Culinary Reviews: ‘The Big Texas Cookbook’ (2022)

“CBS Saturday Morning” co-host Jeff Glor takes a trip to Texas to try recipes featured within “The Big Texas Cookbook.”

The editors of Texas Monthly celebrate the ever-evolving culinary landscape of the Lone Star State in this stunning cookbook, featuring more than 100 recipes, gorgeous color photos, and insightful essays.

The Big Texas Cookbook

When it comes to food, Texas may be best known for its beloved barbecue and tacos. But at more than 29 million people, the state is one of the most culturally diverse in America—and so is its culinary scene. From the kolaches introduced by Czechs settlers to the Hill Country in the 1800s to the Viet-Cajun crawfish that Vietnamese immigrants blessed Houston with in the early 2000s, the tastes on offer here are as vast and varied as the 268,596 square miles of earth they spring from.

In The Big Texas Cookbook, the editors of the award-winning magazine Texas Monthly have gathered an expansive collection of recipes that reflects the state’s food traditions, eclectically grouped by how Texans like to start and end the day (Rise and Shine, There Stands the Glass), how they revere their native-born ingredients (Made in Texas), and how they love the people, places, and rituals that surround their favorite meals (On Holiday, Home Plates). Getting their very own chapters—no surprise—are the behemoths mentioned above, barbecue and Tex-Mex (Smoke Signals, Con Todo). With recipes for über-regional specialties like venison parisa, home cooking favorites like King Ranch casserole, and contemporary riffs like a remarkable Lao beef chili, The Big Texas Cookbook pays homage to the cooks who long ago shaped the state’s food culture and the ones who are building on those traditions in surprising and delightful ways.

Packed with atmospheric photos, illustrations, and essays, The Big Texas Cookbook is a vivid culinary portrait of the land, its people, and its past, present, and future.

Read a Sample

Medieval Views: A Tour Of Eltz Castle In Germany

Luxury, romance and a fairytale atmosphere — that’s how we imagine life at the medieval Eltz Castle. But what is it really like to live there? Spoiler: there are 80 rooms, all of which require a little maintenance. DW’s Hannah Hummel asks owner Jakob Graf zu Eltz about life at the castle back then and now. The castle resident has even set up his home office there. Would that be something for you, too?

Eltz Castle is different. It remained unscathed by wars. It has been owned and cared for by the same family from when it was built until today. Its architecture has no comparison and many of the original furnishings of the past eight centuries still remain in place. It houses rustic suits of armour, swords and halberds as well as magnificent courtly gold and silver artefacts. It towers high on a large rock set deep in a valley. It stands in the midst of the Eltz Forest, a nature reserve of serene beauty, which offers numerous hiking trails and outdoor areas for sports and recreation for all age groups.  

Mexico Archaeology: Lost Sak Tz’i’ Dynasty Unveiled

National Geographic UK – Modern technology has enabled archaeologists to virtually peel back a forest to discover the lost Maya city, an ancient civilisation that existed for up to 3,000 years and stretched from the pacific coast to the gulf coast of Mexico.

The technology, known as LIDAR, shot lasers from a plane through the tree canopy which bounced off of the ground to create an image of the earth below. The images were then used to map and uncover the hidden historical structures that make up the ancient Maya city.

According to a report in The New York Times, a fortified Maya settlement thought to be the capital of the Sak Tz’i’ dynasty is being investigated on private land in southern Mexico by a team of researchers including Charles Golden of Brandeis University. The site is thought to have been occupied as early as 750 B.C. until the end of the Classic period, around A.D. 900.

Golden said that the ruins cover about 100 acres and include an acropolis dominated by a 45-foot-tall pyramid, temples, plazas, reception halls, a palace, ceremonial centers, and a ball court measuring about 350 feet long by 16 feet wide. Inscriptions from other sites had linked the kingdom of Sak Tz’i’ to the Maya cities of Piedras Negras, Bonampak, Palenque, Tonina, and Yaxchilan.

Nature: 2022 UK Landscape Photographer Of The Year

Country Life Magazine – 2022 Landscape Photographer of the Year winners:

The overall winner, by William Davies: ‘Brecon in Winter’, Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. Dawn sunlight warms up a winter’s morning in the Brecon Beacons. 

‘Rough and Tumble’ Photo by Lloyd Lane Photography (www.lloydlane.uk), runner-up in the 2022 Landscape Photographer of the Year. 

Tryfan by Aled Lewis. A photo of the iconic Tryfan in Snowdonia National Park. 

‘Sycamore Gap Sun and Moon’, by Brian Eyler. Sycamore Gap Sun and Moon. Northumberland, England. 

Cover Preview: Barron’s Magazine – Nov 21, 2022

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Barron’s Magazine – November 21, 2022 issue:

Retailers Are Bracing for an Unpredictable Holiday. Who Will Come Out Ahead.

After last year’s blockbuster season, retailers are stuck with bloated inventories just as consumers are pulling back. Get ready for sales, competition, and a new set of winners and losers.

Fed Tightening Is Having More Impact Than You Might Think

Match Group Stock Has Been Knocked Down. It’s Time to Pick It Up.

The Stock Market Has Stopped Worrying About the Fed. It’s Time to Worry About Recession.

An Apple Bull Gets Nervous. The iPhone Isn’t Recession-Proof.

This Clean-Energy Developer Is Making Big Bets

Politics: Trump Special Counsel, Congress In 2023

Washington Post columnists Jonathan Capehart and Gary Abernathy join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including a special counsel appointed to investigate former President Trump, the balance of power in Washington and the battle for leadership on Capitol Hill.

Front Page: The New York Times – November 19, 2022

Front Page: The New York Times – November 19, 2022 | Boomers Daily

Garland Names Special Counsel for Trump Inquiries

Even before Mr. Garland’s announcement, there were signs that prosecutorial activity in both cases was accelerating after a brief slowdown in the run-up to the midterm elections.

Elon Musk’s Twitter Teeters on the Edge After Another 1,200 Leave

Mr. Musk sent emails on Friday asking to learn about Twitter’s underlying technology as key infrastructure teams have been decimated.

Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach

Years before the leaked draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, a landmark contraception ruling was disclosed, according to a minister who led a secretive effort to influence justices.