Is Life Too Short To Stuff A Mushroom?

In 1975, Shirley Conran published Superwoman, aimed at busy women, and coined the phrase ... 'Life is too short to stuff a mushroom'. Perhaps it's a sign that we live in even busier times in the 21st Century, as we've since abbreviated her adage to 'Life's too short!' (note the apostrophe).

If I've learnt anything in my relatively brief life so far, it's that life really is too short to....

1.  Bear grudges.
2.  Keep a closed mind.
3.  Not push myself to achieve higher goals.
4.  Not admit when I need help.
5.  Stay in a job that is bad for my health and sanity.
6.  Not spend enough time with my family and friends.
7.  Let the prejudices of others impair my own better judgement.
8.  Not explore as much of the world as possible
9.  Let past regrets blur the present.
10. Wish life away by living in the future.
11. Take myself too seriously.
12. Worry about things that may never happen.
13. Be superstitious.
14. Always take the safe option.
15. Watch too much rubbish reality TV.
16. Not admit when I am wrong.
17. Not forgive and forget. Not move on.
18. Take anything or anyone for granted.
19. Resist change.
20. Be blinded by details and miss the big picture.

What do you all think life is too short to....?

.........

If anyone is interested, I have indeed dedicated a whole hour of my life recently to stuffing some mushrooms. Dead easy and you will really wow your dinner guests too!  Here's my recipe for a delicious, low-fat version.....

What you need to serve four people:

• 8 large mushrooms - Portobello or 'Breakfast Mushrooms'
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 4 rashers of lean bacon finely chopped (or leave out for veggie options)
• A tub of very low fat cottage cheese (in the UK we get Philadelphia Extra Light or Quark)
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Handful of chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Paprika
• Low fat oil spray for frying (FryLight)

What you do:

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
• Wash the mushrooms well, and remove the stalks (retain).
• Chop the stalks finely and pan fry, together with the bacon, onions and garlic.
• Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Place the mushroom caps smooth side down on a baking sheet.
• Mix the bacon/onion/garlic combo with the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, chives and season to taste.
• Spoon onto the mushroom caps, sprinkle with paprika and bake for approximately 20 minutes until the mushrooms are starting to go golden brown.
• Serve with a salad garnish.

Picnic Days Are Over....

It's the time of the year for comfort food - stews, casseroles, soups and roast chicken... and nothing goes better with roast chicken than roast potatoes! After years of experimenting with soggy, sodden potatoes, I think I may just have cracked the secret of making the perfect roast potato....

It helps to now have a working oven, as that is really the crux of the matter... a really, really hot oven.

So preheat your oven to 230C/220C with fan (450F, Gas Mark 8).

Select your potatoes... I recommend Maris Pipers or King Edwards.... peel them and chop into pieces.

Place the chopped potatoes into a pot, cover with salted water and just bring to the boil. We're told to par boil potatoes before roasting but I think I used to completely overdo this stage.

Drain immediately and allow to cool...

Place the potatoes in a roasting tray and coat with oil...  I recommend vegetable oil, such as sunflower oil rather than olive oil (I tend to cook everything in olive oil but here I make the exception).

Place in the hot oven and roast for approximately 45 minutes or until golden brown, tossing the potatoes in the oil every 15 minutes.

Drain with a slotted spoon and serve.