HIt the road, and the dinner table

I’ve seen miles and miles of Texas, and I challenge everyone to do the same. This is National Travel and Tourism Week and time to recognize the dollars tourism brings to all of Texas and beyond.

Hit the road and thank a hotel desk clerk, a server and attraction worker for adding to your travel pleasure.

The Lone Star State has so much to offer and I’m still processing my memorable Big Bend adventure from more than a year ago.

Here’s a taste, literally, of some Texas cities and meals I’ve recently enjoyed.

Victoria

As a plus one for my husband, I watched birds, deer and other critters at the Spiritual Renewal Center in Victoria. There’s an oak said to be 2,000 years old (really!). An armadillo joined me in walking the labyrinth. The skies were dark and I when I woke up at 4:15 a.m. I thought it would be amazing to walk outside the cabin and gaze at the stars.

Instead an unseen something was gazing at me and making an hissing sound followed by what sounded like a big, big kitty. I got back inside that cabin in a flash. The next day a worker said it sounded like a mountain lion. Thanks Google sound bites, for confirming that.

I wanted to see the Texas Historical Marker in the cemetery, but I was told that there was a new bull in with the cattle, and they’d all made themselves at ease right by the gate. As advised, I kept driving.

In Victoria I sought out Mumphord’s Place, a barbecue place of merit. Not only was Bum Phillips’ autographed photo on the wall, there was an array of sports jerseys hanging from the ceiling. They were all in plastic bags, to protect them from a rich, smoky mist about the place.

Sherman/Denison

A wedding got me to North Texas on Cinco de Mayo, and there was no way to escape Mexican food. Who would want to? The wedding’s actual theme was “Fiesta like there’s no manana.” The menu was traditional, but as guests left, they picked up souvenir bags of churros and Mexican wedding cookies. The rehearsal dinner was furnished by a food truck in the church parking lot.

If you find yourself this close to the border, of Oklahoma, explore Sherman’s downtown square, with fun vintage and trendy shopping opportunities and tempting bites.

Galveston

Shrimp ‘N Stuff on Avenue 0 is known as a little place the locals love, and I do, too. My daughter often has business in Galveston and asked around to find this fun place that truly puts me in mind of a New Orleans neighborhood gathering place. Walk up to the counter to order fried seafood and grab a high-top table to get a good view of everyone else’s food and fun. It’s super casual and there’s outside seating, too.

Centerville

There’s a left and right Woody’s Smokehouse in Centerville, on either side of Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas. The first thing you notice is the smoky aroma and from the meats, then your eyes can feast on jars and jars of pepper jelly and other southern fare. I got a good deal on a half of a smoked chicken, that was enhanced by a pile of purple onions, peppers and free beans. While most folk consider Woody’s a mandatory highway stop, I have to let you know what you’ve been missing if you haven’t ventured in. It’s fun to see visitors who may not be from Texas taking it all in.

Darragh Doiron has her bag packed for the next adventure. If you have food thoughts to share, contact her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Coffee tricks and summer spice

                             Coffee tricks for those willing to play with their brews

                             If you can secure your little chocolate square with a toothpick or cocktail fork, you can dip it into steaming coffee and pull it out before it dissolves to savor a warm, bite that melts in your mouth.

                             I’d hate to lose mine into the coffee, though what’s the worst? It dissolves and you get a mocha coffee.

                             One of those fun-sized or bite-sized chocolates are perfect for this job.

                             My mother has fond memories of traveling with my dad. They’d drop  a hard candy into their travel mugs. It flavored the coffee as it melted.

                             I just read that if you need to make a gravy and have some leftover coffee, you can add that into your pan instead of water. I had a chance to try it the very week I read it and my only regret is that my husband spied me doing it and questioned my motives. He needed more convincing and the finished dish did that trick.   

            Here’s some other new foodie releases to try:

            *McCormick Grill Mates Rubs and Lowry’s Liquid Marinades are here just in time for summer grilling.

