Are you in the mood for some Janis?

 

If you hung out with Janis Joplin in Port Arthur, you may recognize some scenarios in a graphic novel. If you’re getting the urge to soulfully sing “Ball and Chain,” maybe it’s because it’s Joplin’s birthday season. Born Jan. 19, 1943, she charted her own path from Port Arthur, to Austin, to San Francisco and beyond. She took on the world, and it’s all here in the book “Love Me Please: The Story of Janis Joplin.” If you’ve read any one of the many books on this singer’s life, you’ll get all the references in this page turner from Nicola Finet, Christopher and Degreff. See her on stage, on the streets and on top of the world. Spoiler: Her deep lows are also recounted in this colorful book on a colorful personality. Where to get yours? See Becky at Museum of the Gulf Coast. She’ll set up with a Janis T-shirt as well.  

Is Squid Jerky in the Cards? – Picture this: Thai Chili Lime or Italian Herb Calamari Jerky with a tarot card theme? Squeamish? Skip this. Adventurous Culinary Thrill Seeker? Join The Hermit fan club. Packets adorned with a red-hooded squid traveling through themed landscapes hold your nourishment. Have you ever even heard of squid jerky? The founder experienced this in the night markets of Asia. It’s chewy and tangy and I’m so glad I tried it. I even paired it with apple slices for a most unusual on-the-go lunch. You know right now if you’d like this or if you think a thrill-seeking friend would. Check out this squid at www.thehermit.com

“Your Natural Garden” – Drama, good bones and desire lines. Does this sound like a formula for a steamy romance? Could be. It’s a garden plan. Study the masters’ paintings. We know good things happen in gardens. Kelly D. Norris even provides an epilogue in “Your Natural Garden,” imagining the beauty of neighbors working together to create a sustainable, beautiful landscape. This “practical guide to caring for an ecologically vibrant home garden helps readers understand what works where and that “hyperplanting” could be for you. I love the Creature Features section, reminding that bare ground can help amphibians breed; bees may love your rock cover; and tree-dwelling mammals need those trees for nesting and foraging. Get “natural” and go wild in your garden. Bonus: I even learned a saying that applies to much of life: If you stumble, make it part of the dance!                              

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie loving that Mardi Gras season is headed our way. Reach out to her via panews@panews.com

Jam with Janis in Port Arthur

            To “Jam with Janis” is No. 61 in E.R. Bills’ new book, “100 Things to do in Texas Before You Die.” Oh, and there’s an image of a bucket on the cover. The listing encourages people to visit Museum of the Gulf Coast and see the Joplin collection in her hometown. Bills notes the following on the legendary singer: “A misfit in her hometown and the subject no small amount of scorn and ridicule at the University of Texas, Joplin moved to California and became a superstar in the music world, belting out psychedelic blues and gut-wrenching soul as powerfully as few artists before or since have even attempted, much less achieved.”

            Some other local mentions:

• Eat at the Old Orange Café, with down-home service and Cajun-smothered catfish.

• Bring beef jerky to the Big Thicket National Preserve just in case you see Bigfoot.

            I’ve enjoyed some of the big ticket stops, such as the Big Bend and Johnson Space Center. I’d love to travel with Bills and explore some of the smaller stops for adventure and dinner as the Intrepid Texan.

           

            Cowboy art and chili recipe

            Cowboy life Joe De Yong was the only protégé of famed cowboy artist Charles M. Russell. You’ll read that tidbit a lot in the new Alamar Media release “Joe De Yong: A Life in the West” by William Reynolds. Get ready for a beautiful book featuring art, history, photos of letters and a peek at the life of costume design, scenic sketch art and historical advice in the wild west movie world that created classic pictures such as “The Plainsman” 1937; “Union Pacific” 1939; “Buffalo Bill” 1944; “Red River” 1948; and “Shane” 1953.

            Readers even get glimpses of working with Cecil B. DeMille. Come along on a ride with DeYong and learn a little about a lot. Culinary Thrill Seekers, here’s a recipe, sort of, for chili, he wrote in a letter to “Mackey,” his friend Maxine. “Get Gebharts Canned (chili with beans) and add 1/3 chicken gumbo soup. It cuts the edge peculiar to canned stuff and adds fine mild flavor.” The hand-written recipe is followed by a typed note which is a joke about two drunks staggering along a railroad track. One says it’s the longest stairway he’s ever tried to climb. The other says it ain’t the number of steps that bothers him, but he never saw such long banisters in all his life.

            Darragh Doiron is a January birthday girl, just like Janis Joplin. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Janis Joplin's thoughts to ponder

Janis Joplin’s thoughts to ponder

I’m spreading out the leopard, polka dot and reindeer patterns of FreshTape, and these words come to view, that I recognize:

“Don’t Compromise Yourself. You’re all you’ve got.”

This quote belongs to Port Arthur’s own Janis Joplin. 

They’re one of the thoughts on this pretty amazing new product that perks you up as you peel off the tape to seal packages of  food for your pantry, like chips or spice packets, as well as frozen food, like spinach you should be sneaking or blatantly adding to just about everything. Happy organizing, from www.freshtape.com, me, and I guess, Janis.

Chestnuts not roasting

My mom had whole chestnuts one time and each year when the nut comes up in popular song, she never fails to mention how difficult they are to peel.  So, I’ve never bothered.

Italy is now doing it for us.  Chestnut Hill Tree Farm of Alachua, Florida, has spent the last 30 years leading the way to re-establishing the Chestnut Tree in the United States, after blight had wiped most trees out by 1950. And now they’re bringing artisanal products from Northern Italy, sold at select Whole Foods Markets.  I’ve tried Chestnut Sweet Cream, which is kind of a Nutella-like experience for toast and Chestnut Flakes, which make an interesting crispy topping for sweet and savory treats. There’s also a flour. 

So Mom’s going to try chestnuts again. Here’s a kind of weird thing I made from experimenting in someone else’s kitchen: A ramekin full of lightly cooked egg, topped with blue cheese and cranberry relish, then topped with chestnut flakes. Just crazy enough to work.  

Southern Christmas

“Christmas All Through the South”  is from Southern Living, so that there says it all. From a Hearty Picnic in the Pines with skillet-fried chicken to lucky New Year’s oyster spreads, is a big, thick book showing how it’s done. Laden tables, lighted landscapes and our mossy, waterside, outdoor vistas we love fill this book. Besides the photos, there’s the writing, then there’s the recipes. If you can’t be with family, you’ll read this and make a new family of friends so you can make one of these parties. It’s not all about showing off, it’s just how hospitality is done down here. This book takes you across the south and across time with memories of how we all used to slow down and appreciate this season.

I’m a huge rosemary fan, so this virgin drink popped off the pages for me:

Rosemary-Scented Cold Cider

Pick up a jug of fresh-pressed cider for optimum results with this refreshing drink.

5 cups apple cider

4 fresh rosemary sprigs, 4- to 5-inches

2 cups cranberry-apple drink, chilled

2 12-ounce cans ginger ale, chilled

1. Bring cider and four rosemary springs to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Remove and discard rosemary sprigs.

2. Combine cider and cranberry-apple drink in a pitcher or thermos. Add ginger ale just before serving.

Darragh Doiron proudly shares her Culinary Thrill Seeking adventures with Port Arthur News readers.