CATCHING UP! AND THURSDAY FOOD AND RECIPES: MUSHROOMS!

Oh Dear!  I made a resolution to write everyday and I already broke it!  Go figure.  I have, however been working super hard on things for Makings and Musings, planning and ordering supplies!  Believe it or not, I am still finishing up Christmas presents!  I suppose at this point they are New Year's presents!  I didn't account for the delays caused by my stupid body when I made my list!  This year I will leave some leeway in the schedule for when my back goes out, my guts are hurting, or my fibromyalgia acts up!  If ya wanna know what I have been working on this week, read on!  I am gonna catch you up with a short post for Monday, Tues, and Weds, all in this Thursday post, and also, for Thursday we are talking about Mushrooms!

Let's start with the posts I was delinquent on ...

MONDAY: MAKE UP!

Drug store v/s Department store v/s Indie (Independent) store make up...which do you use?  And do you think there is really a huge difference in the quality, or just the price?  Personally, I have used all three and now I am using Indie Make up.  I love it, it is inexpensive and wonderfully pigmented, and even purports to be good for your skin!  Let me know your preference!

WHICH IS YOUR FAVE?

TUESDAY NEEDLEWORK DAY: WHAT I AM WORKING ON RIGHT NOW!

It is a cutie pie sweater for my cutie pie granddaughter!  Almost finished, just have to sew up the seams and add some white ribbon and a pretty white flower!  I sure hope she likes it!  This is the first sweater I have ever made.  I have always been afraid of them, but look out world!  The fear has been conquered!

CRAFTY WEDNESDAY!  Oh how I love crafty Wednesday!  It is so much fun and usually brings out the inner kindergartner in me.  What I did for this Wednesday wasn't quite so fun, but it needed doing.  Since it was the beginning of the year I needed to organize my supplies and take an inventory, just like I did with my yarn.  So my most wonderful hubs got me three sets of drawers and I couldn't be more delighted!  Everything is in its place and looks nice and neat!  Also I planned out over 50 different craft projects to do this year (I think its more like 80) and placed an order for all the supplies I will need.  I am set!  By the way, where do you get your supplies?  Do you shop online for them or go to one of the big stores?

YEAH!  IT'S THURSDAY!  Thursday is for food and recipes, and today I am thinking about the lowly fungi that we either love or hate.  That's right, the mushroom!  Personally, I absolutely LOVE them, which you may have guessed, but I actually have met a few people that said they didn't like them!  Can you believe such a thing?  I don't!  Well, here are some mushroom facts:

According to mushroom.com, in Ancient Egypt commoners were not allowed to even touch mushrooms!  They believed that mushrooms were the food of mortality, and reserved them for Pharaohs and the like.  Other Ancient cultures believed that mushrooms had properties that could produce super-human strength, help in finding lost objects and lead the soul to the realm of the gods. In addition, forestmushroom.com provides us with the nutritional facts on mushrooms, "Mushrooms are low in calories, have no cholesterol and are virtually free of fat and sodium. Mushrooms also contain other essential minerals like Selenium, which works with Vitamin E to produce antioxidants that neutralize "free radicals" which can cause cell damage. Studies have suggested that selenium may reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, may slow the progress of HIV disease and may aid in symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, pancreatitis and asthma. Studies show men who eat selenium rich foods may lower their risk of prostate cancer.

Potassium (good for the heart) is also found in mushrooms. It has been suggested a diet with potassium may help to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Copper is another essential mineral found in mushrooms. Copper aids iron (also found in mushrooms) in making red blood cells and delivers oxygen to the body. Mushrooms also contain three B-complex vitamins; riboflavin for healthy skin and vision, niacin aids the digestive and nervous systems, and pantothenic acid helps with the nervous system and hormone production. These vitamins are found in every cell and help to release energy from fat, protein and carbohydrates in food. Vegetarians should know that mushrooms are one of the best sources of niacin. The vitamin content of mushrooms is actually similar to the vitamin content found in meat.
The amino acid count in mushrooms is higher per serving than corn, peanuts, kidney and soy beans. The average mushroom is also high in protein and nucleic acid."

Whew!  That was a lot of nutritional facts!!!  Here are a few recipes that I like to make featuring the mushroom:

BACON AND MUSHROOM QUICHE

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. minced onion
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
1 frozen deep dish pie shell, thawed
5 eggs
1 c. half & half
1/2 tsp. white pepper


Place layers of Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, bacon, Parmesan cheese, onion, and Swiss cheese in pie shell. Beat eggs until frothy and add half & half. Season with pepper. Pour custard mixture evenly over pie filling. Place quiche on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until set. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Pie Shell: Bake thawed pie shell at 400 degrees until golden in color (5 minutes). Remove from oven. Cool 3 minutes. Brush with beaten egg white, coating shell and edges. Bake a few seconds longer to seal egg white. Cool before filling. (recipe from  http://www.cooks.com )

STUFFED MUSHROOMS APPETIZER

Okay, my friends were coming over and I needed something to feed them!  A quick look in the refrigerator did not look too promising.  We did however happen to have some regular whole button mushrooms and some Alloutte cheese.  Okay, an appetizer?  It was like playing Iron Chef, which cooking in my house often is!  I cleaned the mushrooms then scooped about 1 tsp. of cheese in each mushroom cap.  I baked them for about 20 minutes, until the cheese was just browning and bubbly.  OMG!  They were the bomb!  Since then I have served them many times, sometimes substituting flavored cream cheese for the Allouette cheese.  It works very well but is slightly less amazing, but only very slightly.  You can also spread the cheese on french bread toasts and bake, or even other veggies.  Its up to you!  Cooking should be fun and adventurous!  Have you created any yummy things out of necessity or by accident?

Happy crafting, cooking, and hooking! 

Love and Hugs,

Jillie