Mama Cass has my soap

 

Ever heard of a Mama Cass soap dispenser? This is not official merch. It was a creative gift.  Let me back into the story. As a kid, I wondered if the ghost of Mama Cass lived in my mom’s Tabu soap display.

Received as a gift, back in the ‘70s, this soap bar had a face carved in it and was encased in a rounded red and black plastic stand. Maybe it resembled a grave marker in my mind. The rumor was that the singer died from choking on a ham sandwich. Pretty scary as a kid. When I would get up in the middle of the night and head to the bathroom, I always gave this soap container the side eye and a wide berth. What if this ghost offered me a sandwich?

There’s no rhyme or reason to this kid logic. But it was a good story to share at the senior center happy hour where my aunt lives. This party starts at 4 p.m. on Fridays and it’s a blast. We’ve met other residents’ families and I guess this story made an impression. The son of a resident proudly presented me with a sticker he made of Mama Cass pasted onto a modern pump soap container. Her hands are on her hips hands and she looks pretty stern. But I’m sure she’s okay with me now, and maybe simply contemplating new lyrics from her resting place in my pantry.

Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas recorded many hits including “California Dreamin’.” This song had more meaning for me when I was in college and worked at Bennigan’s. It was on a loop and I heard it all shift long. It’s beautiful each time.

Tabu by Dana appeared in the early 1930s. I have a decades-old bottle of my mother’s and  I’m gonna say, it is past its prime. But I love having it. Even fresh, this scent is a bit strong for me. Makers call it “The very essence of sensuality and passion.” Base notes include patchouli, amber and musk. Also, I don’t have the sort of evening gown always depicted on the glamorous women in the ads.

 

 "Purpose Under Heaven" - The sisters, staff and clients of St. Mary Hospital are collected in a book to make us all proud. Port Arthur News clippings and photos tell a story in this book, subtitled "A Legacy of Service at Christus Southeast Texas St. Mary." Of all the medical breakthroughs, expansions and personal stories, a particular photo caught my eye. A sister is peeking through a giant concrete planter shaped like a basket and covered in seashells. The cutline reads: 1936 Sister Reginald's garden basket. She's smiling, but I'm also wondering if her everyday look was a bit more stern... Thank you, sisters, the people of Port Arthur have loved St. Mary's. For your copy, ask for Becky at the Museum of the Gulf Coast gift shop. 

 

More, Please - I didn't realize San Antonio was holding on to a "secret," dubbed America's favorite vegan bakery. Like a fan says, Southern Roots makes "donuts" more like a pound cake, in various flavors, dripping with icing. So good. So good. So good. At southernrootsvegan.com it's a pride to say this small business is woman-owned; black-owned; dairy, egg and soy free; and school friendly. This foodie says they are adult lunch-box friendly as well. These recipes are why Southern recipes are so celebrated. Dare you check into the monthly dessert subscription? 

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie still playing with her food. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Hibiscus is the new pomegranate

 

 

  

            A pomegranate concoction became the signature cocktail of a role-playing party I enjoyed. The rich red represented life-giving elixir. This fruit, dubbed “pom” in foodie shorthand, has been enjoying its time in the sun. I concede, it is glorious. But now, I am shifting to a new hot topic, hibiscus. This flamboyant flower has brightened patios and Hawaiian shirts for years. Not it is showing up in teas and cocktails and I’m on board.

My first experience with hibiscus tea had me roaming the streets of downtown Austin during South by Southwest film festival, with celebrities all about. I brewed a bag from a hospitality stand and headed out on a cool morning. My cup steeped into a warm, red blossom of flavor and I’ve associated the flavor with both calming sensations and invigorating adventure.

I consider it a treat, but I currently have a supply in a big glass jar. It’s delicious décor. Heavenly Tea Leaves means business, as you can see with packaging that can yield from 50 to 200 servings of loose or bagged teas. There’s commitment to flavor and low carbon footprints, etc. They want you to watch the tea’s personalities unfold. Hibiscus, Organic Jasmine Green and Organic Lemon Ginger all personalities in my kitchen now. Another hook is that when you meet the makers at www.heavenlytealeaves.com, they’ve posted info on their  “current” favorite teas. I also reserve the right to change. But hibiscus has had me for decades.

on their individual pages.) When you pour water over our tea leaves, you’ll immediately sense the Crackling with Flavor - A Culinary Thrill Seeking reader and I appreciated the irony of someone working in the heart health industry asking about where to get some good cracklings. Like the meat on one side and the fat on the other. I sent this fan to Ancelet's Cajun Market and Big Doobie's food truck straight away. Bliss Box is rather new in town and I had an amazing sample from someone else’s bag. Hey, I say everything in moderation. It's a basic Cajun food group around here and sometimes you've gotta have it. 

“Mobb Cookbook & Diet” – Part scrapbook, part cookbook and some cautionary tale, this book offers tips to “Savor and Slim the Italian Way.” Teflon Don’s Original Salad Dressings, Nona’s Mouthwatering Minestrone Soup” and “Gnocchi Tuscan Style” are in here. I had no idea Colorado had such a history with some famous and infamous Italians. Frankie “Spice” Morelli is not joking about his family history. But now MOBB stands for Mercy and Optimism Beyond Borders. This group is about second chances and supporters offer testimony.            Dr. Sandra Frank, nutrition luminary, is along for the ride in this oversized book with great photos and some newspaper clippings and family photos of the Morelli family tree. It’s packaged in a cardboard box, like a pizza. Frankie says use fresh ingredients and don’t use nonstick pans for most cooking. Know that like the Cajuns down here, Italians make a roux. Pick up a copy to see why The Holy House Salad is “good enough to make the Pope smile.”

