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I’ve never tired of ramen noodles, the college-budget staple – but I don’t keep it around.

It’s too tempting, in fact. It’s easy to jazz it up with vegetables and make it more healthy as well.

One serving could be made into more of a side dish for the rest of the family with the addition of bell peppers, onion, zucchini, etc.

Cook them in or add crunch on top. Then serve it up and take this opportunity to share some memories and teach the kids how to stretch a food dollar.

Who signed my jar? Raquel’s husband is a fisherman and she is pleased when her children are determined to finish their studies.

Heard of copra slavery? Dignity Raw Coconut Oil is working to keep it out of Filipino communities. A simple centrifuge keeps this oil from being over-processed, and the wonderful taste is just one factor in why I’m loving it and respecting the company.

Learn about the people who make it all come together at dignitycoconuts.com This oil is suggested for cooking, removing eye makeup, tending babies, making grilled cheese sandwiches and even pulling (not really a fan of this but I’ll try it again with Dignity).

I put it on popcorn even before reading that is one of the tips.

Quinoa Vodka – Plenty of people haven’t gotten around to enjoying the ancient grain of quinoa in a salad. If you like, you can skip right to a delicious vodka. Just watch your skeptical guests’ faces when you tell them their round of quinoa is about to be served.

The backstory includes a girl on a beach, and gets to Peru, where people of the Andes are taking great care to craft this golden beverage. Pour a shot and toast their story at qurivodka.com.

They’re putting good missions out for the Andean women.

Volcanic Artesian Water – Colloidal gold and silver, chakras, filters… Splendor water by HEALTH20 seems to have it all. They had me at blue bottle, and the site, splendorwater.com, shares an incredible journey from the active Cotopaxi Volcano… foothills of the Andes… absorbing the area’s vital energy… It’s a lot.

When you hydrate with this water, it’s like you’re signing on to be just…. Better.

Spreadable Love – Aunt Stella Belle said she liked peanut butter on ice cream. I envisioned a tasty, but chunky mess. Read on for the kind of smooth and creamy lusciousness she would have loved.

Choco Blanco and Cinnamon Honey is how you can rev up your oatmeal, toast and fruits at breakfast. Americano’s peanut gallery has dreamed up notions of white chocolate peanut butter minus the sugar and carbs. I’ve run out of groceries – but not ideas – for items to spread this love upon. So, yeah, I’ve still got spoons. Get creative with all this nuttiness at eatamericano.com.

XXX – Here’s what I’ve learned about markings. While “XXX” may symboliz unseemly adult content in this era, in 1904 Mark T. Wendell was using it to rank high-quality smoky tea from China. To this day, you can pop open a tin with the Wendell label and get a whiff of the story of the can in your hand.

Chocolate Mint Black Tea and China Keemun tea are among options in gold boxes that perfume your kitchen as they brew. Of course, the Wendell family served it hot. In Southeast Texas, we like to ice it down and I’m sure his relatives would enjoy cool sips from our Lone Star porches. Marktwendell.com will guide you to your flavor profile.

 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who still craves a bowl of ramen noodles from time to time. Share your food memories with her at darraghcastillo@icloud.com.