As the spirit moves you

     

Skeletons are big this year as décor. Towering big. My husband has acquired his first two bendy ones that have been a source of entertainment. A small one is on the door and the big guy is arranged on the couch, holding the stuffed possum from the Museum of the Gulf Coast gift shop. Skeletons don’t scare me much as I appreciate the one that lets me walk around.

Eat chocolate responsibly this season, and think about dearly departed as we observe All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Here are some tidbits to consider, as the spirit moves you.

Hot, Hot, Hot – A friend accepted an invitation and asked if there would be an array of hot sauces available. Challenge on. I arranged a turntable of red sauces, green ones, powdered and flaked peppers. I’ve been two occasions recently where jarred, pickled jalapenos have knocked people out. I have to keep in check lest I eat half the jar’s contents.

I just ordered a meal in another state labled as “Hot, Hot, Hot” and the server made sure to mention it had “long” peppers. Long peppers come out between pepperoncini and poblano on the Scoville Scale of heat, I learned later. So the delicious dish fell on my own “mild to sweet” rating that I would share with a toddler. Regional difference.  -

Also, don’t ask me if a dish is “hot.” I hit heat different.

 

Bruises easily – Subarashii Kudamono Gourmet Asian Pears rock their own myth/legend. Rounded and not what we call “pear shaped,”  they are crisp and soft, sweet and solid all at once and are known as a symbol of beauty and longevity. A well-packed box of the fruits arrived intact and tempting. With varieties named EliSan, New Pear, SuSan and the like, pears come with textures from juicy and firm and tastes such as mild, richly sweet, complex and clear. Oh wait, try the “lush.” We should all take time to slow down and enjoy such as culinary experience. www.wonderfulfruit.com will let you in on this.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie. Share your ideas at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Sucker for Screams

 

                 

                  I can’t say why buttered popcorn and an old horror flick is so appealing this time of year, but Iphigenia Jones gets it. The author of “The Turn of the Screwdriver” gives us fun quotes and cocktails inspired by Anne Rice, Mary Shelley and Edgar Allan Poe.

                  Try sips of:

                  Wuthering Flights, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mudslide, Greyhound of the Baskervilles and White Russian is for Witching. Here’s a cool grog just right for the season:

                  The Legend of Slushy Hollow

                  2 ounces dark rum

                  1 ounce water

                  One half ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

                  One half ounce honey or simple syrup

 

                  Combine water, dark rum, lime juice and honey or simple syrup in a blender. Add a generous amount of ice cubes to the blender.

                                                                                                 

Blend the ingredients until you achieve a slushy consistency. Add more ice if needed to reach the desired texture.

                                                                                                 

Pour the slushy grog into a glass.

 

 

                  Vegan Chocolate Brownie Mix – The Mightylicious brownie mix called for vegan yogurt, melted palm or coconut oil and perhaps the addition of nuts or chocolate chips. The think I forgot was to use coffee instead of water when stirring up this easy mix. If you’re avoiding gluten but seeking flavor, www.mightlicious.com has some options you’ll love. These brownies mixed up as quickly as they went off the platter.

 

Buckstin Brewing Company - Brewski fans who love the Nederland site, know that the Beaumont hangout is also chill. It was the cauliflower crust pizza that drew me in. My table loved the thin crust and the way all the other toppings merge for a crispy burst of flavor. The staff could not be more friendly. It seems like everyone on the clock is there just to serve you. 

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who can enjoy pumpkin spice season both truly and ironically. Share with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Pumpkin spice gets competition

 Pumpkin spice gets competition

A carved out pumpkin bowl holding a cream cheese and pumpkin spice dip was the hit of a recent party. The maker suggested this sweet dip with graham crackers. The flavor was exceptional and the presentation was an upgrade.

If you like calming pumpkin spice on everything this time of year, consider another spice blend sure to snap you awake. Tajin is the spicy chili lime and sea salt blend rimming glasses and leveling up street corn. Love for the fiery Mexican flavor has spread across the country. Oregon’s famous Tillamook Country Smoker Beef Jerky has a Tajin version that will surprise those who get lunch boxes packed for them. It’s a “yes” for me. 

