Daily Grind

Make your own rules in the kitchen
I‘m in love with a book and I can’t get past page 45. It’s about improv cooking, already my specialty, by using instinct and what you have around the house. I loosely followed Jean Johnson’s already open recipe for corn cakes with pepper jack. I used fish fry seasoning, the vinegar from a jar of peppers and powdered milk and didn’t even use cheese. My “syrup” was juice from sweet jalapeno relish. I’ve made three versions of this and they’re better every time.
“Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well Without Formal Recipes” is the book I love. It’s especially helpful in today’s stretch-a-dollar economy.
OK, for you readers, I went to page 192 and found brie and coconut. It’s as easy as this: Serve a wedge of brie on bed of toasted, unsweetened coconut.
Survey your random pantry. This book will tie everything together to serve on a silver platter.
Here’s the corn cake method.
To a couple beaten eggs add a half cup vinegared milk and a spoonful of oil along with a pinch of salt and soda. Stir in enough cornmeal to get a spoonable batter. Bake your corn cakes on a medium griddle and sprinkle on grated pepper jack once you flip them. Use a lid to melt the cheese while the cakes finish cooking.

Dressing up
I’ve become one of those people who pack their own salad dressing. My health kick has me on a long stretch of vinegar and olive oil, no problem. But I’ve found some new healthy packets of Cheltin House Organic dressings in a wide range of flavors. I loved a honey mustard that I put on cabbage slaw and topped it with pretzels and cracklins. I sure would have gone good with a beer, but water served just as well at lunch. Organic tastes great in red pepper vinaigrette, French, ranch and all your other favorites. Minimus presents this Organic Take-Out Salad Dressing Sampler. Minimus specializes in “all things travel-sized and individual-sized.”

Cuisine Walk to feature feast of foods
Each year a part of Boston Avenue is filled with the aroma of fried foods on a stick. Billed as famous, the Cuisine Walk is a main attraction to the Nederland Heritage Festival. Check it out from Tuesday, March 10, through Sunday, March 15.
Nonprofit vendors include:
• Port Neches Rainbow 159, funnel cakes
• Mid-County Performing Arts, sausage on a stick, burritos
• Port Arthur Little Theatre, Scottish eggs, soft pretzels
• Shriners, barbecue chipped beef and links
• Cheer FX Booster Club, chicken and beef fajitas
• Nederland Girls Softball, cheese cake on a stick
• Pilot Club, strawberry short cake
• South County Breakfast Lions, brisket links
• American Business Womens Association, Aquarius Chapter, chicken gumbo, super nachos
• Boy Scouts 232, Pork kabob, chicken on a stick
• Cub Scout Pack 232, turkey legs, tater tots
• Nederland North Little League, chicken strips, ice cream
• First United Methodist Church, stuffed baked potato
• Nederland Rotary, pizza, fried Oreo
• St. John Lutheran Church, shrimp on a stick, pistolets
• St. Joseph Catholic Church, popcorn shrimp
• Noon Optimist, corndog, chicken fajita
• N/PN Evening Optimist, hamburgers, apple chips
• Wesley Methodist, sausage bread
• Noon Sertoma, blooming onions, boudain balls
• Nederland Chamber of Commerce, shrimp gumbo, funnel cakes
• Nederland Professional Lions, boiled crawfish, curly fries
• Nederland Knights of Columbus, shrimp etoufee, corn on the cob