Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

London broil is most certainly fine without sauteed onions and mushrooms, 

but when your wonderful hubby brings home baby portobello

and button mushrooms, you just have to cook them.

3 sweet Valida onions, sliced

d

 1/2 container each: mini portobella mushrooms 

and button mushrooms pre-sliced.

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 or 3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Heat oil.  Add onions and pepper. Cook until translucent.
Add mushrooms and butter.  

Do not add salt until the mushrooms turn somewhat brown. 

Then a bit of salt, and Worcestershire.  

Cook until brown and moisture is evaporated.  

 Serve with medium-rare London Broil, and maybe a Caesar Salad.

 Enjoy!

Caeser Salad

Sort of...

Romaine lettuce, chopped.  

Green onions, chopped.

 Croutons (see below)

Dressing:

1 cup oil (vegetable)

1/2 vinegar

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced.

salt and pepper

1/2 dry mustard

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

I combined several recipes I found on allrecipes.com.  

I like anchovies but I don't have any on hand. 

Also, raw eggs and I don't get along very well with the auto immune.

Every recipe called for blending the ingredients. 

I loaned my mini blender to a family with a little one.  

So, what to do?  Whisk, baby, whisk.

Croutons:  2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons butter, salt and pepper to taste, 

and any leftover day or two old bread, tear or chop.  

Heat oil and butter, toss in bread and seasonings.  

Toast until golden brown.

Assembly:

Lettuce - green onions - spoon over dressing - cheese - croutons.

Enjoy!  

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mother's birthday is today.  

June 30, 1936.  

Lore Mayer David Thurman.  

Mom, Mommie, Oma.

 

Lore sitting on her hill in Germany around 1956.

 Moms passport visa picture for her trip abroad (Chicago, Illinois).

Oma with her kint.  Chocolate cake being shared with Carmen and Stephen, 2002.

In honor of my beautiful German Mom:

 Rouladen.  

My mothers wonderful recipe.  

She submitted this for a cooking contest.

I don't remember her winning anything, but she was published. 

Enjoy!  

And, Happy Birthday Mom!  I love you so.

Chicken with Leeks

Doesn't sound real appealing does it?

It really is good, and lighter than you would think.

Start with sauteing chicken (4 small breasts) in olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  I also used Herbs de Provence, and  fresh thyme.

Once the chicken is browned, remove and let rest.  

Add the leeks (3 large leeks, chopped and washed -thoroughly wash), and saute until limp.  

 Add 1 cup white wine ( I used Chardonnay), and 1 to 2 cups of chicken broth.  

Place the chicken in the mixture, and reduce by half.  

 

Add 4 pats of butter, and 1 cup cream (I had whipping cream...use what you have).  

Simmer until thickened.  Serve with rice...noodles...whatever you have on hand.  

 

 I had asparagus, roasted in the oven with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Bret Michaels and Me

Bret Michaels, lead singer of Poison, winner of Celebrity Apprentice, was in my town today.

Living in a military community has its blessings...and this was one of them.

Bret is to perform at "The Swamp" tonight, and you have to be 18 to enter.  Carmen is my bff when it comes to Bret and Poison.  She and I attended a Poison concert last year in Birmingham.  We had a great time.  I so wanted to attend tonight, but since Carmen doesn't turn 18 until January 1st...so, what to do?

A wonderful friend of David's, Ray, had said that the rock radio station was advertising Bret was going to Hurlburt Air Force Base at 3p today.  Julie (dear scrapbook, stampin' up friend), sent me an email that Bret was going to be there at 2p.  So... I go to work, and I have truly given up on going to see him.  Justifying it...I had already seen him in concert, and so I lived out that dreamed from teen years.  I get this email from Julie encouraging me to go.

Carmen brought lunch, and I asked off for the rest of the afternoon....and, we got to the base, and there were some people there.  Not a ton...and we made our way into the middle of the crowd.  It was incredibly hot. 

Bret's bus pulls into the parking lot...

 Carmen and I in the parking lot of the BX.  Waiting for Bret to walk this way...

 BRET!!!!

 Love his smile.

 more...

 We fought our way to try to get a picture with him.  The military guards were not going to let that happen, at least not with us today.  As Bret was walking to his bus, I was close enough to ask he could sign Carmen's Poison shirt.  "Do you mind if I keep walking while I sign it?" - NO!  Of course, not!  He signed it.  I told him that we were praying for him to continue to get better.  We love you Bret.  "I love you too!", and I was 19 again.  I believe that he is completely sincere about his love of his fans.  I experienced it today. 

 Carmen's shirt.

I know that Bret is a rock star, and famous for now.  It was a pleasure getting to meet him, and have Carmen experience a "star." I will say that it was a really great day for the both of us.  A bonding experience if you will.  But, we will have many more, and I am sure it will not be because of Bret or Poison, but of God's blessings.  

I am blessed with a husband who allows me to stalk out a rock star at 43 years of age.  I am blessed with a daughter that loves 80's music...my music...and her own generations music.  I am blessed with a son, who found a set of speakers on the side of  the road, and connected them to his electronic drums!  There was a reason for the headset...but...

I am blessed.  I have been asking God to "show me His Glory" like Moses did in Exodus.  I have seen bits and pieces of it in the past weeks.  I believe that we forget to ask for this.  We forget to ask for big things.  Simple things sometimes.  

Bret has survived a rock stars life, an appendix surgery, and a brain hemorrhage.  I don't know if he knows Christ, but I believe he has been shown bits and pieces of glory.  God has given him a 2nd, and 3rd chance.  

I know that He has given many to me.  Over and over again, I am shown the path I need to take.  Gentle reminders of His love.  Opportunities to make things right.   

Meeting Bret today was really cool.  Meeting my Savior one day will be incredible.

Blessings,

Jerry Ann