Okay, I have to say something. I've seen too many in the past few weeks to keep my mouth shut any longer. I'm talking about t-shirts with messages oozing negativity. Like the one I saw in a shop window in Vermont: Life is crap (no, it was not an advertisement for a plumbing company). At Rockefeller Center: Just Riot (with the Nike symbol re-done to look vaguely Arabic). Or this one, which I've seen all over: Good morning, let the stress begin. Then there are all the "Leave me the [expletive] alone" and "[expletive] you" t-shirts on St. Marks Avenue. And, of course, the perennial "I'm with Stupid."

I find this upsetting because I believe that what we put out affects not only us, but the world around us. And that's a lot of negative energy to be putting out. After all, words are powerful things. Think about it, how do you feel when someone curses at you? How about when someone compliments you? How long does the affect last?

All I'm really saying, is think about what you're putting out there. Because it will come back to you. Wouldn't you rather have peace, fun, celebration, and other good stuff?

Okay, stepping down from my soapbox. For now.

I hope your day is awesome (in every sense of the word).

For example, I recently made the delicious Wheatberry Waldorf Salad; and I have become a big fan of the yummified Morning Glory Muffins (tips: (1) there's a lot of chopping involved - make it worth your while by doubling the recipe, the batter freezes nicely, (2) these muffins are a hit for new parents - everyone hooks them up with dinner, but how about a nutritious breakfast/snack?)

Also of interest are these nifty items (for example):

A pantry makeover, including what staples to keep on hand in your fridge, freezer, and baking pantry.

Tips for kid-friendly recipes

Instructions on making delicious smoothies (this will surely be another topic for me - I've been a smoothie-making queen now that the weather is warmer...)

Meals for four under $15

Lots of cool info about various food topics such as traditional foods on chinese new year, smart snacking, and what things comprise the perfect Japanese pantry...

A bunch of useful facts about whole grains

A guide to soy foods

There's a whole lot more (really, no pun intended...) and you can even save your favorite recipes to the recipe box.

It truly is an impressive wealth of helpful information. Probably everyone knows about it but me - I feel like I just discovered a treasure trove...

That is a good question as far as I'm concerned. One I've been pondering often lately. It seems to be on everyone's [subconscious] mind. Do you think that in generations past, people talked so much of how quickly the time went? For some reason, I don't think so. I'm sure the sensation has been ever-present, but I think we're all, on some level, convinced that it's going faster and faster. And I think it is...

My most heartfelt realization of this occurred in the days before Lulu arrived. I was, like most near-delivery pregnant women, quite anxious to go into labor. I just wanted the baby here already. As I folded laundry, trying to calm myself, I had deja-vu - I flashed back to a time, about 9 months earlier and newly pregnant, when I imagined the future springtime when I'd have my child. Immediately I thought "that day seems like just yesterday!" Then I realized that in no time, I'd have my kid and before I knew it, I'd be celebrating her fifth birthday and again be thinking that this moment I'm in right now - would seem like it was "just yesterday". It was a huge A-HA! moment... and something in me squeaked "carpe diem!" I realized that the way to combat this sad regretful feeling was to stop thinking about the past and future and focus on the beautiful simplicity of the NOW.

There's something ever so lovely about resigning to the present moment. The most simple, mundane thing can become absolutely delicious if we actively engage our senses.

I have declared war on flying time. It is not easy - it takes practice; I try every day. I decide not to turn on the TV or the radio while feeding my child (which takes an hour, 7 times a day). Instead, I turn to my senses and be present with her; I study her, gaze into her eyes, sing and talk to her. We breathe together. We go to the park and I talk with her about what we can hear, and explore all the beautiful things we can see. I engage my sixth senses with her, trying to relish in our unspoken communication with each other just by being present. And then she usually spits up all over me. Nevertheless, It's amazing how fulfilling all this can be.

I implore you to practice this mindfulness. For further inspiration, read Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power of Now" (genius).

Next time you hear yourself think or say "time flies!" try being actively present. It is the only way to combat this feeling of the world going by at warp speed...

