Find your spirit with friends, song and shrimp dip

 

An unexpected weeknight connection brought me such joy. Spirituality, friendship, fellowship and a peek at a turtle pond was part of the deal.

A friend of a friend invited me to the home of a neighbor I don’t know. Traveling Eucharist was the blessed occasion. People of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church brought a chalice and accoutrement to a home and celebrated with prayer. The host family made all feel welcome and I saw people I knew from around the county. They do it all the time! What a special way to unite and share good company.

Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Spiritual Sounds – Pop by Museum of the Gulf Coast’s gift shop for “Hymns: Timeless Classics.” Opera singer Carol Wyatt was recently inducted into the museum’s music hall of fame. Hear her amazing voice uplifting listeners to “How Great Thou Art” and “It is So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.” It will be well with your soul. Here is just a small part of her background on the MOGC site:

 

In the seventies and eighties, she was one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos in Germany and other European countries. Carol Wyatt had extensive guest contracts with the Hamburg State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Opera Houses Cologne and Düsseldorf-Duisburg, she was a guest at the Munich State Opera, in Stuttgart, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Hannover… For more than twenty years she was a principal soloist with the Deutsch Oper Berlin. 

 

Thanks for Shrimp, Jesus! – Let’s round this spiritual theme out with a peek from “The Fruit of the Spirit,” a 2001 cookbook I found on my mom’s shelves. I found a range of shrimp recipes in this book from Eastgate United Pentecostal Church in Vidor. Each one called for 2 cans of shrimp.

From there variations included:

* A pint of Kraft mayo, green onions and cream cheese

* Cream Cheese, mayo, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce

* 1 can golden mushroom soup, cream cheese green onions

Times have changed, but I’d still eat these at a church party.

Bless us one and all.

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

Fun finds for entertaining pop up at estate, porch sales

 

I head straight to kitchens at estate sales. Tiny forks, colorful glass curios and sentimental travel souvenirs catch my eye. So when I got to a friend’s porch sale, I was tickled at the care one of her helpers took to transform dishes and glassware into a fun table setting to tempt shoppers. Mixing and matching is fun and you can’t beat the prices and fun finds at sales.

Now for goodies to put in those plates and glasses:

Dar Baklava has passed the yummy test by me and three fellows with the proper background of rating these types of treats. They use 1/3 of the sugar and 1/6 of the syrup used in traditional baklava and it is still crispy, flaky and layered yum. It kind of tastes like gold and food of the gods. You wouldn’t know it was healthy and the site breaks down how you’re gonna love it like it’s an architectural rendering. There’s a nest and some layers and stuff like:

Pistachio Baklava – Snacklava, Walnut Baklava - Snacklava, to kid-friendly Mini Cookie Rings and a Nutlava Gift Box. Check out: www.darbaklava.com.

 

Ceremonial-Grade Score –  It won’t do to just tell you Bella Matcha Lavender Matcha Lemonade is good, refreshing and fancy as all get out served in a stemmed glass. Let me tell you what the makers say: Lavender Matcha Lemonade is more than a drink. It's a moment to pause, refresh, and reconnect. Made with organic Japanese ceremonial-grade matcha grown in Kagoshima, Japan, zesty lemon, and calming lavender, every sip is crafted to inspire clarity and balance.

Ceremonial grade is my go-to here. I feel royal. The clean profile has no artificial sweeteners or preservatives. You get filtered water, organic cane sugar, organic lemonade, and natural flavors. I just told you about one single thing in the line. For more, go to www.bellamatcha.com

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie soaking in summer flavors. Fizzy water with lime, anyone? darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Rind and Reads: Area restaurants trending in magazines

A longtime area favorite and a relative newbie are talk of the towns this week. The Schooner is in a coastal roundup Texas Highways good eats and Texas Monthly has listed Redbird BBQ high up in its always-anticipated barbecue list. Texas reads are noted below.

 

First, here’s a watermelon memo. I had the best watermelon of my life recently and couldn’t let it go. I remembered that you can get more eats from the rind and saved enough to try watermelon pickles. I impressed myself with the ease and success of this preparation. Basically, you cook up some vinegar, sugar and spices and pour them over the rinds. Okay, peeling the rinds was tough, but still worth the culinary thrill seeking of it all.

Now for the Texas reads:

 

Redbird BBQ in Port Neches has made the Texas Monthly has made the Top 50 BBQ Joints in Texas list and locals are pretty excited. Dubbed some of the best barbecue in Texas, Amir Jalali is giving the good stuff. The No. 4 ranking notes mention tender, glazed pork ribs for sweetness and glossy slices of wobbly brisket pleasantly salty and smoky. Here's a quote: The smoked koobideh sausage might be the most unusual link in this region known for its beef sausages. The Persian-inspired beef-and-onion mixture is flavored with saffron, mint, and turmeric. To bring it back home to southeast Texas, Jalali also adds some green onion before casing and smoking the sausage. Jalali’s father, Hamid Jalali, an Iranian immigrant, bakes pita to wrap each sausage in; the whole thing is topped with fresh Shirazi salad and a whipped sauce of yogurt and feta. It is truly singular in the Texas barbecue landscape.”

Raves of sides such as Caesar slaw, rolls with honey butter, beans and rice and roasted-garlic potato salad follow. Cheesy scalloped potatoes already have a spot in TM sides Hall of Fame.

"Reel Deals" - The June Texas Highways mentions some area hot spots we love in a roundup of 20 timeless coastal eateries. The Schooner in Nederland is noted for crabs. "Hardcore coastal road-road trippers will want to start at this easternmost seafood house owned by the Megas family since the 1950s for a plate of its legendary barbecue crab," the mention begins. Singaree Restaurant & Marina of Crystal Beach is called out for platters of Cajun seafood and the view of tugs, barges and fishing fleet. Take the Plunge is the header for a round up of good vibes at seafood stalwarts along the gulf. I wish I'd had this assignment. 

Texas Stats Baby - 6 Singing Mockingbirds, 5 Yellow Cactus Flowers, 3 Busy Oil Pumps and 2 Lowing Longhorns. Every Texas family wants their little star to learn the Lone Star State’s wonders. It’s adorable and on target. “Count on Texas: Baby’s First Book About the Lone Star State” is a thick, touchable read by Nicole LaRue from Gibbs Smith. Too soon to think stocking stuffers?

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