Thursday, January 30, 2014

Princess for a Day

I get to wear a sparkly gown, a teeny-tiny tiara; and have my hair and makeup done by a professional;

Such a departure from my normal everyday self, it's a good thing that a photographer has been hired to get pictures because no one would believe me otherwise.

Broccoli Boy cleans up nice too.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

My adventure with Japanese mushrooms

I'd gotten some bunashimeji (brown beech) mushrooms among others at H-Mart about a week or so ago.  I tried cooking up the cute little bunashimeji in some sesame oil and scallions, and it initially smelled good.  Then an odd smell started coming up as the mushrooms cooked - I tasted one and there was an off flavor to it too.  Even the addition of some soy sauce did not improve the flavor.  Into the trash it went, which annoys me - anyone who knows me knows I do not throw food away unless it's utterly inedible.

They didn't seem to be rotten in any way, no sliminess or bad smell in raw state.  The information I found says that they should last up to 10 days in the fridge, and I prepared them within that time.  I guess I just found a mushroom I don't like.  I did like the maitake ("dancing mushroom", hen of the woods) mushrooms I made the other day with steak even if I oversalted them.  Maitake are supposed to be quite good for the immune system.

Bunapi shimeji (white beech) was good in soup - which is odd because it's pretty much the same mushroom as bunashimeji, just as white button mushrooms, baby bella/crimini, and portobello mushrooms are the same species

Also yummy:  Enoki; Eryngii (King Trumpet, King Oyster) though Broccoli Boy was less than thrilled; and my much beloved Shitake.

Monday, January 13, 2014

And the people want:

Steak. 

It's been less than a week since the wedding invites went out in the mail, and the RSVP's have already started trickling in.  Over 90% that have come in have requested the sirloin with au jus over the chicken picatta or vegetarian meals.

Having been to a tasting, I thought the beef was good, but I liked the chicken better. This is a bit odd to me because I normally do not like white meat chicken due to its texture.  It could be the "JUICIEST" chicken breast ever, but there's something about the way it feels between my teeth as I chew it...

Friday, January 10, 2014

Herbs & Spices for Diabetes

http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/the-best-herbs-and-supplements-for-diabetes/

http://diabeteshealth.com/solutions/food/herbs/

Well, lessee, I've got fresh ginger, dried American ginseng, quite a bit of ground tumeric, and Szcheuan peppercorns readily available in the house.

Fenugreek looks like exactly what I need to help with my elevated cholesterol/triglycerides/liver enzymes which I do not want to take statins for.  Wonder if I can find some fresh leaves instead of just the seeds...

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Can this day move any slower?

I have an hour left to go in the day, and the hands on the clock are going backwards.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Somehow...

... our impending wedding seems to be much more REAL now that I've sent out the first batch of invites