Products to help you 'get over' 2020

Products to help you “get over” 2020 Gray Whale Gin Remember the time we went to Big Sur and the gray whale’s 12,000-mile journey inspired us so much we developed a gin perfected with six Californian botanicals to celebrate its journey? No? Oh, that was Marsh and Jan, who are out wild harvesting Mendocino Coast sea kelp to enhance this fabulous gin in a beautiful sea blue bottle. Mint from Santa Cruz and Almonds from Central Valley are mixed in and even the lines of the whale tale are a tracking map on this lovely bottle. There’s quite a whale’s tale at graywhalegin.com and I sure want to recreate that trip in the whale van pictured on the site. A gin aficionado I know gave this a nod at a distanced patio tasting and I’m all about the flavor as well as the story. Now, are you ready for the other three botanicals? Give it up for Juniper from Big Sur, limes from Temecula and fir tree from Sonoma. Those whales don’t know what they’re missing. They’re in the water and not dealing with the no-funness of 2020. Komuso If I’d been out more this social distancing season, I know I’d have received even more compliments/inquiries on my Komuso necklace. But if ever there was a time when a beautiful necklace could foster your well being, it’s time to put it on. The Shift looks like a little golden whistle, but it’s a nearly silent tube designed to let you exhale a long breath, and oh, what that can do for calming anxiety, releasing lung toxins, loosening muscles and decreasing blood pressure. That’s a lot for tiny gold/silver/slate tubes, but I formed an instant impression of this item when it started showing up on my Pinterest feed. I imagined the weight of it around my neck and just glancing at it all day putting me in a slow-down frame and recalling what it feels like to breathe better. And you know, the night I stayed up reading hundreds of customer reviews, all those folks thought the same thing. I ordered, it arrived and I breathed. I was just-right about it all. And the critics were right on as well, praising the superior packaging, loving the tale of the couple who met a flute guy who told them about Japanese Komuso monks who breathed through their instruments and how everybody feels better when they pay attention to the most simple detail of breathing. If you wish everything was this simple, shift to a deep breath. www.komusodesign.com A Feast of Serendib: Recipes from Sri Lanka Family gatherings, even over Zoom, relax us with flavors, aromas and stories. When people ask Mary Ann Mohanraj the difference between Indian food and Sri Lanka’s food, it’s difficult, because she figures we’ve probably had Americanized versions of Indian food. Her land’s curries tend to have more vinegar, though. I’d easily try everything in her book, an achingly beautiful tribute to her family with photos and illustrations and even poetry. Each page even feels good in your fingers as you turn to the next treat. Ribbon sandwiches are layers of color for parties, deviled shrimp gets black mustard seed and many other things you find in your pantry, but it sure doesn’t turn out Cajun! Seasonal Pumpkin alert: You can add it to your curry. I love the discussion on Bombay Toast/Bombatoast, which is much like a more sugary version of French Toast with lots of butter. Here’s a quickie to spice up just bout anything: Chili Onion Sambol This classic Sri Lankan Sambol is a simple way to add heat and tang to any meal. The author says it goes with “whatever you like” and is great on sandwiches. 1 onion, chopped coarslely 3 dried red chilies 1-2 teaspoons cayenne 1-2 teaspoons lime juice 1 teaspoon salt Combine ingredients in a food processor (alternatively, mince onions fine and then combine ingredients with mortar and pestle). The Happy Labs The Chill Pill is a real thing with passionflower and valerian root. Read up on The Happy Labs’ description of the sense of relaxation and calmness desgined for letting one “enjoy the moment.” It’s another one of those CBD deals that people of all walks are trying and these come in a tin with a customer 5-star rating. I’d advise getting all sorts of advice before trying these and then, proceeding with calm caution. I tried a sample as instructed and “got over” what was taking up some brain space pretty quickly. The company’s myriad products are at thehappylabs.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie chilling out at a social distance. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Fischer & Wieser I sure regretted leaving behind some Fischer & Wieser grilling products when I left for Laura. The Sweet & Savory Onion Glaze with super-sweet onions and jalapenos is designed for grilled meats and seafoods. I was sousing it on sheet pan vegetables every night for a week. Peaches & Whiskey BBQ Sauce went on my husband’s favorite weekend treat lunch, ribs. Smoky Plum Chipotle Sauce is a personal favorite of mine because I associate this very F&W line for convincing me that sweet berries and sweet heat are an entirely compatible taste sensation before the rest of America got hold of it. I love everything they make nearly just as much. Grill up, Texans. Adam’s Apple Take a “Bourbon Bath” with Adam’s Apple’s best seller, a bold and tad spicy marinade and grilling sauce from Adam’s Apple. I never met a sauce I didn’t like, but this one I love. But let’s go on to Spicy Blackberry Pepper Jam. A big yes to follow Apple Pie Jam. They’ve got a catalogue of stuff we like down south, like chow chow and cider slaw and salad dressing. Don’t worry that Theresa Adams grew up in Illinois cooking apple butter, which is something we don’t often see, but we can get hers. I even mixed that pepper jam into some fried rice as the sweet of sweet and sour. Here are more ideas for Adams Apple Gourmet Jams: • Top vanilla ice cream with a few tablespoons of hot jam (My Aunt Stella Belle did this!) • Top a plain cheesecake • Pour over cream cheese and serve with salty crackers (an easy appetizer for those who think they can’t cook) • Fill pastry with jam and make turnovers • Grilled cheese with sharp white cheddar and gourmet jam. • Top toast rounds with goat cheese and jam • Get creative with turkey, croissant and brie sandwiches and a spread of jam • Hot biscuits anyone? Let’s tell Theresa to come join us for some of our own creations with her products. Adamsappleco.com No Sweat Been out there tending your vegetable garden? Fishing Port Arthur? Golfing? It’s Southeast Texas hot and we’re used to it, but maybe we didn’t realize No Sweat was out there. Now that we’ve added masks to our everyday wear, check out this American-made thin hat liner that reduces sweat stains, keeps it out of your eyes, promotes healthy skin hygiene and locks in odor and face oils, keeping your hat looking good. Learn about their patented Dri-Lid technology at www.NoSweatCo.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie always looking for something new. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

