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

Snow days used making dirt and 'shrooms

How about those crazy snow days? We are not used to this, and we loved it. I’ve been living with plants indoors for weeks now and they want to go back out. I saved the aloe vera!

You’d think I’d have played with snow cream recipes, but I did not. I made garbage into dirt and grew mushrooms.

What you say? I’ve been thinking about how to share two pieces of foodie news: Luma Electric Food Waste Composter and a North Spore mushroom growing kit. I can hardly find the words so I suggest you investigate their websites to get truly hooked. Both are way cool to experience, yet my description may “gross out” some readers. Growing and gardening is part of my foodie experience. Allow me to attempt:

Luma – I’ve made several batches of “dirt” with this amazing electric food waste composter that was sent to me. There’s no tender way to say this. It transforms your slimy eggshells, tea bags, skillet gunk and plate scrapings into what looks like pencil shavings from the sharpener. You get a clean, nearly fragrant, batch of dry “dirt” that you can put right into your container garden pots and grow more… food!

Sure it is a mess going in. Through the viewing lid (yes, that is what it’s called) you can watch it all go round and round and get ground and dried. It’s compelling viewing, folks. I love it. So I was eager to show a friend my bowl of recycled food matter. I left it on the kitchen counter. She came out to me and asked what it was. She had actually put her hand into it thinking it was some kind of foodstuff, but thought she had better ask, first. It looks that good. This gadget is very useful. Look into it at www.lumacomfort.com

North Spore – This experiment changed each time I walked past the kitchen. I had to spray, look and touch. In a short time mushroom “pins” emerged from sawdust block I kept misted. Then they kind of exploded. This starter kit of blue oyster mushrooms needed no more cowbell. It is designed for beginners. When these babies got big they reminded me of smooth dolphin skin. I’m harvesting and going for another round. We sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil with oregano and sea salt. Simple and simply a source of pride that my husband and I grew them. Fun for kids of all ages. www.northspore.com

Sweet Chaos ironically falls into my clutch during weather mishaps. I woke up after a hurricane to find empty bags on my living room floor. Obviously, we survived. This extremely rare and deep snow of 2025 was accompanied by the “delightfully disruptive” flavors of sweet and salty Cake Batter flavor with Cold Stone Creamery credited for the drizzle. Yes, sprinkles were at the bottom of the bowl of this non-GMO popcorn popped in coconut oil. This one was so good I mixed it with a batch of air popped corn so I could enjoy Sweet Chaos for twice as long. Black & White and Peanut Butter Cup varieties were no slouch and one of my gluten-free gang had her fill as well. www.sweetchaos.com is a chaos to embrace.

    Real Soft, Real Chewy, Really Delicious! – The Wiley Wallaby pitch to the left is true. Ever had hot cinnamon flavored licorice? Was it vegan fat free and also with no high fructose corn syrup? This famous line levels up  with watermelon and classic red strawberry flavors. If fruit twist is your thing, you’ll want to know this wallaby. www.wileywallaby.com

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie making her garbage work for her and her garden. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Otaku welcomes Year of the Snake to Port Arthur

 

Welcome to the Year of the Snake. It means spring is near! Otaku Food Festival hit Port Arthur’s Central Mall a third time this past weekend and it was as packed as ever with fans enjoying unusual culinary adventures, cosplay and anime vendors. Port Arthur’s Dragon Dancers paraded throughout the mall.

            Sweet, strong Vietnamese coffee, a crazy long fried potato and some spicy meat and rice were some of my favorite flavors. All manner of fried fare, Luffy’s Meat on Bone truffle garlic noodles…. These vendors were selling things I’d never seen. And locals were eating it up.

            Here’s some tips on how to honor the Lunar New Year, which falls into the snake category. This creature symbolizes wisdom, intuition and transformation while offering chances for personal growth and change. Jan. 29 to Feb. 12 is when we honor the season. Some first-day lunar year no nos:

• No washing clothes or hair or bathing.
• No sweeping the floor or taking out rubbish.
• No eating porridge.
• Do not urge someone to get out of bed.
• Do not give New Year's greetings to someone still in the bed.
• Avoid using needles, knives or scissors on the first day.

