Tastes of the Town

Granddaughter Greta Berg is ready for Easter. Photo by Linda Dwyer

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Tastes of the Town: It’s Cadbury Egg season

Linda Dwyer

Saturday, April 8, 2023

Happy Easter! The hunt is on and it’s the one time when putting all your eggs in one basket is okay. Good things come in small chocolate packages, and Cadbury Eggs are in season.

Hydrate General Manager Nicole Harris makes a smoothie. Photo by Linda Dwyer

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Tastes of the Town: Kombucha: It’s Alive!

Linda Dwyer

Sunday, March 26, 2023

Occasionally my husband prepares a fermented drink from living organisms and our kitchen takes on the look of a mad scientist’s lab. SCOBY, Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast, is the living culture. This host is fed tea and sugar and fermentation produces an effervescent kombucha drink.

Lisa Franke stands with a cherry pie.

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Tastes of the Town: Lulu’s Pie Shoppe is ready for business

Linda Dwyer

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Lulu’s Pie Shoppe is bringing pie and more to the Square in Georgetown. “Our menu will grow, but the heart of our business will stay the same, pie,” said Lisa Franke, who goes by Lulu. “I didn’t come from a family that baked, but my mother-inlaw made cookies every year.

Co-owner Ephraim Hailu at the Taste of Ethiopia in Pflugerville.

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Enjoy the taste of Ethiopian cuisine

Linda Dwyer

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa is the continent’s oldest independent country. Apart from a five-year occupation by Mussolini’s Italy during World War II, it has never been colonized. The country is home of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian denominations.

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Happy Lunar New Year

Linda Dwyer

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Cultural diversity brings fun celebrations for all. The Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among the Chinese community. In China, Lunar New Year lasts 15 days from the new moon to the next full moon. In 2023, celebrations begin January 22 and end February 5.

A sausage plate from Krause’s Cafe. (Photo by Linda Dwyer)

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A New Braunfels day trip

Linda Dwyer

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Our first day trip of 2023 was to New Braunfels in Central Texas, between Austin and San Antonio. The town was established in 1845 by a German Prince who named it after Braunfels, his German hometown.

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A day for three kings

Linda Dwyer

Friday, January 6, 2023

January 6 is the Christian Feast of the Epiphany. It is celebrated in Ireland as Little Christmas and in some Latin countries it is known as Three Kings Day. In England it is called Twelfth Night because it comes twelve days after the birth of Jesus.

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Enjoy your freedom’s eve celebrations this year

Linda Dwyer

Friday, December 30, 2022

On New Year’s Eve, many African Americans attend church for Watch Night Service. The night of prayer, commemoration and celebration ends at midnight with the new year. Watch Night Service is a Christian tradition that began in the Czech Republic and was adopted by congregations around the world.

Denice and Dennis Morgan enjoying impossible coconut pie. (Linda Dwyer)

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Impossibly easy pies are magic in the kitchen

Linda Dwyer

Saturday, December 24, 2022

Recently, I learned about depression-era water pies. During tough times, people were desperate to treat their families to something sweet. Referred to in a cookbook as Hard Times Pie, the desert was made with water, flour, butter and sugar.

Aurora’s Family Kitchen is serving tamales again this season. (Photo by Linda Dwyer)

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It's Christmas tamale time

Linda Dwyer

Monday, December 19, 2022

Some folks dream of a white Christmas, but visions of tamales dance in my head. It’s tamale season. Tamales date back to the Aztecs, Mayans and Incans. The word “tamale” comes from the Aztec word for wrap. Tamales, made from corn, were sent out with hunters, travelers and soldiers.

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