before we moved, j and i didn't know anything about south texas. i made sure our new home had precisely two things before agreeing to relocate: a target and starbucks within reasonable driving distance. but beyond that? we headed west blindly and optimistically.

leading up to our departure we joked (and my family teased) that hopefully there would be more than a taco stand on our new food frontier. when we finally rolled in, i spent the first few weeks driving around pointing out everything i recognized from back home to j.

"look! a chilis!!!"
"yeah, lauren i hear those are a chain."

"look! ANOTHER STARBUCKS!"
"and some place called moonbeans."

"omigawd its a frozen yogurt place! AND there's a dairy queen."
"i'm surprised those weren't on your list of requirements."

not long after we settled in, i started to worry again...this time that the best we were going to do for a "night out" was chilis. yes: how quickly i become spoiled with what i have. restaurants i was initially exclaiming over, i was turning my nose up at a few months later.

i'm thrilled to say that we have started to discover some gems, and salt- new american table definitely makes my shortlist. when we walked in, i saw the minimalist bar, lots of scrubbed wood (my favorite), custom cocktails and a carefully crafted menu with lots of interesting choices.

i think i exhaled for the first time in a few months.

i can't get past the fried chicken, which is served with a side of jalapeno mashed potatoes. if ever there was a dish that combined our new home and our hometown, that's it. southern comfort food with a tex mex twist. it's perfection.

and salt is our new go-to for special, but not stuffy dates.

For reservations, call 956.627.6304.

-l
made to border

it’s that time of the year again… the pumpkin spice latte is officially out, so we’re calling it fall even if the today's high might be predicted a tad over 100 degrees. (that's how us super southerners mark seasonal changes...starbucks drink offerings.)

since this year my baking list is about a mile and a half long, and it will take me from about now through november to get through them all, today seemed like as good a time as any to get started. these cookies were the perfect recipe to kick off the fall season, they are super flavorful, and not rock-hard like some gingersnaps.

the original recipe calls for them to be rolled in granulated sugar (as shown below), but if you want to sparkle them up [a little somethin' somethin' special] you can add some clear sprinkles.

| ingredients |

½ cup of butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies (or you can sub sprinkles!)
½ cup of pure pumpkin (i used libby’s canned pumpkin)
¼ cup of molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

| method |

in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth. add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.

in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour, up to 2-3 days if needed.

when you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° f. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. place sugar (or sprinkles!) in a small bowl. roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar/sprinkles until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.

bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are set. the cookies will still be soft when removed from the oven, so let cool on the baking sheet for a 2-3 minutes after removing, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

-l
made to border

spotlight on: salt new american table

pumpkin gingersnap cookies