What did you freezer-grab when running from Laura?

What did you save from the freezer on your run from Laura? I can’t be the only one who worries about saving the fridge/freezer contents when it’s time for an all-too-familiar evacuation. With all the decisions that must be made quickly, I was pondering a fresh zucchini in my hand and imagining how I could use it on the road. We were headed to a North Texas relative’s home and the owners would not even be there. What a blessing to be offered this in the midst of pandemic. I packed what I could with frozen bags of spinach acting like ice packs. This season makes me nervous so I didn’t have a full freezer, but some of that food was sentimental. There were items my mother had prepared. She recently died and I was saving them to share when my sister could visit. Halfway there I took out some gyros meat and set it to warm on the dashboard. I thought I was pretty clever, but my daughter told me to enjoy my food poisoning. It was NOT there long and it was very good in a similarly-warmed tortilla. Strawberry yogurt became frozen yogurt with fruit and it was also good. A variety of unusual combinations, such as a hamburger patty “short stack” came from our stock we stashed in the cousin’s outside freezer. She repeatedly texted we were welcome to their stock, but we simply could not let this food go. Glued to Weather Channel updates, we prayed and saw what our neighbors in Louisiana will be dealing with for months. Now’s a time for me to amp up the gratitude and pay good things forward. Some of those still-frozen vegetables came home and were added to a soup that my daughter made with chicken and vegetables her mother-in-law brought from Buna when she left for Laura. I’ve heard stories of families who hauled frozen shrimp across Texas when they were evacuating. What is the craziest thing you’ve taken, eaten or heard of when running from a storm? I’m grateful to all those working to help the area recover. It’s a 2020 heartache, but I’m confident we will all come out fine. That’s my prayer. Figs My evacuation refuge had a fig tree and the hosts were not around so I indulged in some fruit so good it is mentioned in the Bible. Better I enjoy them than the birds, and I love birds. This bush was not very old and laden with fruits. Harvesting a few of these in North Texas was very different than my memories of picking with my grandma in Texas and Louisiana. Those trees covered more space than a small house, or so it seemed to little me. I was sent in under the canopy to harvest and I remember this “chore” to be scratchy, sticky and very hot. But, it was worth grandma’s fig preserves on her homemade biscuits. I didn’t know then you could eat them fresh. They probably didn’t tell me so there would be more in the bucket at the end of picking. Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who may have seen you on the road while evacuating. Hey, Genie. Share your crazy evacuation stores with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Fish You were Here to try all this:

