my favorite mushrooms

until a couple years ago (or so), i did not eat mushrooms. mushrooms are a fungus, why would i want to eat a fungus? and everyone loves them because they’re “meaty”, but if i want meat, i’ll eat meat.  it all changed one night at the lake of the ozarks when my brother-in-law taught me this recipe. ever since i have a hard time eating steak without them (like eating steak without mushrooms is hard, but hearing steak makes me crave the mushrooms), and in fact, make a special trip to the store just for mushrooms if we’re out.

(i’ve since branched out and will gobble up my husband’s delicious stuffed mushrooms. but that’s as far as i venture into fake-meat-fungus-land, for now.)

cast of characters: mushrooms, soy sauce, butter, brown sugar

slice your shrooms. it may seem like a lot of mushrooms but they cook down.

melt the butter in a skillet on medium heat and add your chopped mushrooms.

cook until soft and slightly reduced, about 10 min.

add soy sauce and brown sugar. continue cooking for about another 10 minutes. taste and add more brown sugar if you would like more sweetness. if you want a thicker sauce, increase the heat and boil until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.

serve as a side, or my favorite – right on top.

my favorite mushrooms (creative title, right)
8 oz of mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar

slice the mushrooms. melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. add the sliced mushrooms and cook until tender and slightly reduced in size, about 10 minutes. add the soy sauce and brown sugar and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. taste and add more brown sugar if more sweetness is desired. if you would like a thicker sauce, turn up the heat and boil for a few minutes at the end of the cooking time.

disclaimer: these are pretty sweet, especially if you add in another dab or two of brown sugar like i do, but brown sugar is my favorite ingredient and i like the way the salty sweetness plays off the juicy, meatyness of the steak (meatyness is a word right? or meatiness?)

now that is a fine dinner. mighty fine.

enjoy.

{justine}

what i buy {trader joes}

trader joe’s is the bomb diggity. which i’m sure you know. even though there’s one close to me, i don’t get there as often as i would like – maybe once a month or so. sometimes more, sometimes less. but it’s one of my favorite stores. especially because their check-out people are so nice. i’ve never had an unfriendly, untalkative person. have you noticed this?

are you a cart peeper? curious as to what others are buying? i am. i don’t want to miss out on something good! so i wanted to share what’s in my cart every time i go.

cheese. yes, feta, but all sorts. they have the best prices. one visit i bought feta, goat, parmesan and cream cheese. i love cheese.

orange chicken. this was actually the first time i bought it after a recommendation, but i had to include it because it will always be in my cart from now on since it was delicious (and easy to make).

corn and chile salsa. unconventional, but i love it. it’s sweet and spicy. i like to always have this on hand for a quick snack for last-minute guests.

fleur de sel (salted) caramel sauce. i die. this stuff is amazing.

(side story: i even got into an argument with my husband over it. not an argument per se, but a disagreement. because it’s so good (and not expensive, but it’s not free) i got a little possessive and yelled at him when he put it on sherbet. rainbow sherbet. really?! i was appalled that he was wasting it on such a combination. we now have our own caramel sauces.)

spinach & artichoke dip. sooo delicious. and sooo easy. i always buy a few of these to keep in the freezer for a quick appetizer.

beef steak burritos. these make for such a quick (like 3 minutes in the micro), cheap (hmm, maybe $2.50? but don’t quote me on that) and low-cal (380 calories per burrito) dinner or lunch. i don’t even think they have cheese in them, which is like, crazy, because they are so good. i like to serve with a side of ranch 0r salsa for dipping.

la finca wine. my mom recommended this wine, and it’s now a staple. for $3.99 you can’t beat it (or is it $2.99?? sorry, i went shopping and  took these pics a while ago…bad blogger. either way, cheap but good).

of course this list isn’t comprehensive of everything i buy, but they are definitely my top recommendations and what you’ll find in my kitchen. do you have any must-buys that i’m missing from trader joe’s? please let me know, i’m due to go soon! (today?)

have a great weekend.

{justine}

2 (and a 1/2) ingredient pumpkin muffcakes + brown sugar cream cheese frosting

fall is the time for pumpkin flavored everything, but i have to admit, i’ve never been a huge pumpkin fan. on thanksgiving i always opt for the apple pie over the pumpkin pie. though as with many food items i haven’t been besties with in the past, i’m coming around and changing my tune.

this recipe, originally from the big red kitchen, has been getting around on pinterest (what a sloot), but the first review i read about it was on erika’s urban grace blog, and i was convinced that i had to give it – and pumpkin – a shot.

is so easy peasy squeezy it’s ridiculous. it’s also healthy (minus the frosting i add). and extremely genius.

