Pork skins and Topo Chico may not be the ideal pre-workout food, but they sure hit the spot when you pass by a Mexican market. I grabbed some before I tried something new and fun.

Through word of mouth I heard about a beginners Tai Chi Beaumont class and I headed in. I had blast learning about this ancient art that began as tactical military moves.

Diane Rogers showed me how to “grasp bird’s tail” and cool slow moves that were pretty easy to pick up. The people were very kind and supportive. Look them up on Facebook and soon you could be repulsing the monkey or parting the wild horse’s main.

Fun stuff, and I craved Chinese food real bad later.

 

Hi Mountain flavors Wyoming

Hi Mountain Seasonings, dubbed “authentic Wyoming,” offers Western-style, small batch mesquite beef jerky hand crafted in Wyoming. That sounds like a write up for bourbon or a fine cigar, and I’m sure gentlemen hunters have relaxed by camp fires with all these things.

I met a representative who set up a fine display and she was very proud of her products. I’m waiting for Alaskan salmon to come my way because she offered me some brine to try. The packaging shows bears catching their own from a waterfall, but this line, which includes a Gourmet Fish and Wild River Trout line, is designed for people who like to catch their own fish and game.

Ordering Hi Mountain products is easier than tracking down the “main ingredient” from nature. They have myriad selections.

For a hint of wine flavor in powdered form, stir in contents of Pinot Gris, Merlot or Chardonnay finishing sauce packets with water, heat to thicken and add cold butter. These are for meats and seafood, though I tried it with eggs.

Learn how to get smoking at www.himtnjerky.com

 

‘Baker’s Passport’

Baking isn’t just about the sweets, though Black Forest Cake from Berlin and with Chantilly Cream photographs beautifully, inside and out. You use your baking skills for vegetable quiche, and Creole Crawfish Pie as well.

Food Market Gypsy is a blog on dessert, culture and cuisine. Susie@foodmarketgypsy.com is the appealing Susie Norris, who has written “Baker’s Passport: Recipes for Breads, Savvory Pies, Vegetarian Dishes, Tarts Cakes and Cookie Classic.” Her writing takes you with her on adventures the world over.

I’ll never look at a croissant the same way after reading that in 1686 bakers early at work heard tunneling and alerted authorities and saved Budapest. They made a created a unique pastry depicting the conqueored crescents of the Ottoman flag, the book reports.

A recipe for dill sauce to go with Tatziki is on the same page as one for easy buttercream icing. The author gets down into “why” we are baking, affirms buying fresh ingredients and allowing time for baking, then icing.

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie ready to pack up and travel with Susie Norris. Reach Doiron at darraghcastillo@icloud.com

 

See also: CULINARY THRILL SEEKING — Cali’Flour Kitchen: Desserts, as well