Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe (urban myth)
There is a popular internet hoax about a customer seeking a "Neiman Marcus Cookie Receipe," being grossly overcharged for it on her credit card, and, in revenge, spreading the recipe for…
Texas Bean Dip
Bean dip is an essential Texas food item. What would corn chips or tortilla chips be without bean dip? How could anyone hold a television football party without bean dip? Texas bean dip is first…
Adobo Sauce
Adobo sauce is a hot sauce of chiles, garlic, vinegar, onions, and tomatoes that is applied to many dishes, especially chicken. Wikipedia: Adobo SauceAdobo sauce is a sauce or marinade used in…
Pan de Polvo or Polvoron/Polvorones (Mexican Wedding Cookies)
Pan de Polvo (also called Polvoron or Polvorones or Mexican Wedding Cookies) are popular in South Texas. They're usually served at weddings or other special occasions. "Polvo" is…
Texas Deep-Fried Turkey
Deep-fried turkey? Texas Monthly published a recipe for Texas Deep-Fried Turkey in 1998. Deep fried turkey originated in the South, but it's not known where. Louisiana also claims it. Texas…
Chess Pie
Chess pie has been widely served throughout the South since about the time of the Civil War. The place of origin is a mystery. It is sometimes claimed that this was originally called "cheese…
Monkey Bread
Monkey bread was probably invented in the 1940s or 1950s. Monkey bread pulls apart; why that is named after a monkey is anyone's guess. Gorilla bread is similar, adding cream cheese and…
Texas French Toast
"Texas French Toast" has nothing to do with Paris, Texas. It's simply a piece ofTexas Toast used in making French toast. "Texas French Toast" has been around since at least…
Sam Houston White Cake
The Sam Houston White Cake may have been popularized by the Imperial Sugar Company (Sugar Land, TX) on its products and in its recipe books. The cake is seldom served today. No one knows if Sam…
Margarita Pie
The Margarita pie is the edible version of that famous drink, the Margarita cocktail. While the Margarita cocktail may have Texas origins in the 1940s, the Margarita pie origins are unknown. The…
Golden Westerner Cake (Amber Westerner Cake)
The Golden Westerner Cake is a Texas pound cake; the Amber Westerner is made by substituting brown sugar for powdered sugar. The name "Westerner Cake" is sometimes used for both. The…
Picadillo
Picadillo usually (recipes vary widely) consists of meat with pimentos, olives, and raisins, served over rice. The Spanish recipe has found its way from Cuba and Mexico to the Southwestern U.S.…
Pinto Bean
The pinto bean (usually from New Mexico) is included in many Tex-Mex recipes. I found the first citation now used in the Oxford English Dictionary. About.com: Southern U.S. CuisineTexas-Style…
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is an expression that was popularized by American businessman Bert Lance (1931-2013) in December 1976, referring to the machine of the federal…
Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Salad)
Ensalada de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve Salad) is a Mexican fruit salad that has spread north of the border. It now often includes pomegranate dressing. Who Cooked That Up?Christmas Eve Salad or…
Salsa Picante (Picante Sauce)
Salsa Picante (or Picante Sauce, or simply "hot sauce") was popularlized just after World War II, when David Pace introduced his Picante Sauce in 1947. Mexicans had been making "hot…
Beer Can Chicken
Can Texas take credit for the invention of "Beer Can Chicken"? And, if Texas could take credit, why would it? Who could possibly think of cooking a chicken with a can of beer up its butt?…
Ristra
Chile ristras (strings of chile pepper pods) are a familiar sight in New Mexico and perhaps parts of West Texas. The original purpose was to group the pods together for later consumption, but the…
Molcajete
Molcajete (pronounced mole-cah-HAY-tay) is a three-legged mortar that's traditionally used in Mexican cooking. (Oxford English Dictionary)molcajete, n.[< Mexican Spanish molcajete (1827)…
“The Big OD” & Slowdeatha (Odessa nicknames)
The city of Odessa has the nicknames "The Big OD" (overdose?) and Slowdeatha. Neither is an official city nickname, of course. All About TexasApril 06, 2006 9:39 PM It (Abilene -- ed.)…