Create with kids for the holidays

               

              Holidays have hit Port Arthur

                      Foodies are festive this season, making the round and finding what’s trending at fabulous spreads. Remember bread bowls full of spinach dip? That’s still good. Boudain dip? I’ll still take some.

                      It’s also fun to return to time-honored events where you expect certain bites to always be there, and they are. Port Arthur Historical Society hosts holiday fellowship at Pompeiian Villa with silver service, mixed nuts, tiny sandwiches and fancy fare. It’s lovely to mingle with people who support Port Arthur’s history now, and also imagine how many holiday guests this home has hosted in decades past.

              Pumpkin Update: Pairs well with peanuts

                      Some would say the humble peanut needs nothing more than to be stirred with its oils and scooped out of its  jar. Then there’s that “vintage” commercial where an innocent bump gets peanut butter mixed into chocolate. So, let’s play.

                      PBfit, billed as peanut butter without the love handles, now comes in pumpkin spice. Peanut flour, coconut sugar, spices and salt mix into smoothies and pancakes. Mix it with water to make a fruit or pretzel dip. Your imagination is the limit here. Thank you, versatile peanuts.

                      On the more indulgent side, bNUTTY rich gourmet peanut butter ready for that swirl and scoop from the jar, but with suprises: the 100 percent creamy pumpkin & holiday spice jar is a standout, blueberries and milk chocolate is a totally different twist, cinnamon sugar cookie is a “why didn’t I think of that” and peppermint brownie with white chocolate is just right for the holidays. They’ve got more where that came from. But it’s the totally toffee with milk chocolate and almonds that is just a nut beyond. I’ve met some peanut butter nuts before. They need to bNutty.

              Baking season:

                      Remember dirt cups made with chocolate wafer cookies? Years ago we served them in flower pots with plastic flowers and it sure looked like a patio plant. Today’s kids get an environmentally conscious update by creating Earth Day Dirt Cups with unsweetened cocoa powder, serving in glass jars and “planting” a sprig of fresh mint. “The Ultimate Kids Baking Book” takes young folks through the seasons, birthdays and milestones with presentations that “cook up” fun learning projects. Splashy photos bring Grasshopper Torte and Maple Spiced Pumpkin Pie into focus. Tiffany Dahle makes us believe in sugar… in a good way. Reindeer Munch is a great one for Christmas. Make sure you save some for yourself. Santa’s guys get plenty of  goodies along their route.

                      Chai Spiced Monkey Bread does sound approachable, but newbies could shy away from Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pinwheel Rolls and Barbecue Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Rolls could intimidate. Trust Rebecca Lindamood and her book “Ready, Set, Dough! Beginner Breads for All Occasions.” You can do it, and won’t everyone be thanking you for it? Bread making is not a lost art for the everyday cook when you have a photo-friendly guide like this one. Don’t worry. They don’t all call out for rich and creamy butter. Others are topped with icing, cheese and seeds.

                      Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who is not technically counting calories this season. Share you ideas at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Holiday road trippin' may end with keto future

                      Mules escorted me to a holiday spread featured two hallway tables of  just desserts. This made for a festive day in Warren. I’d just been wondering if I’d run into anyone I know when a stroll around the wrap-around porch revealed a passel of Port Arthur notables.

                      You can mix and mingle as much as you want during the season. If one of your regular events conflicts with another or has been on hiatus, there’s always one or two more that pop up. That holiday spirit is great for hospitality.

                      My mom died in November, and we’ve been blessed with several offers to make up for her Christmas Eve gumbo that we’ll miss. Family and ingredients are expected to meet in League City, then road trip to Sour Lake and then to Port Neches for midnight Mass.

                      I can’t imagine Christmas without gumbo and I was tickled to stop at a Brookshire Brothers grocery store in East Texas to find a big display of what we need to make our gumbos. There was roux and rice and seasoning and boxes of saltines all at one spot.

                      I’ll dot the map of Southeast Texas and I hope that translates into walking steps to work off those hospitality calories.

                      This will all wrap up

                      Why would I be bringing up a “health” cookbook at this time of year? Don’t worry. “Weeknight Keto” by Kristy Bernardo offers 75 quick and easy low-carb meals that I’m all about now. A platter of what looks like decadent fried chicken fooled her husband. That crunch comes from pork skins. What? And Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower turns into “nachos” just right for football game snacking.

                      The Port Arthur area’s flavor profiles of Mexican, Cajun and Seafood are all covered in this book with creamy, seasoned creations. I’ll be trying a Mexican Cauliflower Casserole, Cajun Jumbo Shrimp & Sausage Skillet and Cajun Chicken Alfredo.

                      This is the book that will make believers out of those who haven’t linked healthier versions of foods with great taste and presentation.

              Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who wants to hear about your holiday indulgences as well as your plans for eating healthy in 2020. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Give me onions for Christmas

                     

 I’m getting onions for Christmas, because I got the Radical Pan.

                      It’s the high-rise lip on this non-stick pan that’s built to gift you “lift” as you sauté and toss those onions like a pro. Put on some background music and enjoy some wine (see below) and you’ll feel like those cooks in the magazine spreads.

                      I’m all about keeping your gear in pristine shape, but I’m impatient in the kitchen. I’ve set off alarms from cooking on high heat. But I pledge to keep this Radical Pan on the low side to keep it looking fine. I’ve been all about the onions and peppers, ingredients I desire daily. I’ll soon branch out into recommended uses such as crisping bacon, roasting squash and reducing jus from gravy. Bake a cornbread in there, they suggest to appeal to us southerners. Just wipe it out with a towel for clean up, though it is dishwasher and oven safe and has a Cool Stealth Handle so it feels good and cool in your hand. I love this pan.

                 

                      To your door

                      A gift you can eat is my kind of gift. There are so many people to thank this time of year and there’s a company here to help. A coffee break GourmetGiftBaskets.com gift box will perk up the recipient with a fancy blend and muffins. These guys were ranked No. 1 in a food category in a recent Newsweek list of top online shops. Check out what’s in the Charcuterie Lovers Picnic Basket. A few clicks will deliver different combos to whatever recipients crave. I tried and enjoyed smaller basket options with sea salt and cracked pepper kettle corn, pretzel twists, stoned wheat crackers, almond cashew with pumpkin seeds, blueberry pomegranate clusters and (a personal fave) J&R Gourmet roasted and salted peanuts that were crunchy enough to deserve the label “Virginia’s Finest.” Here’s a challenge. Do you know what soppressata is? Read up here and you’ll want to try it yourself.

                      The wine referenced above

                      If you like a long and spicy finish, Légende Médoc is your holiday find. Maybe you just like the poetry associated with reading wine labels. The land and grapes of Bordeaux do their thing to create the wines flowing from Légende bottles. These are the holidays of splurging, yet this line is in a reasonably-priced category for hostess gifts that pair with anything you’re likely to find on a Southeast Texas seasonal table, including barbecue: Légende Bordeaux Rouge 2016 is suggested for that, with “structured, round and easy, nicely oaked with firm, silky tannins, and a long, fresh and fruity finish.”

                      Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie with an eye-out for what’s new out there. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com