Morel Mushrooms

Here in the Midwest Morel mushrooms can be found in the hedgerows this time of year.  They are only around for a few weeks at most. They are a much sought after commodity and if you wanted to buy some they would cost a fortune.

A neighbour bought some up to us quite a few years ago and I did not have a clue what to do with them.

You have to remember that I was born a city girl, grew up a city girl and only discovered country living 18 years ago and I am in my mid 70's now.  So my first introduction to these mushrooms were 'OMG they look like they came out of the sea.' They are hollow and rubbery to the touch.

I had no idea what to do with them so I just fried them up.  The verdict was 'I don't know what all the fuss is about.'

I thanked my neighbour but told him I was not that impressed.  He asked how I had cooked them and I told him.  He just about fell off his chair with laughing. He told me how they should be cooked but I had to wait another year before I could put his theory into practice. I think he couldn't quite fathom out this quirky lady from England living in the middle of Redneck land lol.

Sadly our neighbour died a few years ago but his son goes out and picks them.  He has a real knack for finding them and if he gets more than he and his family need then he brings some down to us. This year we have been very lucky, he has bought us two bags.

So here is the correct way to cook Morel mushrooms:-

Wash and make sure all the water is out of them.

Cut off the bottoms of the stalks. and throw away. (I said they looked like they came out of the ocean!)

Cut them in half lengthwise unless they are very small in which case leave them whole.

Dip them in beaten egg, then smother them in seasoned flour.

Heat up some cooking oil in a frying pan then fry them until they are brown and crispy on one side then turn and fry the other side.

Today I served these with some fried ham off the bone and eggs but you can serve them with anything really or just eat them as a starter.

It took awhile to get the process right but now I know why they are so sought after and deemed to be a delicacy.

Nicer weather and my first ever Easter card make.

We had our first day working outside today.  We got one of the garden tractors going and my husband spread some fertilizer.  Had to blow up some tyres but all was good.  We sat outside afterwards and enjoyed the morning.  Yesterday we were able to eat lunch on the screen porch.  Cooling off for a couple of days then warming back up again.  Flowers are coming out, trees and bushes are flowering, a real feel of Spring is in the air. Even had the windows open, it is nice to have the breeze blowing through the house.

I made my first ever Easter card today.  I do not usually do cards but one of my new die sets was an Easter set so I tried it out. I printed out the greeting, got to use some glitter card and washi tape. It is already in the mail heading across country.

Inside

Back

I stamped the envelope too.

I did the front too but forgot to take a picture before I addressed it, duh! That is actually a gold color.  I used one of the cheapie ink pads that works well.  I really like that stamp.

The 'new to me' stamps and health update

The stamps I ordered from ebay arrived Thursday.  The seller was very prompt in sending them out.  I didn't get chance to try them until Saturday as Friday was busy with going to the hospital and picking up groceries.  By the time I had put them all away I was done for the day.

They are Stampin' Up brand from the 2001/2 but are in excellent condition.  Even with postage costs they worked out at around a dollar each. I am still determined to conquer stamping.  Sometimes being a stubborn old biddy is a bit of a pain. I wanted to try the rubber stamps on wood blocks to see how they compared to the silicone ones that you use an acrylic block with.  The wooden blocks are much taller and indented for your fingers to grip, a lot easier than the acrylic ones. The images are on par with the silicone ones but I really like the patterns on these wooden ones a lot.

Anyway, I got out one of my good ink pads and tried them all.

The ones I circled were not good prints.  Two of the stamps didn't seem to print fully.  I wondered if perhaps I needed to re-ink my inkpad so I did and tried those two again and got excellent prints.  Another lesson learned, make sure the ink pads have plenty of ink!

As you can see below the ones I did after the inking came out perfectly.

I am not willing to stamp directly onto cards yet as you only get one go at it and if it is wrong you have to discard the card.  I will use them on envelopes though as they will be great for Christmas and other occasions.  Envelopes are not so important so a mistake won't matter as much and I do so like a pretty envelope.

Health wise, things are not so bad.  The scare turned out to be benign thankfully after all the tests, MRI's and CT scans etc. but I do have some issues with my back and a compression fracture that is getting worse.  They are going to try physical therapy and if that doesn't help they want me to consider surgery.  After neck surgery and two knee replacements I can tell you I am not in any hurry to go back under the knife.  Time will tell I guess. Oh, and I am officially diabetic.  Have been pre diabetic for a while but it finally caught up with me and I am now on Metformin.  I can tell you that those pills sure make you 'windy'. Nuff said lol.  

And on that not so pleasant note I bid you a fond farewell to next time........