Setzer Hardware is in the crawfish spirit

 

It’s Crawfish Time!

If you haven’t needed nuts and bolts lately, it may have been a minute since you stopped by Setzer Hardware in Nederland. Foodies, come on down. The window announces it’s crawfish time in this area and here is where you can get your accoutrement. From pots to boil ‘em in and crustacean-adorned plates to serve them upon, this is party central. Cute little dishes for any season, cast iron for your corn bread await. Also grab little garden trinkets and jewelry for the hostess. Grab an extra ladle for dishing out maw maw’s gumbo.

Cajun Foodie Passport –  Here’s another Nederland hot spot: La Maison Acadienne, by the Windmill Museum in Tex Ritter Park, is a stop on the Cajun Foodie Passport from the Cajun Heritage Fest, which was Saturday, April 6, 2025, at the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center. If you didn’t get one there, pick one up at several participating restaurants from the area and get it stamped. Fill it out and you could win a gift basket with gift cards for more good eating. The museum will give you a stamp and Museum of the Gulf Coast will, too. The idea is to enjoy some of the experiences this area has to offer.

How do You Cajun? – Culinary Thrill Seekers, are you ready to share some of your favorite Cajun foods, traditions, sayings, etc. My relatives in Lafayette served me coffee milk as a child and I thought that was the best ever. That was until a relative in New Orleans whipped up a Shirley Temple for me. Cherries!

Let’s get some memories going and keep them alive.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who is about to fix herself a mug of coffee milk. Share your Cajun stories at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

What's your dog about?

What's your dog about?

                      For two years I’ve been invited to a friend’s summer pool/Astros viewing party and the varied foods have had a vegetarian bent. This time, she announced, she’d serve carrot dogs.

                      Whatever you are imagining, you’re right. It’s a carrot on a bun. Dress it up with your standard hot dog toppings and go to to town with your dog. Laugh if you want, but I wanted to see how it was done.

                      The deal is, I knew I’d be out of town and missing the party. Now I was missing carrot dogs, too? Don’t worry, she saved some for me and I picked up a bag of whole wheat hot dog buns and a container of lovely carrots with grill marks. The carrots looked so good, I ate one cold and loved it. Total confession, when I warmed up my stash, I put some leftover barbecue on the bun, so it came out like a long sloppy joe. The grilled carrots went on the side, until I ate them all up.

                      Maybe I’ll try it as the hostess intended, when I have leftovers of the leftovers.

                             Mushrooms in the boil?

                             A newspaper friend Tweeted surprise that people put mushrooms in their crawfish boil. I have seen it done, and I love mushrooms. But I always considered mushrooms a pricy extra that gets lost in the commotion of  the boil. Onions, corn, potatoes and sausage are good for me. But I can see wanting to season everything you have on hand in that pot. I’d love to know how all those “extras” started. Readers, if you have some thoughts on mushrooms, etc., share them.

                             I sent word back to my friend that I’d recently boiled some eggs and peeled them, then let them heat some more in retained crawfish juice. By that I mean I removed some heads from boiled crawfish and boiled them down to make a stock for my next gumbo. I have a freezer full of spicy blocks of ice. Anyway, the spicy boiled eggs made a great lunch accompaniment for the rest of the week.

                             Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who knows it’s always crawfish season somewhere (if you froze ahead). Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com