The fiddlehead ferns are crunchy and very fresh, as well as a little nutty in flavor. And so interesting to look at! They also come packed with vitamins A and C. I found out that all ferns start out with a fiddlehead, but the most common to eat is the ostrich fern. I sauteed them with some garlic (although I could have used the ramps) and put them over buckwheat soba noodles with a few pine nuts for a light and easy dinner. (Note: fiddleheads should be cooked thoroughly - either by boiling or steaming, before consuming. Do not eat them raw.)

Here are the recipes:

4 fresh, organic eggs
3 to 4 ramps, minced - separate the whites from the greens
Water
1 tablespoon organic butter, sesame or coconut oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the butter or oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the whites of the ramps and saute until they begin to become transparent, then add the greens. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl, adding a splash of water, then whisk in salt and pepper. As the greens wilt, add the egg mixture to pan and scramble with the ramps. Serve immediately.

Fiddlehead Ferns and Soba Noodles
(serves 2)

1 package buckwheat soba noodles
2 cups fiddlehead ferns, cleaned and boiled for 5 minutes
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil plus more to drizzle if desired
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pine nuts (optional, but very tasty)

Prepare soba noodles per package instructions. Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a pan over medium heat, then add pressed garlic. Saute for a couple of minutes, then add ramps, salt and pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes or until fiddleheads are tender but still crisp. Toss over soba noodles, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with nuts and enjoy.

For more recipes and information, or to have these wonderful vegetables sent to you, check out wild-harvest.com.

I didn't fall (thank you, yoga!), but I did a pretty interesting maneuver in order to stay upright, involving flailing arms and a hip-twist or two. A man across the street smiled, but didn't stop to wonder whether I was okay. I guess I looked fine. In fact, I felt mostly fine. I circled my ankle a couple of times, took a couple of gingerly steps, and then went on my way to the store. It hurt at first, but then the pain went away.

Well, I didn't make the tart, and I didn't make it to the dinner, because I had actually broken a bone in my foot (although I thought it was just a sprain at the time) and putting on a shoe and going anywhere was, shall we say, problematic.

Anyway, back to the bagels. I used to be a bagel-a-day girl. I moved to New York City partly for the bagels. (Okay that's stretching it a little, but not all that much...) I was even a bagel snob. Essa hands down over H&H, both over the usual deli kind for sure, and don't even get me started on frozen.

I was also a crash-at-3p.m. type.

As I started to learn more about how food affects me, I began to realize that my beloved bagel was doing me wrong. It was just too much sugar and not enough nutrients. Plus, most bagels are equal to about 5 slices of bread. There are a lot more interesting things I could do with all of those calories! So I began to replace them with things that worked better for me, like oatmeal with nuts and raisins, and hard-boiled eggs. Eventually, they were gone altogether.

I hadn't had a bagel in a very long time when the feeling overwhelmed me the other day. Now, I've been trained to "deconstruct" cravings - take a moment to take a look at what may be causing it, and what, besides the food screaming in your head to be eaten, might satisfy it. In other words, what need really needs to be met. (Hint, it isn't always, or even, usually, about the food.) And so I deconstructed. My broken foot was clearly the reason. Physical trauma equals feeling sorry for myself and wanting - what else - comfort! As for something else to satisfy the craving? Walking sometimes works for me, but obviously that was out. I didn't have any good whole grain bread with me, or a place to get it easily. I suppose I could have journaled about it, but I needed to get to work. And my husband wasn't around to hug. So here's what I did: I ate the bagel. A 9-grain honey bagel. With butter. (The available cream cheese wasn't very appealing.)

I ate it slowly. I chewed. I enjoyed. And you know what? I didn't need another bagel! I didn't want coffee with it! And no, I did not go on to have ice cream for dinner! (I have been known to do that.) I just enjoyed my breakfast and then went on with my day.

