My Story
Louisiana-born Susan Apple Graass was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show with her award-winning State Fair of Texas’ Blue Ribbon Lemon Cake, baked 3,000 petits fours for the VIP Party of Super Bowl XLV, and competed on the Food Network show, Bobby’s Dinner Battle with Grace-anne Greenblatt where they were awarded “Best Home Cooks of Dallas”.
Susan grew up cooking in her mom, Billie’s kitchen for a houseful of company, raising chickens, gardening with her father, sewing with her sisters, Cindy and Sandra, cooking big pots of Red Bean and Rice, planning family reunions, and visiting her Texas cousins down on Hornsby Bend. Simple times. Good times. The Louisiana lifestyle enriched by the community of cousins, neighbors, and friends . . . real community . . . with lots of love and happy feelings!
During her junior year at Texas Christina University, Susan declared her major as geology. For sure, she was on track to graduate in four years with a possibility of going into business with her father, Boots Apple, a petroleum engineer. During her spare time at TCU, she cooked, sewed, and sketched new fashion designs. When Susan’s interest in Geology began to wane, she enrolled in cooking, sewing and pattern-drafting college classes. It was a turning point. With her original dress designs, Susan launched a startup in her TCU dorm room, sold dresses out of the trunk of her car, and graduated on time. Over a 20-year period, the little startup grew to a thriving apparel business with annual sales of one million dollars.
While cooking for her family of six for 20 + years, Susan blended her passion for cooking and TCU Home Economics degree to test new cooking techniques, ingredients and kitchen equipment. These proved to be helpful in “Getting dinner on the table”.
Over the years, Susan has enjoyed planning neighborhood block parties, celebrating birthdays, planning decorations for VNA’s Celebrity Chef, planning TCU Alumni parties, and cooking with The Boys & Girls Club. These are a few of the ways she has duplicated her fondest childhood memories while striving to unite communities with lots of love and happy feelings!
After Oprah’s show, Susan was inspired to start a blog, www.susanapple.com. In 2018, it morphed into www.mytexaskitchen.com.
Susan Apple Graass has served on the Texas Christian University Alumni Board. She is a member of Junior League of Dallas, National Charity League, P.E.O. and Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Since 2011, her business has been certified with the Women’s Business Council.
Susan loves cooking, baking, designing, gardening, photography, Texas history, discovering restaurants and farmers markets across the country, and spending time with her husband, Jim Graass and their children, James, Catherine, JT, and Ben.
Common And Popular Candies
After researching and decorating gingerbread houses for 25 years, I have compiled a list of the most common and popular candies which can be used to decorate gingerbread houses. Common And Popular Candies: Peppermints, a classic Christmas candy, are popular candies...
Candy Mailboxes For Gingerbread Houses
Every gingerbread house needs a candy mailbox! Six Steps To Make Candy Mailboxes For Gingerbread Houses: Make one batch of Royal Icing. Trim the end of a 12" disposable pastry bag. Add a Wilton® #5 pastry tip. Fill halfway with Royal icing. *Optional: Tie a rubber...
How To Build A Gingerbread House
Everyone is ready for some holiday cheer! How to build a gingerbread house with a store-bought gingerbread house kit. *Kits are available at most craft stores and grocery stores. How To Build A Gingerbread House - Most Important Tip! For a sturdy gingerbread house...
Royal Icing For Gingerbread Houses
Royal Icing for gingerbread houses is the essential component for building gingerbread houses and confections. This Royal Icing Recipe is for building gingerbread houses and all of the handmade confections. Simply beat the icing a little longer for building the...
Red Candy Doors For Gingerbread Houses
A red door means "welcome" in an old early American tradition. Weary travelers by horse and buggy would know that a home with a red front door was a welcoming place to rest. A red candy door on a gingerbread house carries on this friendly tradition! Red candy doors...
Candy Holiday Trees For Gingerbread Houses
Candy Holiday Trees for Gingerbread Houses are a great addition to the landscaping! Made with a few ingredients, they are worth a little bit of time spent spent making them because they add so much to the gingerbread houses. *Make them ahead because the royal icing...
Lollipop Ponds For Gingerbread Houses
Homemade lollipop ponds for Gingerbread Houses add a pop of color to the landscaping. The are easy to make. And your friends and family will love them! Special Equipment: Candy Thermometer Silicone Baking Mat Four Easy Steps To Make Lollipop Ponds For Gingerbread...
Homecoming Means Football, Friends And Tailgate Parties
Homecoming means football, friends and tailgate parties. It's a special time for friends and family! For me, homecoming means a big family reunion. Our family reunions created so many happy moments. Little did I know, but years later these moments would become my...
Autumn Skies And Apple Pies
Autumn skies and apple pies . . . it's a favorite time for year for pie baking! Recently, I discovered a new apple pie recipe by an influential American painter, Jackson Pollock. His pie became famous in the local community of Springs when it won first prize in the...