Fish You Were Here, to try some of these fun new spice blends and other new foods with me. Keep your social distance and keep bonding however you can as these new flavors and products roll out: Build Your Own Edible Playlist Hit the Roast Jack, You’re so Spain, Moroccan ‘Round the clock and Lavender Fields Forever should get you cooking. Healthy On You’s sustainable keepsake bamboo box of blends with an olive wood spoon just “spice” things up even more for those who didn’t think they could play kitchen. Samantha Binkley is into flavor as much as she’s into health and humor. Organic spices season your world and you can crank up the volume as you create themed dinners. I love the fragrance of Middle Eastern Spice dubbed while My Za’atar Gently Weeps” and how it elevated my rice salad with sesame seeds, oregano, coriander, etc. Let the Good Thymes Roll made the whole house smell like an Italian restaurant. Fish You Were Here, trying this flavor. You’ve got to love it when you can combine so many senses at once: taste, hearing, smell…. Thanks Ms. Binkley! Healthyonyou.com Kitchen Crafted This brand is so focused on leaving out stuff such as gluten and GMO, that they’ve even left out some letters from their globally-inspired BLND and Sprd spices and blends. Living on the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast, I’d say they got Bayou Catch Seafood Seasoning good enough to make you want to cast a pole, but the Sriracha Lime Spice has been my top pick of a batch of samples. It’s a breakfast-to-dinner spice for me. I like their story and 8 signature flavors that include Chimichurri Seasoning (a fan fave) and Kansas City Smoker BBQ Rub. These are flavors are in their new category and are Kosher-certified. We love to play with our spices here and I’ve enjoyed the company of these versatile bottles. Kitchencrafted.com A Couple of Outlaws Did you ever have a crush on the couple who makes your soaps? I want to hang out with Russ and Danielle Vincent, who pose with guitars and cooking utensils, wear funky glasses and make cowboy boots look a little punk. They live in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I bet you thought I was gonna say Austin, because they are keeping it weird. They actually do have ties to Austin and have noted the city’s favorite scent of their line is The Mountain Hideout. Their soaps come in packaging both masculine and humorous, with hidden John Wayne quotes. The products are very fine and have components such as whiskey and leather and sage. I feel as though their soaps, handwashes and colognes will just naturally make you feel better from seeing them online at LiveOutlaw.com and holding them in your hand once they arrive and that’s all before you put them on your body. Their giant campfire mug has the call to “Wake up. Kick Ass. Repeat.” You can even get a car scent that shows you are living Outlaw. Hey Russ and Danielle, call me! Liveoutlaw.com Shrewd Keto When you puff something and it crunches and the calorie count is conceivable, you feel pretty smart. “The Smartest Way to Keto” is actually how Shrewd Keto markets such 90-calorie packets of balls that keep in the flavor of much more junkier food. But in this case, Baked Cheddar, Brick Oven Pizza, and Nacho Cheese Protein Puffs will leave you with crunch, 2 grams of carbs and 14 grams of protein. You doing this? Then your later reward can be Shrewd Keto Dippers in both dark and milk chocolate. It’s snack, dessert and a shot of protein as well. I love crunching my chocolate. Shrewdfood.com will get through crunch time. Shrewdfood.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie always looking for something new. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

A quick hot sauce check

Hot sauce check A spicy gentleman I know posted that he was in a culinary pinch, without his favorite hot sauce. This lead me to dash to my own kitchen and do a pepper sauce check of my own. There was enough Tabasco bottles and other blends to last many households a lifetime. They are used at nearly every meal that fresh or powdered peppers are not. I rounded up a few for my own posting and then a Port Arthur friend became concerned there was a shortage in the stores, but not to worry! That’s how rumors get started. This anecdote is to indicate just how much I love my hot sauce and to tease about a brand appropriately named Hellfire, that I am not quite ready to discuss. Wow, that was hot. At this juncture I will simply say a drop of this stuff was one of the three top heat rushes of my life. Until we meet again, please, season responsibly. Harvest Snaps What if popping a crunchy, cheesy snack was not a guilty pleasure? Popper Duos, out form Harvest Snaps, has a Salsa & Cheddar ball boasting two flavors in one bite, and if I close my eyes I get the taste of the melty bowl of cheese depicted on the bag. The bag of Yellow & White Cheddar is just as good and I’m truly trying to share it. The cheesy flavor made them a great side for morning eggs, a mid-morning snack, a luncheon salad topper and an afternoon snack. By share, I meant share it with my whole day. The secret? These are green pea crisps and they won’t set you back in the guilt department. Veggie-based snacking has its perks. Sprout Living It was the Coffee Mushroom that intrigued me. It turned out to be my favorite flavor in the Epic Protein line from Sprout Living. I imagined myself curled up on a log bench enjoying a mug of this concoction with a gnome. The mythical creature and I would talk about the Chocolate Maca and Vanilla Lucuma, too. Those were my top picks of superfood powders to mix with water or blend into a smoothie. It’s filling “food” on the go and the info booklet labels it “cleaner plant nutrition that tastes better too.” I do say it is several steps above other offerings that come out green in your cup. Other varieties are Green Kingdom, Original, Pro Collagen and Real Sport. If you’re already into this, you should already be sold. If this is a gateway mix for you, go in: care@sproutliving.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who is one of the “some” who like it hot. Share your culinary advetures with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com