Traditional Texas Fare:
Flaky Biscuits from the Best
by John Raven, Ph.B.
Dr. John considers himself to be the best biscuit maker in Texas, so he's excited to share this month his secrets with TexasCooking.com readers. Covering subjects as using buttermilk, baking power or canned, he leaves no biscuit unturned.

Dessert Spotlight:
Chocolate Candy Parties Reveal True Signs
by Cheryl Hill-Burrier
Cheryl Hill-Burrier explores the fascinating world of hosting chocolate parties around Valentine's Day. These special occasions offer the guests varied assortments of candies which they choose to eat, while diving vital information to the rest in the room. Informal studies show that the filling of the chocolate candy, as well as the size and shape, explain more about the chooser's personality than using the trusty old astrological method. A delicious way to find your sweetie!

Valentine's Day Gifts at SurLaTable.com
Cookware - Kitchen Tools - Gadgets

Dessert Spotlight:
Condensed Milk: Sweet Texas Inspiration
by Lori Grossman
When Gail Borden decided that he wanted a new kind of milk that didn't need refrigeration, he was uncowed. The Texas resident's invention resulted in ways to make desserts like flan, pudding and candy more toothsome. Includes recipes for Ancho Chile Flan and a special recipe for banana pudding.

Traditional Texas Fare: Chicken Fried Steak: One-third of the Big Three by John Raven, Ph.B. The Big Three of Texas cooking are chili, barbecue and chicken fried steak. I have expounded on chili and barbecue often. Recently a reader asked why I had not shown chicken fried steak the respect it deserves. I was remiss and will now attempt to atone for my oversight.

Texana Book Review: Lovin' That Lone Star Flag Book Review by Alfredo Alvarez Texans have never been shy about pride in their state. So it's high time for someone to offer, in the form of a large coffee table book, examples of some of the many ways that Texans show and display their state's famous flag.

Dessert Spotlight:
My Favorite Things
by Lori Grossman
The pretty lights have come down, the ornaments are packed away for another year, and you're wondering why your sister-in-law's pumpkin pie didn't taste like it usually does (did she add a new ingredient?). For me, January is a bit of a letdown. The After-Christmas Doldrums have set in. So, like Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music", I'm remembering my favorite things so I won't feel so bad. Some of my favorite chocolate treats, that is.

Food Features:
Texas Bred & Grass Fed: Beef That's As Pure Now As It Was Back Then
by Randy Lankford
Ask Debbie Davis why she and her husband Don started raising longhorns, and the short answer is because they both graduated from the University of Texas. "It started out as just kind of a hobby, a weekend thing," she explains. "We bought our first cattle just for fun, a few longhorns (the UT mascot) to have for laughs and it just grew from there."

Traditional Texas Fare:
Warm Drinks: Finding Inner Warmth in the Cold Season
by John Raven, Ph.B.
The human body is a remarkable piece of work. One thing the body really likes is to be kept at the temperature of 98.6° F. In the winter, steps have to be taken to keep the temperature adjusted or things just fall apart. Dr. John looks at ways to keep the body warm during these cold months, namely by enjoying some hot drinks like Mexican Hot Chocolate, Hot Lemonade and a traditonal Hot Toddy.

Texas Wines:
Sandstone Cellars
by Randy Lankford
Don Pullum was looking for some solitude when he took up residence in a 19' motor home and started planting grapes in Mason County. He'd done the Ivy League, corporate thing with his degree from Harvard and his high-powered venture capital career in the D.C. area. A little peace and quiet, a little homemade wine, a little Texas Hill Country go-to-work-when-I-feel-like-it lifestyle sounded pretty inviting.

Food Features:
Stock Shows, Rodeos & Cowboy Breakfasts
by Cheryl Hill-Burrier
Many Texans still wake up long before dawn either for work or to send our kiddos out to feed and exercise project animals for the annual stock shows. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that we have a hearty appetite for an early breakfast. Now, the pay-off for all of those hard-working, early mornings comes every January with the kick-off of the Texas Rodeo and Stock Show season, but the busiest time is in February and March.

Texana Book Review: Texas Poetry Calendar 2010 by Steve Labinski Texas poetry is alive and well thanks to the folks at Dos Gatos Press. Their twelfth annual book calendar contains over eighty nice poems in a sturdy spiral-bound book.

New Book Review: Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide, 2nd Edition Book Review by Lucas Everidge A brutally honest guide to 480 restaurants in the Austin, Texas area. Highly entertaining, as well as informative, this just released second edition takes aim at everything across the board, proving once again how Austinites cannot get enough of their restaurants and local food culture.

Texana Book Reviews

The Pioneer Women Cooks
Read about how the The Pioneer Woman can do it all.