One thing Texans can agree on is their love of comfort food. Whether it’s deep-fried or cooked with lots of buttery love, it’s hard to deny great southern cuisine. Yum, butter…
The Lake Travis area is lucky to be home to three fab foodies who are sharing their love of cooking with a new cookbook, Spice Chicks of Drip’s: Fit for a Cowgirl, Best of Texas Hill Country Cooking.
This cookbook is not only full of delicious recipes, but it’s full of cute stories about family and things Texans can relate … to like a dessert section called, “Sister Shut Yo’ Mouth.”
Meet the Spice Chicks of Drip
This Dripping Springs trio of mamas includes Bekie Anderson, Kim Betz, and Sara Albini. The three women are long-time friends who discovered common bond through cooking. Together, they turned their casual supper club into a successful catering business.
Eight years later, they finally put down their aprons long enough to type up all of the delicious recipes they created along the way, and that’s when SpiceChicksofDrip cooking blog and cookbook was born.
Chick #1 – Bekie Anderson
Bekie’s love of food began when she was just eight years old. After relentless begging, Bekie’s mom let her prepare meals before she was ten.
Today, Bekie is a mom of three and has been published in several culinary magazine and cookbooks, such as Taste of Home, Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, and Food for Thought. She also appeared as a guest on Food Network’s Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Show and was named Hill Country Top Chef Runner-up in 2008.
Chick #2 – Kim Betz
Kim is proud mom of seven who has more than 25 years of cooking experience. Her specialty is seafood with a flare and Texas meat for the masses. She grew up surrounded by people who love to prepare soul food such as her grandmother, the quintessential southern cook. And her dad, whose pallet was before his time.
The influences of growing up in Panama, living all over the U.S. for the military, travel to Europe and Texas living has made her the cook she is today.
Chick #3 – Sara Albini AKA “Soup Queen”
Sara has the uncanny ability to turn squash into gold. This mom of three and local sous chef, earned the nickname “Soup Queen” because she can create a soup out of anything and make it a magical masterpiece.
She’s continually expanding her cooking craft, and her homemade chicken stock is so famous in the Texas Hill Country, it could be sold at drug stores as a cure-all medicine.
Cooking that feeds the soul
The recipes are a reflection of some of the meals “the chicks” have served for local Texas wineries and parties. Others are family favorites that have been handed down from generation to generation.
And since they have a combined 13 kids (from age six up to age 38), you’ll find recipes as easy as 1-2-3, literally! Because when you have kids, you figure out how to whip up a delicious dessert that takes minutes to prepare.
But wait, she’s allergic to 18 foods?!
The crazy twist in the backstory of this cookbook is a few years after Bekie wrote it, she found out she has massive food allergies. She was allergic to 18 foods!
She wasn’t surprised at the results, because she had struggled with certain foods her whole life. Bekie did a strict elimination diet and was able to add back half of the foods. The top 8 she still has to avoid includes peanuts, almonds, eggs, gluten, dairy, casein, soy, corn. Uhm, wha???
What in the world can you eat
Bekie’s journey as a foodie with severe food allergies evolved when she met a new friend who had similar issues.
Now Bekie is teaming up with Kim Castillo of Feed Them Fresh that features delicious options like a 30-day cleanse with smoothies, soups, and juices. The two foodies had joked about “what in the world do we eat now?!” and that gave them their next great idea.
Because foodies can be gluten-free
They’re working on a new cookbook that will be healthy comfort food for people who have dietary issues or who are just looking for healthier alternatives. It will include southern comfort food favorites and things like brownies and pizza crust. The working title is What on Earth to Eat: An Allergy-Conscious Guide to Healthful Eating.
Are you a comfort food junkie with food allergies? If you’re a vegan or living gluten-free, what kind of recipes would you like to see? Let us know in the comments section of our Facebook page.
Photo credit: Juliana Rose Bradley