Sometimes we become so afraid of certain foods, that we feel like we're "falling off the wagon" if we eat them. That they'll start us right back on the road to all the unhealthy behaviors we've worked so hard to rid ourselves of. But you know what? Sometimes a girl just needs a bagel. And I'm learning that that's okay.

Garlic is a Superfood with a notable capital "S". Aside from hosting enviable amounts of vitamin C, B6, selenium, and manganese, it is a potent anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory. Just a few of the known health benefits:

• regular garlic consumption has positive affects on regulation of blood pressure and triglyceride levels
• fresh garlic is useful for helping to protect severe asthma attacks
• helpful in the reduction of pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
• effective in treatment of common colds, flu, and stomach viruses
• effective in treatment of candida overgrowth
• may help prevent against many common cancers
• potent antibiotic - even against some drug-resistant strains of bacteria (promising studies show it may help against MRSA)
• helpful in treatment of skin cancer and prevention of colon cancer
• may help prevent development of diabetes
• promotes weight control

A couple medicinal uses for the home apothecary...

Kick that cold in the arse: do you have a cold or cough that's just been lingering? Tuck a clove of garlic in your cheek and suck on it for an hour at night - each night until your cold disappears. Yes, you will have garlic breath, but it's manageable with toothpaste and mouthwash. You can also chew some parsley to rid of it. Your cold should vanish within a couple days.

Garlic & Honey Cough & Cold Syrup: this is a powerful concoction to keep on hand during cold season: Peel organic garlic cloves, put in jar. Cover with raw organic honey. Set in warm place for 2 weeks or more until the garlic turns opaque. Take 1 teaspoonful as needed. Dilute with a little water for children. Works wonders!

Selection, storage, preparation

For maximum flavor and nutritional benefits, always purchase fresh garlic - don't go for that pre-peeled jarred stuff. It's not so hard to get the peels off if you're armed with this helpful technique: take one clove, slice off the end (not the pointy end, but the other end), place the clove with the smooth side down on a cutting board and gently tap it with the flat side of a wide knife. You should be able to take the peel right off.

Also, as with many produce items, smaller cloves tend to concentrate more flavor and have more sweetness. Purchase garlic that is plump and has unbroken skin. Gently squeeze the garlic bulb between your fingers to check that it feels firm and is not damp. Store fresh garlic in either an uncovered or a loosely covered container in a cool, dark place away from exposure to heat and sunlight. This will help maintain its maximum freshness and help prevent sprouting. It is not necessary to refrigerate garlic.

Avoid garlic that is soft, shriveled and moldy or that has begun to sprout. These may be indications of decay that will cause inferior flavor and texture.

You may have noticed that different recipes call for you to prepare your garlic different ways. Why all the fuss, you ask? Well, there is some lovely nuance to be had - all based upon what kind of flavor you're looking to get out of it. Garlic may be mashed, pounded, pressed, diced, sliced, or left whole. A whole clove, cooked slowly, has a mild, nutty flavor because the heat destroys the enzyme responsible for the sulfur compound within. So heat is one factor. The second factor is exposure to oxygen, as those cells exposed release sulfides that oxidize on contact with the air - therefore, a thoroughly mashed clove is more potent than one that is sliced or chopped.

Finally, as you may have learnt already - when cooking garlic, do NOT brown it. It will become bitter and ruin the dish. If this happens, it is better to start over, washing the pan out and everything, than continuing - there is no correction for a dish with burnt garlic...

Fresh Garlic Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
3-5 cloves of fresh garlic

Mash the garlic by first cutting into small pieces, then either mixing with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle, or adding salt to the cutting board and mashing and puling with the flat side of your knife. The salt will pull the water out of it and help it liquify, or mash. Thoroughly combine all ingredients, and dip fresh or steamed veggies for a snack or meal. The sauce will keep for a couple weeks.

Simple Roasted Garlic

As many bulbs as you want to roast
Olive oil

1 Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2 Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves, exposing the individual cloves of garlic.

