Day of the Mushroom Review

Basket of Picked Mushrooms (Wikipedia)

Mushroom Day, or Day of the Mushroom, is celebrated each year on April 16.  No one appears to know who created Mushroom Day (or why), but it has become quite popular on cooking and recipe websites, 

What is a Mushroom?

Definition per Wikipedia: A mushroom, or toadstool, is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. 

Many kinds of mushrooms are poisonous. The mushrooms most of us care about are the 'edible mushrooms'.  The most common of these are the white mushrooms or button mushrooms many of us use in cooking. A couple other popular edible mushrooms are the Portobello and the shiitake mushrooms. 

(c) Wednesday Elf

We have always been told that the mushroom is a fungi, but to further classify it, the Department of Agriculture considers mushrooms to be vegetables because they provide many of the same nutritional attributes of vegetables. For a complete history of the edible mushroom, click here.

Celebrating Mushroom Day

There are numerous ways to eat mushrooms and dozens of dishes which use mushrooms as an ingredient. To celebrate Day-of-the-Mushroom you probably should fix a favorite mushroom recipe.

I never ate mushrooms as a child, being a very fussy eater who wouldn't 'try' new things. So it wasn't until I was grown, married and a parent that I was introduced to a mushroom treat that changed the way I thought about mushrooms forever more! 

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms by Small Town Woman

We had moved to the Central Coast of California near San Luis Obispo and a new neighbor invited us over.  There were several appetizers prior to the meal, one of which was a plate of Atascadero Stuffed Mushrooms. Now, Atascadero Mushrooms are well known in the central coast area of California. This was our first introduction to these mushrooms. They look like button mushrooms, but are very large.

Our host had fixed them by cutting off the stems, chopping them and mixing them with crabmeat, bread crumbs & seasonings then stuffing them back into the base of the mushroom cap, sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top and popping them in the oven. The taste ~ unbelievably good. I became a mushroom fan immediately. 

If you want to try your own crab-stuffed mushrooms, this recipe on a blog by Small Town Woman for Quick and Creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms sounds fabulous and close to the stuffed mushrooms which won me over to being a mushroom lover.

Mushroom Decor and More…

The mushroom has become so popular over the years, that it is enjoyed in more ways than just as food.  Many home décor items are decorated with scenes of mushrooms and mushrooms appear on wearable items such as T-shirts. 


The mushroom has even become a fun toy item. 

Mushroom Garden Interactive Toy

I love this colorful Mushroom Garden educational interactive toddler toy.  It lights up, has music and fun sounds, and teaches colors and numbers. It also has a memory game. Tots have fun and learn at the same time. 

So enjoy the DAY-OF-THE-MUSHROOM on April 16. 

Related Mushroom Dates:

• Stuffed Mushroom Day – February 4
• National Mushroom Day – October 14

For more holiday reviews, check out:

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Holiday Review written by Wednesday Elf

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Love's Complicated - Hallmark Movie Review

While searching for light entertainment last weekend, I came across the Hallmark Movie, Love's Complicated starring Holly Marie Combs and Ben Bass.  Within a few minutes of watching, I knew that I had found exactly what I had been seeking. 

Hallmark is always a reliable source for good movies that usually leave me feeling relaxed, and sometimes even revived after a long day of work and stress.  I know I never have to worry about nudity, excessive foul language, or extreme violence when I turn on the Hallmark channel.  

In a time when movies seem to compete to see which one can be the most extreme, I am most appreciative of a reliable source of mild, lighthearted entertainment that is never embarrassing to watch regardless of whether I am alone, in mixed company, or with my children and parents.  

Love's Complicated Movie Synopsis 

It is easy to like the mild mannered, considerate & compliant Leah in Love's Complicated.   She is the type of person we all enjoy being around.  She rarely, if ever, complains, she does not engage in debates or challenging opinions, she simply goes along happily with whatever others in her life dictate.  Leah doesn't really intend to be a doormat for others, she just doesn't like confrontation.

 Love's ComplicatedCheck PriceWhen her boyfriend of 2 years enrolls her in a conflict management class, she doesn't understand why she would need to be there, especially when she finds out he is not attending the group with her.  Of course, it makes her mad and confused, but she decides to comply with his wishes and attend the sessions.  However, in an unexpected turn of events, she comes face to face with the most annoying people she has ever met.  After all, it was Cinco Dublin who criticized her published book on his radio show, stating that "although well written, Ms. Townsend's safe, Leave it to Beaver take on her childhood, leaves me wanting nothing more from this author, ever."  It is clear from the beginning that Leah has built up resentment toward Cinco and the conflict management class gives her the perfect opportunity to unleash her pent-up emotions. 