Black Beans Are Easy To Fix
"Black Beans are easy to fix, high in protein and fiber, valued as a cholesterol buster, and useful in hundreds of dishes." - Laurie Colwin - More Home Cooking Black beans, also known as turtle beans, are the ingredient of choice for today's Meatless Monday recipe....
Louisiana-born Susan Apple Graass was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show with her award-winning State Fair of Texas’ Blue Ribbon Lemon Cake, baked 3,000 petits fours for the VIP Party of Super Bowl XLV, and competed on the Food Network show, Bobby’s Dinner Battle with Grace-anne Greenblatt where they were awarded “Best Home Cooks of Dallas”.
Susan grew up cooking in her mom, Billie’s kitchen for a houseful of company, raising chickens, gardening with her father, sewing with her sisters, Cindy and Sandra, cooking big pots of Red Bean and Rice, planning family reunions, and visiting her Texas cousins down on Hornsby Bend. Simple times. Good times. The Louisiana lifestyle enriched by the community of cousins, neighbors, and friends . . . real community . . . with lots of love and happy feelings!
During her junior year at Texas Christina University, Susan declared her major as geology. For sure, she was on track to graduate in four years with a possibility of going into business with her father, Boots Apple, a petroleum engineer. During her spare time at TCU, she cooked, sewed, and sketched new fashion designs. When Susan’s interest in Geology began to wane, she enrolled in cooking, sewing and pattern-drafting college classes. It was a turning point. With her original dress designs, Susan launched a startup in her TCU dorm room, sold dresses out of the trunk of her car, and graduated on time. Over a 20-year period, the little startup grew to a thriving apparel business with annual sales of one million dollars.
While cooking for her family of six for 20 + years, Susan blended her passion for cooking and TCU Home Economics degree to test new cooking techniques, ingredients and kitchen equipment. These proved to be helpful in “Getting dinner on the table”.
Over the years, Susan has enjoyed planning neighborhood block parties, celebrating birthdays, planning decorations for VNA’s Celebrity Chef, planning TCU Alumni parties, and cooking with The Boys & Girls Club. These are a few of the ways she has duplicated her fondest childhood memories while striving to unite communities with lots of love and happy feelings!
After Oprah’s show, Susan was inspired to start a blog, www.susanapple.com. A year ago, it morphed into www.mytexaskitchen.com.
Susan Apple Graass has served on the Texas Christian University Alumni Board. She is a member of Junior League of Dallas, National Charity League, P.E.O. and Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Since 2011, her business has been certified with the Women’s Business Council.
Susan loves cooking, baking, designing, gardening, photography, Texas history, discovering restaurants and farmers markets across the country, and spending time with her husband, Jim Graass and their children, James, Catherine, JT, and Ben.
My Story
Louisiana-born Susan Apple Graass was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show with her award-winning State Fair of Texas’ Blue Ribbon Lemon Cake, baked 3,000 petits fours for the VIP Party of Super Bowl XLV, and competed on the Food Network show, Bobby’s Dinner Battle with Grace-anne Greenblatt where they were awarded “Best Home Cooks of Dallas”.
Susan grew up cooking in her mom, Billie’s kitchen for a houseful of company, raising chickens, gardening with her father, sewing with her sisters, Cindy and Sandra, cooking big pots of Red Bean and Rice, planning family reunions, and visiting her Texas cousins down on Hornsby Bend. Simple times. Good times. The Louisiana lifestyle enriched by the community of cousins, neighbors, and friends . . . real community . . . with lots of love and happy feelings!
During her junior year at Texas Christina University, Susan declared her major as geology. For sure, she was on track to graduate in four years with a possibility of going into business with her father, Boots Apple, a petroleum engineer. During her spare time at TCU, she cooked, sewed, and sketched new fashion designs. When Susan’s interest in Geology began to wane, she enrolled in cooking, sewing and pattern-drafting college classes. It was a turning point. With her original dress designs, Susan launched a startup in her TCU dorm room, sold dresses out of the trunk of her car, and graduated on time. Over a 20-year period, the little startup grew to a thriving apparel business with annual sales of one million dollars.
While cooking for her family of six for 20 + years, Susan blended her passion for cooking and TCU Home Economics degree to test new cooking techniques, ingredients and kitchen equipment. These proved to be helpful in “Getting dinner on the table”.
Over the years, Susan has enjoyed planning neighborhood block parties, celebrating birthdays, planning decorations for VNA’s Celebrity Chef, planning TCU Alumni parties, and cooking with The Boys & Girls Club. These are a few of the ways she has duplicated her fondest childhood memories while striving to unite communities with lots of love and happy feelings!
After Oprah’s show, Susan was inspired to start a blog, www.susanapple.com. In 2018, it morphed into www.mytexaskitchen.com.
Susan Apple Graass has served on the Texas Christian University Alumni Board. She is a member of Junior League of Dallas, National Charity League, P.E.O. and Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Since 2011, her business has been certified with the Women’s Business Council.
Susan loves cooking, baking, designing, gardening, photography, Texas history, discovering restaurants and farmers markets across the country, and spending time with her husband, Jim Graass and their children, James, Catherine, JT, and Ben.