            I sampled some rubs in the line on everything from meats to eggs. I even boiled shrimp in the Sweet & Smoky rub. We southerners will try anything to get seafood into us. You can play, play, play with these rubs all season. Besides Barbecue and Applewood, there’s also Honey Hickory, Maple BBQ and Mesquite.

            With the marinades, I grabbed Chipotle Molasses first and Honey Bourbon next. These also made quick dips for wraps and veggies.

            Get to grilling.

            * TOPBiT is a slim packet of filling product that fits into your pocket so can do something crazy, like sprinkle savory herb crunchies onto avocado on toast or eggs or mixed berry onto your fruit and yogurt at lunch.

            I like the nutty flavor with a pop of something extra. The term "protein food topping" could take some getting used to, but it’s good stuff.              Bits of organic hemp seed, pea protein isolate, lentils, organic brown rice protein, and the stuff of chia seed, dehydrated fruit, etc. come into play. It's handy and fun and you'll be getting 10 grams of protein, all 9 essential amino acids and antioxidants. It's real food and real fun.

                             Darragh Castillo loves pepper heat on her food and experimenting with new things. If you’ve run into something fun, food-wise, contact her at:

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Going green, greens and activism

                  Cooking a meal to show love for a friend can be an act of activism.

                  “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.

                  When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” – Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb

                             These two notions crossed my path in the same week I was invited to a gathering where guests brought all that “health” food kind of stuff, from quinoa and avocado salads to hummus.

                             The part about cooking came from “Love Activism,” Stacy Russo’s book calling readers to approach everything they do with hope, empathy, non-violence and creativity. She asks us to be mindful during our meals and appreciate the food, the workers who brought it to us and the natural world that grew it.

                             Consider a silent meal to be truly mindful, and make a proper setting for your repast, even if you must dine in a space of cleared papers on your desk. This is another example of how my tiny fork helps me consider each bite.

                             Russo shares her conversion from vegetarian to vegan in a thoughtful way and discusses Love Activism in several aspects. Some ideas: Visit the sick; mail someone a surprise post card; and truly listen and be present when someone is speaking to you.

                             She asked readers to consider the beverage they may be drinking while reading her book.  If it was something other than safe tap water, they have options they may not realize. If someone has access to clean water at no extra charge and still has money to buy coffee, tea, bottled water, etc., then he or she has money that could be used in the service of others.

                             Going very green

                             A “restaurants near me” search in Houston steered me to The Green Seed, a vegan restaurant on Almeda Road. It had a modern, yet classic neighborhood feel with a variety of patrons lining up for lunch.

                             After perusing the menu above the counter, I chose a Solburger: Raw hemp nut patty topped with microgreens, spinach, tomato, red onion and spirulina aioli on a collard wrap.

                             I wanted to see how they got a collard to stay folded over a wrap. I waited with my number, which featured the proverb about good diet. I thought I’d love to get two paper menus to give to two friends who have interest in food in general, and specifically these types of offerings. Well, this restaurant was so “green” that they didn’t have any sort of menu. Staff suggested I take a photo of the posted menu.  Come to think of it, I didn’t actually see any big sign stating the name of the place on the outside building. My phone got me there. Maybe they were trying to save paint.

                             This place was an experience, and I’m pleased to say my collard wrap stayed wrapped and was completely delicious.

                             Darragh Castillo loves trying new things and wants to hear what you’ve been tasting lately. Contact her at:

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

                

Taco Hugh's Day

                             London and a movie?

                             My husband was sharing a story of a mutual friend who went to London and it was snowing and she was having trouble getting in to see “The Greatest Showman.” 

                             Clarisa Chavarria overcame several multiple snags to getting inside the theater and I was thinking “why was she all the way across the pond in  London watching a movie?” It must have been to cold to ride the London Eye.

                             Then I thought that this story is going to end with Hugh Jackman being in the theater, live. Guess what? It did.

                             The theater stopped the movie and the audience thought it was a tech problem and that Australian charmer danced in. My front-of-the-rows friend even showed up in the background of Hugh’s Instagram.

