Finding Sacred Sauce and how to Keto

                  “The Ultimate Keto Cookbook”

                             Tempting photo spreads may sell this book on going keto because not everyone can imagine parsnip rosemary fries. I’m not on this particular lifestyle diet but I’m on board with the creativity of recipes in this thick and beautiful paperback by Brittany Angell, creator of BrittanyAngell.com. Just imagine rolling out menus featuring these dishes:

                             * Smoky Cracklin Pork Belly seasonings include that include maple, Himalayan salt and cumin.

                             * Dublin Coddle Stew, with thick-cut bacon and cauliflower rice will be your next St. Pat’s Day go-to.

                             * Pumpkin alert at this time of year? Plan ahead for Creamy Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup. The Noodles are from shirataki, a plant fiber.

                             * Taco Tuesday? Try Taco Spaghetti with Cilantro-Lime Avocado Pasta. I will.

                             What I tried first was Sweet and Salty Peanut Granola Bars that are said to taste like a Payday candy bar. But I actually had walnuts and pecans and sesame seeds instead of the suggested peanuts and sunflower seeds. It’s the coconut oil and honey or syrup  and peanut butter method of letting it all set in the freezer that turned out so well for me. The author says her recipe tastes “ahh-mazing” and mine did, too.

                 

              Mama Geraldine’s

                      Cheese straws are a southern thing to me. Childhood memories of my mom’s fancy club tables set with spicy, crunchy morsels fill me. I ate more than my share of this “grown-up” appetizer and I loved Ms. Outlaw’s recipe that had a spicy kick.

                      Wisconsin cheese is in Mama Geraldine’s boxes of Aged Cheddar, Parmesan Herb, Pimento Cheese and Chipotle Cheddar, but the taste is all southern. “Snack on, Y’all” is the call of this Bodacious Food Co.  in Jasper, Georgia. If you know someone who used to make cheese straws, be assured these little crunches will taste like their saught-after batches.

                      “It’s how we entertain,” is what Mama Geraldine’s people say, and mean. Geraldine’s has boxes key lime, Italian wedding and cinnamon mini cookies, all decked in powdered sugar. Pecan Cini-Minis are billed thusly: “Simple Ingredients  Purely Bodacious!” Baked with pride in the mountains of North Georgia, these little cookies with Korintji cinnamon made an excellent breakfast with fruit and coffee. I’m proud to say I made sure to savor the nickel-sized treats by making each last for two bites. If I had to pick one, I confess I favor the key lime. Ya’ll snack, like Mama says.

              Sacred Sauce

                      Sacred Sauce creators want tasters of their sweet heat spark memories of their own “see the world” moments. Okay. My mouth-on-fire makes me think of a beach-side bowl of lime soup I savored on spring break in Mexico. It was the ‘80s. Well done.

                      Makers are all about travel and adventure and proceeds for Rainforest Trust and natural flavors such as Serrano chili, prickly pear cactus, garlic, tangerine juice, mango, blood orange and habanero. With #Visionsineverydrop, they’ve created a Sacred Salad Sauce, which confuses some diners. Not me. They just understand that some of us heat seekers want to spice up our salads, especially if they are fruit based. Be creative, like the loyal fans on www.sacred.site. You’ll be “naturally wild” for it. 

                            Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie socially distancing and still enjoying great company and flavors. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

What to do with carrot greens

                             Someone gave me just-pulled carrots and insisted I inhale their fragrance. It was actually a delicate culinary perfume that made me think of how fresh babies smell. Must be those babies found in the cabbage patch? The growers suggested I keep orange parts submerged in water and that made a beautiful display. The lush, feathery green tops were so attractive that I asked if they’d found a way to eat them. Sprinkle it as a garnish on salad, they suggested. I hit the computer and found some ideas.