OREO Addicts - I don't often go down the cookie aisle, but when I do there are OREOs. They used to be my husband's favorite and now we simply try to have smaller bites of "everything in moderation." I came across some OREO Thins Tiramisu Creme Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with that creamy, coffee flavor. I shared a few with a friend so I would not eat all the handful I had brought with me. Nice try. She loved them so much she went to the store and shared some with me so that she would not eat them all. Another irony is that I was originally looking for the Coke Oreos, which I later found and the sharing happened all over again.

"Turtle On a Post" - The late Senator Carl Parker shares memories of growing  up in the "golden" age of Port Arthur. He notes a booming economy of the '40s and '50s. 

"Downtown was thriving, and big bands made regular visits to our world-famous ballroom at Pleasure Pier," Parker recalls," in "Turtle on a Post." 

This ”back when” section mentions movie theaters, Nacol's Jewelry, the Sabine and Goodhue hotels, The Port Arthur Club, clothes lines, Texaco Reservoir as a swimming hole and the Brown Ice Cream Wagon, pulled by a horse.

The book of myriad topics is a collection of memoirs as told to Jim Sanderson, writer-in-residence at Lamar University. Museum of the Gulf Coast hosted a book signing. You can pick up your own copy in the gift shop.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie savoring fall flavors and scents… until it is time to enjoy the same at Christmas. Share with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

El Refu is a Port Arthur Tex-Mex Extravaganza

The Mexican Heritage Festival kicked off a season. More ways to honor Hispanic Heritage Month, through October 15, include a visit to Our Lady of Guadalupe’s shrine, honoring Lucian Adams and other heroes with a reflection at Golden Triangle Veterans Memorial Park and enjoying the culture’s food and music. Have you tried this still-new Port Arthur venue:

 

El Refu – This restaurant is a Port Arthur Tex-Mex extravaganza. This place is fun. Your eyes don't know where to go with all the interesting decor on the wall, the sizzling food passing by or the friends you're likely to see. As a foodie, I've enjoyed everything I've tried. This place is fun from the parking lot to the table. Bring on the salsa. Please notice the benches offering shout outs to area groups.

Beatles at Church - Here Comes the Son was the general theme for the recent annual Beatles Service at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Beaumont. Bright colors and joyful voices included a service with music including "Help," "We Can Work it Out" and "In My Life." If you sing these classic pop tunes at church, they take on a personal, spiritual meaning. Parishioners were so friendly. I met a man who lives along the Port Arthur seawall. A Beatlemania foodie like me had to love the creative after party buffet labels. Themed dishes included Get Back Mac casseroles, Please Pease Me Salad, Hello Jello and I Am the Eggman deviled eggs. Hard to pick a fave, but I was a "big fan" of what looked like a traditional southern pecan pie made with walnuts instead. It was labeled "I Am the Walnut." I'll have to wait a whole year for the next Beatles service. 

The World's Better Cup - There's bunches of reasons to try Cambio Roasters. The taste and is a huge one. The packaging is another. Aluminum K-Cups can be recycled. Though I've got my eye on fashioning tiny succulent planters from what resembles wee garbage cans. These cups hold  Cambio Roasters, an eco-conscious coffee brand with some 100 percent organic arabica beans micro-sourced from family farms. 

 Pretzel Pick - Ever heard of an extra-dark pretzel? Could it be for people like me, who like everything just a little bit more crispy? Why that's just what they mean at Uncle Jerry's, where they are making Pennsylvania Dutch pretzels in classic ways with newer preferences. They're all impressive. I mean, I want more. Try whole wheat low salt, oat bran regular and all the things Uncle Jerry 's is cranking out in Lancaster, Pa. www.unclejerryspretzels.com 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who considers October through Mid-January some of the most flavorful months of the year. darraghcastillo@icloud.com