                             Everybody and my Mom is talking about this show, so I decided to host a theme night for her. Mom has great memories of the excitement when the big tops came to town and set up, and that made me crave peanuts and popcorn, but more substantial fare was in order.

                             Then it came to me. It was a Sunday, so we had not a Taco Tuesday, but a Taco Hugh’s Day showing of “The Greatest Showman.”

                             Let me say it once more: Taco Hugh’s Day. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue with the same grace as the acrobat flipping through the air in the movie, but we weren’t “clowing” around.

                             It got us to thinking of how the classic image of a “taco” has changed over the years, even in this Tex-Mex stronghold.

                            I’ve always been partial to a crunchy taco and loved the innovation of wrapping a soft flour tortilla around a hard shell so as to keep your toppings from crumbling out from your first mouthful. And who wants all those extra calories?

                             Then there’s always the flour vs. corn tortilla issue and within that my house there’s a  white flour vs. whole wheat flour side debate. Who wins? Eventually we all did.

                             We served coriander-heavy beans and ground meat and I ended up with a loose taco salad over shredded lettuce, scooping it all up with tortilla chips.            

                             While Hugh Jackman won’t be invited every time, I could see how a regular Taco Tuesday is becoming an American favorite, because there’s a never-ending variety of ways to get your Tex-Mex.

                             Let me know yours via darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Spring clean to bring in the new

 

                  Spring Clean to bring in the new

                 

                             It’s not that I love cleaning, I keep telling my husband, it’s that I like things clean.

                             Big difference.

                             In keeping a household flowing, I love to “edit” or go through closets, drawers and cabinets on a semi-frequent basis and see if I can “let go” of anything. Sometimes, new things come along to replace the space and do a job better. This column is devoted to some of that  innovation and “rotation.”

                             * Candlescape – I was so impressed with a candlescape at my church’s Italian dinner, I snapped a photo. Someone thought of placing glass votive candles over unopened Contadina tomato sauce cans. The label is one I recall from my youth: A woman is featured with a basket of freshly-harvested tomatoes and Italian scenery is in the background. This look set the mood for all the dishes waiting to be enjoyed. I also love the notion of creating a visual from what’s on hand and offering a peek at what’s to come.

                        * Clipa2 – I think that the sort of personalities who painted their nails with correction fluid and wore binder rings as bracelets in middle school invented Clipa2, a non-nonsense purse hook that looks like that big ring, only with a hematite-sleek look. This clip will keep your bag off the floor while you’re meeting friends for lunch or keep it more secure in your shopping cart. Clipa2 opens wide and does the job on rails, restroom doors, etc. without being “cutesy.” It’s designed to work for 10 years, so you’ll be clipping it longer that you tote around your latest shopper. Yes, I am sporting Clipa2 as a bracelet, too. It holds bags up to 33 pounds and has been tested for 10 years of daily use and won’t tarnish, rust, peel, split or corrode.  Find one at: https://amzn.to/2IrOuZ5

                             * Kinder Joy – I got a free sample of this plastic egg with cocoa wafer bites over sweet cream. Packaged for a kid with a prize inside, this joy surprised me with a sense of  a European hazelnut kind of flavor. A flat little plastic spoon came inside to scoop up the sweet and mine came with a toy bike you power with your fingers. Maybe next time I’ll work out a deal where I keep the sweet part and a kinder gets the toy.

                             * Root Assassin Shovel – If you need to get your mother out of the garden to present her Mother’s Day gift, consider the Root Assassin Shovel, with “teeth” that do all the work. It’s an ergonomic 48-inch multi tool to clear out the garden. I tried my sample on a variety of tasks and got a patch of yard looking fit and fine. Overgrown with forest or brush? Serrated edges on both sides get to the root and pull it out.  The sawing part is genius. It’s light and curved and features carbon steel, overlaid with a silver powder coat. Four pounds of power are what we need in our gumbo clay. I’m not alone in admiration. Root Assassin won the Golden Shovel Award by Garden Products Review.

                  darraghcastillo@Icloud.com

Pack your peppers

                             A friend texted she had a craving for piquin/chiltepe peppers, so at lunch I dashed to a Mexican market and got a jar of my own.

