Texas

As a food enthusiast growing up in Texas, it was blueberry muffins for breakfast and cornbread for dinner. I always wondered what would happen if the two collided — which is why I created this a rich, buttery cornbread muffin oozing with fresh blueberries. It's subtly sweet and surprisingly light on the palate. With a sour pungency from the Greek yogurt and a bright, floral flavor from the lemon zest and honey, the flavors are perfectly balanced and complex, making this one delightful love child of two Texan quick bread recipes. Try the cornbread muffin recipe here.

Ever since full-body scans became the norm at most US airports last Fall, I've opted for the extensive pat down instead. The thought of someone seeing under my clothes doesn't bother me as much as the potential radiation risks amplified by regular exposure to the scanners. And while the pat down is intrusive and slightly embarrassing, especially when they go inside the top of your pants, I guess I feel relieved that I have an option to avoid the scanner.

The Texas House of Representatives doesn't think we should have to pick between two intrusive evils. Last month it approved a bill that would ban any pat down that "touches the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person including through the clothing, or touches the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person." There's also a parallel bill that would ban scanners that allow people to be seen naked. The bill has stalled in the state senate after federal officials threatened to shut down any flights out of Texas due to security concerns.

Today the Republican sponsor of the bill David Simpson defended it in the New York Times. Find out what he said when you keep reading.

Check out this creamy, comforting breakfast shared by thehungrytexan:

Atole de Arroz is one of my all time favorite breakfasts, it's perfect to warm you up on a chilly morning!

Do you have an image of something delicious that you recently made or enjoyed? Be sure to upload it in the Savory Sights group in our YumSugar Community!

I have a serious crush on San Antonio-based Poteet Architects. In one single home, Poteet has captured everything I love about design, art, architecture, and houses. On the exterior, with its wrap-around porch and icing-like decorative details, the Capps residence looks like the vintage Victorians throughout the South — one of my favorite architectural styles. Inside, you're greeted with painted black hardwood floors and bright white walls worthy of an urban art gallery (and a stunning modern art collection to go along with). While cheeky art and bold, modern furniture outfit every room, treasured architectural details like turned wood staircase balusters, sliding pocket doors, and crown moldings remain, creating an ideal blend of old and new. I think the NIMBYs would approve, don't you? Take the full tour below!

The small Southwestern town of Marfa, TX, may be just a dot on the map, but it has plenty to offer. Home to a vast collection of works and installations by renowned artist Donald Judd (who moved there in 1971) and a breadth of new gallery spaces, it is a destination for minimalism and modernism enthusiasts. It is also perhaps most famous for the Marfa lights, unexplained, spheric lights seen on clear nights since the 1800s.

If you're hoping to make a trip to the American town, you won't find much in the way of hotels, but El Cosmico is all you need. The very unique home away from home offers a choice of beautifully restored vintage trailers, yurts, tepees, or tents. If you've got money to burn, you can stay in a 1950 Branstrator Trailer with full bed, toilet, outdoor tub, and cedar deck for $90/night or a 1956 Imperial Mansion with king bed, twin bed, toilet, shower/tub, and cedar deck for $125/night. For a more affordable option, you can sleep in a 115-square-foot yurt with bamboo floors, weatherproof fabric walls, queen size futons, and lantern lighting for $60. Or perhaps a tepee with a king-sized futon bed and a fire pit is more your style; rates are $75/night. Really pinching pennies? Try a tent for only $20/night. In addition to your unusual "hotel suite," El Cosmico has a bath house, dutch tubs, a hammock grove, a shared outdoor kitchen, picnic tables, Public Bikes, and wireless Internet for you to use. Sounds like a recipe for a relaxing, low-key vacation with plenty of great conversation.

Continue reading to see more photos!

YumSugar member Thehungrytexan has us craving barbecue with this savory shot:

I love BBQ but I can't bring myself to fire up the grill in this heat! Next best thing, hit up our favorite BBQ joint. This was delicious and definitely hit the spot!

How are you beating the heat with food? Share by uploading your food photos in the Savory Sights group in our YumSugar Community!

Do you fancy yourself a princess? Do you have a hankering for clover-shaped designs? If you are affirmative on either of those, you may very well like this little piece of heaven deep in the heart of Texas. Originally constructed in 1925 as the San José Catholic Church in Austin, the mission style home was renovated in 2008 by Urban Nature and put on the market to many shoppers' delight.

While many homes certainly have a spirit about them, this one has a name to go with it. Titled the Bouldin Castle, it boasts arched doorways, stacked limestone, magical chandeliers, royal grounds, and a refreshing lap pool. Adding to the stately yet gothic ambiance are ebony floors that contrast dreamily against the alabaster walls. It hardly seems necessary to bring much interior design to these digs as the bones are so dramatically pleasing on their own. I, however, would definitely be up for the task! Unfortunately, it's no longer for sale (someone got lucky!) but we can still peruse the lovely gem and dream of living there happily ever after.

To see the rest of the charming castle, read more

Deep in the heart of Texas, there's a swanky new spot where people like it hot. One of the more charming cities in the lone star state, San Antonio has something to brag about — the newly renovated Hotel Havana. As a heat loving, Mexican food adoring, Texas fan, I can't wait to toss my bags on the guest beds of this new spot and enjoy a mojito. A historical place with bones to show for it, the Cuban-themed hotel was originally built in 1914 along the city's famous Riverwalk. Having passed through the hands of many owners, it was recently refurbished by hotelier Liz Lambert of Bunkhouse Management — also responsible for my other favorite Texas spot, Hotel San José.

Come see why I'm feeling the love for these digs!

Is In-N-Out, the cult California burger chain lauded by the likes of David Chang and Peter Meehan, finally becoming a national standby? Well, while the hamburger chain isn't expanding to the Eastern Seaboard just yet — it has unveiled plans to open in Texas.

D Magazine first broke the news that In-N-Out would be opening its first Lone Star location in Garland, a suburb of Dallas. The Irvine, CA-based fast food chain is known for its not-so-secret basic menu and fresh, high-quality ingredients; it holds the cachet of Manhattan's famed Shake Shack, only with the efficiency of a McDonald's. Yet the family-owned business, which doesn't even accept franchisees, has been reluctant to expand beyond the West Coast. According to Carl Van Fleet, In-N-Out's Vice President of Planning and Development, the company is building a new meat facility to service its Texas locations.

Van Fleet also told Eater that while opening dates have yet to be determined, "We continue to work on a number of site opportunities in the DFW market." I'm shocked that the chain is expanding to Texas, although I think Whataburger could use some competition. What do you think of In-N-Out?

Source: Flickr User hellochris