Friends, It is with the heaviest of hearts I’ve ever known to write this. This will be my last Savoring West Texas weekly column. And this one isn’t going to be about food. One week ago today at 1:15 p.m., my husband Bob, took his final breath and flew into the Great Beyond. Following his completely unexpected and massive brain bleed on March 13 that required extensive emergency brain surgery and all that goes along with it, his recovery was nothing short of miraculous. We were gifted 33 of the most excruciatingly beautiful days and nights together in his healing. … Continue reading Savoring West Texas, now and always

Thank you all for bearing with me as we Johns folks navigate through our life-changing experience. We are far from home, and certainly not the same people we were last month before my husband’s surprise hemorrhagic stroke on the right … Continue reading Good medicine or bad medicine – food IS medicine.

Please note: I haven’t been able to write much since my husband’s stroke on March 13, when I found my incredibly healthy, strong, fit husband on the bathroom floor and our lives became a swirling alternate reality. Thank you all … Continue reading Little Shack in El Paso delivers big flavor

NOTE: I wrote this Monday, February 15 and we were without power until Wednesday at 4 p.m. While I got the hang of lighting candles, cooking in the fireplace and always carrying my “personal lighting device” as we referred to … Continue reading The Blizzard and its Power Outage of 2021

Granola is a cereal-like combination of oats and other grains, often with nuts and dried fruits mixed in. As a good source of protein, carbohydrates and fiber, granola, it’s an excellent energy-giving food also can be added to desserts and … Continue reading Homemade granola – perfect for breakfast or as a healthy snack

I love coffee. I love learning about coffee and sharing with anyone who’ll listen, or even pretend like they’re listening. Coffee roasting has a number of stages. The green coffee beans are cleaned, roasted, cooled, and sometimes ground before packaging. … Continue reading ​Understanding the differences of coffee roasts

Over the last almost-year, I’ve baked more bread than I’ve ever baked in my entire life. I know I’m not alone, judging by the shortages of flour and yeast that were so common for many months of last year. I … Continue reading Beer bread… if you don’t drink that beer, bake with it!

I might not have made any really earth-shattering New Year’s resolutions on New Year’s Day, but I did start our new year with a big batch of beef bone broth and microgreens growing in the window. My simple personal resolutions this year include baking more cookies with premium, natural ingredients; growing superfoods and herbs in the kitchen windows where critters can’t eat them or drag them into the yard, and the usual Jan. 1-April 1 fast from adult beverages. Adding healing, nourishing bone broth to the menu just feels natural. The first written documentation of bone broth being used medicinally … Continue reading Letting food be your medicine and medicine be your food

About a week ago, I decided to try my hand at growing microgreens… the seedlings of vegetables and herbs. When we lived near the city, I bought microgreens regularly at the grocery store. I loved adding them to tacos, salads, sandwiches and soups. They add a crunch and an unexpected punch of flavor to everything. They can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Microgreens are a good source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Some scientific evidence suggests that microgreens are powerful antioxidants, but that depends on the plant. Broccoli sprouts are especially healthy because while both broccoli and … Continue reading Adventures of a first-time sprouter