Friday, April 3, 2026

Movie Night: Spaghetti and Spaghetti Western




We love pairing movie nights to dinner themes. I may even dress the part. My husband brought home “A Fistful of Dollars” from an estate sale and that $1 purchase inspired a good time.

            We researched the background of this Clint Eastwood film, including the term Spaghetti Western, so there you go. Spaghetti became the menu. Though my husband may have preferred a red sauce, we didn’t have any. Just like our pioneer ancestors, we “made do.” An olive oil and fresh-from-the-garden herb sauce was no sacrifice at all.

Fun Fact: Clint Eastwood still has the iconic poncho from this movie and says it has never been washed.

 

Find Your Rind: Cooking with Pork Rinds – Nothing says “road trip” like a bag of pork skins. Prep ahead with Southern Recipe, who brings us “small batch” flavors including a hot honey. I took my time with this bag and it’s been “crunch time” for more than a week. Still good. This stuff is so crunchy, I ate some in a hallway so I wouldn’t be heard crunching and make anyone else jealous.

But, have you ever tried cooking with your pork rinds? This thoughtful company goes there.

The Pineapple and Ancho Chile flavor come with a recipe for Elote Street Corn. Coat your corn with these sprinkles.

With Sweet BBQ you can make Savory Pub Mix and Spicy Dill chicharrones become a tipping for Fried Green Tomatoes.

Need to work in your veggies? Make Loaded Mashed Potatoes from the recipe on the Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper bag.

Thanks for the tips, guys. We’re ready to crunch.www.southernrecipesmallbatch.com

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves to match the food to the mood. Reach her via panews@panews.com