MBMARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

1. Article · Sep 23, 2026 · MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

   Move over pumpkin spice, it's apple cinnamon's turn (opens the original)

   Excerpt · Neutral tone · English

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   Well, the autumn equinox has come and gone, so it’s officially fall. But, as usual, Texas didn’t get the memo. Or maybe it did, but just declined to participate. I’ve been here nearly 20 years, so if I haven’t stopped missing September’s delicate shift from the heat of August to autumn’s crisp mornings and colorful cacophony of changing leaves, I never will. I also will never stop complaining about it. And yes, I would like some cheese with that w(h)ine. So even as I rant year after

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2. Article · Sep 2, 2026 · MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

   Three simple recipes and a whole lot of love for the Queen of Country (opens the original)

   Excerpt · Critical tone · English

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   Unpopular opinion: I do not like the movie “Steel Magnolias.” So much overacting and overplaying into stereotypes. Plus, Julia Roberts … not a fan (except for “Pretty Woman”). There, I said it. And I hope I haven’t lost too many readers because of it. But the movie does have a few saving graces. First, M’Lynn’s (Sally Field’s) ridiculously funny and melodramatic scene after Shelby’s (Roberts’) funeral. If I come across the movie on TV and there’s nothing else on and I hav

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3. Article · Aug 19, 2026 · MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

   With sushi, even if you don’t like raw fish, there’s still plenty to roll with (opens the original)

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   I like to tell people that I just l-o-v-e sushi. But that’s a dirty lie and a cop-out. What I mean is that I l-o-v-e the pseudo-sushi that doesn’t include raw fish. If that makes me culinarily pedestrian, so be it. My distaste for raw or even rare fish reared its fearful head a few months ago when I was one of three judges for the 48th Epicurean Evening at the Moody Gardens Convention Center. Hosted by the Texas Restaurant Association Galveston Chapter, the annual “Taste of the Gulf” cel

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4. Article · Aug 12, 2026 · MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

   Pineapple gods strike again: Nearly 40 years after one infamous recipe mishap, the fruit is back for revenge (opens the original)

   Excerpt · Critical tone · English

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   Picture it: Philadelphia. 1987. I’m the lifestyles editor of a large weekly newspaper and, as such, I include a reader-submitted recipe in each week’s edition. This week, it’s pineapple cheesecake. The paper comes out … and the phone calls start coming in. I included crushed pineapples in the ingredient list but somehow left them out of the instructions. I could have run a photo of the mayor, naked, upside down on page one and there would have been less of an uproar. The reaction was swi

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5. Article · Jul 29, 2026 · MARGARET BATTISTELLI GARDNER

   Shelf discovery: A refrigerator-door excavation leads to forgotten delicacies and one tiny reminder that some foods just aren't meant to be (opens the original)

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   Cleaning out the refrigerator is like an archaeological dig. If you’re like me, you’ll find condiments you bought for one recipe you’ll never make again, leftovers with no identifiable origin and the occasional mystery object that raises more questions than answers. Disgusted with the sticky packets of ketchup, honey, hot sauce and the like from fast-food drive-throughs overflowing from the shelves on my refrigerator door, I pulled on my head lamp and dove in. This week’s discovery? A du

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