Carla Hall 
Some chili recipes are good. This one has actual hardware to prove it. The Pepper Belly Pete Award-Winning Chili Recipe first took first place at a Texas state cook-off back in 2006 -judged by real Texas chili representatives, no less -and it’s reportedly kept winning cook-offs for two decades since. That’s not a coincidence. This … Read more
There’s something about a Brenda Gantt Cabbage Casserole recipe that feels like walking into your grandmother’s kitchen on a Sunday afternoon. It’s humble, it’s unfussy, and it turns an ordinary head of cabbage into something downright craveable -tender cabbage and sweet slivered onion, blanketed in a creamy mayo-and-cream-of-chicken layer, then finished with a buttery, cheesy … Read more
The first time I tried Range Rattlers at Saltgrass Steakhouse, I remember thinking it shouldn’t work as well as it does -shrimp, smoked cheese, and jalapeño all wrapped in bacon and fried in beer batter? But one bite in and it’s obvious why this appetizer has such a cult following. You get the pepper’s gentle … Read more
I still remember the first time I tasted a slice of Stocks Bakery pound cake -dense but impossibly soft, buttery without being greasy, with that clean vanilla finish that just lingers. It ruined every other pound cake for me, honestly. I spent more time than I’d like to admit trying to reverse-engineer it at home, … Read more
I’ll be honest -I’ve made a lot of potato salads over the years. But the first time I watched Brenda Gantt walk through her version on Facebook Live, something clicked. No fuss, no fancy ingredients, no food processor in sight. Just a grandmother in an apron, peeling potatoes with a knife the way her mother … Read more
I’ll be honest – I almost didn’t order the potatoes the first time I visited First Watch. I was there for the eggs. But one bite of those golden, crispy, seasoned breakfast potatoes and I completely forgot what else was on the plate. There’s something about the way they hit: smoky, savory, a little spicy … Read more