January is the prime time for exploring better and healthier ways to eat, and local residents don’t have to look very far to find one. “The Galveston Diet,” the brainchild of a UTMB-trained physician, has more than 2 million online followers, and has spawned a new book that is poised to be a…

Many Texans will tell you that there are few better ways to start the day than with a Mexican breakfast. A big plate of eggs, usually accompanied by sides of beans and potatoes, has fueled countless days, but a recent trip to Mexico revealed a way to make these breakfasts even better. Either…

We make quite a few of our food choices based on color. At the fried chicken stand, it’s a question of light or dark. At Mexican restaurants, the choice is often red or green, whether it’s for salsa or enchiladas. For chocolate, it’s white or dark (though, let’s face it, for most of us the a…

Pecan pie is such a popular dessert that it’s surprising that it took until 2013 for the Texas Legislature to designate it the official state dessert of Texas. The combination of a crisp layer of nuts and a gooey, sweet base layer makes an irresistible end to many a meal, especially at holid…

Friday evening’s East End Historical District Association Holiday Homes Tour offers a deep immersion in Galveston’s Victorian past, but with a glimpse at some important improvements that we enjoy in the 21st century. On December 2, visitors can tour four rarely-seen homes, all decorated for …

The Thanksgiving countdown clock is about to tick its last. Well-prepared cooks are reviewing their multi-page checklists, coordinating the things they did days in advance with the remaining few tasks. OK, great for them, but what about the rest of us, who are just now realizing that the foo…

As the holidays approach, many of us are pulling out spices that may not have been used all summer. One of those, cardamom, adds a “warm” note to dishes, especially baked goods. This year, though, that warm feeling may last a little longer, because America’s largest spice company is partneri…

Unfortunately, this isn’t the time to talk turkey. A virulent strain of avian flu has killed more than 6 million turkeys, causing shortages and higher prices on the Thanksgiving staple. Locally, frozen turkeys are costing about $2 per pound, and with none of the loss-leader specials that mad…

It used to be that fall was when the new models of cars were unveiled, but now the fall season is when new varieties of apples hit the bins in the produce department. It can take years to develop a new apple, cross-breeding various strains to get the perfect combination of consumer-desired t…

The amount of spooky decorations in local yards and piles of trick-or-treat candy in the stores make it clear that Halloween is just a few days away. Another sign of the season is the on-repeat airings of the 1993 movie, “Hocus Pocus.”

“Less is more” is a familiar adage, but you rarely hear it applied to chocolate chip cookies. Recently, though, a spate of new cookbooks have moved in that direction, redeveloping recipes to make smaller but still delicious desserts.

In the fall, when pumpkins and pumpkin spice crowd their way into every corner of the grocery store, it’s easy to overlook one of the other orange mainstays. Sweet potatoes shouldn’t be overlooked at any time of the year, though, since they are packed with healthy nutrients and lend themselv…