                            Pesto won, but the chimichurri looked appealing, too. For my pesto I processed the green tops with toasted walnuts, olive oil and a bit of mayonnaise, just because I had some. I added garlic powder and topped it with red pepper flakes. I know cheese is a main pesto ingredient, but I skipped it and made a thick dip for fresh veggies, including the orange part of the carrot. (Thanks, Jim and Dodie Labove!)

                  Southeast Texas rice is nice

                   Carolina Gold is grown Anahuac.  Texas Highways magazine featured this “nearly extinct” variety’s comeback via Harvest Grain Mills.

                  Shop for it at harvestgrainmills.com.

                  To aerate or not to aerate?

                             Maybe you like your wine from France and your aerators from the U.S.of A. VinOair is for you. Maybe you have red wine taste on a beer budget. VinOair is for you, too. Not a wine snob by any means, I do favor selections from the bottom shelf of the local grocery store. Once you invest in an aerator you can take your pour up a notch. Enter this clear plastic VinOair Wine Aerator a slender, portable that will also oxodize red or white vino for maximum flavor. Makers say the dual air chamber pulls twice the vacuum as other aerators and a soft, rubber stopper creates an airtight seal. I’m on board with this $19 baby that is no gadget: it’s legit equipment. My husband typically uncorks and he is impressed by lack of drips. You wouldn’t want to waste a drop of your improved wine. If you begin with a higher quality vintage, you’d probably be even more impressed. Visit www.corkpops.com for details.

                   

                            Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie socially distancing and still enjoying great company and flavors. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

The beet goes on, and into your cocktail

                  The beet goes on . . .

                             If someone invited you for cocktails/mocktails and at the last moment mentioned they were beet based, you might hightail from that cocktail. Are you being punished? I’d run from the rare serving of red stuff when I was a kid, but oh, look what they’ve done to beets now. Beetology comes in a very cool ridged glass and with mixes like beet + lemon + ginger you feel healthy just picking up the bottle. I added some to sparkling water for extra bang.

                             Makers have more ideas for that and Wonder Melon, which zings an old fave with splashes of lemon, cayenne and more fun. Are you still running? Get these bottles in refrigerated sections of stores and sit down to enjoy the flavor and the benefits from KAYCO, because they’re into health.

                  Beet Juice bits from the makers:

                  * New evidence links antioxidant-rich beets to strengthened immunity, better skeletal muscle function and greater stamina.

                  * The International Olympic Committee has declared beet juice a sports food.

                  * Beet juice is being used by researchers for its potential benefits to people with diabetes, obesity, hypertension and the elderly.

                  Reasons to drink your watermelon

                  * The amino acids in watermelon may lower blood pressure and reduce risk of heart attack

                  * Watermelon is 92 percent water – a sweet way to keep every cell in your body hydraded.

                  * Watermelon has more of the antioxidant lycopene than any other fruit or veggie. Studies show that lycopene may be associated with reduced risk of cancer and diabetes. 

                  Wonder Melon Immune-Boostine Smoothie

                  1 frozen banana

                  1 cup frozen strawberries

                  1 half cup Greek yogurt

                  1 half cup Wonder Melon Lemon Cayenne

                  1 quarter cup orange juice

                  Honey to taste

                  Buzz all ingredients in a blender and enjoy.

                  Tropical Beet-a-Colada

                  1 and one half cup ice

                  3 ounces Beetology Beet + Tropical Fruit

                  2 ounces coconut Cream

                  2 ounces dark rum

                  2 ounces coconut rum

                  Blend all ingredients in a blender until frothy. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

                  Zoup is on

                  There’s a reason National Soup Month is in January. Have you been craving a steaming bowl of chicken noodle in steamy Southeast Texas temperatures? If not, think again with a jar of  inspiration: Zoup! Good, Really Good® Veggie Broth. It’s okay to think about corn and beet gazpachos instead of the hot and heavy soups. Zoop! has you covered. I enjoyed this “savory” vegan flavor as much as bone broth and I accepted the label’s challenge: “Good Enough to Drink.” I simply heated up some of this jar’s broth and poured it in a mug to enjoy… in an air-conditioned space. Broth is the basis of making everything you’re making with it better. Zoup! Is good to begin with.

