Full of Sass and Vinegar?

                            

                             Years ago I heard a celebrity downed vinegar shots to boost metabolism. I tried it, but that stuff is tart. Now apple cider vinegar is all the rage. It’s still strong, but it grows on you.

                                         I’m a sucker for blue glass at resale shops and spied a fancy shot glass for 50 cents. I chatted with the gentleman at checkout, telling him this would be my new vinegar glass and he took over the conversation sharing how he believes a daily ACV dose has healed him of a heap of ailments.

                             Now Vermont Village, the super-creative and organic souls they are, have come up with flavors to delight, including blueberries and honey, cranberries and honey and ginger and honey. It’s sooooo much more palatable.

                             Turmeric & Honey also comes “With the ‘Mother’ ” and the labels read “Yes, shake it! The best stuff is on the bottom.”

            Vermont Village’s Raw Apple Cider Sipping Vinegar is meant to take you through the cold and flu season. Makers will tell you why:

·        Raw apple cider vinegar helps to alkalinize the body, which creates an environment that kills bacteria and viruses

·        It boosts the immune system to help your body fight off any unwanted viruses and provide more energy

·        Vermont Village’s Raw Apple Cider Sipping Vinegar contains raw honey, which is full of natural anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, and is known to be anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal

·        It’s also particularly good for gut health and the naturally occurring potassium found in it helps with thinning mucus.

Sold in individual 8 oz. bottles for $4.99, Vermont Village’s Raw Apple Cider Sipping Vinegars are available at Walmart locations across the United States and can be ordered and shipped directly to consumers via www.vermontvillage.com.

 

                 

                             From the shelves

                             Here’s a treat from another book reviewed here years ago. It sounds like it was ahead of its time:

                  “Secrets of Fat-Free Chinese Cooking” by Ying Chang Compestine:

                  This book has a Library of Congress date of 1997 and dishes such as Baked Yogurt Fish and tofu creations are still appealing to our healthy hearts today. Recipes are based on methods and flavor combos developed thousands of years ago. In this age were’ all about blender drinks, so the following sounds ultra contemporary:

                             Melon-Lemon-Ginger Shake

                             2 cups cantaloupe cubes

                             2 cups honeydew cubes

                             one fourth cup minced fresh ginger

                             5 ice cubes

                             Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend at high speed until smooth and frosty.

                             Pour into glasses and serve immediately for best color and taste.

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Foodie titles, new and old

                                         “The Healthy Jewish Kitchen”

                                         A glamour shot of roasted carrots with little stems and grill marks, and a smear of green cream looks so appealing on the cover Paula Shoyer’s  new cookbook, the notion the tasteless carrot squares and peas we used to eat in the ‘70s never crossed my mind. These peas and carrots are her fresh take and a vision of how eating better can be an adventure.

                                         The very first recipe is a  salad for breakfast. Israeli herb and almond salad, with dill, parsley and cherry tomatoes has a lemon dressing and apparently appears in some version on every Israeli hotel breakfast buffet, goes with yogurt or eggs for breakfast and alongside any grilled fish, chicken or steak for lunch or dinner. To make your salad a meal, add chickpeas, feta or tuna.  Flip through for Japanese lamb chops with jalapeno, tamari soy and ginger. Grilled corn with cilantro pesto, chocolate quinoa cake and watermelon, peach and mint gazpacho  are some other flavors to make at home and feel like you’re dining at a trending restaurant.

                             This book’s subtitle is “Fresh, Contemporary Recipes for Every Occasion.” Shoyer writes that the opportunity to create this book came after a time of loss and grieving for her. I’d say she turned her outlook around by focusing on healthy flavors and how they can join people together at the table. It’s a long-lasting approach to wellness.

