Summer reads book it to the garden

 

Hey Culinary Thrill Seekers, ever thought about gardening from a bale of straw? Or toting your cat around Japan to try every ramen version you can? Enjoy some summer reads that range from garden motivation to armchair travel.

Ready to Bale? – Become a preacher, teacher and local news feature when mushrooms, potatoes and all the usual suspect veggies start popping out of bales in your back yard. Joel Karsten shares this “breakthrough method” in the updated “Straw Bale Gardens Complete” book. This looks easy enough for any gardener I know, but I offer this book to anyone who will move down the street from me and share excess garden bounty from their bales. Photos and tips guide readers through this new-to-many way to knock it out of the garden. Fewer weeds, too. Try it out for salad every day.

No-Dig Zone – Helping in the yard was a chore – not fun – for me as a kid. It doesn’t have to be so. Charles Dowding gives us “No Dig Children’s Gardening Book: Easy and Fun Family Gardening.” He means it. He lives it. Kristyna Litten’s illustrations have little worms and seeds and compost. Yeah, composting is fun and full of crawly things. I like the sensory garden notes of plunging your hand into birdseed; smelling flowers; hearing the fresh snap of removal and the sight of turning your deadhead flowers into confetti. Of course you can taste your product. Decorate cans for pots and make origami seed packages. No-Dig is what I’d call a raised bed. Line the bottom with cardboard, add sides and build up with compost. Not only do I want these gardens, I want a kid or two to come enjoy it with me.

“Whiskers Abroad” -   So getting a job writing in Japan would be enough of a story. But taking your cat with you? This cat runs amok to enjoy a tuna auction, find the prize of a beach treasure hunt and learns how to ride bullet trains. Subtitled Ashi and Audrey’s adventures in Japan shows pictures of Carrie Carter’s multiple trips to the country. Somehow there’s a cat in there. Ask her sister, graphic designer Stacy Vickers about that. The character tells her side of tiny rooms, soul-inspiring ramen and haiku-worthy koi. Then we get the cat’s version of it all. Who’s having more fun? The reader is having the most.

More fun facts: Carter lives in Houston; her own cat, Frenemy, was peeved at not being the cat in the book; she and her husband are in the ‘80s cover band Molly and the Ringwalls that I have always just missed. One day I may bet to Japan, and one day I may hear this band.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who even likes her books to focus on food. Share tips with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Be positive... Everywhere!

 

 

Be positive, everywhere

A steak gave me a message. Someone in a restaurant kitchen used ketchup writing skills to spell out “Wonderful” on the rim of a plate. Just what I needed to hear!

We should be giving ourselves daily pep talks, especially if no one else is doing it. It’s like a note from Mom in your lunch or a lipstick kiss on the bathroom mirror. Say something positive to someone else AND yourself. Read on for inspiring ideas:

ROAR! - I’ll wager Shawna Suckow never thought her book would be featured in a foodie column. That’s my outside-the-to-go-box thinking so readers can enjoy her thoughts. She was the bee’s knees when I heard her speak in person. She’s about showing personality and stories to make your business stand out. Her book is “The Roaring Twenties: Marketing & Selling Better in the Post-Pandemic Decade. The 1920s you say? Peppered with the era’s wording, this easy read notes how Americans adapted and changed then and how it's time to roar again. Here’s a few tips and anecdotes from the book to jump start your roar:

·        Merchants united to form a doughnut trail to promote their city’s delicious offerings.

·        A city’s chamber encouraged members to take selfies of themselves enjoying services from other businesses. Think a florist enjoying breakfast at a local café or a banker praising good service at an auto shop.

·        Consider if you can flip a professional e-mail signoff with employees going from staged head shots to themselves enjoying favorite hobby. Idea: What imaginary Olympic event would you receive a gold medal in? That’s how Tracy appointed herself a gold medalist in guacamole making who excels at impatience and chasing shiny objects.

I’m thinking of upgrading my own personal sign-off. Currently I identify as a Beatles fan, foodie, herbalist and flamingo collector.

See how she does it at www.shawnasuckow.com and give your old ways the icy mitt!

 

“The Glow Up Journal” – Record the healthy foods you could try, consider superstar supplements, get moving and find your most attractive feature and make it your baddest self. A fun little pink book offers “Everything You Need to Set Goals, Create Inspo – and Make It Happen!”  If given a blank journal, some folks may stare blankly back. Danielle Richardson offers prompts in this encouraging book to help you see that you’re already worth the effort. Keep going. No surprise, recording what you are grateful for is important. Everybody needs more of this attitude.

“Success On Your Own Terms” – James B. Rosseau Sr. shares his early (challenging) life in detail in this book promising to fire up passions to ignite your career and create an amazing life. Lots of good lists fill this book. Here’s just some of one, with an inspiring title:

Develop and Invest in Me, Inc. tools:

·        Choose flexibility in your life by proactively choosing to save instead of spend.

·        Build a discipline around saving.

·        Protect your legacy, what you want to be known for, and what you stand for.

·        Figure where your passion, skills and gifts intersect. This is your point of highest leverage.

