Monthly Archives: April 2013

April 10th, 2013

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How To Know If Mushrooms Are Bad

Today I found a punnet of fresh portobello mushrooms in the fridge. It has been sitting there for over a week. My MIL bought it but she is now away for a few days and would not be cooking it for the next few days. So I decided to cook mushrooms omelet with it. As I took the punnet of mushrooms out from the fridge, I noticed that the plastic cling wrap on the punnet was very oily. When I removed the plastic cling wrap, the mushrooms felt extremely slimy. Even after washing them under running water and soaking them, the mushrooms felt unusually slimy and I knew something wasn’t right! Flashes of news that I had read in the past on fatal food poisoning of the entire family caused by consumption of fresh mushrooms started to make me feel peevish and I was doubtful if I should really cook those mushrooms. I felt that it was really wasteful to bin the mushrooms that cost over RM10 but what is RM10 for buying peace of mind? Since I wanted to know if it was safe to eat mushrooms that have turned slimy, I did what I normally would do to get the answer! I raced to my computer and tapped…

This was what I found from eHow.com on ‘How To Know If Mushrooms Are Bad’

1) Look at the mushroom. Mushrooms should have evenly-colored flesh. Avoid using mushrooms if the skin is mushy, spotted or shriveled.

2) Feel the mushroom. Heavy, firm-fleshed mushrooms are ideal. The mushroom should be dry and relatively clean. Avoid mushrooms that have a slimy coating around them.

3) Look at the gills. Flip a mushroom over and look to see if the gills are open. Closed gills indicate mushrooms are young, while open gills signify that mushrooms are older. If the mushroom has shriveled or wet gills, they have spoiled.

Read more: How to Know if Mushrooms Are Bad | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_8456104_mushrooms-bad.html#ixzz2Pfo1MRq8

After reading this, I dumped the entire pack of mushrooms into the bin and cooked scrambled eggs with milk and herbs. I felt so much relieved after getting the confirmation.

Interesting Information

April 10th, 2013

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Bespectacled!

Rascal #2 is now officially bespectacled! After three checks with the optician and ophthalmologist, I am now convinced that she has Astigmatism. She was actually diagnosed with Astigmatism since early last year but I was not convinced with the tests down by the optician and later the ophthalmologist. After the third test, I was finally convinced. I took the trouble and time to bring her for three tests done by three different doctors as I wanted to be extremely sure that her eyes indeed needed corrective glasses. I did not want her to wear glasses because of a wrong diagnosis and prescription. And I had a hunch that this rascal wanted to wear glasses because her good friends wear eye glasses too.

I got her a reasonably priced purple colored plastic frame spectacles and I think she looks very cute wearing it! And oh yes, the hubs is also wearing glasses now! The optician recommended some latest spy optics to him but I told him that since he only needs to wear them when he reads, he can get a regular frame and lenses that ain’t too costly.

I think Sherilyn looks prettier with the eye glasses on. Whatcha think?

Sherilyn

April 5th, 2013

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Microwaved Chawan Mushi

Today during my routine morning run, I was thinking hard about what to dish out for lunch and dinner as the mil will be away for a few days. For a perpetually time-challenged WFHM, I can only dish out meals that are easy to prepare with minimal oil splatters and minimal dish washing that can be ready in a jiffy. I have to think of wholesome and healthy meals that are also tasty which my 3 fussy eaters will not push aside and give me a sulky look. Suddenly, I had a light-bulb moment! I had an idea of making chawan mushi (Japanese steamed eggs) for the girls using the microwave oven! But before I am ready to dish it out to place it on the dining table, I thought I should have a practice session first. So during lunch, while Cass was eating the pork ribs porridge that I cooked, I tried making Chawan Mushi cooked using the microwave oven.

The first cup of microwaved Chawan Mushi was a tad hard as I had put too little water. The 2nd cup was slightly runny as I had put too much water. Nonetheless, Cass loved it! I did not intend to give Cass the tryout-imperfect Chawan Mushi as it did not look too appetizing. But this little greedy rat saw it and asked for a spoonful to try. First spoonful was enough to give her the happy nod of approval! And while I was preparing the second cup of Chawan Mushi, this greedy rat gobbled up the entire cup of Chawan Mushi. When the second cup of Chawan Mushi was ready, I left it to cool down on the dining table while I went back to the computer to check my emails. I intended to eat that myself. Within minutes, Cass came up to me with the second cup of Chawan Mushi in her hands and she said “mummy look, I finished your Chawan Mushi!”

So, despite an uninviting appearance, my microwaved Chawan Mushi tasted good, nonetheless! I shall work on improving my microwaved Chawan Mushi next week and shall post a picture of it IF it turns out silky smooth 🙂

Homecooked Food

April 4th, 2013

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SWEETNESS OF MAPLE SYRUP !

Maple syrup is my latest love at breakfast! I love drizzling maple syrup on my buttered bread slices. I discovered my love for maple syrup by accident actually! You see, there is this big bottle of maple syrup from Canada that my SIL gave me last year and I hardly ever use it as we hardly ever cook pancakes these days, ever since our helper returned home for good. Since the maple syrup is near its expiration date, I have been drizzling it over my butter bread slices very often. The more I eat it, the more I am falling in love with this syrup that is full of goodness!

Sweet Facts On Maple Syrup:

It is a 100% natural, wholey organic food. There is no way to alter it
Maple Sugar is three times as sweet as cane sugar, AND it has few calories!
Maple Sugar is 100% pure. No reduction, processing or removal of anything
Maple Syrup contains manganese and zinc, natural antioxidents which are good for your immune system, male reproductive systems and helps prevent damage to the heart.

Five compounds have been found in maple syrup that have never been seen in nature before. Pure maple syrup has 20 known beneficial compounds for health and now researchers have discovered 34 more, five of which have never been found in nature before. The health benefits of maple syrup are even better than previously known and might help fight cancer, types 2 diabetes and infection.

Pure maple syrup tastes great, and it offers a myriad of health benefits. Here are just a few:

It’s an antioxidant powerhouse. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island found that maple syrup is filled with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that may help prevent several chronic and inflammatory diseases like diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s. It also comes packed with phenolics — the beneficial antioxidant compounds in maple syrup — that may help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels balanced since phenolics inhibit the enzymes that are involved in the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar.
Here are more reasons why it’s good for us.

It settles digestion issues. Try swapping out sugar in baked-good recipes for maple syrup, and you may find that the usual gas and bloating you normally experience after consuming processed sweeteners is no longer an issue. If you do replace sugar with maple syrup, just be sure to reduce the amount of liquid the recipe calls for by about a half-cup.

It helps with muscle recovery. Real maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese, which helps repair muscle and cell damage; it also keeps bones strong and blood sugar levels normal.

It is filled with important nutrients. Maple syrup contains essential nutrients like zinc, iron, calcium, and potassium. Zinc not only supports reproductive health, but it also helps to keep your white blood cells up, which assist in the protection against colds and viruses.

As sweet as all of this sounds, keep in mind that at the end of the day, maple syrup is still just liquid sugar. Too much sugar intake can increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, unhealthy blood levels of fat and cholesterol, and high blood pressure, so regardless of its health benefits, be sure to use maple syrup in moderation.

Nutritional Information On Food