                             These are the tiny guys. My 32-ounce Goya label indicated there were 375 servings inside. Pickled pepper friends, these babies are brined and spicy. It’s funny that little birds eat them from potted plants.

                             My first thought was to mash some up into mayonnaise and spread that on brisket sandwich. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m in no danger of running out of peppers.

                             A little thing I do when a big batch of something comes into the house is package it as attractively as possible in my pantry. I’ll be looking at it a long time, after all. These round, green peppers went into a beautiful Mason jar.

                             I’ll use them to adorn tomato and cucumber salads this season.

                             I’ve enjoyed a LaGrange barbecue experience where the restaurant put vinegar into bottles that once held whiskey. Some of these tiny, colorful peppers were floating around in the bottle and people would douse their meal with this flavor. I’ll be that was a story that northern visitors took home.

                             Spice is part of our daily lives. When heat levels come up in conversation, I sometimes note that jalapenos are often part of my breakfast. Turns out lots of Southeast Texans have the same tradition. Give us spicy migas and salsa and keep it coming.

                             The piquin/chiltepe peppers have long stems. I experimented with tossing some into the blender to see if they would dissolve into a salsa. I didn’t have enough other ingredients to work with, so what I made was a mess.

                             Fortunately, I have plenty of pickled peppers packed for Peter Piper and pals who pop in.

                             Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who likes it hot. If want to talk spicy to her, contact Doiron at:

                  darraghcastillo@icloud.com

Four-day pot of beans and beverages with Mom

 

            Four-day pot of beans: The beans didn't even smell that good, but I'd become intimate with them over several days, and I couldn't bear to throw them out. The bean mix and been in a beautiful display jar and it was time for them to go from décor to dinner. I soaked them a day then put them in a big pot on day two, even though I knew I wouldn't be eating them that day. When I took them out on day three, they were still tough so they went back on to simmer. I got a better offer for dinner so they came out on day four and they were still a bit hard. In the mean time there was a bit of scorching so I transferred them to a smaller pot and started scrubbing the first one, and I had a bright idea to drain them so they'd be more of a soup one night and then more of a side dish later. A strainer and more spoons went into the sink. Finally, it was time to eat those little guys. They were simply a big pot of failure. Bean there?

                  Spicy Skittles?

                             Skittles are so not my thing. But my daughter wanted me to try their Sweet Heat version, promising fruity flavors with a spicy kick. So hey, Blazin Mango, Flamin' Orange and Lemon Spark are pretty kicky and addictive. I think someone before me ate all the Fiery Watermelon and Sizzlin' Strawberries out of the pack.

Purity Vodka is certified organic and gluten free, so you might want to share it with your mom. Whoever got together to propose this pitch for Mother’s Day refreshments also noted the bottle’s diamond shape, which fits right in with honoring Mom.

            Makers want you to know that while most vodka brands are distilled “only a handful of times, Purity Vodka has an unprecedented 34 times distillation process and utilizes the finest organic ingredients for an exceptionally smooth, non-burning yet complex tasting vodka.”

            I will vouch for this smoothness, reflected in craftsmanship, and will share their concoctions with readers:  

Rosemary Hound

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Purity Vodka

• 1 part simple syrup

• 4 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

• one half part ruby red grapefruit juice

• 2 slices ruby red grapefruit, for garnish

Directions:

1. Place the grapefruit juice, Purity Vodka and 1 ounce rosemary and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice.

2. Shake well to mix.

3. Serve on the rocks, garnished with grapefruit slice. 

Cucumber Gimlet

Ingredients:

• 2 parts Purity Vodka

• three fourths parts fresh squeezed lime juice

• three fourths part simple syrup

• 4 slices cucumber

• 1 lime wheel

Directions:

4. Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice.

5. Shake well and double strain into a large cocktail glass.

6. Garnish with a lime wheel