Snacks for birds and humans always appreciated

 

Culinary Thrill Seekers, this week we’ll share snacks for both birds and humans.

World Migratory Bird Day is May 13 and Museum of the Gulf Coast will present a free family day based on this big deal. Sabine Woods and Sea Rim State Park are places birders come to see spring migration and Pleasure Island has a new bird blind to enjoy. Come to the museum from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to learn about topics including native plants to attract birds, keeping cats indoors and lights out during migration and preventing bird strikes.

Wanna become a Texas Junior Ornithologist? I met Cheryl Johnson who has created a series of handy, fun books. Go to www.cheryljohnsonauthor.com to begin spotting birds at parks, refuges and your back yard. Johnson photographed and wrote “My Texas Bird Book” and other joys.

Roseate Spoonbills are one of my faves of Port Arthur. The book says these pink beauties weigh about 3 soccer balls, are the size of a side table and love shrimp (me, too). They love our Gulf Coast marshes and are born with white feathers that turn pink because they ate all that shrimp.

The author makes learning fun with comparison images noting Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks are the size of your backpack and Scissor-Tailed Flycatchers weigh about as much as a golf ball. It's from Bird Nerd Publishing.

Johnson’s range of talents includes fun journals and frameable art and mentioned she built her own bird blind to take better photos in her own yard. She shared this recipe to attract them. Smear it on pinecones and sticks to nourish your feathered friends:

Suet (For Birds)

Equal parts:

Peanut Butter

Lard

Corn Meal to thicken

You can add:

Seeds

Oatmeal

Peanuts

Dried Fruit

But DON’T add Honey (not good for the birds)

Freeze the extra and keep it in fridge.

 

               Pop Cause – Ever get misty over a popcorn commercial? I’m already emotional over buttery/savory/sweet popcorn and am happy to have it as a meal. Enter Prospector Popcorn, with most of its employees identifying as having a disability. They’re creating crunch out of Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, Connecticut. For Mother’s Day, consider limited-edition flavor Superstar Crunch, made for tastebuds across all spectrums. This Classic Caramel is “Star” studded with colorful candy coated chocolate chips, brownie goodness, and cosmic blue sparkle, makers say. I super enjoyed it and suggest you look them up at www.prospectorpopcorn.org to see how super they are.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie feeding friends and birds. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Finer finds of roses and food photography

Riot of Roses – Since we’re all foodies here, let’s start there. Ketchup & Mustard, Apricot Candy, Berries ‘n’ Cream, Brandy, Butterscotch, Candy Cane Cocktail, Fragrant Plum, Gingersnap, Gourmet Popcorn, Rainbow Sorbet and Tangerine Streams should set the mood.

               These are some of the temptations pictured in “The Color of Roses: A Curated Spectrum of 300 Blooms.” Danielle Dall’Armi Hahan pictured these in the most exciting way to make a page turner. You can smell this inspiration.

               What do you do with pictures of roses? Think of how to grow and style your own. These aren’t your grandmother’s roses…. Or maybe they are. Trends come and go and this author has thoughts on that. I love the variety names, as epic as race horses. Try some of these celebrities: Dolly Parton, Julia Child, Marilyn Monroe, Neal Diamond.

               Colors and textures jump from the page and you could swear you are smelling roses. There’s a pinkish Floribunda named after Our Lady of Guadalupe, who I certainly think of every time roses come into play. Those who attend the Port Arthur church of the same name should love this look.

 

Say Cheese - While bloggers are holding up dinner by holding their camera phones over nachos, photographers working for magazines and cookbooks have stores of equipment and experience to bring to the table.

“The Complete Guide to Food Photography” is Lauren Caris Short showing how to light, compose, style and edit moth-watering photographs. She shows flour flying, cocktails splashing and caramel drizzling. I just want to watch her work and see if I can nab a bite of those pie crusts, prawns in curry and strawberry salads when she’s one shooting them.

