Mouth Watering Sauteed Mushrooms

Mushrooms…you either love them or you absolutely do not, but these easy mouth watering sauteed mushrooms will make lovers out of everyone! They are earthy and meaty with the most sublime rich flavor.

My whole life I’ve heard my mom salivating over mushrooms. Now if you’re a picky eater can you guess what’s one of the easiest things to hate? You got it, mushrooms. But she’s been in love, stuffed mushrooms, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized mushrooms… the list probably goes on but as a mother of a teenager I’m too exhausted to think. 

I am older now, maybe wiser, and mushrooms are entering my life. These juicy sauteed mushrooms are a fantastic side dish, served over steak, or even better, slap them on a burger with caramelized onions and melty cheese!!

Keys to the Best Sauteed Mushrooms

The best sauteed mushrooms have a few special ingredients that bring out the savory umami flavor:

• white wine – I know it’s a sin to many, but we use cooking wine. See our tip below…
• worcestershire – this big time enhances that earthy, rich flavor
• butter – the ultimate caramelization maker, the fat hitting the heat will make for mouthwatering mushrooms

What Ingredients are Needed for Sauteed Mushrooms?

The ingredients list isn’t long, and having fresh ingredients will give you the best flavor. Here is your grocery shopping list:

• Baby Bella Mushrooms – these are our favorite mushrooms for sauteing but you could use whichever ones you like best
• Olive Oil and Butter –  combination of both fats gives the best flavor and is the sauteing dream team
• Thyme – aromatics
• Oregano – fresh is best
• White Wine – depth of flavor
• Soy Sauce – flavor, helps caramelize
• Worcestershire Sauce – enhances umami flavor
• Lemon Juice – bright fresh pop of flavor
• Kosher Salt – because you always need salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper –

Fluffy, buttery, nutty, pecan pancakes topped with maple syrup make for a tasty and easy breakfast we all enjoy.

Pecan Pancakes

Pancakes are truly one of the best breakfasts. You can make them in mere minutes and my family just can’t resist them. The smell of pancakes will pull them out of bed every time.

My favorite setting on my oven is the “warm setting”. It is perfect for pancake mornings. I can get a jump start before everyone wakes up and have them made and kept hot. Simply place the pancakes on a baking sheet when they’re done on the griddle and then pop them in the oven to hold.

If your oven doesn’t have this setting. Just turn it on at 150-200 degrees. This is just enough to keep your pancakes warm but not bake or cook them.

The Secret to Fluffy Pancakes

The secrets of pancake making are ones anyone can master and I share my secrets freely! So here goes what I get asked the most:

How do you get your pancakes so fluffy? Three things, baking soda, baking powder, and patience. Yes, patience is a key ingredient. Many recipes only use soda or only use baking powder.

A combination of both helps your pancakes be super fluffy. And patience, after mixing your batter, wait until you see bubbles. Rest your batter until it is covered in bubbles. Trust me.

Why do you use real buttermilk? I know there are lots of hacks for making buttermilk. But trust me when I say nothing beats the rich, flavor of real buttermilk when making pancakes. Please, whatever you do; don’t skip on the buttermilk for the tastiest pancakes.

If you make pancakes often, nothing beats a great electric griddle for streamlining the cooking process. A few years ago, when my 15-year-old griddle finally died, I tested every single griddle I could get my hands on.

When I finally tried

If ‘barely getting by’ is where you’re at right now, you could be dwelling in ‘survival mode’

Here’s something that all of us can likely agree on: it can be really tough out there. The shared pressure to do and be more, the waves of bad news that flood our lives, and the personal challenges that we’re forced to face – it’s a wonder we’re able to manage at all. Except, actually, sometimes we aren’t. Sometimes, stress tips us over the edge, and our bodies respond.

“In simple terms, ‘survival mode’ is our body’s automatic response to danger,” counsellor and psychotherapist Belinda Sidhu says. “It’s what has helped us to survive, to get to this point. This response begins in one of the oldest parts of the brain, the limbic system.

“When someone confronts danger, the eyes, ears, or both send information to the amygdala – a part of the brain which can act a bit like an alarm system.

The amygdala interprets those images and sounds. When it perceives danger, it instantly sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus – which functions a bit like a control centre communicating with the rest of the body through our nervous system – and controls hormone release. This can lead to that fight/flight/freeze response.

“This response can absolutely be helpful and aid in our survival if, for example, we’re crossing the road and a car turns a corner unexpectedly. Yet, it’s not so helpful if we’re experiencing it when a stressful email pops up. However, the unfortunate element of the amygdala is that it cannot differentiate between the two ‘dangers’, and which may be an actual threat to our survival.”