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie sippin’ pretty and awaiting spring blooms. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Is your tuna in a pickle?

Did you pledge to eat healthy in the new year but you crave all those new dill pickle snack flavors? What if your tuna lunch came “pickled?” Catch a break on your lunch break with a host of new flavors from Safe Catch. Citrus dill after pickleball? Rosemary Dijon when you have just a minute? Garlic herb on an English muffin for a quick breakfast? Okay, well, maybe that’s just me, but garlic is often part of my healthy breakfast.

Safe Catch has pouches of Wild Elite Pure Tuna and Wild Pacific Pink Salmon that is skinless and boneless. Low in calories and high in flavor, this is easy, quick good stuff with the lowest mercury limit of any brand. It’s sooo easy to keep on hand. www.safecatch.com 

 

We get around! - Birds of Port Arthur checklists, postcards and other Southeast Texas souvenirs are in the hands of some appreciative Japanese children.

Jim Richardson, longtime Port Arthur resident, met with one of his language exchange partners, Saori, in Sapporo, Hokkaido, in Japan, to dine on the city’s famous cuisine.

“The children were very happy to receive Port Arthur gifts,” Richardson said.

               While Richardson told them about gumbo in the Cajun Capital of Texas, he said he was enjoying sweet, succulent lamb, grilled at the table in broth with onions, carrots and greens.

               “The area also has incredible sashimi, sushi, and ramen, to please anyone's taste buds,” he said.

Richardson took souvenirs for Saori's elder son Sota and younger son Kanta, both of whom are becoming fluent in English by taking after-school classes.

 

Cooper Street Snacks - Did you ever fall asleep imagining you would wake up to a sweet, crispy bar of flax, chia, buckwheat, quinoa and oats? I didn’t. But the women of women-owned Cooper Street Snacks have created a “wholesome” and “perfectly-balanced anytime snack” that I’ve found myself craving. Those quotes are simply to say that the company put those phrases on the box, along with calling those ingredients “go-get-em grains and fruit.” Now my words in quotes would include “look-forward-to” and “actually really good.” Granola Bakes in Oatmeal Cranberry, Blueberry Pomegranate and Cherry Chocolate are just part of this sweet line.

This story of good taste and quality started in Birmingham, Michigan and continues across America. www.cooperstreet.com

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie resolving to try nearly every new flavor that comes her way in 2025. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Toasting the Seafarers' Center

If you knit, you can help a sailor.

    Crochet hats are also needed at Port Arthur International Seafarers’ Center. If you can drive people from all over the world around to experience our area, organize a library, donate some time or funding or do some justice to Chef Carly Oubre’s menus, please get in touch with the center.

     The group’s annual cocktail raised funds for this group, and noted that the Sabine-Neches Waterway is the United States' third largest maritime center by tonnage. The Center is challenged to grow its ministry to meet the waterway’s future growth.

     The center’s chapel in downtown Port Arthur features an altar fashioned from a vessel’s parts and a podium of driftwood. How very Port Arthur. Attendees at a recent cocktail fund raiser enjoyed Chic Chef Catering & Events foods. The mountain of toast on the table put visitors in mind to toast the center’s efforts. Imagine this artistic spread of a menu:  

• Whipped Goat Cheese, Dates, Bacon, Honey, Nuts and Pepitas Layered Dip with Crostinis
• Italian Sausage Onion, Tomato and Ricotta Pastry Pinwheels
• Creamy Smoked Salmon & Olive Topped Potato Cakes
• Thai Curried Carrot & Pineapple Soup Shooters
• Crudites, Fruit, Crackers & Cheese
• Bananas Foster Pudding
• Ginger Apple Parfait

Let the Seafarers’ Center know how you can help at: (409) 982-4504 or contact:  paseafarers@sbcglobal.net

     Did John the Baptist have this? – I experienced, grasshopper broth at my desk. Now that’s Culinary Thrill Seeking. Sauterelle found me. The word means grasshopper in French and no, it’s not like that green, minty drink. This brews in a cup like a light, earthy, nutty soup. Very demure. Very Mindful. Why do this? The site will tell you about protein, vitamins and minerals. Go, amino acids, grasshoppers got you.

The short if it, it’s very cool to say you sipped some grasshopper. I think John the Baptist started this trend with locusts and honey. But he did not have a microwave.

     “You Can Cook Anything” – Jorj Morgan wants you to know eggy things can be nutritious, noodly things are not as hard as you think and that cheese should be a food group. The most amazing waffles, pancakes and sausages are broken down with good instructions, Nick Elia’s inspired photography, imaginative ingredients and even QR codes if you need more help. You can do it! And everyone will eat it. Quick tip: Pimento Cheese, a Southern fave, can get creamier with a spoonful of Greek yogurt. We’re talking about “Volume 1 of “You Can Cook Anything: A Guide for Newly Inspired Cooks!”

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur Area Foodie who did not see her shadow on Groundhog’s Day. Share your spring thoughts at darraghcastillo@icloud.com