How Big is Texas?

  Dianne Bayes, right, goes in over Debra Bustos for the shot of Flat Bob and Flat Kelli at Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp in Port Arthur.

                             You can join in an epic road trip with three Lone Star travel professionals trekking the Texas perimeter, clocking about 3,100 miles.

                             That total is longer than the 2,907 miles from New York City to San Francisco. Diann Bayes knows it’s 852 miles from Orange to El Paso, but she was thinking “bigger.” So she rounded up Morgan Taylor and Debra Bustos to travel the outline of Texas, which includes the coastal beauty of Port Arthur. The stretch between Orange and Galveston hit at lunchtime, so the group enjoyed alligator bites and pistolettes at Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp to refuel, and got a table visit from singer Hunter Courts.

                             Texas is a state of mind, these women agree. They know people all along the way and naturally everyone wants a visit. They’re even taking Flat Bob and Flat Kelli from Texas Country Reporter on their journey.

                             They’re packing a lot of fun into their trip and you can follow along at HowBigisTexas.com

Cast Iron Keto

           

            “One Pot” does not need equal mushy meals. Cast Iron Keto: 75 Low-Carb One-Pot Meals for the Home Cook authors/bloggers Alex Lester and Lauren Lester prove it with photos of succulent shrimp posed atop paella and a fully, white side of cauliflower rice next to ginger-spiced Classic Indian Chicken Curry. I wish they could prove it to me in person with a plate of crispy pork belly collards with kimchi. They update everything with a little savory twist, as if subbing rice for cauliflower and Portobello mushroom caps for burger buns was not already enough shakeup for some cooks. I embrace it all and I’m only past the Land section and into the Sea pages. Nut-free pesto and Reuben casserole just make me want to get into the rest of the pages.

            I appreciate that authors note they will not pretend that their Southern Gumbo stew remotely comes close to the read deal in flavor or texture – what with that pile of riced cauliflower in the middle of the bowl – but I sure would gobble up a serving of the rich broth with andouille, chicken thighs and shrimp. You’ve got to give and take for the keto lifestyle.

                  The bowls, such as ahi tuna poke salad and surf and turf Caesar salad, that could be my favorite. It’s possible that I’ve tended to eat this way with some unexpected combos and garnishes (think edamame and shredded greens) but I’ve just failed to assemble them so attractively into a bowl. It’s very appealing to the eye and also makes it look like you have even more delicious food for your meal. And please, don’t knock walnut chili until you have tried it.

                             Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie ready to enjoy Southeast Texas and beyond. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

The right fork at the right moment

“Which Fork Do I Use?” is like a “formal” spiral on thick paper that is your pictorial guidebook to throwing fabulous parties.

Of course you know the fork goes on the left of the table setting, unless it’s a cocktail or dessert fork. Then there are other rules. But isn’t it worth it to enjoy your cocktail and dessert?

Setting a proper table is not the same thing as setting a formal table. You can still follow etiquette at an informal little fondue gathering, or a ‘70s party to which guests are given their own catchphrase upon arrival (groovy, far out, you’re the Man!).

Rosemarie Burns and Linda Reed make learning all this fun, not a cause for stress. A hostess is all about making her guests feel welcome. And as a guest, don’t you love all that attention?

Other tips from the book:

Don’t be that guest who gets toasted and takes the first sip. It’s like applauding one self.

If the hostess says don’t bring anything, don’t. She should be enjoying guests, not rushing around for extra dishes and vases.

Have a backup plan. Sometimes the dog makes off with the meat course.

Coconuts!

Coconut products are trending and Coco Joy makes it easy to get in on it. First, just drink it.

A chilled can pure coconut water is a flavorful replenishing treat that can motivate you through a workout. A jar of beautiful, creamy cold-pressed virgin coconut oil made my over-easy egg taste so good. While you’ve got the jar open, go ahead and rub a little oil on your skin. It’s like taking a spa vacation.

Now, here’s my hard sell. There are bottles of Coco Joy drinks that are pure coconut milk flavored like coffee, chocolate and banana.

My mom and I loved the coffee, especially and I think the banana tasted like a candy of my youth.
What makes this a possible hard sell is preconceived notions. I offered some for my aunt to try and she says she has a thing about anything called milk. Even if it did not come from an animal. She would not try it. Drinking something like this should put one in the mind of a peaceful tropic view, and not promote the bickering my husband and I engaged in whilst I tried to convince him that coconut water and milk are different things. The water comes from young green coconuts. I had to use the internet to convince him.

But there’s another level of consumers are know all about this coconut thing. There are health benefits that go beyond the great flavor. Coco Joy will tell you all about it.

Tia Juanita’s

So you don’t get to wear your beautiful winter coat very often in Southeast Texas. Look what you do get. My day-after –turkey treat was getting treated to lunch at Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp in Beaumont, and sitting on the patio in shorts. My party of four had fish and shrimp tacos and talked all afternoon while a gentle breeze wafted through the screens.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Mom goes down by the river for birthday

  

Both my mother and I can be shy about attention on birthdays, but I think her coolness merits attention. She confirmed what she’d like to do just hours before we did it. We picked up Hamburger Depot burgers and onion rings in downtown Beaumont and headed down to Riverftont Park.

       The thick patties were so good and we enjoyed pleasure boats, such as the “Stewpot” going by.

A man from another bench shouted out “beef or chicken” to “Stewpot’s” captain. Beef ragout or maybe a fish stew if they were lucky, he replied.

       Mom reminded us that her mother equated a by-the-river experience to pleasant times. If she was eating something good, she’d say “that on a river bend” to imply such a location could only make it better.

       After Saturday night Mass we wanted to treat her to another day of festivities, and again, we were in the parking lot with the engine running before she revealed that a fish taco from Tia Juanita’s in Beaumont would be a fine treat. She has really taken to chatting with the owner there.

       She was right, the tacos did hit the spot. I think we hit on two winners to celebrate her birthday. Maybe that’s three, because we started Thursday night with different tacos. Read on”

Tacos La Bamba

       History and tacos can become habit. The McFaddin-Ward House offers amazing free programs, often with lovely receptions to follow. But sometimes you want a taco to follow. Tacos La Bamba is right down the street and offers little spicy bites like my onion, cilantro and spicy pork taco, with filling centered on two little corn tortillas. My mom was bragging about her recent breakfast burrito and how spicy she found the habanero sauce. I asked for some and also got another, darker red/brown sauce.

       The woman at the counter went to the back when I asked about ingredients and came out with a list that included: cascabel, de harbol, ancho, cebolla, chipotle and ajo. I learned the first pepper is called a rattler, so imagine the seeds rattling in this ball of a pepper. There’s also a snake with that name. The second ingredient is sometimes called a rat’s tail pepper. Still, it was more of a great flavor and not searing hot. I managed to take enough home in that little container to serve it over a cheesy egg for breakfast. Now that’s how to start the morning.

       An upcoming McFaddin-Ward program is “Born on the Kitchen Floor in Bois Mallet,” the story of one African-American family in a book by Lovey Marie Guillory. It will begin at 6 p.m., Aug. 6 at the home’s visitor center on Calder Avenue in Beaumont. Call 409-832-1906 for information.

darraghcastillo@icloud.com