Mushroom "Meat"

Last week the Asian market had King Oyster mushrooms on sale for 99 cents a pound. Although I had no idea exactly what I would do with them, for that price a large package jumped into my bag.

Britannica

However, it turned out that both Hubby Tony and I had a lot of evening commitments, which meant that I didn't do any cooking. A week later I was still looking at the package every time I opened the refrigerator. The internet told me that king oyster mushrooms had a lower moisture content than regular mushrooms and could be refrigerated for 7 to 14 days without any issues, but the internet also told me the mushrooms could be cooked and frozen for future use.

That's what I decided to do. After cutting off the hard bottoms I raked a fork down the sides of the mushrooms, which made it easy to break them into shreds. I baked those shreds at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, turning them a couple of times and pouring off the accumulated juices so all the pieces could brown. When I was done I had a large plateful of mushroom "meat" ready to use down the line and a small container of mushroom juice. Both went into the freezer.

Mushroom "meat"

Today, when it was time to cook dinner I thawed the pan juices and mushrooms. The juice went into polenta cooking liquid. The mushrooms, plus a can of black beans, went into an Italian-inspired tomato sauce. I decided I didn't want to put together a salad, so I added frozen corn to the entree. 

At dinner time Tony spooned half of the polenta into bowls, topped it with half of the mushroom mixture, and served it up. I added a dash of Frank's Red Hot sauce. Tony chose not to. Both of us agreed it was a healthy, filling meal. And even better, there was enough for a second night.

The finished result

Five years ago: Cream Of The Crop Coasters

September 2026 Random Photo Dump

There are a lot of random photos on my phone. Time to showcase, and then get rid of, some of them.

 A couple of weeks ago Hubby Tony and I were taking a walk on what happened to be the first day of school for the district, We passed this photo opp booth at a bus stop that was decorated with the colors of the district high school. Someone put a lot of work into it.

I was walking around in an older neighborhood. After I almost tripped on a fallen acorn I started to look where I was going, and saw this lovely mosaic someone had added to some sidewalk cracks.

I wonder who the target market is for this hang tag I saw in the chip aisle at the grocery store? Would you ever dip a chip straight into a jar of peanut butter?

On yet another walk I passed by a large boulder close to a sidewalk. I doubt the crack that went almost all the way through was there when it was initially installed. Given that there's a lot of freeze/thaw weathering in my area I wonder how long it will be before the rock completely snaps into pieces?

Does a suction beard apron sound like more of a practical item or a gag gift? Do you know anyone who would benefit from it?

Five years ago: (Don't) Keep The Change

It's Nice To Know People

The Counterpublic Triennial is an art exhibition that reimagines the role of art in public life in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The 2026 version, called Coyote Time, opened this week. The exhibit is composed of five hubs (buildings or neighborhoods) scattered throughout the area. Last night Hubby Tony and I, along with some friends, visited the International Institute hub.

Since 2014 the International Institute has been located in the former St. Elizabeth Academy school, which closed in 2013 after 130 years. The program for the evening had artist talks and tours, leading up to a a shared meal prepared by artist Rirkrit Tiravanija and assistants.

We checked in at the front desk and got our visitor badges. Instead of joining any of the tours we let our friend Annie be our guide. She was the perfect choice, because she graduated from St. Elizabeth's in the 1970s . There were six art installations on the main floor and an additional three in the basement. We saw all of them, but we also got to see parts of the building that weren't on the official tour. It was very interesting to see how the original classrooms had been repurposed. I loved looking at the architecture and woodwork in the original building. Some of the doors from one floor to another were locked, but as in most large buildings there were other ways to get places.

Eventually we ended up at the cafeteria, which is where the shared meal was taking place. However, when we saw there were way more people there than available seating we stayed for the opening remarks, then left. We drove several blocks south to South Grand, noted for its large collection of international restaurants. The one we chose served Vietnamese food. My Pho started was a fantastic mixture of flavorful beef broth, rice noodles, and slices of beef. As customary, it came with a side plate of basil leaves, chopped cilantro, bean sprouts, and a wedge of lime.

Five years ago: Clashing

Almost Finished, And Thrilled About It

In the past week I've had a trifecta of computer projects to get through. I was quarterbacking the production of a flyer for an event that will take place early next year, finishing up the minutes of a fellowship meeting, and producing the September newsletter for the same group.

None of the projects was difficult, but all were time consuming and required playing nicely online with people who had different opinions. I was thrilled this afternoon to send the flyer and minutes out for review, and my fingers are crossed that no major mistakes are found. The newsletter is waiting for one more fact to be checked before it's also sent through cyberspace.

