A Valentine idea you'll eat up

If you were an ice cream flavor, what kind would you be?

“All you need us love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” Charles M. Shulz

Plan a picnic for your partner.

What foods remind you of him or her?

Make a list of restaurants you want to try.

I promise that not all of the topics in “The You & Me Book” revolve around food, but “Love Journal” authors Rachel Kempster and Meg Leder have a pretty good idea of how important the memory of a good, shared bite is in relationships. This is a crazy fun book designed to write in and inspire countless ways to have fun with that special someone. It’s the kind of book  you might want to steer clear of if you seek a someone and haven’t found one, but on the other hand, it’s a great guide to consider the type of relationship you want and can strive to have. Quotes, activities and ideas jump off every inventive page.

Umami, baby

I’ve been hearing about umami for years and now I have some in my pantry. It’s that flavorful finishing touch and the Japanese call it shime, according to Mitsuwa Marketplace, called the largest Japanese supermarket in the United States.

 Ever paid more than $12 for a bottle of soy sauce? Marushima Fresh Soy Sauce, $12.29, is a like a sparingly-used vintage wine for me now. I’ve been enjoying it over jasmine rice with just a little Ogawa Premium Seasoned Seaweed dice into it and peanuts on top.

Marushima has 400 years experience in the soy brewing business and fans love to experience its nuances with simple food so the flavors don’t get lost.

The seaweeds is from the Ariake sea. It is seasoned with dashi (Japanese soup stock made from fish and kelp). You can pour some hot water over it and make ochazuke. That sounds exotic with a minimum of calories.

I’ve also tried Ohara Hisakichi Yuasa Soy Sauce, $10.59, made with 8 generation of experience in the birthplace of soy sauce. It’s artisan with a long fermentation time. I plan to enjoy it a serving at a time for years.

Yamamotoyama Roasted Seaweed sourced from Seto Inland sea is yielding more experimentation in The Year of the Snake.

For details, visit http://shop.mitsuwa.com/eng/eindex.php

Beaumont Gator boys

I don’t have a gator recipe here, but there’s news that Season 4 of “Swamp People” premieres this Thursday, Feb. 14, with two Beaumont boys. Here’s how The History Channel describes them:

T-ROY Broussard and Harlan "BIGFOOT" Hatcher from Texas are the top alligator hunters in the Lone Star state. They are trying to break into the Louisiana gator hunting scene after negotiating some tags from a Pierre Part landowner.  How will they fare on Troy Landry’s turf?

ZZ LOUPE may only be 16 years old, but he's lived on the swamp and handled gators since he was in diapers.  At 6'2" and 260 pounds, he's a child prodigy that is a force to be reckoned with - possessing a high level of swamp savvy and ingenuity.   In his first "professional" hunting season, ZZ has teamed with legendary swamp veteran, TOM CANDIES.  

ddoiron@panews.com