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.