                            Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie socially distancing and still enjoying great company and flavors. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Keep Jackfruit Hip

                            Someone says Chicago and you’re craving jackfruit. Right? Do you even know what that is? That giant, bumpy fruit is in stores, but if you want to try it as a hip, vegan main course, visit the Upton’s Naturals web site. They have a Chicago eatery, but you can order a variety of products online. Formal “old fashioned” gentlemen with various states of moustache, beard and bowtie, adorn packages of shelf-stable jackfruit in original, barbecue, chili lime, Thai curry, etc. I feel hip myself, because a friend told me that vegetarians love the versatility of this fruit that can seasoned with flavors from around the globe. It rather feels like meat. Phooey you say? She shared some of her cooking with me and I loved it. But I sure didn’t want to haul a jackfruit home and hassle with that. Upton’s Naturals keeps their fruit in tidy, fun packaging and my unsuspecting spouse consumed his attractive plate of “barbecue” without being to questioning on what  had exactly been “barbecued.” If you are at all into the vegan scene, this is a 100 percent interesting investment.

                  Strawberry Rose Infusion

                             When a little dab will do you, when you are worth the best quality and when you’re a sucker for beautiful bottles, Runamok Maple has your back. They have your breakfast, if you’re into dressing up a muffin or pancake with some pure, infused, barrel-aged Vermont syrups. Forget that high-fructose stuff and really get the flavor of  incredibly-imaginative concoctions such as the latest limited edition: Strawberry Rose Infused Maple Syrup from runamokmaple.com. “Fancy” is a pedestrian description for the “silky, sweet and floral” blend. Try it over fresh fruit.

                             Does your syrup transcend from breakfast to an asset to salads and cocktails? I’m a fan of the Coffee-Infused blend that can flavor a kickin’ cocktail. “Wardrobe Malfunction” is the cocktail that calls for Runamok Maple’s ginger root infusion and guava juice. These Vermonters are funny, huh? While their ingredients are simple, their ideas are myriad, ranging from toasting nuts, paring with cheese and flavoring your grilled chicken thighs.

                  Just the ticket

            It seems like more folks of all ages are looking into CBD oil for aches and pains, migranes and calming effects. JustCBD Oil Tincture

                  is just one of a plethora of products this company puts out. The web site offers answers to all your questions on gummies in various shapes and strengths, creams for joint relief and softer skin and even bath bombs and soap. Reviews include praise from those who get relief from arthritis and a bunch of other not-trendy pains that people get. Read up if you need to get beyond the jokes about these products. These makers are among the serious ones and they go out of their way to explain what you’re getting, especially with drops to be taken under the tongue. When I asked friends and relatives if they wanted to try some gummies, I learned that many had already done the research and some had already tried them. Can you tell me anyone who hasn’t been under some extra stress this year? I have to say, I liked the aroma and quality of the soap and everything else I’ve tried from JustCBD. Some of the fruits are just right for topping yogurt and you can mix the oils into cocktails.

                  Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie living like she loves it. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Happy Plates and Happy Planners

                           

 When my sister’s kids were little she’d always encourage them to make a “happy plate,” meaning to eat all their food. No one in our family struggles with this concept today. We still use the phrase though, 30 plus years later.

                             My nephew in Alabama has been a professional cook and is an envy-inspiring home chef, with his own produce and chicken eggs. Now his toddler is a little Culinary Thrill Seeker.

                             I was minding my own business when we got a family message showing his own toddler son’s little divided baby dish brimming with alligator and chicken piquant, home grown fried okra and green tomatoes.

                             What did you have today?

