Tex-Mex in the Times (and more)

I apologize for the silence. I've been a bit stressed and sad as my 17-year-old cat Lily has a lemon-sized tumor on her side, and today I find out the prognosis. For a cat her age, I've been warned it's not good. I have some green pork chili I'm eager to share with you but until my mind is more settled, here are some links I've been savoring from the recent papers:

• The New York Times has a celebration of Tex-Mex written by a non-Texan, a job I would have gladly offered my services. That said, my favorite restaurant from childhood, Herrera's in Dallas, receives major kudos and the author quotes Robb Walsh, so I'll cut the Times some slack. Have you ever been to Herrera's? I have fond memories of lining up with my parents outside this Maple Avenue hole-in-the-wall back in the '70s, where after passing through the kitchen you'd find yourself at a tiny table piled high with tamales, Crazy nachos and enchiladas smothered in brown chili gravy and orange cheese. This place is a classic, and Herrera's definitely helped define my Tex-Mex palate.

• Also in the Times is a look at legendary editor Judith Jones. If you're not familiar with her, she shepherded into print classic books by authors such as Julia Child, Claudia Rosen, Edna Lewis and Marcella Hazan. She has a new memoir out this week, and if you're in New York, she'll be doing a reading and a wine tasting at Bottlerocket tonight at 6:00.

• October has been deemed official chili month, and while I've been a bit of a laggard about posting about the state dish of Texas this year (though I wrote a series of posts about Texas Red last October), you can read about the saga of Texas chili and Terlingua in today's Dallas Morning News.

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