Shrimp at home

I plated cold shrimp and spinach salad on a square blue plate and couldn’t help but post it. Likes came in and someone asked where I was eating that fancy meal. Home, I replied. Turns out, I’ve mastered the package of cooked shrimp available at supermarkets. Instead of cooking the cooked shrimp more and shrinking them, I simply let them soak in cold water and drained them. They looked great and were still a bit chilled. My apologies to author Jim Labove of Cotton’s Seafood. His books detail harvesting fresh seafood from Sabine Pass waters and flavoring it with leaves collected by moonlight and ground into file powder. Well Jim, we do the best we can these days. Got to shop from the market.

Bubbie’s Hawaii Mochi Blood Orange is trending this summer, like pumpkin spice in the fall. Bubbie’s Hawaii Mochi is bite-sized into 90 calories. Super-creamy, flavorful ice cream is wrapped in sweet rice dough. I think we southeast Texans need a little longer to get used to this style with Japanese roots. My husband asked “why.” I think the best aspect is that the dough is like the candy coating on one of America’s fave candies. So it melts in your mouth. The dough keeps your sweet treat from melting onto the sidewalk. Varied flavors of ice cream are very good and I suggest you try it to keep the mochi movement going. The more I try it, the more I go for it. www.bubbiesicecream.com Bravus Brewing Co. Who eats all their oatmeal? What if it’s brewed into a nice can of stout? What if it’s non-alcoholic near bear? If you’re down with all that, I present to you Bravus Brewing Co. and their successful experimentation. They’ve got the flavors. Since 2015 this Anaheim, Ca., company has been perfecting the centuries-old brewing craft by packing experience, not alcohol, into their cans. There’s plenty of reasons to reach for one. The taste ought to sell you. I do like a dark and foamy when I go crafty, so Oatmeal Stout was a great choice. Blood Orange IPA is trendy, light and delicious. Amber Ale is another foamy good deal. www.bravus.com Kyla Hard Kombucha Blood Orange raises a hand again to sparkle with Kyla. Keep reading. Kyla Hard Kombucha - Tepache is a fermented drink made with pineapple rind or peel. Peach Tepache with a hint of peach, pineapple, cinnamon & cayenne pepper and Sunset Trio with a hint of passion fruit, orange & guava are a couple of winners in this batch. Kyla Cocktails From the Riviera Series, Crafted & Cultured = Shiso Mint Mojito, Bergamot Blood Orange Fizz and Pom Pom Collins. Anything in either line is just right for summer. www.kylakombucha.com Fire Dept. Coffee Bourbon, whiskey, rum and tequila are off-duty flavors, but they sure perk up your morning coffee. Vanilla Bean Bourbon Spirit-Infused Coffee Fire Dept. Coffee’s “impossibly crafted” smooth and aromatic blend that is a small-batch “YES.” The artistic fire-hat wearing skeleton on “Skull-Crushing Espresso” serves as your warning. As a lover of powerful punches, I love the concept, taste and look of these offerings that support first responders. Forget an image of an overworked firehouse coffee pot of stale brew. Stations have gone gourmet. This coffee is upscale and the crew who thought it up is rightfully proud. www.firedeptcoffee.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who might make you wait to eat until after she photographs your meal. Share what you’ve been enjoying with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com