PORT ARTHUR —

Michelle Bruno of Port Arthur might rile her wine-making brother Shawn when he sees this, but I enjoyed the persimmon muffins she made with turbinado sugar and coconut. She used frozen persimmons from her stash, but they’ll ripen on the tree around Halloween, she said.

She also substitutes bananas for milk. The point of my telling you that I got muffins and you didn’t, is that Bruno wants readers to play around and experiment. She said she doesn’t take to grains too well and substitutions can help you eat what you love. Your neighbor could be gluten or lactose intolerant, so   don’t judge. She said these muffins, which she already adapted from a pecan bread recipe, complement soup her husband, Darrel makes.



Judice’s Weekly Giveaway

A Judice’s burger on the seawall is one of my favorites. In August, there’s another reason to head there:

 Judice’s French Market and Deli is giving away $100 a week in August to lucky customers. A drawing will be held every Saturday and registration forms are available at the store.  No purchase is necessary to win, said Al Judice IV, owner. Four generations of the Judice family have continuously operated a grocery store in Port Arthur since 1927 and owners said they believe this is a way to help people out during these slow times. The store is at 3005 Seventh St. in Port Arthur and offers groceries, meat, seafood and Cajun specialties like boudain and gumbo. The store also has a deli.



Thanks a lot for fried peanuts

Again Diana LaBorde in advertising has fed me with ideas for this column. She brought Uncle Bud’s Deep Fried Peanuts, Cajun flavor, for our snacking pleasure. You eat the whole shell, and it’s a crispy, salty delight that I couldn’t imagine. I’m mad at them for being so good. She picked up the bag at Brookshire Brothers grocery in Jasper. I was hoping they were made locally, so I could interview this Uncle Bud, but alas, they are created in Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.



Apothic rates an A

I like writing the letter A and love when I get to give a gift to an A person. The scroll work letter A on the Apothic Red label has captured my attention and it would make a clever gift, if you don’t consume it yourself. Marcello Monticelli and Boyd Morrison used old world traditions to blend a spicy Zinfandel with Merlot and Syrah. It’s dark, red and dangerous. I made sure my bottle lasted two nights, but it was a trial to do so. Taste for mocha, chocolate, brown spice and vanilla.



Domino’s Gives Back

Try pizza for a cause. Twelve Golden Triangle Domino’s Pizza stores offer diners a chance to save  “dough” on their next pizza order during the Second Annual Domino’s Gives Back Day on Saturday, Aug. 14. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., customers can get large, one-topping pizzas for $3.99 when they bring in one or more cans of food to any area Domino’s Pizza location, to help replenish the food supply at the South East Texas Food Bank. It’s a carry-out offer. This will include stores at 2448 Memorial Boulevard in Port Arthur; 4101 Main Ave., in Groves; and 1404 Nederland Ave. in Nederland.

ddoiron@panews.com