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August 20, 2008

Enjoy last taste of summer in a fruity cake

By Darragh Doiron





The Sunday before I entered something like seventh grade, I remember my mother let me have one “junk-food day” where I got to pick a fast food restaurant. Times have changed and most kids eat like that more as a rule than an exception. Here’s a relatively healthy treat that children can make with parents to celebrate the last days of summer ‘08.

Pineapple Cake

Add a large can of crushed pineapple to a bowl with the contents of a box of dry angle food cake mix. Combine and bake in a 9- by 13-inch dish according to package directions.



Seafood’s other spices

It was an awakening when I first realized that “Cajun” wasn’t the only way to season seafood. With a dateline of Hunt Valley, Md., Old Bay Seasoning reports it worked with Houston chef Danton Nix of Danton’s Gulf Coast Seafood Kitchen to develop a recipe called Galveston Bay Shrimp Boil with Old Bay. I have a yellow and blue tin of Old Bay in the pantry as well as a new version with 30 percent less sodium. Look for the product in blackened, garlic and herb, lemon and herb and other varieties. I’m about to try an Old Bay Steamers bag for shrimp. Use it in the microwave for three to four minutes and “toss the mess.” Here are ideas for Old Bay, which refers to itself as “The Definitive Seafood Seasoning.”

• Sprinkle on popcorn and fries.

• Create sandwich heaven; add to mayonnaise.

• Shake it on the grill for chicken, fish and steak.

• Take corn to another level.

• Make the ultimate bloody Mary.

• Jazz up potato and pasta salads.

• Spice up eggs.

• Put some bank into burgers.



Easy’s

Easy’s Tapas & Martinis celebrated its fifth anniversary with a series of August events, great food and bands. I love the atmosphere at the Old Town Beaumont eatery and especially enjoyed a ball of fried goat cheese. There’s a couch and bar area for socializing, tables and plenty of patio space. They’ve recently expanded.

The shocking news for me here is that my husband enjoys cosmopolitans.



A reader’s secret

My Groves reader friend is being generous by sharing another beer bread recipe after I put Gardner Clark’s in the paper. But she made me promise not to share her name. The method comes from her uncle; and she normally cuts it in half and to make eight “good-sized muffins.” You can also add fresh blueberries to the muffins before baking. Just shove a few fat blueberries the batter in each muffin cup, she said.

Journalists avoid unnamed sources, but if you’re feeling investigative, you can find this woman at just about any community event in Groves. Ask around. I dare you.

Beer Muffins

Combine 3 cups Bisquick, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 can beer. Butter a muffin tin and bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Half recipe: 1 1/2 cups Bisquick, 2 T sugar and 6 ounces beer.

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