There’s lots of “focus” on gridding your food with prop details in the background and forefront. One huge tip is to use makeup sponges to prop sandwich layers, tweezers to gently tilt individual ingredients and blue tacky substance to keep details such as napkin edges held up just right. Here are some more tips from this expert:

Prop starter kit ideas: Platters (oval shapes are versatile), small condiment bowls, various shapes of glassware, vintage utensils, chopsticks, sugar duster, rustic wooden chopping board, neutral linens, small cheese grater.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie stopping to smell the roses. Share finds with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

The Humble Brag Salad Bar

 

My husband had some important friends speaking in town and suggested we all meet up. It went from dinner out to with a pescatarian, a gluten avoider, a dieter and who knows what all preferences to a salad bar at my house… in a day. But even within a salad there are choices. So, I figured I’d just lay it all out and stand back.

Years ago homemakers would be cautioned to have a store of casseroles to defrost in case visitors dropped by around dinner time. As I kid I always thought who would knock at the door with family in tow right when our family was sitting down to eat? Must have been a thing decades ago. Now they’d text and get a ride share to a restaurant.

I remember stories that a bit after the depression era, my grandma’s family stretched their food dollar with Cajun-based recipes that included stretching meat with ground eggplant, which had a similar texture. The kids were always cautioned not to mention this to aunt so-and-so when she visited. She hated eggplant.

These days it seems the meat is the odd ingredient out. Folks are dairy-sensitive, gluten-free and vegan. What’s left? Plenty, but a bit of research can be involved. Culinary Thrill Seeker that I am, I’ll try anything. But these days I take into account that my beloved hot peppers are hard on one friend’s stomach and another buddy loves bread but should avoid it, etc. Fortunately my guests were apparently talking about their great “big salad” for days. So now here’s a few of my pantry staples for when company is coming.

Big Salad Staples:

·        Cans of garbanzo beans – Drain them and put in a dish as an add-in or blend them for a hummus dip.

·        Cans of black beans – Same as above. Use whole or blend into bean dip.

·        Can of corn – Makes a nice color splash in a bowl.

·        Onions and fresh jalapenos – Just because…

·        Pickled peppers, pickles, etc. – As a relish.

·        Corn chips, crackers, potato chips – Necessary crunch

·        Seeds and craisins – Nice touch for topping

·        Oil and vinegar – Make your own signature vinaigrette

·        Fresh cucumber, carrots sliced thin from mandolin, zucchini sticks, etc.

·        Olives of all colors

·        Cherry tomatoes

·        Bagged salad – I’m sorry Jane, that I laughed when I first saw this stuff at your apartment in the late ‘80s. It has become a lifesaver.

·        Overbuy – It makes a beautiful spread and leftovers make healthy lunches for the rest of the week.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie ready for summer salad season. Share your tips at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

 

I’m all about container herb gardening. This could be the year I step outside for lovely cucumbers and squash. Now I’ve got the book and some accessories to enjoy it all. Reader’s thanks for sharing Culinary Thrill Seeking experiences with me. Here’s the next installment:

Bee Bath - Smoothie Greens, Spring Stir Fry and Spaghetti Sauce are container garden combos I love. In Southeast Texas, our queso-loving hearts would value big patio pot to grow us some garlic, tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro. I’d never heard of a Cocktail/Mocktail garden, but I’m all in. This one tantalizes with a Meyer lemon tree, strawberries, mint, basil and thyme. “The First-Time Gardener Container Food Gardening” shares “All the Know-How You Need to Grow Veggies, Fruits, Herbs, and Other Edible Plants in Pots.” Who is this fun lady? Pam Farley of Brown-Thumb Mama shares the goods on the right pots, how to choose from plant or seed and has recipes for making your own soil that has nothing to do with dirt. She makes it look pretty easy to get results. You’ll be the envy of neighbors and friends alike. Remember to plant for pollinators. Keep a full bird bath and learn how to make your own bee and butterfly bath.

