All the Olive

All the olive Awesome oil and amazing soap are just two reasons to indulge in TRE Olive, products, connected to the Calabria region of Southern Italy. Three (TRE) cousins started TRE Olive to prevent dilution. So you’re getting the real thing and these cousins are justifiably proud. I love the can and the flavor and the way it cooks my morning egg and drizzles over popcorn. They have candles, but on to the soap. A generous block of creamy, gentle soap is formed from “leftover” olive oil from the previous years’ harvest. You can even get it in a fig or rosemary scented bar. The box said a side effects include smooth Mediterranean skin that everyone will want to touch. Hey, I even enjoy touching this heavy chunk of pure soap. www.treolive.com

SeaBear The thought of a bear nabbing a salmon and enjoying it as much as I do could be the closest I get to the Pacific Northwest. SeaBear Smokehouse of Anacortes, Washington is bringing the region to my table in a shelf stable sealed pouch that has origins with the family that started it all in 1957. Just like Jim LaBove’s Cotton’s Seafood family collected seafood from the marshes of Sabine Pass for restaurants, Tom Savidge and his wife, Marie built a backyard smokehouse and sold to local taverns. Sure I enjoyed the beautiful, rich smoked salmon for a luxurious Meatless Monday dinner at table, but also I’d relished Idaho Trout Smoked steelhead in my car. If you’ve got to eat on the run, make it good. These pouches travel. Smoked fish is a holiday treat for me, and it’s very good to keep on our hurricane prep shelves. www.seabear.com Fit Pumpkin Update If dealing with a big old pumpkin is not how you want to get your seasonal flavor in, take a powder. Pumpkin Spice PBfit is the flavor you crave in the most convenient manner. This version of the original is a fragrant blend of peanuts, coconut palm sugar, spices and salt. Mix some powder with water for a low-fat, natural and gluten-free kick you can spread on a sandwich blend into a smoothie or bake into pancakes, etc. I’m a fan of this product which yields high flavor in a blend that has 90 percent less fat and about a third of the calories of regular peanut butter, when prepared as directed. It all begins with real roasted pressed peanuts and is seasonally perfect to top your oatmeal. I’m putting some in a shaker to keep it handy for the next two months of breakfast variations. Pumpkin all the way! www.betterbodyfoods.com To go with: So plants make your coffee, your creamer and your snack to go with. Super Power Bars are very delicious plant-based organic double dark chocolate brownie bars. They have a richness I don’t feel guilty about with 10 grams of protein, 6 grams of fiber and 1 gram of sugar. They actually taste like something you cut out of a pan, but they’re packaged to stash in your purse. These gluten-free babies from www.reset360.com are certified organic and Dr. Sara Gottfried puts her name on them. Un-Honey Is your Un-Honey a blonde? I love the copper, which is “chocolatey and carmelly” according to the label. That doesn’t go through spell check but it I’m gonna let it pass on warm toast. Try these beauties from The Single Origin Food. Co. in your coffee. Un-Honey is plant based so no bees were harmed in this so-like-honey-it-may-crystallize creation. “Cruelty Free and Still Killing It!!” is another boast on the label. Blonde comes from coconut, Amber has cane and Copper comes from dates. These are organic, unblended nectars. That’s why some of this heavenly sweetness reminds me of my dad drizzling some Steen’s cane syrup over hot French bread after a trip through Louisiana. This is a modern take on a classic that can go right into your coffee or on an appreciative breakfast side dish. www.thesofo.com Darragh Castillo is a Port Arthur area foodie ready to looking for holiday trends. Keep us all informed by sharing ideas with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com