Book Tour Virgin is Will Clarke.com

Shreveport's Home of the Shrimp Buster

My Mom Schools You In The Ways Of Sweet Potato Pies

This recipe is for two pies because according to my mom, it's just as easy to make two pies as it is to make one, and you can always use an extra pie to give to a neighbor or freeze it for later.

Dishola. My New Favorite Site.

Here's how it works: You post a dish review on dishola.com In your honor, Dishola donates a dish to Meals on Wheels. Someone out there gets a warm meal thanks to you!

For every review posted on dishola.com between now and January 15, 2008, they will ensure that a dish of food is delivered to a needy family. It is a small, yet meaningful way to share the love of food with those who need it most this holiday season.

Dishola has set a goal of 600 dishes. They can only achieve it with your help. Think of a restaurant dish you love to eat and share it with others on dishola.com. And know that you are also sharing with those less fortunate in our community.

My Two Favorite Things On The Sunset Strip: The Coffee Bean and BookSoup

At The Standard Hollywood, Having Breakfast, Trying To Get Some Writing Done.

Nuthin' "Beets" Hattie's

Beet salad at Hattie's in Dallas. Ate there at lunch today.

It's the bellybutton of the Dallas culinary universe.
Even The New York Times thinks so...

"Oak Cliff was once the place where you could find the best chicken-fried steak on the planet, at the much-mourned Gennie’s Bishop Grill; now there is Hattie’s, which serves pulled pork over garlic grits and fried green tomatoes on white tablecloths with an accompanying wine list."—Mimi Swartz, NYT, March 25, 2007

I'm On Dallas' CBS 11 Morning Show

Talking to a book club....
Click here to watch the segment

Post Signing BBQ With Novelist Marshall Boswell

Marshall Boswell, who wrote TROUBLE WITH GIRLS and ALTERNATIVE ATLANTA, took me out to Central BBQ after the show.

Good food and great conversation with one of my favorite contemporary novelists.

I'm Having Some Food Issues

Okay, has anyone had one of these Green Tea Frappacinos? I was so excited when I heard they were finally getting these as the Coffee Beans in LA have had Green Tea blended drinks for years now, and they rock.

So I was all gung-ho and ordered a Venti Starbucks Green Tea Frapp. It was good at first, and then there was this lingering after taste. And then it was gross. Come to find out that Starbucks puts squirts of melon syrup in Green Tea Frapps. Yuck. Why would they do this?

Now order them minus the melon crap and they are righteous. Green Tea tastes good. What rocket scientist at corporate decided to play fast and loose with Mother Nature like that? Nobody wants fake watermelon syrup in their highly caloric, Green Tea ice cream-tasting blended beverage.

In an attempt to lose some of this book tour blubber, I ordered one of those fruit and walnut salads instead of fries at McDonalds. (I know, if I want to shed the blubber maybe I should just layoff the frappacinos and the Mickey Ds, but that's a whole nother post)  Now I realize that keeping fruit fresh is hard, but a little all-natural orange juice goes a long way with keeping apples from turning brown. (Even I know this and I don't even really cook. I'm just a cook's groupie.) This fruit and walnut salad episode is another case of me eating something I wanted to be good, and then there is an very unnecessary and unpleasant after taste. Except this time, it was so bitter and nasty that I was compelled to wipe my tongue with a paper napkin to get it to stop. It tasted like pool chemicals. Don't these people who develop these products have tastebuds? Unfortunately, at McDonalds you can't ask the baristas not to add this bad-tasting additive. So from here on out, I am sticking with Quarter Pounders.

Sometimes You Have To Drive Up To Allen, Texas To Get Some Culture

I have been meaning to post about my goings-on this past Saturday night as it was one of the best times I have had in a long time. Michelle and I drove north on 75, past Plano to Allen, to visit my friend, Ashwinee Bhatt. Ashwinee is an acclaimed Indian author who has written over 15 books. He moved to Texas with his wife to be with his son and daughter-in-law.

He is one of the funniest, kindest, most interesting people I have ever met. He is full of stories and he always cooks up an amazing spread of food for his guests. He is also a walking connection to history.

Last time I was at his house, he informed me that he was close friends with Gandhi's personal photographer. He then produced an original photograph of Gandhi walking with a stick as the sunlight streamed over his shoulder. It looked like God was smiling at him. Ashwinee then regaled me with accounts of the sage's life and struggle. This time when the conversation turned to children and Montessori education, Ashwinee then modestly added that his father who was an educator had trained under Maria Montessori, and then Ashwinee revealed that to his father's chagrin, he was somewhat of a mischievous student who only made passing marks. But had shown promise as a writer as a child. A story not unlike my own.

Then after all the stories, we ate too much. Ashwinee and his family provided us with spicy okra, chick peas, rice, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, curries, mango chutneys, pickled lemons, puffs of bread, and sweet, creamy almond soups. We ate with our hands and talked and laughed. I had four helpings of everything.

After dinner, Ashwinee's son Neel who is an engineer at Texas Intruments put in a CD of his bands latest endeavors. Turns out Neel is a highly sought after Tabla accompanist who studied under Shree Nandan Mehta in India. (Humble Neel didn't tell me this. Google did.)

Anyway, Neel's band kicks ass. It's some of the most interesting music I have heard in a long time. He kindly burned me a CD of three songs. I want to send the music to Michael London and David Gordon Green. These songs should be on the Lord Vishnu's Love Handles Movie Soundtrack.