happy friday - a walk in the park

 

bbq pork burger - a riff on the mcrib

a good summertime, or any time burger, especially since (currently) pork is cheaper than beef.

we took a pound of ground pork and mixed in a couple of tablespoons of homemade bbq rub, formed them into patties and cooked them - we air-fried this batch since it was too windy outside to bbq.

while those were cooking we got some bbq sauce ready - either homemade or store bought - sliced up some onion and pickles, and got our buns out (hee hee)

 

when the burgs were done we slathered them with the sauce, and added them to the buns with the onions and pickles.  our bun to burger ratio was a bit off, but that's ok.

 

 

EVERYONE liked these, including the picky girl, which is saying something.  i can't wait to make these on the bbq a ton this summer!

 

reading watching listening loving eating

 reading - i finished this the other night and cried my eyes out.  i am excited to see the movie this month

 watching - resident alien on crave.  this is nothing like i thought it would be, but it's quite fun.

  listening -  to the audio book actress of a certain age by jeff hiller.  i LOVE LOVE LOVE Somebody Somewhere.  if you haven't seen it, watch it.

 

loving - any clip from project hail mary that is on tik tok.  i watch them all.  i loved the book and i loved the movie. 

eating - this cupcake in about 4 bites because who doesn't love a birthday treat cupcake???

what i ate

 We tossed some uncooked gnocchi with oil and seasonings and air fried them for a few minutes.  These gnocchi were cheesy and that made them particularly delicious with some tomato sauce.

I have had curry on the brain lately and wanted to make a particular kind of curry.  I found a recipe to riff off of, but the website must have been corrupt or something, and when I went back at dinner time to read it again before cooking it wouldn't stay up long enough, so I winged it.  It was fine, but no one loved it.

The mister and I got these no sugar added hedgehogs at christmas time and hid them away so well we just recently discovered them.  we did indeed love these.

 

back when i made the stewed pears that no one but me would eat, i mixed them into yogurt and had a toasted muffin on the side.

brie and eggs and tomatos on a bagel.

in the bin 10

  Hello, and welcome to episode 10 of in the bin, where I share with you any and all assorted products I've used up or discarded recently.  

 

book club 23 - the secret of orange blossom cake by rachel linden

 2026-23

 

book club 22 - the downstairs girl by stacey lee

 2026-22

 

book club 21 - the girl and the galdurian by tim probert

 2026-21

 

book club 20 - attached at the hip by christine riccio

 2026-20

 

book club 19 - the vanishing half by brit bennett

 2026-19

 

book club 18 - blood sisters by vanessa lillie

 2026-18

 

book club 17 - dr strange beard by penny reid

 2026-17

 

recreating my moms stuffed mushrooms

 i know i have mentioned a few of my favorite childhood recipes on here before but i'm pretty sure i've never mentioned my moms stuffed mushrooms.  she only pulled out these big guns for parties or big dinners, and it was one of my very very favorites.  since both of my kids are not mushroom fans, i couldn't tell you the last time i even thought about these.  but then i was at the store and they had stuffed mushrooms and boom!  these came to mind.  i was like, we are having the family suffed mushrooms  TONIGHT.  and we did.

 i know my mom had an actual recipe for these, but i've never found it.  so this is me winging it.

the best thing about these mushrooms is that they are very simple and require few ingredients.   

button mushrooms, cleaned and stems carefully removed so you have the stem hole to fill with your stuffing

the mushroom stems, chopped fairly finely

onion or shallot, chopped finely

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

butter

bread crumbs

cheese, like parmesan or asiago - or even shakey cheese

salt and pepper

preheat the oven to 375.

Place the cleaned mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with parchment

Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the shallots, and cook for a few minutes to soften.  then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until everything is soft and starting to color.  season with salt and pepper and add just a bit  - like maybe a couple of TB - of breadcrumbs.  cook for another minute or so. remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.  stuff the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is lightly brown on top, 25-30 minutes.  

let cool for a few minutes before devouring

The Girl would have no part of them, but when i told The Boy (a lifelong mushroom hater) that his Nana used to make these, he said he would try one.  

Friends, he ate 4!!!!!  That is the power of these mushrooms.

 

book club 16 - wilderness reform by harrison query and matt query

 2026-16

 

Sunday dinner (brunch) Easter weekend edition

 

book club 15 - the temple at the end of the universe by josiah neufeld

 2026-15

 

whats going on

 look at these adorable napkins - 

 so cute for spring!

 i made this very good chicken stir fry on the weekend.  i left out the tomatos, bell peppers and mushrooms, so both kids were happy.  i was annoyed that my peas bit the dust in the fridge, but i had celery, carrots, beans, onions and zucchini.  the sauce - chicken broth, oyster sauce, honey and soy sauce.  i stupidly tried to shake some cornstarch into the sauce instead of using a spoon and put way too much in.  i tried to scoop a bunch out but that sauce thickened in 4 seconds flat once it hit the pan.

 i found this dessert on tick tok - 1 pack of sugar free jello mixed into 1 cup of boiling water.  let it slightly cool, and then whisk in 1 cup of no fat greek yogurt, and chill in the fridge.  pretty tasty.

these muffins disappeared in less than a week, which is probably a record in this house -

 savory cheese muffins.

 

book club 14 - the year of the witching by alexis henderson

 2026-14

 

grocery shop march 29 Freshco

 

ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork noodles, coleslaw mix, green beans, zucchini, potatos, carrots, crumpets, peas, cucumber, celery, romaine, buns, cream cheese, buns, scallop potato mix, granola bars, avocados, tortilla chips, rice, pork buns, grapes, crackers, yogurt, coffee, stuffing mix x 2, jello, granola bars, pizza, raspberry jam, ginger, canned pineapple, pepperoni, caesar mix, tomato paste, oyster sauce, bbq sauce, napkins, bread

$182 

happy friday

 someone in my family stole my staple puller from my desk and i was forced to use this crocodile staple puller that i found in a bin in the basement.  and now i love her.

did someone say nachos for dinner?

 i am really enjoying my new book journal format, especially recapping each month.

 bread by The Mister is back!

 Happy Friday!