I know I’ve been absent from the blog lately, and I apologize. I had planned that winter would be the season I would get to devote more time to this project, but so far that has not been the case. 
Life is busy, and I am blessed to have a full and rich existence. I’m here today, though, and want to tell you about a wonderful little recipe for those of you who love mushrooms. We eat them a lot in this household, they are potassium rich and delicious in so many recipes, but I do believe my favorite way to have them is marinated. This is an easy recipe and makes about three quarters of a quart jar, including the marinade itself, which must be consumed also because it is DELICIOUS!
...shown here simmering happily in the stew pot...
Marinated Mushrooms
8 ounce package of baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and rough chopped;
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil;
4 tablespoons water;
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar;
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar;
2 tablespoons basil pesto;
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced fine;
1 teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste;
1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Simmer all ingredients except for lemon juice together in stew pot for about 20 minutes; remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Place into jar and refrigerate. Serve the mushrooms as salad or sandwich filling, or use with marinade to flavor cooked brown rice. Because of the pesto, the garlic and the oregano, they have a great Italian flavor and you can also use them as a pizza topping.
Pin ItWhen I have plenty of vegetables on hand (which is pretty much always ), and not a lot of time (ditto), I like to whip up a simple stir-fry. The family loves it and it is a great way to get in a full day’s allotment of vegetables in one meal. Stir fry in this house is really more of a method than a recipe, and the basics are these:
Becca’s Stir-fry vegetables (or how to stuff yourself with healthy food without budging the scale)
First, I prep the vegetables I am going to steam. Yesterday, I used asparagus (about a pound, chopped into one inch sections), brussels sprouts (about a dozen sprouts, trimmed and halved), 2 large carrots (scrubbed and cut into 1/2″ x 1/2″ sticks), and 1 head of broccoli (chopped into small florets).
Continue reading »
From me to all ya’ll…high hopes for 2012, may it be a year of positive change for all of us.
I’ve just been to the lettuce patch and picked lettuce and arugula for tomorrow’s celebratory feast. At the end of December, what could taste fresher??
Fresh picked lettuce and arugula, 12/31/11
There will also be collards and black-eyed peas, and cauliflower mac-n-cheese. And possibly a dessert. 
PTT Does Social Media
Instagr.am Photo Roll