                             From the shelves

                             Have you been reading this column for 15 plus years? I still recall some lessons learned from some of the books on my shelves, but this Lent, I’m paring down and will share some joy from books I reviewed long, long ago. Here are two “wordy” tidbits from Webb Garrison:

                             Bring home the bacon

                             Biscuits as we southerners know them were once twice-cooked dry rounds of bread designed to not go moldy on a ship. To “make no bones” is a phrase stemming from the hesitant caution of choking on bones found in one’s food and bringing home the bacon was the prize in a 1445 newlywed game.

                             In England, a flitch of bacon was given to a couple, questioned by six bachelors and six maidens, determined to have the best first year of marriage living in the greatest harmony and fidelity. These tidbits are from the foodie section of “What’s in a Word?” Webb Garrison’s stories of 350 everyday words and phrases.

                              If you’ve lived high off the hog or jumped aboard the gravy train, you may wonder who did those things before you. In Garrison’s book “Why You Say It,” phrases such as this are explained. This may be a rehash, as we’re going over it again. This phrase evolved from English squires who couldn’t afford to waste meat. Landlords served a hash of shoulder meat after the best parts were removed. If boarders complained, they may find leftovers the next day, in some other form, according to the book.

                 

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Fish and chocolate for Wednesday

   Wednesday will be double busy as some Port Arthur-area observe St. Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday.

                             Sweethearts indulge in chocolate and Champaign on a typical Feb. 14, but this season it falls on the day where some are abstaining from meat and treats at the beginning of Lent.

                             While it may seem  to those who don’t follow the tradition that Lent is all about eating more fish, but it’s actually about not eating meat on Fridays (and so many more reflective though processes). These days we are as likely to make meals from kale and quinoa salads as fish filet sandwiches from a drive through. I think it’s more fun to experiment with different flavors and learn about different cultures during the season.

                             That said, I have collected tins of seafood that are easy to pop into a lunch bag. We’ve come a long way from the cans of sardines on pantry shelves in the ‘70s. I’m partial to braised eel, smoked oysters and several varieties of seafood packed in those little tins.

                             Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve also got my eye on projects I can attempt to “upcycle” those tins. Planting succulents is an easy one. Gluing on jewels to make a 3-D photo frame is a bit more challenging. I’ll likely never get to fashioning one of those little sleeping beds for tiny stuffed critters from a sardine can, but will just say, there sure are some clever crafters out there.

                              The remedy

                             Kitchen odor removal got stylish with “remodeez,” which are non-toxic, odor and moisture removers inviting you to outsmart smell. The green plastic package that looks like a bowtie fits into sneakers and other shapes in purple and blues do their work in your car, closet, luggage, backpack, camping gear, garbage pails and refrigerators. These look like some trendy gadgets you could get at The Container Store or Target. What? The remodeez publicists say you can.

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Get ready to Mardi Gras

                             Let’s cover everything in green, purple and gold sugar. King cakes are popping up and the babies signal it’s time for the next party. Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas will spread the spirit in downtown Port Arthur from Feb. 8-11 and I’m ready to throw as many beads as I want to catch.

                             On the grounds and around town, I’m ready for flavors of crawfish, gumbo and boudain. See you out there!

                             On that note

                                         While Mardi Gras may be a season of  indulgences, the leaner times of Lent are soon to come. This is a time I remind myself that a little can go a long way. To some, it’s all or nothing, but I’ve learned that measuring spoons can actually help you be mindful of portions, such as pure maple syrup on your French toast. You don’t need to have it all, but enjoying what you do have is what it’s all about.

                            

                             The Collection

                             One of the most fun gift shops in Groves, The Collection, also features a shop at 4036 Dowlen Road, in Beaumont. I noticed the sign as I headed to Sweet Basil for some tofu and noodles. They’re nearly neighbors in the strip mall, with Madison’s on Dowlen. The Pandora posters, and my asking, confirmed the Groves connection to this The Collection.

                             So Culinary Thrill Seekers who enjoy shopping for fun trinkets for themselves, or seek a hostess gift for when they’re invited to a girls’ lunch, can pick up some trendy finds.

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com