A friend called me this morning in a bit of a panic over what to serve tonight for a cozy New Year’s Eve dinner for four. Seems her husband decided at the last minute to invite another couple over for the evening, and rather than trying to figure out where to hide his body, she was [...]

A couple of days ago, I wrote about a few Bargain Whites — now here are some reds to go with. Enjoy! Bodegas Leganza 2004 Tempranillo La Mancha Condesa Crianza ($11). So easy to like — an versatile with food. Offering medium-bodied black cherry and plum fruit accented with lightly toasted herbs and soft spices. Smooth [...]

Not to brag, but today is one of those days that makes one glad to live in Houston… While the weather can be unbearably hot and muggy in summer, when you get a sunny December day that offers 60 degrees with big, bright blue skies and not a single cloud, you’re grateful. And you head directly [...]

I recently tasted through a couple of dozen white wines from around the world — all priced at $15 or less. Honestly, most were not great. But a few made the cut: Remy Pannier 2007 Vouvray Loire Valley ($14). Smooth and fragrant, with white peach, pear, fig and almond notes that linger delicately on the [...]

Well, I hardly need to say it — in fact, this is the last time I’m even going to refer to it, since I think all the collective emphasis on the subject is only making things worse. But 2008 has totally sucked, economically speaking. So, much as I love Champagne, it looks like 2009 will be [...]

I think I could live on almonds… I like them almost any way, and eat at least a handful nearly every day. I came up with this recipe for holiday giveaways this year — though I couldn’t bring myself to part with all of them and have another tub of raw almonds in there just begging for this [...]

I only realized recently that pimento cheese is a very Southern thing. It just never occurred to me that my more Yankified friends didn’t have pimento cheese in their memories of childhood sandwiches, along with pbjs, grilled cheese and blts. It’s a pity, because I’m not sure that pimento cheese is a taste often acquired by [...]