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TBy Angie Bridges
o say that I’m a fan of mushrooms
is a bit of an understatement. I
grew up being served them in many dishes, but my main memory of them, they were served as a tapa, just sautéed with olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a small squeeze of lemon. They’re absolutely delicious that way, and usually the first to disappear.
There are many different types of edible mushrooms species available including white button, portabella, cremini, oyster, chanterelles, and porcini to name a few and their nutritional benefits can’t be denied as they are a good source of B vitamins, low in calories, high in fiber and in a powerful antioxidant called selenium which helps support your immune system. White button mushrooms in particular are one of the few non animal sources of vitamin D, too. It was this tidbit that motivated me to share more information about them as I’ve seen a growing trend in people eating less animal protein and trying more plant based diets. While we do love our meat in my family, we are also big fans of making dinners with
mushrooms as the “meat” in the dish.
Those of you who know and love them too are already familiar with the meaty quality of a good grilled portabella mushroom “steak”. One of my personal favorites: green bean mushroom stir fry. So good! Since we’re heading into the holiday season, I’m going to share with you all another must for entertaining that always gets great reviews from my guests for my super easy but fancy looking mushroom
and pecan pate. Enjoy!
Ciao for Now, Angie
Exotic Mushroom & Pecan Pate
You’ll Need: 1 cup pecan halves (can substitute walnuts), 4 shallots minced, 1 stick unsalted butter, 1⁄2 lb. portabella mushrooms, 1⁄2 lb. white button mushrooms (you can have some fun with different mushrooms here-it’ll still be delicious), 2 TBS roasted garlic paste, 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 T fresh), small handful chopped Italian parsley, salt & pepper to taste, and 1 TBS olive oil. Serve with toasted baguette slices or your favorite cracker.
Directions: In a small dry skillet over medium heat toast your pecans until fragrant (do not scorch!) and set aside. Next, in a large skillet over medium high heat, cook first the shallots in the butter for a few minutes and add the chopped mushrooms, garlic paste, thyme, parsley, and salt & pepper. Cook stirring often, until most of their liquid had evaporated. Set aside. Next, in a food processor process the toasted pecans with the olive oil until it turns into a paste and add sautéed mushroom mixture and pulse until combined. Take out and pack into serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate a couple hours or overnight. Before serving top with a little more chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil and serve with crispy baguette.
Angie Bridges is the owner of Copa Wine Bar
in Stone Oak along with her husband, Jeff Bridges. Angie is also the founder of the Taste of the Northside Fiesta event and is the original Queen of the Vine.
Mad For Mushrooms
What are Some Things that You Should Be Doing Before You Begin Home Shopping?
Put A Stop To Flaking Flagstone
IBy Gina M. Sohmer
t probably comes as no surprise to
you that the most successful people
in life have a plan.
So, it stands to reason that to be a
successful home buyer, you would need a good plan. After all, a real estate transaction is one of the biggest financial transactions most people will do in a lifetime.
Did you know that there are ten major steps to the home buying process? No? What is a process after all? Well it can also be called a plan.
Understanding the buying process demystifies the steps you will take to get the keys for your new home.
I am exploring these ten steps and more in detail, in my 10-part Home Buyer’s Video Series!
This series, and more information for both buyers and sellers is on my YouTube video channel.
The link for the channel and to auto- subscribe is:
https://www.youtube.com/ ginasohmerrealestate?sub_confirmation=1 I love to interact with my readers, so
don’t forget to like my videos, ask questions in the comments, and subscribe to get all the information that you need in buying and selling real estate!
After all, IT IS FREE and Free is a Good Thing!
Don’t forget to give me a call, Gina Sohmer, with eXp Realty, if you are in the mind to either sell or buy a home today, and together, let’s make your real estate dreams come true!
RE Questions? Email: gina@ginasohmerrealestate.com or call/text to (210) 608-0650.
Gina M. Sohmer, is a
veteran, a Graduate of the
REALTOR® Institute, a Cer-
tified Negotiation Expert,
a Seller’s Representative
Specialist, an Accredited
Buyer’s Representative,
a 2020 Winner of the
Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite Award, and a REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC.
IBy Alissa Reinhard
t’s November which means
chilly temperatures. When water
temperatures move in the direction of freezing, that can mean trouble for unsealed outdoor surfaces, like flagstone.
Over the past 25 years, I’ve cleaned and sealed just about every surface outside the home. But lately, with the introduction of the saltwater swimming pool, I’m getting a lot of calls asking why the flagstone is flaking into the pools. After phoning many local pool installer, this seems to be a common problem: the flagstone flakes and discolors the pool inside.
So why does this happen? When water temperature moves in the direction of freezing, the water expands. When rock or flagstone moves in direction of freezing, the rock contracts, or gets smaller. So when temperatures change throughout the day, the rock and water move in opposite directions, causing flaking.
So what’s the solution? Seal water out of the stone. The sealer that works best
is a penetrating solexene – a sealer with a small molecule that will penetrate deep into the stone, encapsulating the granules that make up the stone creating many layers of sealant inside the rock. Solexene also dries to a natural color and creates a high surface tension that emulsifies water away. It has a long life and will not break down in the sun.
I believe solexene is the perfect solution for flaking flagstone and I have firsthand knowledge to prove it. I built two flagstone patios, side by side, with the same stone. I sealed one patio and left the other unsealed.
The sealed patio does not saturate water and does not flake. However, the unsealed patio is constantly flaking and pooling. When it gets wet, it stays wet. And as the temperature fluctuates, it flakes.
I hope you find these tips useful. I’d be happy to service your deck and patio today! Just call Barry Hagendorf’s Deck and Patio Care at 210-822-9147 for a free estimate or visit www.deckandpatiocare.com
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November 2020