I have my own very strong reasons to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

I was afraid to cook mussels! I thought they wouldn’t open up, or that I would overcook them, or that they’d somehow know I was a bivalve mollusk amateur.

Deliciousness abounds at Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe, as we (re)learned at a recent visit for a late breakfast. It is colorful, bright, welcoming and full of delighted diners enjoying the festive, art-filled ambiance.

From Dijon in French food to bright yellow ballpark on an American hotdog… from sweet German mustard on a bratwurst to hot Chinese mustard on an eggroll or steamed dumpling… from English mustard on a ploughman’s lunch to whole-grain mustard on a charcuterie board — mustard is a Best Supporting Actor for foods.

From Tasting Table: Here are some common egg-making mistakes and how to avoid them.

A visiting Gen Z bestie created a marriage of fettuccine alfredo and shrimp scampi with a lemony garlicky mushroom-laden pasta dish that wowed us in the Glover Gardens 2.0 kitchen.

Glover Gardens Pulled Pork with Everything Rub and accompanying homemade Honey-Chipotle barbeque sauce is a delectable spicy-sweet, piquant dish.

Zippy Southwest pulled pork made in the slow cooker is savory with a rich, deep taste, but it’s not overly spicy. And what’s really cool is that it’s super easy!

Bringing back to life a long-dormant family recipe for marinated shrimp, which tastes as fresh and welcome today as it did 50 years ago.

The latest cookbook to yield Sandwich Wednesday benefits at Glover Gardens is from Jeff Mauro, called Come On Over.

Skordalia is a magical Greek sauce with a “nectar of the gods” feel to it when you first experience it.

A bench is an invitation to become one with it for a while, to sit and be still in your surroundings, and let nature and the world flow around you.

In Albuquerque for a wedding, we wanted to eat somewhere really, really unique and local. Frontier Restaurant scratched that itch.

A lifetime of taste aversion to watermelon was vanquished with a Watermelon Salad. Sweet Baby Juiciness, that fruit is delectable!

A fiery sunset beats a fireworks display any day.

Seagulls recall a jazz standard, Side by Side, and the Glovers of Glover Gardens had an anniversary.

Cascading collective trauma is the term for what we’re experiencing as we endure seemingly never-ending external events and tragedies.

Mahogany Splendor is a beautiful and unique hibiscus variety and we’re trying again after losing ours in the big Texas freeze of 2021.

A simple but delightful recipe for a piquant and savory spread.

Only a few words, in haiku (but not 5-7-5).