A simple recipe

Life got the best of me! I have been a little busy and I have failed to keep up with sharing life with everyone. Being as it is Friday I am going to remain true to my original theme and give you a recipe.

It isn't anything glamorous or fancy. It is just one of those things I think people should know how to do well. What is it you ask? Today I am going to share my secret to wonderfully sautéed mushrooms.

I know they aren't on everyone's list of favorite foods, but I love them. I also thought with Easter right around the corner a simple side might be a good idea to share with people. I learned them one Thanksgiving when my mom was busy. She told me what to do, but I was on my own for the most part.

So to start I had purchased two pint size containers of baby bella mushrooms that were already sliced. Let's face it cutting mushrooms isn't easy. Not as hard as butternut squash, but still not easy. And unlike my sister, I did not go to culinary school so I have no knife skills.

I first set a skillet on to a medium/low heat setting. On my gas burner a number 4. I put 3 tablespoons of butter in the pan to melt. I occasionally lift the pan to make sure the entire thing gets coated. Then dump in the mushrooms. You can use another type. That is completely up to you.

I like to use a spatula (also sometimes called a scraper) to turn them and make sure they all get coated in the butter. After they have cooked for about 10 minutes and have started to get brown I add salt and pepper. I would say it is about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and I just use my pepper mill and make sure I hit the entire top layer of the pan.

This process is the most important because now you will see when you add the salt the moisture will come out of the mushrooms and begin to cook down. I think this is something that most people don't realize. Mushrooms are sponge like and have a lot of moisture in them. It will feel like you have tons until they start to cook down.

Once the moisture starts to cook off I hit them with my last secret ingredient, white wine. This is why they are great for holidays because you probably already have a bottle open. I usually use a Riesling or a Sauvignon Blanc because that is what I like to drink. Most culinary professionals will say to use whatever you would drink with the meal.

I would say you are going to add about half a cup. It might be slightly less. You just want enough liquid to coat the bottom of the pan. Now this is where you have to pay attention to them. You really need to keep stirring them because they are going to brown quickly and the liquid is going to cook off.

I would say this whole recipe should take no more than 25 minutes. The wine will make them give off an amazing aroma. There is something about wine and butter when using together in cooking that just smells amazing.

And that is it. I always use white serving dishes for holidays because it presents the food nicely. Just taste one before you serve them to see if it needs any more pepper. If you used salted butter and added the salt they should be fine. If you only had unsalted butter they may need a pinch more, but I doubt it.

Now simply enjoy!