Gurus and Mushrooms~

When this whole self indulgent, rather presumptuous notion of becoming a "blogger" (Lord, how I hate that word!) first drifted through my cluttered and unorganized closet of thoughts, I never really considered that my little, irreverent blurbs would be anything more than mindless entertainment. In all honesty, the initial inception was for pretty selfish motives -- to get me into the habit of writing...every single day.  And if you know anything about writing?  Well, I think my mentor, screenwriting legend, William Goldman says it best -- "The easiest thing to do on Earth is not write."

But the other night, after a rather exhausting few hours of meditation (side note here: any of you who might assume that the path to Hindu enlightenment is all "Oms and Mangos" have obviously never tried to maintain singular focus on God while nosey children are inquiring as to why you're on the front lawn in your pajamas in the middle of the night, chanting, brushing away the exceedingly vocally affectionate cat who has decided to join you, all the while trying to block out the aura splitting shrill of the neighbors car alarm. There's a reason why ashrams are at the top of deserted mountain peaks in India.  And why Gurus are single...and childless. That's why they look so blissful all the time. Makes sense now, doesn't it?) it became rather obvious -- "Hey, maybe you could actually do something with this little project."

So then I decided this blog should have a "purpose."  I got a little more amped and thought, "A mission statement could be useful!"  Then I got really excited and blurted out "A PHILOSOPHY!!! That's what this site needs!!!!"  Don't worry...at that point I realised it was all ego talking and reigned myself back in.  You can thank me later.

Anyway, my point is (and again, I apologize for my undisciplined rambling) I finally came up with something that sounded a lot less indulgent and self-aggrandizing...a hope. And it's just a simple hope at that: I hope that after you've come in, looked around, poked your head in the fridge, after we've had a chance to chat -- you leave this site feeling better about yourself, the world, and your place in it. That's all...nothing too complicated.

Now, having said all this, anyone who knows me understands that almost nothing makes me feel as good as feeding the people I love...or don't even know, for that matter. (You have my Gram Mae Azevedo to thank for this -- her generous and inventive cooking spirit was passed along through those resilient and stubborn Portuguese genes of hers.) In this vein, I'd like to share my most requested recipe with my friends. This little appetizer came about in my 11th grade Foreign Foods cooking class at Tahoe-Truckee High School. When I set out on my own a few years later, I tweaked it a little, adding some bits and bobs I thought it lacked and the final result has become:

Mama Lynn's Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

40 oz package fresh Button Cap Mushrooms (the large blue container)
1 stick or 1/4 lb lightly salted butter
1 small Sweet Vidala onion or other sweet variety
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/3 lb Jimmy Dean Hot Italian Sausage
1 sleeve Ritz crackers
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Stouffer's Spinach Souffle (in the frozen section at the grocery store with the Lean Cuisines and other diet meals)
pepper
paprika
dash of Tabasco

Annnnd now I have to run off to work, so I'll post the cooking directions tomorrow...or possibly this evening. Look at it this way, now you'll have time to go to the store and get all the ingredients!!!! :)