Stockvault.net

In addition to my writing responsibilities, this week there was also a lot of normal to-dos and social obligations. In short, it's been a very busy week. I'm already looking forward to next week when there are only two things on the calendar. 

Five years ago: Venipuncture and Vaccine

Somewhat Filthy Filter

When Hubby Tony and I moved into our condo in 2020 we purchased a stackable, front loading LG washer and dryer for the laundry room. With only two of us most weeks I only do several loads of laundry, and both pieces have served us well.

However, after the last few wash cycles even after I removed the hair and cat fur that tend to clog the drainage hole, the rubber gasket had some standing water in the bottom.

I did a little research and learned that the washer had a drain pump filter that collects lint and items like loose buttons and change. According to the online tutorial, I should have been cleaning it out on a monthly basis. Oops!

LG

The company website had a nice set of instructions for the cleaning process. I started by grabbing a pan and a rag, then pulled opened the access panel on the lower left side of the washer. Inside the panel I saw a residual water hose on the left and a large stopper on the right.

I carefully pulled the drain hose into the pan and removed its plug. About a cup of water drained out, then I plugged the hose up again and reinserted it back into its place. That process took care of the pooled water in the gasket, but I figured I should also take a look at the drain pump filter.

After placing a towel under the access panel to sop up any water from the filter I turned the stopper counter clockwise to remove it. The drain pump filter was in surprisingly good shape for never having been cleaned out . I used a tissue to remove clumps of slimy-looking goo and washed the filter off in the sink.

The last step was to reinstall the drain pump filter into the hole, close up the access panel, and pat myself on the back.

Five years ago: What's It Going To Take?

No Comment Necessary

Given all the issues with Blogger today, here's a joke I got from a friend posted just for your amusement. No comment needed. (Although down the line, when things get cleared up, I always appreciate knowing that people read what I put out 😀)

A man was driving along the highway, and saw a rabbit hopping across the middle of the road. He swerved to avoid hitting the animal, but unfortunately it jumped in front of the car and was hit.

The driver, being a sensitive man as well as an animal lover, pulled over to the side of the road, and got out to see what had become of the rabbit. Much to his dismay, the rabbit was dead.

The driver felt so awful, he began to cry. A woman driving down the highway saw the man crying at the side of the road and pulled over. She stepped out of her car and asked the man what was wrong.

"I feel terrible," he explained, "I accidentally hit this rabbit and killed it."

The woman told the man not to worry. She knew what to do. She went to her car trunk, and pulled out a spray can. She walked over to the limp, dead rabbit, and sprayed the contents of the can onto it.

Miraculously the rabbit came to life, jumped up, waved its paw at the two humans and hopped down the road. Fifty yards away the rabbit stopped, turned around, waved and hopped down the road, another 50 yards, turned, waved and hopped another 50 yards.

The man was astonished. He couldn't figure out what substance could be in the woman's spray can!

He ran over to the woman and asked, "What is in your spray can? What did you spray on that rabbit?"

The woman turned the can around so that the man could read the label. It said: "Hair spray. Restores life to dead hair. Adds permanent wave."

Five years ago: Pursuit And Produce

Wisdom From A Blog Buddy

 This morning Shug introduced me to her new made up word, whimmydiddled, which is what happens when your well-planned out day doesn't go as planned. Little did I know it when I read the post this morning that a couple of hours later I would be whimmydiddled myself.

It was too hot to be outside, so Hubby Tony and I went to the mall to walk. I drove. Forty five minutes later we were ready to run a couple of errands before coming home, but the car battery was dead. I called AAA for service and learned that a conversation with a real person had now been replaced by texting with a chatbot. The procedure was actually easy and efficient so I didn't mind, but the air in the parking garage was so still by the time the procedure was over I had sweat running down the back of my neck. 

Tony had a dentist appointment, so after he learned it would take almost an hour for a roadside technician to show up he walked home to pick up his car. Fortunately I didn't have anything on my calendar so I went back inside the mall to stay cool and kill time. I received regular texts and a couple of phone calls updating me about the progress.

When the service technician arrived he used a handheld computer to confirm that my battery was indeed in need of replacement. It took less than fifteen minutes for him to remove the old one and put in a shiny new model. Payment took another five minutes and I was free to go.

The whole process definitely wasn't what I had planned. I hope I won't be whimmydiddled again any time soon. 

Hot. All. Week.

Debbie at From My Shasta Home posted today that there is "just one more day until the start of the "bers" (meaning the months that end with those letters), and how it would soon be cooling off in her area.