The verbal exchanges between Leah and Cinco are revealing about both of their personalities and are often humorous.  They might not be funny to me if I was one of the participates in the conversations, but listening to them made me laugh several times.  

When Leah accepted an unwanted proposal of marriage from her boyfriend, just because she wanted to comply with his desires, and her parents wishes, she finally realizes that she must learn to confront real issues.  Otherwise, she will end up in an unhappy marriage and always letting someone else dictate her life.  At that point, the need for the conflict management classes becomes apparent to Leah.

Additional Thoughts About the Movie, Love's Complicated

While I very much enjoyed this movie and watching a romantic relationship develop, I found I was more intrigued by the concept that conflict management classes were also for people who needed to learn to express their anger, instead of keeping it inside.  I've always thought those classes were for people who lashed out uncontrollably or without an obvious reason.  Recognizing that some attendees might just need to learn how to express their feelings, was rather enlightening for me.

Currently, "Love's Complicated" is available on Amazon with a subscription to the Hallmark Channel.  

  

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Love's Complicated - Hallmark Movie Review Written by:

 

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Dog Medicine - How My Dog Saved Me From Myself - Book Review

Dog Medicine by Julie Barton

Most of us have so much going on in our own lives that we seriously question reading a book that will immerse us in someone else's unrelenting anguish.  Why would we want to do that?  We already know from reading the reviews that Dog Medicine is going to make us cry.  When reviews use words like raw and brutal honesty, we know we are in for a read that will demand something from us.

Perhaps that is the point.  Could it be that the demanding, heart-wrenching accounts most grow our humanity, our compassion, and our capacity to connect with others in the ways that are most authentic and useful?  In a genre overflowing with I-was-saved-by-my-dog books, what does it take to transcend it — the genre and what cynics would say is the same old, same old story?

Well, here's the thing: this story matters because Julie Barton and Bunker matter.  Without Bunker, the author's Golden retriever puppy, Julie would surely not have lived to write this book.  And this book needed to be written just as much as we all need to read it.

When initial therapies failed to lift Barton out of the deep, dark depression unleashed by long-term childhood trauma, it took the powerful medicine of Bunker—his unfailing solace—to bring Julie back from the brink.

It is in how the author captures the first glimmers of healing that this book soars.

Perhaps what began to save me was that I started creating this sacred, safe space where he and I met.  In this space, there was no ridicule.  There was no doubt or loneliness.  There was no sorrow or anger.  It was just pure, beautiful being.  It was looking at the world with wide-eyed, forever hopeful puppy wonder.

Could it be that we share in vicarious healing in reading about the transformation brought about by the kind of love that can only be known in relationship with a dog that has chosen his human?  Ultimately, I chose this book because I cherish my animal relationships and the healing they bring me.  I deeply related to the purpose Barton found in caring for a dog with special medical needs.  When Julie's broken psyche bound up Bunker's broken body, the result was a unified whole that the two of them could not have found by any other means.  We are all broken in ways that call for us to find our healing in offering up the gift of compassion... in being the sacred space needed by another.

Given my recent launch as a therapy dog team member, I found inspiration in knowing that, like Julie, the good medicine in my life, in the form of my dog Finn, will make itself manifest in the lives of those who enter the sacred space he and I share.  For what is the sacred, if it is not that which exists to bless others?

It is my hope that Julie and Bunker's story will bless you in whatever way you most need at this point in time.  I will close here with a reviewer's blurb that I found compelling when deciding whether or not to read Dog Medicine:

Read it for the voice, read it to savor the power of love, read it to enjoy an inspiring, hopeful story, read it to learn about healing, read it if you're depressed and want to get better, read it if you're happy and want to stay there.  Whatever else you do, read it.  ~Peter Gibb

Yes.  Read it and savor the power of love.

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Robert Galbraith's Lethal White Book Review

It is a bit awkward to start with the fourth book in a series but, since that is the one I have just read, that is where I am starting.

It is telling that I waited anxiously for Robert Galbraith’s fourth novel, Lethal White. It finally arrived in in September of 2018 and unsurprisingly, it was a giant book worthy of the wait.

