Get the Karbach tour and prep turkey leftovers for gumbo

                      Karbach Brewing Co.

                      Look for Love Street in Houston. It’s an actual address, and a Kolsch style blonde from Karbach Brewing Co. When I got a postcard invite to a marriage reception, I thought the Love Street can was designed by the artist groom. But it’s a thing. There’s also a Karbach Street where a groovy brewery is available for tours. Best yet, there’s a hip restaurant and upstairs reception area and the food and beverages were all of the best. The blend of informal and thoughtful creativity was seamless, beginning with appetizers in the hall that, simply put, was an artful mountain of cheese with grapes, nuts and sundries studding the landscape. It was a delicious conversation starter.

                      Our tour guide let us taste the barley, which I noted would be a fiber-filled crunchy topping for Greek yogurt. Later he proclaimed us the most adventurous group he’d guided per our willingness to sample the barley.

                      Thanks C&E, for the invite.

             

              Zatarain’s saves the turkey

                      They make turkey hash after Thanksgiving in some regions. We make gumbo in Southeast Texas. We look forward to it, plan for it and fight over the carcass as much as the drumstick.

                      Zatarain’s  suggests a box of their gumbo or jambalaya mix would make it even more easy to keep the flow of leftover turkey from fridge to table. Look on their web site for ideas. We hardly need a recipe down here, so pick some up when you do your seasonal, seasoned shopping.

                      Makers sent me some to play with so I asked my mom what she had in her freezer to mix in. She usually is meticulous about labeling, but we had to wait for this package to defrost to discover its contents. Crawfish! Bingo. Zatarain’s blessed another Sunday dinner.

                      T-fal PerformaPro Cookware

                  This September foodies got another taste of what T-fal can do with the new PerfromaPro Cookware featuring their new Techno Release™

technology, which means the textured interior, little indentions in regular folk talk, create “soft contact zones for easier food release and clean up. Stainless steel pans look so gleaming and clean well. Surely you know someone who loves to cook this holiday. A set of 14 is $99.99. I didn’t have some of these pot sizes. As I write this for you, I’m simmering a pot of giant Peruvian lima beans in the perfect pot.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com

The oil business and foodie gifts

 

The O   
                     Oil Business

                      What were you doing in 2014? The olive oil I just sniffed, tasted and couldn’t resist dabbing onto my cheeks was getting bottled into Holman Ranch Estate Grown Olive Oil. Twenty years before that, Jarman was cycling through Tuscany dreaming of a select olive oil business. The Holman Ranch, famous for everything from a Mediterranean climate, visiting movie stars of yesteryear, mountain lions and wine, was established in 1928. Perhaps I could tour this Carmel Valley, California legendary estate some day. I’m currently getting a taste via drizzles of good, good olive oil. This is the stuff that brings to mind Biblical references of something sacred. Fruity oil this flavorful fills in to soothe the “cracks” of life, healing the body.

                      Getting poetic? Maybe. But just uncork some of this stuff and transform your morning toast into a fortifying, flavorful meal. I cook with olive oil daily. As we enter the Thanksgiving season, and the giving mode of the rest of 2016, I’ll be timing the rest of this bottle of olive oil to go out with the year, both reserving and indulging as necessary.

                      T-fal

                      I’ve always though it was “hip to be square, or rectangle, when you can stack and consolidate space. Is my OCD showing? T-fal Ingenio Lever-Lock storage containers are an investment in beauty, food longevity and sanity. Just loo at their Lever-Lock lids that fold up for release and tuck in for sealing. Thick clear plastic lets you see colorful lentils, tempting candies, nourishing grains, etc. The locking lids black on top with a red lining for flourish. BPA free, of course. If you get a couple, you’ll want a couple more.

                      The T-fal Ingenio manual chopper truly worked for me to make an onion-based salsa, a condiment I could eat three times a day. It’s a simple container with a blade and pull string and the cleanup is easy, too. It worked even better than I could have ever anticipated. Basil  leaves were ready for pesto in a few pulls.

                      Both of these are billed as holiday gifts for foodies. Make sure you get one for yourself as well. More on T-fal PerferformaPro Techno Release pots and pans later. Get ready to cook for crowds.

           

            Pumpkin update from Rao’s

            You don’t even have to work hard in  your own kitchen to get trending with pumpkin. Rao’s Bakery has a selection of Pumpkin Pie Lattes. I enjoyed one with a toasted marshmallow flavor on one of our cooler days.

         darraghcastillo@icloud.com