Thursday, December 30, 2021

What's For Dinner? (Plus a Walk and a Finish!!)

 Good Morning!

Today is Thursday and I am usually full of financial reports and rushing to get them out.  This week I don't think so.  Instead, I'm sitting down with coffee to blog and read blogs and in a bit I will wake Fletch and we will have breakfast together.  What a concept!

Meanwhile, thank you all so much for all of your good wishes to me and mine!  We all continue to feel well with no symptoms.  Colin & Mailing both tested negative (of course, in my mind is the fact that so did Anna and my brother Phil for numerous times).  Bonnie says that Anna is improving (though she never felt all that bad).  Phil, out in CO, has been busy taking down holiday lights and the like.  Tending his greenhouse, etc.  He is no longer hoarse or coughing and feels good.  Lynnette, his wife, still tests negative.  They are still planning to head to Costa Rica on the 10th (I wouldn't, but that's a whole other story).  We are all vaccinated and boosted which is a good thing.  I'm optimistic, but am erring on the side of caution.

Yesterday I headed out to walk along the trail in Oaks again.  It was a little misty and the paved trail was wet and a little slick in places (thank you goose poop - it is EVERYWHERE!!).  There were only 2 other cars in the parking lot when I arrived.  I have never seen it that empty.  I was enjoying my walk and looking forward to my favorite part of the trail when suddenly this appeared:


So, I never got to the point where the Perkiomen Creek empties into the Schuylkill River.  There is another trail that juts off to the right here, so I walked up that a bit, but it just was not as interesting or fun.  In all though I managed to walk for about an hour.  I do love Sycamore trees, especially in winter.  The way their branches spread is so beautiful to me.

Not too shabby a house either!  The Sycamore trees make me think of Halloween.

Walking back to my car, I met a park ranger and was able to find out why the trail is closed.  A huge sink hole opened up during one of our recent storms.  He said you can hear the water rushing under the trail!  Not good...he said repairs will be made eventually, but as of now there is no time line.  I want to pull up a map of the trail and find the parking lot at another juncture so that I can walk down to where the creek spills into the river.

The reason my Holiday Sock still doesn't have a heel or foot is that I have been focusing on my stitching.  Last night I finished up "Wintertime" by Threadwork Primitives.


I like the way it turned out and it was a fun stitch.  It's a bit large to make into a pin cushion and really too small for a pillow and I don't need/want another framed piece, so it is tucked inside a drawer in a chest in my office room along with other finished pieces.  Next up:  stay tuned - I will show you next Tuesday!

On the food front are some mushrooms.  Last summer we bought an air fryer.  Fletch loves breaded mushrooms and we used to be able to get them at various pizza places.  Now, though, no one seems to make them.  There are plenty of fried pickles and fried green beans, but no breaded mushrooms.  I've made them a couple of times in the air fryer, but they are more work than I like.  The other night I had a container of mushrooms that needed to be used.  I flipped through a cookbook and found this recipe:

Balsamic Soy Roasted Mushrooms

  • 3 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 1/2 TBS Soy Sauce (our soy sauce of choice is Ketjap Manis by Conimex - a sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
  • 1 TBS EVOO (plus more for spraying)
  • 1/2 TBS Brown Sugar
  • 1 TBS Minced Garlic
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
  • 2 lbs Whole Button Mushrooms

I didn't have button mushrooms and the ones I had were a bit large, so I just cut them in half and/or quarters.

  • Pre-heat air fryer to 390 degrees
  • In a large bowl mix all the ingredients and then toss in the mushrooms and toss to combine
  • Lightly spray the air fryer basket with EVOO.  Place mushrooms in a single layer and lightly spray with EVOO
  • Air fry for 10 minutes shaking the basket occasionally

These turned out SO GOOD.  They do not get crispy at all, but the flavor is amazing.  I can't wait to make them again.  

I think you could just as easily make these in the oven or even just sautee on top of the stove if you do not have an air fryer.

Well, enough rambling for one morning.  Time for another cup of coffee.  I hope your Hush Season week is going well.


17 comments:

  1. After learning the reason for the trail closure, I would have wanted to go see the sinkhole myself! But it's a good thing you didn't. You stitched your Wintertime piece quickly and I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll be working on next. Those mushrooms sound delicious!

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  2. Your Wintertime piece is just charming! I hope you continue feeling fine -- and like Bonny said . . . I'd be curious and want to see that sinkhole for myself. Enjoy your day, Vera. XO

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  3. My BIL's 99yo mother just tested positive yesterday. One of the things I hate most about all of this is the unpredictability of testing (every single aspect of it).

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  4. Keeping my fingers crossed for all of you!

    I think that Wintertime stitching is just adorable! Too cute!

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  5. I'm glad the trail was closed before you got to the sinkhole -- that's some scary stuff! I'm glad to hear that everyone is still feeling okay and that Anna is feeling better, and my fingers are crossed that everyone keeps testing negative. I love your little Wintertime stitching and hope you can find a good use for it

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  6. That's awful about the sinkhole. :-( That was the neatest part of that trail.

    Glad you are having a relaxed start to the day. A little taste of retirement. LOL

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  7. Those little reindeer are so adorable! I wasn't sure where it was going for a while but I love how it turned out. It's very festive. It reminds me of a sweater pattern.

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  8. Your finished piece is so fun! I know you have other framed pieces, but that one is nice and seasonal without being too Christmassy. Such a great FO.

    My father was a huge admirer of sycamores and taught us to be fond of their distinctive bark. They are beautiful to see in any landscape.

    I'm glad you're feeling well/asymptomatic. We've all tested positive, including my 91-year old mother. So far, all mild cases, thanks to being fully vaxxed and boosted. Still, it's upsetting to have gotten it after being so damn careful everywhere all the time.

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  9. Thanks for posting the name of the designer of the cute holiday stitchery. I think that must be made for my house!

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  10. Slow-starting mornings are the best. Easing into the day with pleasurable activities is relaxing. “Wintertime” is wonderful. I like the stars: they remind me of Nordic sweaters.

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  11. Hi Vera, I love how Wintertime turned out. It's beautiful in it's simplicity. Sorry about your walk but probably good that you weren't walking on it when the sinkhole appeared. I would want to go see it though. :-) Nosy me. Ha!
    Four people have tested positive that were with Mandy's family for Christmas Eve. So far we're all fine though, including Mandy, Brad and Piper.This thing is so frustrating.
    Enjoy your day.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  12. Your very scary hike took my breath away. Thank God for Rangers.
    I adore your cross stitch. IT is fantastic. You can find me back at Irisheyesknitters if I hadn't yet announced it..

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  13. I am not sure if you quilt, but here is an idea for your pieces that are finished but which you do not want to frame, They might be able to be turned into quilt blocks of a sort and once the blocks are joined you could make a very nice lap quilt. I believe the "official" term in the quilting world is a memory quilt.
    I have made memory quilts with photos of the person and blocks cut from their clothing. I made lap quilts for myself and my siblings after my mother passed. It is like being wrapped in a hug from her.

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  14. I am so sorry . I had to change the name/site . I can be found at
    https://knittinggenes.blogspot.com

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  15. I hope everyone will continue to feel better. But it still sucks, of course. There seem to be a lot of sinkholes everywhere these days, is the earth trying to tell us something???

    I continue to love your cross-stitch - now it's looking even happier.

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  16. You stitched this pretty quickly!!!! Hoping the tests keep coming back negative!

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  17. beautiful stitching!! A sink hole is a very good reason to be closed!!

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