Well, I’ve been to Texas. And while I thought most of my homesickness was rooted in missing Tex-Mex and barbecue, after spending two days at my grandparents’ farm, I realized what I truly pine for is the closeness of family. Save for one excursion into town to eat at San Miguel’s, a wonderful Tex-Mex restaurant where we all had our fill of enchiladas, tacos, burritos, chile rellenos, refried beans, rice, chips, salsa, guacamole, sopapillas and pralines, I spent my trip in the country, enjoying the company of my fun, intelligent, loving family while we shared meals based on the fruit of the land.
My grandparents are getting older, and to save time for the big meal they ordered a smoked turkey from Greenberg’s of Tyler, Texas—hailed by many the aristocrat of turkeys. This is a tender, smoky and succulent bird, so exquisite and renowned that even Oprah lists it as one of her favorite things. I highly recommend it and I could gnaw on the chewy, smoky skin for days. But even though we ordered out for the bird, everything else was homemade—with many of the ingredients sourced from my grandparents’ and other family members’ gardens: the jalapeno corn bread stuffing, the green beans with bacon and almonds, the cranberry sauces, the creamy rice casserole, several salads made with greens and fruit, sweet potatoes, chips and salsa, pecan pie, apple pie and sweet potato pie, and, well, the list goes on and on.
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