                             The next day, Dad must have tried to keep the pace with a photo of this lucky kid’s skillet fried queso blanco, grilled El Milagro corn tortillas, sour cream, sautéed onions and peppers, refried beans and marinated grilled skirt steak.

                             Oh, then we all got another message that he’d forgotten to plate the avocado before taking the shot. Again. . . lucky kid.

                             A “Happy Plate” of my own included dressing up another bowl of lentils with a fried egg. Boy, a bag of lentils makes a lot of servings. This is a dish I’d never have considered in my youth. Just too boring. While I do appreciate that they are healthy and cost pennies a serving, I appreciate that they can be enhanced with herbs to go Italian, Indian, Cajun, etc. I was going to have an egg on the side, but decided to make it a topper when I ran out of room on the plate. 

The Happy Planner 

                  Women: If you are decades past high school and still doodle, check out The Happy Planner. If have a bullet journal and think perky plastic dividers and tiny, colorful stickers of spatulas and whisks will get you excited about cooking and you’d even wear a little charm bracelet to show everyone how organized you are, then you’ve met your tribe. I may have thought the high quality, teeny stickers that will be all over my spice jars - and can also adorn recipe cards for shower gifts – would be my favorite part of the package. Oh no. It’s the big fridge magnet designed to plan out the weekly meals that will be my go-to. OCD people who want control, frugal moms who want to make sure food gets used before it expires and show-offs who want others to salivate over their culinary ways will all love these products. The adjustable planner will help you record your family’s most treasured memories. It’s a mix and match situation and meandmybigideas.com has other themes. Get to know the creators’ back story. They want you to Plan a Happy Life.

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

Simple pepper jelly makes it fancy

                             My mom kind of cheated on pepper jelly. She’d basically melt some inexpensive store-bought jelly of any flavor and infuse it with devilish tiny slivers of red cayenne my dad grew. I was of high school age when she figured it out, or I’d have been raised on it. She put it lovely Mason jars because it was so lovely, but she was happy to share her quickie method.

                             I touched base with an aunt who keeps multiple varieties of mustards on hand and she made a sandwich and offered a jar of a friend’s homemade pepper jelly. She mentioned she’d have to hint to the friend it was the last of the gift, in hopes she’d receive more. The jar was dated 2017. Imagine. The peppers in there had probably been grown and processed weeks before Hurricane Harvey flooding changed our lives again. Now we’re in another pickle. May God’s good things keep growing and nourishing us.

                             And now you have been blessed with my Mom’s pepper jelly tip to boost your spirits.

                  Hide the cheese

                  June was National Dairy Month, so hopefully you celebrated cheese. But when a precious little slab of Parrano Originale Cheese got to my house, I was not quick enough to hide this “something special” so my husband saw it everything. I had to share it right down the middle, which I managed to do for three days, doling out the nutty flavor and buttery aroma of a “fine aged Parmesan with the smooth, creamy texture of a young Dutch Gouda.” I put the company’s words in quotes as they more poetically express what is superior about this cheese, and why a family would fight over it. While parrano.com has lovely recipes, such as a cranberry turnover that looks beyond appealing, I’m on the simple idea side such as serving this cheese on an antipasto platter with olives and cured meats, or melted into a tortilla with salsa or chopped peppers. Just maintain your dignity when going for another sample.

                             Gayo Azul Gouda Holland Cheese is another contender for your sandwich, with pepper jelly (see above). Look for the Blue Rooster on this line that goes back to the ‘50s with Caribbean roots. Dutch cheeses were prized there because they were aged and could be stored without refrigeration. I enjoyed a block marked “mild & creamy” that I enjoyed alone. I mean alone from any embellishment such as even a cracker and alone as in no one I had to share with. I figure all the cheese lovers in Nederland – with their Dutch background – should also enjoy Gayo Azul.