Source

I wish I could be excited about the beginning of September as she is, but in my part of the country the forecast for the rest of the week shows some of the hottest temperatures of the summer! As one of the local meteorologists stated, thanks to a heat dome of upper-level high pressure it will be "hard core" summer, with high temperatures somewhere between 95° and 100° Fahrenheit. The only positive is that the humidity isn't crazy high so there won't be much of a heat index factor.

The heat would be annoying if it came in July, traditionally the hottest month of the year, but in my mind it's even worse now because it's coming so late in the season. Traditionally things start cooling off by Labor Day (the first Monday in September).

Until further notice outside walking and exercising are being put on hold. Hubby Tony and I will be finding inside activities to do. 

Five years ago today: Vet Visit Etiquette

Cafe, Coffee, And Fun

Hubby Tony and I drove southwest across the state today. Our destination was Springfield, Missouri, where a fellowship meeting will be taking place tomorrow

Sometimes when we make this trip there are other people in the car, and our schedule is determined by what the group wants to do. Other times, like today, we are on our own and can do whatever we want. This morning we heard on the radio that there was an establishment in Bourbon, Missouri that had a section devoted to Dolly Parton, and a menu inspired by her favorite recipes, we decided it would be a fun place to stop for lunch.

I had never been to Bourbon before, but it's one of the many cities that were on Route 66 before the Interstate was built. The tiny downtown area wasn't too far from the highway, and the restaurant was easy to find.

The interior of the building had a bar against one side, and a small bandstand by the door where a duo was playing. The food ordering area was along the back. Tony and I looked at the menu and decided to split a sandwich, large side dish, and dessert.

After ordering food we found a spot to sit. Several minutes later one of the owners came over to introduce himself. He asked what brought us in, and said that soon a reporter from one of the St. Louis television stations would be coming in to film a piece on the restaurant. We learned that although both he and his wife enjoyed Dolly Parton, she was a superfan. A couple of minutes after he left the people at the table next to ours struck up a conversation. It seemed like a very friendly place!

The restaurant was busy, but listening to the band made the time pass quickly. When our food came to the table I was ready to dig in. The grilled Southern style pimento cheese sandwich (which was billed as Dolly’s favorite) started with grilled sourdough and was stuffed with a generous layer of pimento cheese spread. It came with a choice of bacon or ham (I chose bacon).  The Slaw of Many Colors was described as Dolly's favorite to take to a potluck. It had red cabbage, green cabbage, white onion, and green pepper, all tossed with a wonderful creamy, slightly sweet dressing.

Dessert was a hunk of Dolly Parton’s Chocolate Cobbler (similar to a lava cake), served warm with a dollop of whipped cream.

After our food was gone I walked over to look at the Dolly memorabilia, located in a nook in the back corner of the building. I particularly liked this standee cutout. Take a look at the title of the book!

As we were leaving the news reporter was getting set up for her interview. I'm pretty sure it will show up on tonight's news but we won't be home to see it. I may have to search it out online.

Five years ago: Wash Your Hands And Freshen Your Breath

Good Craftsmanship Takes Time

Several decades ago Hubby Tony inherited a lovely oak secretary desk with a mirrored hutch top from his great aunt. The carvings and skeleton-key locks were a clue to the vintage, which was probably 1930s.

Because of its age the desk had some issues. The drop down had a couple of large cracks running across it, and the keyhole plate of the lock was detached from the inner workings. One of the two pieces of wood covering the back of the desk was coming loose. Most of the drawers had lost their back stops, so they slid in too far.

We lived with the issues for years, but eventually refurbishing the piece made it to the top of the project list. I contacted a company that had done fantastic work for us in the past. They had an interesting, multiple step procedure:

1. Send an email with photos and an explanation of the work requested.
2. Receive an email estimate.
3. Accept the estimate and get on their future work list
4. Be contacted to schedule appointment to pick up desk.
5. Desk picked up from house.
6. Desk delivered to house.

Good craftsmanship takes time. Once we accepted the estimate, there was a a four to five month wait until the work would be done. After the desk was picked up it was gone for six weeks. During that time its contents lived in two large plastic tubs on the living room floor. Finally we received notification that the company was ready to deliver the finished desk.

Everything I asked for had been done. The cracks in the drop down had been filled. The key once again fit into the ornamental plate.The back no longer had a loosely hanging piece of wood. All of the drawers pushed in flush with the body of the desk. Per instructions, they did not refinish the desk, but instead gave it a good restoration and cleaning.

Now every day I get to enjoy our newly-renovated heirloom.

Five years ago: How Hot Is It?