Bizarre Foods... with Denise and Brookelyn

Ok... not so bizarre, but when Brookelyn and I went to Sam's Club tonight to restock my 'edibles' we came across those HUGE Portobella mushrooms that really look like Frisbees. Now... in my regular, non experimental life, I don't like mushrooms. They are slimy and weird, and the idea of eating a ground fungus... well...
The truth, I have always been afraid of them... maybe I watched some old B rated movie 'Attack of the Killer Mushrooms' as a kid or something and I have suppressed the memory...

However, this entire experiment has become many more things than I could have anticipated. It turns out, this is not all about me and my health. It has become a science lesson, a health lesson, a nutrition lesson... and a suck it up and try it lesson! The girls and I watched Alissa Cohen make the Stuffed Portobella Mushroom Caps on her DVD the other day along with many other things in fascination! Their list is as long as mine of things for me to eat and them to sample. Honestly they are amused by it all as well as excited for all the new things coming into the house. You should have seen Julia's face light up when she realized I was making Banana Papaya Pudding earlier... and willing to share generously.... again, no refined sugar so no mamma guilt there. And it was delicious by the way.

Anyway... B and I were at Sam's Club, and we came across those mushrooms. The look on both of our faces said it all. I knew she recognized them from the DVD and she also knows my fear of those aliens. However, I paused too long in front of them. She said... "Come on Mom, Andrew Zimmern would do it". I replied... ' Andrew Zimmern does A LOT of things I wouldn't do!'... but I knew she really meant 'Come on, don't be a wimp...get over it and try it!' but of course, that might land her extra chores for being lippy if she actually said it, she knows how to make her point under the radar by now! Like a Western duel, I met her dare, and said... "If I try it, YOU are going to try it." We shook on it(wah whah whaaaaah echoing shrilly in the background, I just knew Clint Eastwood was hiding behind the onion pallet)... and I brought them home. For those who don't know who Andrew Zimmern is, he is the object of our fascination, and some geography and culture lessons as we enjoy his show Bizarre Foods ...well Julia took issue with the roasted Guinea Pigs and Deep Fried Frogs of course, and anything resembling a beloved critter, which is pretty much all of them in her eyes... but over all...

Anyway, I tried them tonight, following the recipe in Alissa's book. I got full on only ½ of one, but honestly... I think I could acquire a taste for them. The funny thing was, Andy wasn't with us at Sam's Club and missed our whole western scene, but I was describing it in detail as I was eating it, telling him how this flavor blended with that and so on, and he said... "You sound just like Andrew Zimmern'.... which sent both me and Brookelyn into hysterics. He had no idea why he was so funny!