay? Yeah, it's possibly gonna be a soggy one tomorrow for your Fourth celebration. But, never fear, Houstonist is here and we have a no-fail, not-exactly-barbecued-or-grilled brisket recipe that is de-lish and very easy. All you have to do is remember to commence to slow-cooking or roasting it about four to six hours before you want to consume it. This brisket goes very well......

Yep, it's already time to start wining again. Fortunately, someone thought ahead and planned a whole week of winofun!!! Except... it's in The Woodlands. But, it's kind of every Houstonian's responsibility to make sure we keep an eye on our corporate northwesternly neighbor. Bummer for drive time, yes. But just think of the wine and food that await you at The Woodlands' Wine and Food Week 2007! Wine and Food Week 2007 starts today, June......

Hey y'all! Paula Deen will be right here in Houston this Friday night! Promoting her new memoir, "It Ain't All About the Cookin'" she will be speaking at Hobby Center's Zilkha Hall in an event titled "A Conversation with Paula Deen". Houston Intown Chamber of Commerce is bringing Paula to town to tell us all about her American Dream, from Georgia girl to successful restaurant-owner and star of her own FoodTV show, she has accomplished......

With a Mexican food restaurant on nearly every corner of our fair city, it can be difficult to find any standouts among the crowd. Houstonist recently visited Sylvia’s enchilada kitchen for lunch and can safely say this is a hidden gem for Mexican food. Located at 12637 Westheimer (between Eldridge and Dairy Ashford) the lunch rush comes from the Westchase District and Energy Corridor crowds (think liquid lunch meets power lunch). As the name suggests......

Houstonist is gearing up, with Spring. It is time to grill, and we adore cooking out. So, when you want to fire up the grill, and you are tired of the usual chicken and steaks, try some pork loin. This is one of our favorite things to do. We kinda "came up with this" with what we had in the fridge a couple of years ago, and liked it so much, we do it often.......

St. Patty's is almost upon us! Houstonist knows that "I can't cook" line is just total blarney. Stews are easy and the weather, at this point, is still conducive to belly-warming one pot wonders. This Irish Stew is simple and satisfying - you can substitute beef or pork for the lamb, if you just don't have a taste for the fleecy little ones. If you're real dyed-in-the-wool Irish, go for the mutton! Also, if you......

No Mardi Gras season is complete without at least one whole piece of king cake in your belly. The Acadian Bakers have the best king cake in town, but they're almost sold out. If you don't get to score one of those, you could do-it-yourself with this quick and easy family recipe Houstonist picked up during a trip to Louisiana for Mardi Gras. Enjoy and add a baby at your own risk. King Cake 2......

Valentine's Day is tomorrow - you either have a reservation, plan on some homecooked love or you are flying by the seat of your pants. Houstonist has a few more dinner ideas to share with you. In addition to meat selections, we are going to share a lovely spinach pasta dish, for those Houstonist readers (all eleven of you) who may prefer to forego meat or animal products. So, break out your culinary skills and......

Nothing says "I Love You" like some bling. Which is much easier to pay for, if you are not shelling out for dinner - with the extra "Hallmark-Holiday" upcharge. A dozen or more roses - again, ghastly upcharge. Houstonist is going to offer you up a couple of dinner ideas - you know, if you want to say "I Love You So Much I Cooked a Stellar Dinner". Couple these ideas with a nice bottle......

Yep, we're laughing - a lot and loudly. Okay, so no well-heeled kitchen should really be without a stadium bundt pan - how do you tailgate without an appropriately shaped cake, after all. The horror! What would Martha say? Yo, don't forget the paper doilies, either! A good marketing campaign would have commemorative cake pans, designed to look exactly like the stadium hosting the Superbowl that year. At any rate, no party is complete without......

Houstonist has a slightly healthier, and terribly tasty dip alternative for those of you who are more "health-conscious" and would eschew yesterday's Ball and Chain Dip (even though there's veggies in there) for a nice salsa fresca made with fruit! We will warn you, this is addictive - very addictive. Also, it needs to be assembled at least one day prior, so that the flavors marry properly and you get the full impact and all......

Houstonist knows that, although there are some very awesome places to watch the Superbowl (which we'll be sharing with you soon), some of us are commited to attending "Cousin Cooter's Annual Superbowl Party and Kegger," because we would be excommunicated from our family if we weren't parked firmly on his sofa/braided floor rug, with a plastic cup of foam and a paper plate full of comestibles. So, to make that event more bearable (assuming you......

Houstonist is excited about the cold snap. Now that the mercury has dipped below sixty degrees, it is perfect weather for those winter one-pot wonders we love. Hearty soups, stews, gumbo, chili and our beloved chicken & dumplin's. Nothing warms the cockles of one's heart like serious "down home" comfort food, and this recipe is easy to make and delicious. Whether we get iced in, or just complain bitterly about being cold for a few......

On Sundays, Houstonist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in Houston. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author. So it’s Christmas Eve, and you aren’t done with your shopping. Sure, you’ve carefully wrapped a present for your mother that is so amazing it will remove the memory of every bad gift she’s ever received, and your kids each have their own Play Station XVIII. But you still have to buy for your......

Ho, Ho, Ho Y'all!! The original bartender is up "North" for Christmas (we suppose we will forgive him for having originated North of the Mason-Dixon, Houston is a melting pot, after all). In his absence, and in celebration of the Holidays, we are revealing our heretofore best kept secret - the nog of all nogs! This luscious, velvety, rich beverage is not difficult to prepare and can be kept in the "ice box" until you......

Houstonist always has a big pile of tamales, a cauldron of our venison chili and a pot of pintos (to bean or not to bean - that is the controversy question) with all the sides (cheese, onions, corn chips, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, etc) for Christmas Eve. Finding a mean tamale in Houston is actually fairly easy, here are some recommendations for you, in case you need some and are behind the proverbial 8-ball, or......

Houstonist spends December either crazy busy or stupid tired, what with all of the parties, shopping, home decorating and general Christmas season ilk going on. We discovered these, "on accident" and even though we are pushing all of our limits, we simply cannot bring ourselves to endorse pre-cut, refrigerated cookies that come with their own icing. There is something so wrong with it, our sensibilities are offended. We may kill ourselves, figuratively, but the cookies......

Houstonist suggested a nice thermos of cocoa, or hot chocolate (we've now earwormed ourselves with the hit by the band with the tasty name - "You Sexy Thing"), to accompany some of the weekends festivities and goings on. So, we decided to share a recipe that does not involve microwaving water and dumping in some powdered stuff (heaven forbid the one with the freeze-dried marshmallows... when it comes to cocoa or hot chocolate, "go big,......

Houstonist mentioned the Citrus Festival earlier, and what better use for lemons, limes or other tart and juicy citrus fruit (if you find an unusual variety you need to make use of) than bars! Yummy, tart-sweet lemon bars dusted with powdered sugar and maybe, if you feel all "Martha" a nice drizzle of melted chocolate (splurge, use the good stuff). Lemon Bars 1 cup butter, softened (no, this is not Paula Deen's recipe) 1/2 cup......