A quick hot sauce check

Hot sauce check A spicy gentleman I know posted that he was in a culinary pinch, without his favorite hot sauce. This lead me to dash to my own kitchen and do a pepper sauce check of my own. There was enough Tabasco bottles and other blends to last many households a lifetime. They are used at nearly every meal that fresh or powdered peppers are not. I rounded up a few for my own posting and then a Port Arthur friend became concerned there was a shortage in the stores, but not to worry! That’s how rumors get started. This anecdote is to indicate just how much I love my hot sauce and to tease about a brand appropriately named Hellfire, that I am not quite ready to discuss. Wow, that was hot. At this juncture I will simply say a drop of this stuff was one of the three top heat rushes of my life. Until we meet again, please, season responsibly. Harvest Snaps What if popping a crunchy, cheesy snack was not a guilty pleasure? Popper Duos, out form Harvest Snaps, has a Salsa & Cheddar ball boasting two flavors in one bite, and if I close my eyes I get the taste of the melty bowl of cheese depicted on the bag. The bag of Yellow & White Cheddar is just as good and I’m truly trying to share it. The cheesy flavor made them a great side for morning eggs, a mid-morning snack, a luncheon salad topper and an afternoon snack. By share, I meant share it with my whole day. The secret? These are green pea crisps and they won’t set you back in the guilt department. Veggie-based snacking has its perks. Sprout Living It was the Coffee Mushroom that intrigued me. It turned out to be my favorite flavor in the Epic Protein line from Sprout Living. I imagined myself curled up on a log bench enjoying a mug of this concoction with a gnome. The mythical creature and I would talk about the Chocolate Maca and Vanilla Lucuma, too. Those were my top picks of superfood powders to mix with water or blend into a smoothie. It’s filling “food” on the go and the info booklet labels it “cleaner plant nutrition that tastes better too.” I do say it is several steps above other offerings that come out green in your cup. Other varieties are Green Kingdom, Original, Pro Collagen and Real Sport. If you’re already into this, you should already be sold. If this is a gateway mix for you, go in: care@sproutliving.com Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who is one of the “some” who like it hot. Share your culinary advetures with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Sweet and spicky pickles

I don’t know why a home cook would get tired of making something people always ask her for.

I kind of got out of the fire and ice

pickle business, even though it was an easy, popular gift for friends.

My husband was just reminding me of how a neighbor would barter citrus from her yard for these pickles.

All you had to do was take a jar of store-bought dill chips, drain the liquid, and pack the jar with layers of pickles, sugar and Tabasco. Soon the pickles were crunchy, richly colored and addictive.

My mom shared a jar of baby dills with me, so I’m trying the process with them. Here they are a few minutes after seasoning. I’ll try not to eat them for a week or two so they can do their sweet thing.

McCormick’s new flavors

This company is always putting out something new and here’s some things out for your experimentation:

* McCormick Pure Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend extract with warm notes of ginger, nutmeg and allspice. This liquid is for baking and flavoring beverages

* McCormick Slow Cooker Sauces: Grab a flavor like Smoky Bourbon BBQ Pulled Pork for a quick January warm-up meal.

* McCormick Gluten-Free Recipe Mixes: I’ve been hearing from a lot of people who are finding the gluten-free route helpful. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has approved four new mixes including meat loaf and beef stew.

* Thai Kitchen Coconut Cream goes in everything from cakes to curries.

Darraghcastillo@icloud.com