Get in the Muck – A video on The Original Muck Boot Company will make you want to get up at the crack of dawn to start a tractor, haul logs and care for livestock in the snow. Because you will look fierce, and your feet will be protected and “MUCKPROOF.” I’ll simply be birding and gardening in mine, but never in such a fashionable and safe way. Their new Arctic Sport II Ankle Boot style features hand laid rubber with that is lighter and more flexible, a printed rubber coating over neoprene that is waterproof and abrasion resistant. This blue boot is really comfortable, even barefoot, and among many new offerings from a trusted brand. Look them up to see what goes into it all. My only previous experience with a “protective” boot was a cheap version acquired after a hurricane. They didn’t last. These will.  So yes, sometimes you Muck for fun and sometimes you Muck like your life depends on it. www.muckbootcompany.com

Color Your World – My husband and I used to argue about the color of house we lived in. Let’s skip to the discovery of Enchroma. Take the colorblind test and find out if you are deutan or protan, pickup up some very scientific phrases and pick from stylish frames. Users share stories of being instantly wowed by seeing nature, detailed features of their family’s faces, etc. Amazing. Of course, it’s a different personal experience for everyone, and there is an adjustment season. His story: My husband tried them out for an extended period while attending an art opening. The colors became vivid and soon he became the “art” as people started chatting with him about what he was seeing and their own color stories. It’s a thing. People have this. Then he wore them on walks and the grass really was greener. Start your story by visiting www.enchroma.com  and see how life-changing this could be.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who likes to grow her own. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com.

Easter season brings Biblical flavors and movies

Gonna be honest here. Some people go to Easter ham, coconut cakes shaped like bunnies and colorful candy eggs. I’ll take the chocolate bunnies, but lately my Easter has some old world flavors. I screen “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Godspell” and “The Ten Commandments” during holy week. It always calls for rather Biblical foods. I’m thinking figs, hummus, fish, bread and dipping oil and red, red wine.

Heraclea samples arrived just in time for my celebration. I always go back to a tidbit I read to buy the best olive oil you can afford. The good stuff truly makes a difference. Look beyond the beautiful bottles and get romantic about the scenery of ancient Mount Latmos where these olives get a start on the way to your kitchen. There’s a legendary story of Selene, goddess of the moon, who’s mortal love was put to eternal sleep under an olive tree. So all of that goes int o Heraclea. Here’s my surprise. I figured I’d love the black bottle of mature harvest, to roast, pan fry and marinate. I like hearty stuff. But it turns out that it was “love at first press” with the early harvest, with peppery, grassy, fruity notes. Dipping sauces ready. Cue the Easter movies. 

 Jovial is a brand of organic gluten=free pasta made of brown rice. I invited a gluten-free pal oeraclea.comver and she said I didn’t cook the vegan mac right. So we collaborated on the white cheddar mac & cheeses and she gave it a thumb’s up. I’m sure that MOST people can make a box of mac and cheese right the first time. We all enjoyed the end- result when we followed the directions right on the package. Easy to keep and easy to make, when you read the box. www.jovialfoods.com 

“Breath for the Soul” – The cabbage soup story is right for this space. This is a book on self-care steps to integrative wellness discussing breath, movement, nutrition, spirit and mindfulness for stress, anxiety, depression and grief. Does that cover everyone? Jan E. Patterson is an M.D. sharing medical wisdom. Phyllis Clark Nichols is an inspirational writer. I asked my husband to read an excerpt and he said “I don’t know who this Phyllis is, but she’s got it going on.” She shared the experience of watching Sister Gabby prepare soup for an orphanage in the Guatemalan highlands. She chopped a giant head of cabbage in a tiny work space with a knife so old and primitive Phyllis couldn’t determine the sharp side. Sister G. acted like this was the most enjoyable thing she’d ever done, because God had provided this food. Gratitude, baby. Then we get a little lesson on what we eat to keep our bodies healthy. This is just one of the many lessons in “Breath for the Soul.” The bonus was recipes at the end so hey, if almond toast and Spanish lentils with sweet potato are your thing, you’ll love this whole book experience.

 Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who’s ready to praise some Easter oils, eggs and chocolate bunnies. Share your culinary adventures with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com