Cute bags; It's soup month

January is National Soup Month in America, but guess where I’d like to spend it? Italy for the wedding soup? Gazpacho in Spain? I’m thinking Vietnam with pho for breakfast. I just looked up if it would be weird to have a basic egg pho early in the a.m. and it turns they eat this flavored broth to warm up in the morning. Good hunch, huh?

I used Zoup bone broth, which is good enough to drink from the jar, added kale and dropped in an egg. Winner. I’ve shared Zoup before with readers. This time I tried the concentrate of Beef Base with Bone Broth, Chicken Base with Bone Broth and Savory No Chicken Base Vegan Broth (which I won’t explain here). www.zoupbroth.com will help you celebrate the rest of January.

 

Cute Bags 

Keep it Fresh – I’ve got the cutest raw linen flax bag with a green zip that’s great to carry to lunch. Guess what’s in it. Leafy Greens. But I may go back for a berry or veggie bag. Ambrosia Produce Bag is a “moist bag” designed to keep leafy greens fresher in your fridge for a long time. Because sustainability is always in season. So I got a bag and put some delicate butter-type lettuce in there and kept that bag sealed so long I was cautious about unzipping it. No worries. I enjoyed a salad with just a hint of oil and freshly-squeeze oil as dressing. www.ambrosiaproducebag.com 

The Revolution Will Be Brewed – When a great coffee company makes stand-out tea that actually isn’t tea but everybody calls it that and likes it…. You may be enjoying a cup of Kahawa 1893 Red Tea Rooibos. This is a South African plant brewed as tea and it is very, very loose leaf. Kahawa means coffee in Swahili and the founder of this brand is a woman who saw that women were doing most of the coffee labor without owning the land. Take the coffee vibe quiz that starts with the tools of your brew. I’ve enjoyed this line of coffee before and guess what, the tea is equally impressive www.kahawa1893.com has some style, too. Mug and tote messages have humor and meaning. Respect the Drip is a message many of us can relate to. Excuse me, my rooibos is calling. It also deserves respect.

 Reminder: Tomatoes are technically berries. But you don’t need a reminder that you love ‘em. Or that they go with jalapenos, cheese and (a touchy subject in Texas) barbecue flavor. Just Pure Foods has packaged crispy tomato chips into little 50 to 60 calorie bags that are yummy and fun for foodies on a health kick. I had some out for my gluten-free buddy, but she never showed up, so I’ll have to check out www.justpurefoods.com for more.

To Healthy Hair – Pea sprout extract sounds like a weight-loss diet fad but it is a serious ingredient in a product to create the appearance of thicker, fuller, healthier-looking hair. Pureauty Naturals Biotin Hair Serum Advanced Formula is proud of all the natural stuff in their product. I read up that biotin is a vitamin of the B complex found in egg yolk, liver and yeast, but you can just pump this smooth syrup to rub into your scalp for a soothing treatment. The reviews are off the chain. www.pureautynaturals.com

 Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie souping it up in January. January is also birthday month for her and Port Arthur rock queen Janis Joplin. darraghcastillo@icloud.com  

The Art of fishing coastal Texas

Fishing for me is perusing the supermarket for a seafood dinner treat. Fishing for others the adventure that lures them to Port Arthur’s Sabine Lake for trout, redfish and flounder. Sunlight on fins, closeups on tails, the drama of the catch and coastal landscapes are stars in Danno Wise’s new book “Fishing for Photographs: A Collection of Coastal Angling Images.” I corresponded with Wise, an outdoors writer and photographer who loves Sabine Lake’s diversity. He says it is an area “every Texan needs to fish.” My favorite images are half in and half out of the water. It’s a fish view. Check out this summertime reading and road trip planning. Get this book and then get out on the water. It is available on both Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Better Than Milk In the world of oddly- yet appropriately-named products, we have “Better than Milk.” What do you get when you mix Italian spring water, organic rice, hazelnuts and a touch of apple juice? Something to pour over cereal, spike your coffee or pour in your cut crystal glass to enjoy like your overlooking the Lessini Mountains. That’s where the spring water is from. Is it “Better Than Milk?” Could be. If you like healthy choices and flavor and perhaps need a milk alternative. It’s very good and I’m craving it when I open the fridge and see the cartons. Almond drink? That variety was good, too. Unsweetened organic oat is perfect for cereal and more. Nut Pods Almond and Coconut and creamer equal Nut Pods, containers of creamy goodness to add to your beverages. But wait… there are recipes from amazing cakes to creamy cauliflower mash that will incorporate those French Vanilla, Sweet Crème and Caramel flavors to the max. Get in on the nut stuff like my husband has. He’s really into this one. Even the packaging is plant based. Kahawa 1893 Brewing is more of an art than science, perfected in every way from moka pot to French press. Just don’t percolate, says Kahawa 1893. You’ll be sacrificing quick quantity for bitterness…. This Serengeti blend has a monkey and toucan on the package of 100 percent Arabica Coffee. The aroma is amazing. Do you ever open a bag of coffee and set it near you as you work? It’s like having a candle that you can brew later. Kahawa 1893 sources directly from women farmers in Africa and gives back to empower them. You can scan the code to tip the farmer. That’s some old farming methods combined with new tech. kahawa1893.com Know about congee? For years I’ve heard of congee, a boiled rice porridge considered a cure all comfort food in many cultures. I imagined it a soft version of our gumbo, which brings us joy. I finally got to try some in a convenient cup version and it was so enticing I had more for dinner. Mr. Lee’s Congee is prepared by boiling water and filling the cup to the line and being a tad patient. Original features three kinds of grains, soy sauce, ginger and spring onion. It was soft, but with a good bite of texture and subtle flavor in there. As I spooned it up at dawn on my patio, I traveled in my mind. Damien Lee is on the package described as a three-time cancer survivor who was told he had weeks to live and decided to work on quick, honest and tasty food. So there’s soul packed into these cups. Dinner was the version with white meat chicken, mushroom, ginger and spring onion. www.mrleesnoodles.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who loves a good read and a good meal. Share your experiences with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com