As Belinda explains, stress is a very normal part of life – and it can even help motivate us, in small doses – but, over time, it can reach a tipping point where it begins to detrimentally affect your life, making it almost impossible for you to concentrate on anything else. At this point, you could enter ‘survival mode’.

“When we go into ‘survival mode’ – or experience the fight/flight/freeze responses – we may notice a number of physical, emotional, and behavioural signs,” Belinda explains. As she sees it, these include…

Physical signs: Aches and pains, trouble sleeping, muscle tension, or jaw clenching. You may find yourself grinding your teeth in your sleep and waking up with a sore jaw. Stomach or digestive problems, bloating, high blood pressure, or headaches.

Emotional signs: Being more emotional than usual – maybe more irritable, getting angry or frustrated at things that wouldn’t usually cause you anger, feeling overwhelmed, or on edge.

Behavioural signs: You may have trouble keeping track of things, making decisions, solving problems, concentrating or getting your work done. You might find yourself procrastinating and avoiding your responsibilities. You may be ‘self-prescribing’ – drinking more alcohol than usual, or using substances such as recreation

We all struggle from time to time. So why does reaching out for help feel so scary? We share more about how to ask for help

Why does asking for help feel so hard? Despite our growing understanding of mental and emotional health and wellbeing, many of us struggle to speak out and ask for help when we need it the most.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations, nearly one billion of us worldwide are experiencing some form of mental disorder. For teens, that is around one in seven. With ill mental health becoming more and more recognised, why aren't we asking for help sooner?

Why do we find it so hard to ask for help?

While accessing help can be a struggle, many of us find it hard to even ask for help. This can be due to a wide range of reasons. Some people worry that they will be a bother or an inconvenience to friends, family or loved ones, or add extra stress and worry to those around them if they admit they need help. Others may be hesitant to speak up out of fear of being judged, seen as weak or ‘less than’ others who aren't outwardly struggling. Some of us may hold back from asking for help out of fear of rejection or not receiving the help we are looking for, so we convince ourselves it is better not to ask, rather than to ask and still not get help.

Counselling Directory member, Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor Fe Robinson explains more. “It can feel very difficult to reach out and ask for support. You may feel vulnerable or uncertain, or asking may simply be too much right now. You may not feel there is anyone there that can be a support for you, or you may fear rejection. You may simply want to talk about how to improve relationships and get the support you need. In all of these situations, counselling can be a useful aide.”

Does asking for help actually work?

While asking for help isn’t always successful on the first try, we can still gain so much. By asking for help, we can:

• Stop ourselves from feeling stuck. The longer we wait to ask for help, the more stressed, anxious and overwhelmed we can feel. Speaking up can help us to regain the ability to move forward and see positive changes in the areas we most need them.
• Feel connected with others. When we need to ask for help - either that’s due to mental health, emotional wellbeing, or another reason - we can often feel lonely and isolated. Seeking advice, asking for help, or just sharing what is worrying us allows us to share our burden, connect with others who may be experiencing similar feelings, and dispel the fear that may have built up about admitting something is wrong.
• Gain an outside perspective. Sometimes, talking things through with a loved one is enough to help us see a problem in a new light. Other times, it can help us to recognise when we may need more help in the form of talk therapy, group therapy, peer support, or medication.

How do I ask for emotional help?

Asking for emotional support can feel tough. How do you start the conversation? Who should you turn to first? What do you say? It’s important to remember that everyone deserves to feel supported emotionally. When we feel too overwhelmed, we can ri

20 Minute Sausage and Peppers Gnocchi

Sausage and peppers in the same dish is such a stellar combo! Toss in some crispy gnocchi and a luscious sauce, and you’ll be adding this quick and easy dinner to your menu this week!

Our 20 minute sausage and peppers gnocchi is actually a meal of forgotten things. I found myself standing at the fridge years and years ago staring into a bunch of random ingredients and nothing to pull it all together; a little chicken broth, a chunk of onion and peppers from a taco night, and these random sausages a friend had given us. Not really enough of anything to make a full meal, or so I thought. 

I’ve seen sausage and peppers stuffed into hoagie rolls enough to know that I could probably do something similar but without bread or rolls in the house at the time I needed to get creative and as a newlywed that also required cheap. I did not have enough money to go buy a bunch of stuff but I did have a lone package of pasta. 

Over the years we’ve changed up this recipe a gazillion times until a little white cooking wine and the switch from pasta to gnocchi brought it all home. This crispy gnocchi with peppers and onions recipe only takes 20 minutes though the first time may be a little longer as you get the hang of it. Once you’ve done it once it’s a breeze. 

Cook this, plate it. 

Cook that, plate it. 

Crisp the gnocchi, plate it. 

Add the first two plates and sauce ingredients back in, simmer the sauce and then throw in the gnocchi, seasoning to taste. That’s it!

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