the recipe is originally a pumpkin bread, but i baked it in cupcake form. the texture is a bit more dense than airy, so it’s more muffin-like. but i frosted them with a delicious brown sugar cream cheese icing, which makes them cupcake-like. let’s split the difference and call them muffcakes (which sounds kind of dirty).

pumpkin muffcakes

1 box cake mix (i used yellow; spice, chocolate – whatever you wish)
1 15-oz can 100% pumpkin puree (plain pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
heaping 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (may be omitted, but increases the flavor of pumpkin)

(note: do not use the oil, eggs or water as indicated on the cake mix. only the pumpkin. this is the genius and healthyness of it).

preheat oven to 350 degrees. mix all ingredients together well. pour into prepared cupcake tins (either greased or with liner). bake for 17-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

recipe notes:
-this made me 16 cupcakes. i used a full-sized ice cream scoop to measure into my tins. they rose a lot, so you can fill them only about 1/2 way, and you will get more cupcakes (and you may need to decrease the cooking time a little).
-the batter will be thick and sticky. this is normal.
-i made these again 2 days later for work, and added in about a 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips. yum!

brown sugar cream cheese frosting

1 1/4 sticks butter (10 tablespoons), softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (optional: an additional 2 tablespoons or so)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 – 2 cups powdered sugar

cream the cream cheese in an electric mixer for 1 minute. add the butter, beating for 1-2 minutes, or until incorporated. add the brown sugar, pinch of salt and vanilla extract, and beat until incorporated. turn off mixer and add 1 cup of powdered sugar. mix on low speed until incorporated so it doesn’t fly out of the bowl. taste and slowly add more powdered sugar until you reach your desired sweetness. if you want a more pronounced brown sugar taste (like me; brown sugar is my favorite ingredient), add another tablespoon or two of brown sugar (but not too much, it will become grainy) and mix well.

recipe notes:
-this generously frosted 16 cupcakes, and i had some left over.
-i don’t like my frosting too sweet, which is why i love cream cheese frosting. but it can’t be too cream-cheesy either. i like to know its cream cheese, but not feel like i’m eating cream cheese. huh? it makes sense to me. so you may need to add even more powdered sugar, if that’s how you roll.

{look at that gorgeous color!}

when i brought these over to a friend’s house, her mom told me she uses this same ‘trick’ for pancakes — adds pumpkin puree to the dry pancake batter instead of eggs/milk, etc. it would make a delicious fall breakfast! i’m thinking it would go great with a glaze instead of syrup.

these cupcakes are super moist, and have such a great flavor. you can taste the pumpkin, but it’s not too strong. and cream cheese icing makes everything better – especially when it has brown sugar, the most magical ingredient on earth.

my second time making them, i used these totally cute cupcake liners that i snagged at home goods. love them! (but it was hard to not get the batter or the frosting on them, so they’re not the cleanest).

have you tried this 2 1/2 ingredient recipe yet? are you a fan of pumpkin? let me know if you have other must-make pumpkin recipes to further convert me to a pumpkin lover.

{justine}

linked to remodelaholic, mommy by day crafter by night, southern lovely and between naps on the porch

a list

1. i accidentally bought 2% milk instead of skim. it’s disgusting. i’ve been mixing  water into my milk to reduce the creaminess (gag). it’s better, but still disgusting.  i may have to go against all i believe in and pour out a perfectly good gallon of milk (i love milk, i really do) and go buy a new, thin, non-creamy gallon.

1b. by the way, have you noticed how expensive milk is now?

2. i went to the candy store again. it was dangerous ($10.99/lb dangerous) (and they don’t take plastic for less then $10 dangerous) (fine, 1 1/4 lbs dangerous). i need to hide the bag from ryan because last time he ate 75% of my loot. he’s got quite the sweet tooth for someone who claims “he doesn’t like dessert”.

{the sour ribbons are the best}

3. trader joe’s teeny tiny potatoes are the cutest things i’ve ever seen in my entire life

4. i made the teeny tiny potatoes as a side for my favorite fish recipe last night. i seriously make it once a week. this time i added a sprinkle of garlic powder to the butter and it was perhaps even more fab. i may try some fresh garlic next time. i’m a garlic fiend.

5. this is how i made said teeny tiny potatoes: mix potatoes with a glug of olive oil (tablespoon or so? enough to coat the potatoes), a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder. roast in a 425 degree oven (or 450 if you’re not cooking tilapia at the same time – i split the difference between the two temps) for about 20-25 minutes. once they’re done, mix with the zest and juice of half a lemon (or more if you’re so inclined). perhaps top with some fresh chopped parsley if you have some (and i didn’t).

6. for dessert i split a banana in half, topped both sides with some brown sugar and then torched it. so so good. there is nothing better than burnt sugar in my opinion.

7. have a great weekend!

{justine}