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'shrooms

This is an adaptation of Pioneer Woman's burgundy mushroom recipe.

Yum.

4 pounds of button mushrooms.  (Ideally, these should be bite sized, but you can halve or quarter them too.  It just doesn't look as pretty.)
1/4 pound (~1/2 cup) of butter
3/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 cups red wine (I used Zinfandel)
2 cups boiling water
2 veggie bouillon cubes
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp minced garlic

Wash mushrooms, chop the ends off and throw them into large stock pot.
Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water, and add to mushrooms.
Add all remaining ingredients to mushrooms.
Bring to boil at medium high heat
reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 6 hours
remove lid, then continue cooking for a few more hours.

My mom loves mushrooms over toast.  I prefer them beside a piece of crusty bread with some salad.  Alternatively, if you don't feel that a meal's complete without some meat, you can use them to top a piece of grilled chicken or a steak.  Either way, it's a big recipe so I hope you like mushrooms.

Foot Fettish

Foot size before I had stress fractures in both feet 7 years ago - 8 1/2 narrow
Foot size for 5 years following stress fractures - 9 medium
Foot size for ~ 6 months until health issues cause foot swelling - 8 1/2 - 9 medium
Foot size during edema issues - Shoes didn't fit, period.  On a good day, I could wear 9 1/2 wide slippers.


Guess who bought size 8 narrow shoes today!

Yeah, I know: this style must fit large, but I want to celebrate the 8 anyway.  I thought about buying sandals, but I was so happy that my feet fit comfortably into these structured shoes, I had to bring them home.

Sorry. I'll stop talking about my feet now.



Until I buy some more shoes.

Laundry Day

One of the biggest differences that I've noticed as the dogs age is that they aren't very keen to wake up in the mornings.   I have to poke and prod them to get them up to go outside in the mornings, and then they usually go right back to my room and curl up on the bed again once they're done.

This morning was laundry day, so I set about stripping the bed.  I pulled the top comforter out from under Tallulah and banished her to another bed.   Then I started gathering the sheets to be washed.

The Dude just about found himself in the washing machine.

Oldie by Goodie

The picture quality is horrible, and both dogs desperately need a haircut; but this picture makes me smile every time I see it.

Tallulah was about 6 months in this picture.  She was the same size as Cotton when she came home, but it wasn't long before she was big enough for Cotton to use her legs as weave poles.

I know you all think I'm crazy...

... but I'm going back to work.

I'm going nuts here, with the lack of activity.  Plus, I feel like I've turned a corner this week, in that I've been managing to get through the days without naps or pain killers.  I figure it's time.

I know it also sounds crazy to do this, but I contacted the boss to see what she thinks.  I'll qualify that by saying that I don't have the average boss.  This one's pretty great - she expects a lot from her staff but she's got our backs; she's not a slave driver by any means.    She said they've managed OK without me, but will be happy to have me back.  I could come back on my own schedule, and suggested modified work hours to start.  

I average 200-250 emails a day at work and I've been gone for 6 weeks without reading any.   I figure it'll take me a few days to get through all the email, so I'm going to quietly sneak in for a few afternoons this week and go through them.  I'll work a few full days next week, ease back into my normal responsibilities, and if I feel up to it, I'll aim to go back full time after Easter.  To tell you the truth, I'm kind of relieved.  I really wasn't meant to be a lady of leisure.

Tallulah Tales

• Tallulah is a reincarnation of the princess from the Princess & the Pea.  She sleeps on the furniture, but prefers to have additional pillows on top of the furniture - the softer the better.  There was a pillow under the covers this morning, so she made herself fit.  I'm not sure how she thought that was more comfortable.

• Not sure why I'm posting this picture, other than it cracks me up.  Pour José.

• In other news, I broke the cardinal rule today and gave Tallulah a bite of pizza crust when nobody was looking.  I suspect I'll never have pizza in peace again.
• I could get in trouble for saying this - no doubt Tallulah will deny it - but, well, I'll let the electronics say it for me.  

Say it isn't so.

There's a reason why she doesn't get people food.