CASSIE BART
Dec. 1, 1994 – Jan. 28, 2010
We lost a special dog this week
the kind you can’t replace
and looking at her favorite spots
We still can see her face.

After a bath she had boundless energy
as she ran from room to room,
Launching over couches
Around the house she’d zoom.
I remember how she’d tug on my sheets
to play her favorite game,
Bouncing forward like a bunny rabbit
When she heard us call her name.
She did her guard dog duty
Each time the doorbell rang,
rolling over on her back
for a belly rub whomever came.
Our Cassie knew what she …

Adam’s Bubbe, Bessie Holzband, is ninety eight and a half years old. We love to spend time with her when we visit Houston for holidays like Passover and most recently, Thanksgiving.
I’ve known Bubbe for less than a year but she introduces me as one of her grandchildren to the staff and residents in her retirement community. It’s very sweet. I call her Bubbe which isn’t a conflict of interest for me because: a) all of my grandparents have passed away and b) my grandmothers were known as “Mama” and “Nagymama” …

It’s been a month or so since I met Seth at Homeslice to enjoy the sun-dappled patio and a free pizza. My day job keeps me pretty much tied to my desk so I asked Seth if we could go early to beat the lines. I walked in when they opened at 11:30 a.m. and saw a line of work-a-day type dudes wrapped around the building, waiting for their pizza fix. It wasn’t even a Friday!

Luckily, Seth lives down the street and offered to walk over a bit early to …

After reading the Statesman story about restaurateur Lola Stephens-Bell handing out ice water to Austin’s homeless to cool them down on these 100 degree and higher days, I knew it was finally time to check out her place, Nubian Queen Lola’s Cajun Soul Food. A group was quickly formed via Twitter and e-mail, and I called Lola to make a reservation for 7 p.m. the following night, a Tuesday.
The group included me and Adam, Ilyse, Darrell from Bella Verdi Farms, David and Betsy, and Jennifer and Roderick. When we arrived, …

A couple weeks ago, I overheard a new friend, Brian, talking about bacon to fellow food blogger Logan of Boots in the Oven. My ears immediately perked up and I asked what this bacon talk was all about. Turns out, Brian’s brother Greg Bass cures and smokes pork belly at home and gives portions of bacon to friends and friends of friends. The Austin Chronicle referred to Greg as an “extreme bacon hobbyist” in an April story about local restaurants curing their own bacon.
Greg and Logan met at a hog-butchering …