Crawfish cravings and twists; move the rice paper

                             This was going to be the season of crawfish for us. We lost my mother last fall and my husband and I planned to enjoy as many pounds of crawfish as we could in her honor. It is not coming to pass as planned, though I’ve been stirring Cajun seasoning into everything I can think of while quarantined.

                             Twice in one week I heard of something new to toss in the boil pot: Oranges or orange juice. I heard it from someone I was doing business with on the phone when he heard I was from Port Arthur, and I read it in a magazine on Vietnamese crawfish get togethers. I have never attempted to boil these famous crustaceans myself, but, it’s still a great tip I want to share with those who do. You’ll invite me when you try it, mais no?

                  The good people at sweetpotato.org are promoting Louisiana Sweet Potatoes, Yams via a card suggesting you “sweeten the pot when you boil” by adding fresh yams. Add them to the boiling water with the seasonings. That’s some progressive thinking, and bound the make the corn and potatoes a little jealous.

                 

                  Making do update:

                             Quarantine cooking: I’ve still got bread so a cheese sandwich became extra special by grilling. With all my efforts to eat as healthy as possible, I could not help grilling this sandwich in a rare stash of bacon grease. It upped the game considerably.

                             Spring rolls: Chefs suggest keeping rice paper as a pantry staple and I pulled out my stash from Port Arthur Vietnamese markets. I did such a good job with the drizzle of sriracha-soy sauce that my husband barely noticed that a vegan soy patty was the main ingredient. Score for moving older product off my shelves.

                  Be well:

                             Wellness is a thing now, more than ever. Eat your veggies and take your supplements. I never had vitamins as a youth or young adult, but the natural ones are sounding more appealing all the time. Sael Wellness offers Happy Apple, a very pleasant gummy that tastes like apple cider and vinegar, because that’s what it is. The vinegar’s benefits are said to include weight loss, increased energy and lower blood sugar, along with clearer skin and controlled cravings. That ginger helps fight off infection, reduces inflammation and reduces nausea, among other things. It’s a delicious backup. I don’t really need help falling asleep, but Sael’s melatonin and magnesium strawberry vegan gummies are a natural version of what many already take. We all want better sleep these days.

                             Voke makes a chewable super food tablet for mental focus, clear thinking and upbeat mood. Do you have someone in your house pointing to you now saying “You need that!”?  Chew one in the morning and save the other for evening to “nourish your mind, perform your best at work and be present for friends and family. I liked the taste and nobody can tell me I haven’t been at my very best of late, considering what’s going on everywhere. Ingredients here are red beetroot, taw guarana seed, green tea caffeine and acerola cherry. I’m cheery.

                  Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie in the middle of this with all of you Port Arthur News readers. Contact her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Shrimp boils are easy with Zatarain's in the kitchen

                      The Port Arthur area offers an opportunity for seafood everywhere. We love it. Out. But we never think of a shrimp boil at our house. It looks complicated.

                      Zatarain’s, your secret is out. The company sent an array of spices that demonstrate how easy it is to get your shrimp, crab and crawfish on at home. You basically rip open a box or screw off the lid to the liquid stuff and you’re set.

                      It was almost embarrassing how many compliments I got from boiling a pot of water and dumping in corn, potatoes, shrimp and spices. Almost embarrassing. I could handle it.

                      I loved spreading newspaper all over the table and wrapping up the shells and cobs. Cleanup was done, except for shrimp leftovers that my sister and daughter peeled and worked into rice. I got shrimp fried rice for breakfast the next day.

                      And about the rice. I seasoned it with some of the liquid flavoring. It didn’t change the color of the rice much, but that flavor made it pop. My mom has heard of seasoning green beans with the liquid boil. I’m keeping some at the ready.

                      Zatarain’s offerings include Fish Fri; crawfish, shrimp & crab boil with nothing to add; the boil in bag version of the boil; and liquid shrimp & crab boil in a bottle with variations of lemon and garlic. Find at www.zatarains.com such as zesty bacon-wrapped shrimp and slow cooker chicken and shrimp jambalaya.

                             Gather friends and share that Southeast Texas Cajun culture flavor.

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Pass a good time at Rodair Roadhouse

Rodair Roadhouse:  You can pass a good time Rodair Roadhouse just on the food. But wait, sometimes
there's a bunch of live music and dancing. Wonder how many calories a good
Cajun waltz will burn off.

 
"Where Bayou Country Meets Gulf Coast" is the motto which sums up a relaxed
attitude at Rodair Roadhouse, on Jade Avenue in Port Arthur. Even the
fishing lures that adorn the place tell the owners' stories. Richard Hudson and
Shawn Skinner are good talkers with good stories and John Dingle is keeping
the good stuff coming out of the kitchen.
Hush puppies with Steen's Syrup as a dip? Fried green tomatoes that make you
want to slap your mama? Hot and crunchy shrimp bites like none other? Rodair
Roadhouse has been paying attention to flavorful little details.
The proof may be in the pudding, as in the bread pudding that Skinner
reveals is buttery to the max. Some if their "secrets" are sharable and some
will remain in the family. If Skinner starts talking about that butter
content and you don't want to hear, cover your ears until he's moved on to
the banana or key lime pie.
I haven't even touched on the main dishes, so go see for yourself. They're
practicing in the back on crawfish, but promise that when they're bigger
and better, they'll be on the menu for fans.

                      Orange food

          A houseguest mentioned she wasn’t keen on orange foods. What? Around this season? Pumpkin and yams cooking are unpleasant, she said. No worries. I’m adaptable. But those sweet potatoes I’d planned to roast and serve with olive oil and curry powder were looking at me. I awoke extra early and cooked them for my breakfast while she was still asleep. Potato discs, crispy from grilling in coconut oil and topped with a bit of fruity jam went well with eggs for a cheerful morning meal. That’s thinking outside the orange box.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Big Boi's has the crawfish spice/ Meet me at the CoffeeBar

BigBoi's has this shrimp salad in addition to spicy-as-you-want crawfish. Photo by Darragh Doiron

BigBoi’s has the spice

I’ve met Brandon Marks at Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce events when he’s getting people excited about visiting his Big Boi’s Crawfish Hole.

Someone’s birthday finally made me go to his spot where Jason’s Deli used to be at Central Mall, at the Casa Ole entrance.

Open the door and the aroma greets you. You’re at a crawfish boil. While people peeled and ate all around me, I chose a shrimp salad with Italian dressing and was very pleased. Other folks tried some big old fried shrimp and pork chop.

Everybody else seemed pretty pleased, too.

Here’s what someone said about one of the sides:

“This is the best cabbage I’ve ever eaten out,” is a direct quote from one of my dinner companions.

She said it three different times, so I believe her.

Marks came out of the kitchen and visited our table. He said the crawfish comes in different levels of heat.

“I can make it spicy if you want,” he said.

Meet me at the coffee bar?

Ever feel like eating your coffee?

Two Northeastern University undergrads thought it would be a kick to have coffee and breakfast at once.

New Grounds Food and its product, CoffeeBar, just launched two new flavors, Caramel Macchiato and Coconut Mocha, that I tried and enjoyed. It’s a chewy, fulfilling thing that’s an all-natural, coffee-infused energy bar. Those familiar with energy bars can imagine the texture. This one has an extra kick with the coffee flavor. It is organic, gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan.  It is available to ship worldwide via www.newgroundsfood.com

darraghcastillo@icloud.com