Ross Burtwell, owner-chef at the Cabernet Grill Texas Wine Country Restaurant in Fredericksburg, is known for his loyalty to Lone Star State products. Like a child at play, he energetically mixes and matches his seasonal menus with a wine list that features 81 Texas varieties. The restaurant is a member of the Texas Department of Agriculture's Go Texan program, which promotes all sorts of businesses that sell homegrown and homemade products.

If you treat potatoes like a street-corner preacher - steering clear at all costs - because of the carbs they contain, you're probably not aware of the many important phytochemicals and vitamins you're missing out on.

If you had been a cowboy on the early trail rides, your meals would have been whatever you could carry. Imagine how thankful those guys were when Texas rancher Charles Goodnight devised the first chuck wagon. Click for complete article.

“Cook Like an Iron Chef,” Country Lifestyle, July/August 2008

One brisk evening last March, Chef Kent Rathbun sat on the patio of Jasper’s, his new Austin restaurant, his eyes focused on the overhead television screen tuned to the Food Network.  Although he knew the outcome of the show being broadcast—the “Iron Chef America” challenge that he and his Atlanta-based chef brother, Kevin, had filmed last September competing against Chef Bobby Flay—this was his first time to watch it from start to finish.

“To be on the show was huge for us,” he says.  “To do well was even better.”  And so he cheered with delight when the Rathbun brothers were declared winners over the noted Flay. Contact for complete article

“Burger Time,” Muscle and Fitness Hers, July/August 2008

Although hamburgers are mealtime mainstays for many of us, they aren’t generally regarded as the healthiest of foods.  But there’s no reason to fear the burger.  These tips will help you make the best and tastiest lean burger ever. Contact for complete article

“Going without the Grain,” Relish, March 2008

With wheat allergies and allergies in general on the rise, more gluten-free versions of familiar foods are now available.  Yummy gluten-free pastries, pizza and sausage can be found not only in the “special diet section” of the supermarket but also in many restaurants and bakeries.

Gardening has been his hobby for more than 30 years, and each year he delights in new discoveries.

To say San Miguel is an avid gardener is an understatement. His ability to grow things extends far beyond the flowers and greenery found in most Central Texas landscapes. He is absolutely passionate about growing herbs - not in separate boxes or pots but incorporated into any existing home garden. "I blend herbs with my landscape plants, which adds color, texture and visual interest to the garden," he says. Contact for complete article

Even if you consider yourself a hamburger connoisseur, these tips will help you build better burgers.

• Start with fresh, not frozen, ground meat. In addition to compromising taste, frozen meat may not hold together well on the grill. "Fresh means two days or less in the refrigerator," says Malena Perdomo, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
• Cut the fat by substituting a portion of meat with lightly sautéed or finely grated potato or carrot. Tomato sauce is especially useful to improve moisture content is you're using 95 percent lean ground beef, says Milton Stokes, RD, an ADA spokesperson.

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Maybe eating right is easier than you think. If you want a hot, soothing and flab-busting meal to warm you from the inside out, you don't have to look any further than your kitchen cupboard. Grab a cup, and get busy.

Think simple. "When the one dish is ready, your meal is basically done," says Bainbridge Island, Washington-based nutritional consultant, Lola O'Rourke, M.S., R.D. "A tossed green salad, glass of nonfat milk, and a piece of fresh fruit for dessert add bonus nutrition," she says. "No need to think about timing different dinner components to be finished at the same time. Cleaning up is easier, too. If you make enough for leftovers, serving dinner on a second day will be a breeze." Contact for complete article

In contrast to sizzling summer temperatures, Central Market on Austin's funky south side is a very cool place to shop. In fact, the market has been redefining - and refining - the task of food shopping in the area since it opened in 1999.

The second such market developed in Austin by HEB Corporation, the huge Central Texas grocery retailer, (the first was on North Lamar in 1994), the Westgate location recently underwent a major renovation, enlarging its on-site cafe and expanding its natural products inventory.

Central Market is all about serving its customers, who are admittedly more demanding than the typical in-and-out grocery shopper. While the store offers the same toilet paper, toothpaste, and turkey found in any grocery outlet, the emphasis is more on specialty and prepared items and plentiful produce than household basics. Contact for complete article

last updated on: February 24, 2011 by Brandi Crouch