Tasty AND Healthy?

I've always sauteed mushrooms in butter or margarine. Always. I mean, what better way to sautee? Right? Well, now that Papa Bear and I are really working hard at getting healthy and losing weight, I have been trying to come up with new ways to do things. So, I thought, "hmmm....I wonder what would happen if I sauteed some mushrooms in beef (flavored) broth." I had the beef broth left over from making Rachael Ray's Cheeseburger Chili Mac, and we had mushrooms left over from salad, so I thought I'd put the two together. OH MY GOODNESS!!! You wouldn't believe the flavor!


Here's what I did: Put a carton (or whatever you have left over) of whole mushrooms in a small skillet, and add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup beef broth. (Ours happened to be "beef-flavored" because that's all that Papa Bear could find at Whole Foods. He saw chicken broth and vegetable broth, but not beef broth...only beef-flavored broth. Weird, huh?!) Bring to a low boil over medium heat, and let simmer.


Every now and then, give the mushrooms a stir, so that all sides get cooked evenly. Continue to simmer, and you will see the broth start getting a little thicker as it "disappears". Start stirring constantly at this point. The beef-flavored broth caramelizes on the mushrooms.


Once all the liquid is gone, take the skillet off of the heat. Let the mushrooms cool down a bit, and then ENJOY! These reminded me of some fried mushrooms we used to get at a little drive-in called the Panther Drive-In in Knob Noster, Missouri when I was a little girl. The flavor seemed to taste the same. Of course, mine didn't have the breading and frying.



Mama Bear

My New Experience--Pink Lady Apples

Papa Bear went to Whole Foods yesterday and brough home two apples...in different bags. Normally he will get a bag full of apples, but not yesterday. I asked him, "What are those for?". He said, "We're going to do a Food Network taste test." "Hmmm...", I thought, "...this could be interesting."

The test: Organic Pink Lady apple VS. Organic Honeycrisp apple

The Pink Lady

This apple originated in Western Australia, a natural cross between the Golden Delicious Apple and the Lady Williams Apple varieties.

This yummy apple has a crispness to it, with a thinner skin than Granny Smiths. It has a tangy flavor, but also a wonderful sweetness. I would describe it as a sweet tart. Absolutely delicious! The Pink Lady has a long shelf life when refrigerated correctly. It is said that this apple will make the perfect "salad apple", because it doesn't brown nearly as quickly as other apples. Personally, I think the Pink Lady apple would make one tasty caramel apple!

The Honeycrisp

While not as tangy as the Pink Lady, this apple is just as sweet, and a bit more crisp. Thus the name Honeycrisp. If you click on the "Honeycrisp" name above, you will find the website, which touts this apple as one that can be stored in a refrigerator for up to four months! We cut our Honeycrisp apple around 6:30pm, and right now, at 10:00, the apple still has not gotten brown!

I'm willing to bet this apple is one that even the youngest apple-eating kiddo would love.

All in all, we had a favorite by far: The Pink Lady. Papa Bear will be going to Whole Foods tomorrow to get some more Pink Lady apples! It's a good thing it's on the way home from his work.

I hope you'll go out and try both of these. They sure make a tasty, very healthy snack.

Mama Bear