Spa Girl Cocktails has a “spring collection” that invites you to “Drink Clean, Live Happy.” Cocktails in a can? The pear version, paired with a patio evening, hit the spot in such a clean way, and it packed a fresh punch. The short of it is you get flavor without expensive, sugary and artificial mixers. Spa Girl flavors of cucumber, peach and pear come in little cans or bottles and “regular” size. Enjoy them straight up or mixed with rosewater, lemons, mint, melon juice, berries or Prosecco. Keep it simple, or go to town with your own “clean” ingredients. Forbes has profiled entrepreneur Alisa Marie Beyer about her business path that lead to these products touting premium plant-based vodka, that are vegan, gluten free, low in calories, sugar and carbs and ring in at 48 calories a serving. It’s a pleasant treat you can look forward to without guilt and the flavors are as delicate as promised.

                             Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who will take elaborate steps to make things simple. Reach her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Drinks, vessels and looking good when you toast

                             I hope the Dads out there had a eventful Father’s Day. Every  month Dads need hugs, or phone calls, or little drawings made with crayons.

                             My dad would always ask for lima beans and my husband asks for ribs on special days. Simple requests. Here are a few more thoughtful things that could make someone’s day, for Dad or otherwise:

                  Elevated drinkware for many moods

                             When I see the sturdy, sleek lines of  Fressko’s stainless steel insulated Camino Cup in “coal” with barista-friendly measurement lines, I’m envisioning Darth Vader relaxing with his coffee and going over his things-to-disrupt list for the day. I imagine a barista holding up this durable cup, that resembles Darth’s helmet in a way, with the most grown-up sippy lid and calling out “Mocha latte for Darth?” The cup comes across as a most efficient means to keep your coffee hot on the go.  The light green pastel “minti” cup should have a spot of tea and maybe fit in my moped drink holder as I pick up some French bread on my European trek.      Fressko’s tall glass flask with a bamboo lid and metal filters is meant for travel, but I envision it just for the patio, with a lemon or cucumber slice to flavor water or tea in the afternoon. It’s all about the mood (and the beverage).

             “Be kind to mother earth, to others, and to yourself” is the Fressko message. You’ve hit it when just the sight of the empty cup on the shelf can put you into the mood of a good heft in your hand, a flavor to savor and a moment to yourself. Sometimes the splurge is being kind to yourself. Visit www.madebyfressko.com to get this feel.

Oh boy! Soursop!

Maybe you think you don’t know what creamy soursop tea tastes like because you were calling that big, prickly and green fruit a guanabana. The two words are like a rose by any other name. Still no? Don’t worry, I didn’t realize it either, but I’ve seen them in markets. It’s my favorite of many quality flavors in the JAF TEA set, crafted from Ceylon tea, called the world's finest black tea. I can taste the difference in Organic Darjeeling, the English Breakfast, and Ceylon Supreme, but I’m especially excited about the fruity flavors, which highlight the more familiar grapefruit, lemon and Black Tea Forest Fruit. The set came in display box where the packets were cradled like little gems in their paper partitions. That makes selecting fun, but I’m keeping the soursop to myself. See what else their artisnal, small-batch processing offers. Teas are packed in Sri Lanka within days of plucking and you can inhale the fragrant essential oils. www.jaftea.com

                  Yes to handsome

                             You can’t imagine how much I love sharing Culinary Thrill Seeking and the feedback I get from readers. You’ve got to wonder how I can possibly link some of these topics to food, such as the KeepIt Handsome line of men’s grooming products, such as Fibre Matte to hold the hair and daily conditioner. Well, wouldn’t looking and feeling your best pair well with a night out with your sweetie? At your favorite restaurant, in the park or even stuck at home? Good advertising helps spread the word on good product, and a look at KeepItHandsome.com should hook men of any age into an old school barbershop mood of luxury that you can “keep” at home. Tip: Women will  likely enjoy everything about this line, too. It smells great, works great and is not as pricy as similar brands. Father’s Day is coming up soon, you know.

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