Vegan Portobello Mushroom Burger

 Well, this dinner cost me 9 cents--I had everything but that shriveled up mushroom--but oh, what a meal!

 I cookie cut two pieces of homemade bread and broiled them in the oven. (I dehydrated the rest for bread crumbs because it's really hard for me to go through two loves of bread--but I do love it!) I spread a generous layer of humus for starters.

 Next, I wasn't stingy with the romaine lettuce.

 A couple of slices of tomatoes, topped with a no-salt seasoning.

 And since I can see that this is going to get tall rather quickly, I spread the other cookie cut bread with still more hummus.

 I sauteed my onion till it was barely caramelized--I added a little rosemary, too.

 Then I topped it with my grilled portobello mushroom.

 A few bread and butter pickles,

 A dob of homemade ketchup,

 A little mustard,

And wallah, this was the tastiest burger I've eaten in a long time. What a great topic!

A Little Bird told me it's Hamburgers this Week!

I talked with Heidi and she said her computer is down. 

She wanted me to pass on the word that the topic

 is hamburgers of all flavors and 

kinds this week. Be it veggie, turkey, beef, 

mushroom, whatever. Great timing for summer barbecues! 

Water, With or Without You

Dehydration has been a great topic for me. All sorts of things have popped into my head. Random things, but, all very relevant.

What do all of these pictures have in common? There is a major component to each  of these pictures' success. . . . . . .. . . . .
WATER!
So, I will explain. The picture top left is of part of my garden. I have been frustrated at the weeds that grow and the watering needs of the plants. I just don't feel I have been as successful in gardening as I had hoped. Well, I have found a really good gardening book I like. It's called Successful Home Gardening, by E. Gordon Wells, Jr. He has given some seminars out here as well that were excellent. In it I learned that you can mulch your garden around the plants with your grass clippings and that will retain more moisture and block the sun from letting the weeds proliferate! Hooray! You want to make sure the grass clippings you use don't have weed or pest chemicals on them from your lawn care. I don't use any fertilizers or weed killers, so I have found a way to save money and have a healthier garden.
My next picture on the bottom left is of my hand holding my water bottle. If you look close you will see next to my nails, cuts that run along side the tips of my fingernails right off to the sides of each nail. I have had struggled with these cuts for forever. I have put every kind of cream on them. Some kind of help, some not so much. I have taken more probiotics which helped a little. But, I think the biggest change I have found has had to do with . . .  WATER! The more humid the condition, the better my nails and skin are. The more water I drink, my cuts begin to heal and go away!!! Hooray because these are the most uncomfortable cuts ever. It's like a deep paper cut that feels infected.  But, it's my body saying, Water please!! In this article linked below it says it has been estimated that about 73 % of people are dehydrated. And about 37 % mistaken dehydration for hunger.  Are 8 glasses of water enough to drink each day? Click Here This is a great website link that I hope you find useful. Something you can do to to help you measure how much you are really getting is to fill 2 quart mason jars with water in the morning and then make sure you drink them all gone by the end of the day. That would be 8 c. of water by the end of the day, a suitable amount for our bodies. However, if you are exercising or sweating a lot, you will need to drink more. Put back in what you take out! On June 9th I will be running a 1/2 marathon, so I have learned the value of enough water in the body. I have found that if I drink plenty of water hours before I run, I feel much better and not as desperate for water during my runs. I always run with water. My friend likes to drive her route and stash water in spots before she runs.
M next picture on the right is of a momma duck by the pond near my home. She has 12 chicks under her wings! I was out on a drive with some of my kids and it started to pour down rain.  I watched this momma guide her chicks under a tree near the water's edge and then get out of the water and all flock under her wings. It was so sweet! I loved watching them.

Last is a picture of some almonds that I soaked in water and seasonings, drained, and rinsed and reapplied the seasonings, and then dehydrated them. You may wonder why to soak them and dehydrate versus roast them. Click here to learn about why and how to soak nuts and seeds. They are spicy, sweet, and crunchy! Yum!
I took about 2 c. of almonds and covered them with water. I added
1/2 t. Salt
1 T. agave
1/2 t. cayenne
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. smoked paprika
Next I let them sit overnight. In the morning I rinsed them off and reapplied the seasonings. I just stirred them in a pot, but, putting them in a bag with the seasonings and then shake it up would help it spread evenly. Then I dried them at 115 degrees for 24 hours or until they were all nice and crunchy. They are so yummy!


Now, just for fun, something to hydrate our memories, this one is for Val. One of your favorites as a child I seem to remember. It's been in my head a long with Angel of the Morning. :) Click Here for the Queen of Hearts

Dehydrated Banana Chips

 Slice your bananas and dip in pineapple juice, then set on your dehydrating tray. After a few hours, I turn the banana chips over and place them right on the vented tray. Let dry overnight.

 As you can see, my basil is doing well--it smells so good! Anyway, the banana chips don't turn out like the preserved store bought kind, you know, real crispy. These are more like taffy with such a wonderful banana flavor. I love them with chocolate chips--OK, so what don't I like with chocolate chips!

Here is a close up of these shriveled little darlings--hope you like them!