Lethal White follows three excellent detective novels crafted by J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.  Cuckoo’s Calling, The Silkworm and Career of Evil were all page turners and Lethal White is more of the same. A lengthy read, complex and interesting.

Set during the 2012 London Olympics, Lethal Weapon covers much ground including political corruption, blackmail, murder, deception, betrayal and suicide.

The series continues with the latest mysteries to be solved by the now two-person detective team at Cormoran Strike’s detective agency. It follows the one-legged detective Strike and his new partner Robin as they solve crimes. Both characters continue to live on the edge financially, personally and professionally and wind up in precarious situations in all three areas of their lives.

Strike continues to live in near poverty in a room behind his office. He’s a disabled war veteran who barely looks after himself in general and, as we are given to understand in the book, his leg in particular. He is an amputee, which makes the physical requirements of his job sometimes difficult and perhaps even more so because he fails to look after his leg properly. If I had one complaint about this novel, it would be Strike’s continued difficulties with his leg. Come on Strike, look after your leg! Yeesh. I don’t look after myself perfectly all of the time but if I had a chronic problem, I hope I would do so better than Strike does his leg.

Robin struggles with her personal life as well as with her new career as a private detective. Her family believes she should not be doing the job she is doing because of the danger element but Robin knows that she has landed where she needs to be. This is the work she has always dreamed of doing but never made an effort to pursue.

Rowling says that she wrote this book while writing a play and two screenplays for Harry Potter’s world. At 650 pages long, Lethal Weapon goes on as Rowling’s books tend to. Some readers wish they could cut out a bit but if you enjoy a well crafted story, you will appreciate the plot, characters and insights given in this novel. As The New York Times says in their review, sometimes more is better than less.

The Guardian’s review says that this book contains much "highly inventive storytelling” and there is no surprise there. J.K. Rowling is a master at doing exactly that.  The Guardian goes on to say that “there is much here for mystery fans to enjoy” and I agree completely on both counts. Lethal White is HIGHLY RECOMMEND by me for you if you love a good, long detective story. You will, of course, have to read the first three books first. You can find all of Robert Galbraith’s books on Amazon by clicking right here.

See you
At the book store!
Brenda

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Best Ever Backyard Birding Tips Reviewed

Want more birds in your backyard?

Backyard Blue-jay image courtesy of pixabay.com

When I first retired one of my first goals was to attract more birds to my backyard. I purchased the book Best-Ever Backyard Birding Tips to help me in that process. I would like to review it for you today.

The book is written by Deborah L. Martin who specializes in gardening and nature topics. I particularly like her easy to understand writing style. She filled 339 pages with tips and illustrations of tips to attract more birds. An additional 17 pages are dedicated to resource pages, an index and a hardiness map. 

One of the tips that I found interesting pertained to water for birds. Now, I knew that birds like a birdbath to drink from and wash their little bodies in but I didn't know about mud puddles. Have you ever noticed after a significant rainfall that leaves puddles and mud in the yard that there are more birds? I always thought they were foraging for worms in the softer ground. Well, that might be but they are also eating the mud. Birds need certain minerals in their diet which they find in the mud. 

Have you ever been tempted to try to knock a wasp nest out of a tree? I am not that brave because I don't want to get stung! I found in the book that it is better to leave it alone and not just because of the stinging factor. If you look closely around that wasp nest, you might just see a bird's nest too. Those stinging insects are actually help to defend against predators that might try to get into a nest with baby birds in it. Now, isn't that cool? 

Did you know that you can place pieces of fruit in your backyard to attract birds? Many varieties of our winged friends love fruit. Try it with a piece of melon or a ripe peach and sit back and observe which birds swoop in for a treat. Butterflies will flutter in, too.

There are 11 chapters covering all sorts of tips on backyard birding. The last chapter even covers some of those lesser appreciated guests that will come to your feeders and yards. Some bird species are more pests than they are welcomed guests and this chapter gives tips about how to deal with them. It also talks about squirrels that although some may think are cute will rob more than their fair share of the food you want the birds to enjoy. Raccoons and other wildlife might also visit, the author gives suggestions on how to let them know that they aren't really on your guest list.

I have learned a lot from the book and still refer to it once in a while. If you love birding in your backyard, I think that you will find it helpful, too.

Book On Birding In Your Backyard

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