Karen’s Opinion

Hubby has been a lost soul lately. His grill died. He looked into buying parts for it and it was going to cost too much to repair it. He has been looking for just the right grill. It has to meet his specification you know. He found one but it was out of stock. He couldn’t find that grill anywhere else so he ordered it. He was all prepared to wait for his grill to come in when he noticed the same grill was at Rural King for $15 dollars less. So, he canceled the order and went to Rural King. He was all prepared to come home with a grill but the clerk recommended he wait until this Saturday to make his purchase. They were having a no sales tax sale. I don’t know how they can do that but we went to Rural King today and he is a happy camper. I benefit from his happiness because the man can cook.

I found this recipe on the Food Network website. I hope he will try it on his new grill.

BBQ Bacon Wrapped Mushrooms

1 (8-ounce) package large button mushrooms
1 pound package peppered bacon, room temperature, slices cut in 1/2
4 tablespoons barbecue sauce

Cut the stems off the mushrooms. Rinse briefly and dry them well with paper towels.

Wrap each mushroom with the bacon strip halves. Use 2 if the cap is not completely covered. The bacon will stick to the mushrooms so there is no need for toothpicks.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, saute the bacon wrapped mushrooms until the bacon is golden brown. Just as the bacon begins to crisp up a bit, add the BBQ sauce and toss until coated. Serve immediately.

Do you sit down as a family and eat meals? When my children were small we usually sat at the table for our evening meal. As they grew older and were involved in after school activities it was hard for us to all eat at the same time so now and then we missed sitting at the table together to eat. I was very diligent about preparing healthy meals. I was raised during the time when the pyramid food group strategy was stressed. I still cook by choosing a meat, potato and vegetable. It is hard for me to call a meal dinner if it does not have a meat served. I made casseroles for dinner and always served it with a vegetable.

When our lives became more active it was awfully hard to stay in a routine. Fast food often filled our tummies and I made sure we all took our vitamins and would get Trivita Sublingual B12 here. The offer of mental clarity and increasing energy was important.

As the kids got older and began driving, I went back to cooking regular meals that they could reheat when they got home from their event. Since I didn’t have to drive them back and forth, I had more time to make sure they got a healthy meal. It is funny to see what vegetables they eat as adults that they didn’t want to touch when they were younger. I have seen both my kids eat okra! They still don’t want to eat my favorite vegetable, brussell sprouts. They just don’t understand how good they are.

I have been sitting here wondering why I am so tired. Other than the fact that I didn’t sleep very well last night, I haven’t done much today that should make me feel so sleepy. Then it dawned on me. I went grocery shopping with two men! The stress of how much it was going to cost didn’t sway me from letting them off the hook of helping me pick out something to fill our bare pantry. Since Greg was home, I decided he needed a few things for his pantry also. We didn’t do too bad. We spent almost $100 and I think we have a few things we can actually eat. Best of all, I had two big guys who carried the groceries into the house and helped me put them away. That job is done, finished, over. Now, will someone get the pizza ordered?

When we think of oysters, we think of the beautiful pearl that they are known to produce. I thought it would be fun to think of other beautiful gems that oysters could produce. Wouldn’t it be cool if oysters produced birthstones like a topaz or opal stone? I would love to have an amethyst from an oyster.

While we think of the beauty of the pearl an oyster produces we are also aware that many people love to eat oysters. Gulf oysters are harvested in great numbers and many fisherman base their livelihood on oyster consumption. That said, we need to note that there is risk when eating oysters. Although the number of illnesses that result from Vibrio vulnificus is extremely low when compared to other food-borne illnesses it is a serious illness with risk that can be life threatening for individuals who fall into certain categories. Those categories include:

• Liver Disease (from hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcoholism, or cancer)

• Iron overload disease (hemochromatosis)

• Diabetes

• Cancer (including lymphoma, leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease)

• Stomach Disorders

• Or any illness or medical condition that weakens the body’s immune system

Oysters are sedentary bivalve mollusks that feed by filtering plankton (small plants and animals) from estuarine water. Because Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally in the same waters that oysters feed, the bacteria is ingested and becomes assimilated and concentrated in the animal’s tissues. When people ingest oysters, there is a risk of also ingesting Vibrio vulnificus. You can reduce the risk of illness by eating oysters that have been post-harvest processed or eliminate the risk of illness by eating oysters fully cooked.

If you would like more information, please read the valuable information at Be Oyster Aware website.

Oops! I almost forgot to do Four Foods on Friday. I kept thinking, hmm Friday, that rings a bell and then it hit me. So here are my answers to Val’s questions.

Here are this week’s four questions.

#1. What type of m&m is your favorite?

I prefer plain m&ms.

#2. Peanut butter. Smooth, chunky, creamy. How do you like it?
I absolutely love chunky peanut butter. I think I may have finally won my husband over to crunchy peanut butter. It was a struggle but sooo worth it.

#3. Do you usually drink out of glass, acrylic, Tupperware type or paper cups?

I only drink out of a glass. I cannot stand to drink out of plastic and Styrofoam makes my skin crawl.

#4. Share a chicken recipe.

I made Chicken Marsala the other night and I think it is a keeper.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
Gourmet, June 1995

Serves 6

3 whole boneless chicken breasts with skin (about 2 1/2 pounds),
halved
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet heat oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown chicken in 2 batches, transferring with tongs to a large plate as browned.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and sauté onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add Marsala and cook mixture, stirring, until Marsala is almost evaporated. Add broth and chicken with any juices that have accumulated on plate and simmer, turning chicken once, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter.

Simmer mushroom sauce until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove skillet from heat and stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until butter is just incorporated. Spoon mushroom sauce around chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

If you would like to participate in Four Foods on Friday, just head over to Val’s Fun, Crafts and Recipes and join in.