·        Cultivate genuineness, caring and sharing.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who picks up pennies no matter what side is up. It’s all sunny side up for her. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

The "power" to make great sandwiches/burgers

 

The “power” to make great sandwiches/burgers

 

Hot dogs and an Astros game was the invitation this weekend. I had an idea the hostess would make them a little gourmet. The upgrade was a pretzel bun. And the Astros won. I left the gathering during the windy, rainy episode that kept my power off until bedtime Sunday. No Tony Awards for me.

We’d been to Saturday Mass and ended up attending on Sunday as well, to hear a friend’s music and stay cool. That’s how we got invited to charge our phones and have a bite. He toasted Ezekiel bread and served an almond butter sandwich with a twist: thinly-sliced red onion and a sprinkle of salt and garlic. Clever and delicious. It was actually a treat to have toast since I had no “power” to cook at home.

And how here’s what’s up from Safe Catch, the brand of canned fish that is certified sustainable seafood planned to be good for you and the ocean. Go to www.safecatch.com to be impressed by their methods and selection and for recipes such as mackerel jalapeno poppers. Talk about a twist on foodie flavors. So there are lots of burger recipes that put you in the summer mind. They also remind me of the croquettes my grandmother would get at Luby’s. The addition of quick oats is what drew me to the one below, which I made with great success. Try it for yourself.

 

Salmon Burgers Made Easy

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cans of Safe Catch Salmon
• 1 Egg
• ½ Heaping Cup of Quick Oats
• ½ tsp dried ginger
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp Soy Sauce or Coconut Aminos
• Choice of favorite sauces and toppings

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Beat egg in mixing bowl, add dry spices and Soy Sauce, mix until incorporated
2. Flake two cans of salmon in the can (do not drain), then pour each into mixing bowl
3. Put Quick Oats in a blender and pulse until a medium-coarse flour is achieved, then add to mixing bowl
4. Fold ingredients with a spatula until evenly mixed together (set aside for 5 mins)
5. Preheat grill on high, then fold a single sheet of aluminum foil in half to create a double layer, to cover the grill grate
6. Coat foil generously with cooking spray
7. Use a 1/3 cup to scoop salmon burger mix and either form by hand or place inside an egg ring to create the classic burger shape
8. Cook each side 3-4 minutes on grill, or until golden brown
9.  

SERVING SUGGESTION

Salmon is an amazing source of lean protein and Omega-3’s, but it may be a new flavor for kids or adults. So, feel free to sauce with your favorites: barbecue, sweet chili, or an herb ranch. Also, add your favorite burger toppings too: lettuce, tomato, pickles or whatever your family favorites may be. This recipe makes 4 Salmon Burgers.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie catching some great eats. Share your finds at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

How I Saved the Sauce: A Continuing Saga

 

                

                  Sauce doctoring comes natural to me. It’s just my nature to add a little something to anything. When my daughter passed a remoulade rescue bottle to me, I clocked in. This famous-maker brand was kind of bland. But my husband liked it okay. He got a serving, but there was still plenty left. Next round I added siracha which gave it a lovely “rouge” hue and a distinctive spice for dipping vegetables. There was still plenty more in that little bottle. If I have to eat shrimp while enduring all this doctoring, so be it. This next round will include a blend of excess ketchup packets, several drops of hot sauce and a sprinkle of spices. I’ll have to get more shrimp for this bottle runs out! 

                   Souper Cubes  – Ever hear of Souper Cubes? They’re like deep, luxurious silicone ice trays, but you fill them with food to freeze controlled portions. They are an OCD dream that can save you money and calories. Imagine neat blocks of little servings or complete meals stacked up in your freezer and ready to go after a long day at work. The couple started this idea from chicken stock, did the “Shark Tank” thing and should be as successful as all get out with this idea. When I saw it in action, my thoughts went straight to gumbo. You make a big old pot of Cajun delight and eat it for days but you freeze the rest in big containers. What happens when you crave a single bowl? Well I don’t know if I’ve ever had just one bowl of gumbo, but you get the idea. Just get one of a block out. Food comes out easily and you can cook in big batches without concern you’ll get burned out “finishing” your casserole, etc. Fill a block and freeze it. Go to www.soupercubes.com for more on just how well-made this product line is. Here’s what tickles me. I assume popularity is regional. Maybe they freeze clam chowder up north and chili elsewhere. In Port Arthur, I think freezers will be full of gumbo blocks.

Trust the Truss – I guess I wasn’t going Culinary Thrill Seeking in the world of raw chicken, because I never really gave a thought to the term “truss,” which kind of makes people giggle. Enter Turbo Trusser, as seen on “Shark Tank” and I am some kind of expert on juicy chicken. In moments I tucked chicken legs into the front end and looped wings into the back wires and that chicken was trussed. Why? To hold in the juices. I ate that chicken for days and the juices came in handy for other things. I’m an expert now. Do you think you need this metal chicken-adorned plate that goes in the dishwasher and evenly cools your bird? Chicken or turkey model? Then hit www.turbotrusser.com and get trussed.

 

                 Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves gumbo weather, which is any weather. Share ideas with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com