“Carnivore in the Kitchen” – While some are going meatless as a New Year’s Resolution, Courtney Luna is waving a stick of butter on the cover of her new cookbook and saying the meats are here. Subtitled “A Fresh an Fun Approach to Meat-Based Meals, she’s got some yummies including a bread with pork panko in the mix. Ever heard of pork panko? Consider it like powdered pork rinds. I was fascinated by her fried egg yolks, a yolk rolled around in this panko. Mine did not come out like the photo on the first try, but it was good. Save the egg whites to use for wraps and noodles, she suggests. This carnivore mixes cottage cheese into an egg scramble for extra protein and makes piggy bites. I’ll bet these sausage appetizers wrapped in bacon with cream and goat cheese disappear quickly. Luna did make this a fun read.

Is That Coffee in Your Pocket? – Craving coffee at a stoplight? No need to pull into a drive through. No drinks allowed in class? PriFa to the rescue again. A little tin of tablets gets you what you want from coffee with no brewing or water. Flavorful pick-me-ups come in: “the boldness of espresso shots (30mg of caffeine), the warmth of cardamom (15mg of caffeine), or the creamy sweetness of a latte (10 mg of caffeine) with every tablet.” One packet is like 25 ups of coffee. These are conversation starters. Offer some to friend and they may consider you a Culinary Thrill Seeker with the all the new goodies. The flavor is good and this is an espresso buzz you’ll want to get in on. Learn more from Amazon.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie celebrating all the newness of the year. darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Fake it 'til you bake it

Ever been to Pancake School? It could teach patience. I got my husband to bake some cheese bread with me recently and we impressed ourselves. Baking scares some people. Like me, sometimes. Cakes want to be pretty. But bread is often satisfied just being tasty.

I met a woman who brought a Texas-shaped cornbread to a party with little cornbread fish on top. I love a proud Texan. Not only did her offering look inviting, it tasted great. She says she gets her mix from Cracker Barrel. She encouraged me to take some home and didn’t need to say it twice. I warmed my slice in my little waffle maker and it came out crispy and in a whole new shape.

 

The satisfaction of baking is worth exploration. More baking and food-related reads are right here:

 

“The Forager’s Pantry: Cooking with Wild Edibles” – It sounds so romantic to take a picnic lunch into the woods and come back with fruits, herbs and nuts to savor into future meals. Of course, there’s the obligatory warning on mushroom safety. I’m game. Maybe start with a dry rub of powdered field garlic bulbs and spicebush berries. Wild Gingersnaps with Juniper Berry Icing would thrill me. Make your own rosewater and stuff yucca flowers with cheese. You can live anywhere and go find some grub, Ellen Zachos writes in her book. Greens and grains have their seasons, as do flowers. Learn what’s edible and what to do with it. My husband and I baked Herb & Cheese Quick Bread with feta and yogurt. Mugwort was an option, but on this rainy day we foraged in the pantry and chose an Italian blend. It’s so satisfying to create in the kitchen, knowing it all comes from the good green earth. Some of us Cajuns here are familiar with harvesting sassafras to make filé. Our author includes a recipe for gumbo that is artistically attractive in a photo with the pile of rice off center, in the 5:20 position, clockwise. I like this book so much I give her a pass for not liking okra. She says it’s the flavor, not the mucilage. So it’s her, not you. Haha.

 

·       What’s a unicorn know about baking? A lot probably, as they seem to be synonymous with colorful cupcakes. For the Herb & Cheese Quick Bread in the Forager book, I used Mightylicious vegan all-purpose flour so I could share with a gluten-free friend. Pancakes and other goodies have pleased my palate with this line. The label has a unicorn flashing me a peace sign and wearing aviator glasses. Learn more at www.mightylicious.com

“Grandma Magic's Pancake School” - Like Tyler T. Turtle, I have walked away from a pancake before flipping it. Like Twilly the Filly, I have cooked with too much heat. But like the characters in "Grandma Magic's Pancake School," I can learn to "flip it" and start over with a better attitude. Debbie Wolski's children's book tells us about this Grandma, who moved into a tree to open her pancake school. All her critter friends learned a lesson. Thank goodness there's a recipe at the end. I was getting hungry. 

“The Blue Plate” – Bears and salmon and watering and fertilizing the food that feeds our food are topics in Mark J. Easter’s book. “A Food Lover’s Guide to Climate Chaos” is the subtitle. A chart of carbon footprints of common foods shows tree nuts, citrus and apples on the low end with most vegetables. The very high end includes poultry, coffee, cheese and beef. Simple things we can do? Shop as locally as possible and keep yard and food waste out of landfills.

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie baking up a plan for culinary adventures of 2025. Got one for her list? darraghcastillo@icloudcom