3 Place the garlic heads in a baking pan; muffin pans work well for this purpose. Drizzle a couple teaspoons of olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

4 Allow the garlic to cool enough so you can touch it without burning yourself. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a cocktail fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

Eat as is (I love straight roasted garlic) or mash with a fork and use for cooking. Can be spread over warm French bread, mixed with sour cream for a topping for baked potatoes, or mixed in with Parmesan and pasta.... let your creative juices flow with this one, the sky is the limit!

It often appears that we Americans are obsessed with health. Media outlets trumpet the latest gene and drug discoveries, dietary supplements line shelf after shelf in the supermarket and a multi-billion dollar industry of magazines, videos and spas sells healthy "lifestyles." We spend more than twice what the average rich country spends per person on medical care.

Yet we have among the worst disease outcomes of any industrialized nation - and the greatest health inequities....

Our international health status has fallen radically in the last few decades. In 1980, we ranked 14th in life expectancy; by 2007, we had fallen to 29th. Our infant mortality rate lags behind 30 other countries. And illness now costs American business more than $1 trillion a year in lost productivity.

Healthy behaviors, molecular research, and of course, universal health care are all important. But evidence suggests they miss the most vital factor of all: how the social circumstances in which we are born, live and work can get under our skin and disrupt our biology as surely as germs and viruses.

We produced UNNATURAL CAUSES to draw attention to the root causes of health and illness and to help reframe the debate about health in America.

Okay, you're saying. What's so exciting about that? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's why this is my new favorite way to make rice:

1. The rice comes out fluffy, chewy, and not even a little bit mushy.
2. I get to use my cool enamel-coated cast iron pot (my favorite).
3. Baking seems to wake up the spices, rather than making them soggy with the steam of the usual stovetop or rice-cooker methods.
4. Since the heat is coming from all sides at once, everything blends beautifully, instead of having the spices or broth or whatever you might be using end up on top.
5. Did I mention that I get to use my favorite pot?

As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to try baking other grains, too, like quinoa and millet. In fact, you could make a whole casserole-y kind of meal and add cheese on top at the end and get it nice and brown and gooey by taking off the lid and cranking the heat. But I digress.

Here's what I did:

Mark Bittman's Simpler-Than-Pilaf Baked Rice (Jody's Variation)

Ingredients
1 cup long grain brown rice (Basmati if you have it)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (I like cumin!)
1 medium tomato, diced (or 3/4 of a can)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1-1/2 cups water
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse the rice and set aside. (FYI - you should always rinse your grains before you cook them, especially if you buy them in bulk. They tend to get dusty sitting around in those huge silos and bins.)

In an oven-proof pot (like my favorite enamel-coated cast iron one), heat the oil and add the spices, cooking for about a minute or until the cumin seeds begin to release their aroma. Add the rice, tomato, salt and pepper and continue stirring for another minute or so, until the rice is coated. Add the water, bring to a boil, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and let rest for another 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Not only was it a big hit at dinner, it made a great lunch the next day.

No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting (can substitute a cup or so of Whole wheat flour)
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed. (and you can add sesame seeds which is great!)

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

The instructions also included some detail about the recipe you were to send: "the best type of recipe is the one you can jot down from memory and send immediately."

The promise of more off-the-cuff home cooking was what incented me to participate. After all, who needs more recipes? I have thousands on my bookshelves and even more available at my fingertips via the web. What we all could use are easy, basic approaches to food - things that taste great and you can scribble from memory as quickly as you can gather the ingredients.

Finally, I have to admit, I was curious what my friends (or really, friend's friends) cook. Cooking and food preparation are a very personal thing - with what concoctions are we nourishing ourselves on a weeknight when we need a no-fuss meal?

The answer, if it truly is reflective of the spectrum of american casual cooking, was... sobering.

(Note: if you are a sender of one of the recipes to me, I sincerely appreciate your heartfelt contribution, regardless of my critique.)

I suppose, given our food culture (or lack thereof), and the strong hold 50's style food customs have on our circa-2000 diet, I should not have been surprised. If I were writing to any cross-section of an American audience, I think I would have been less shocked. But these people were metropolitan New Yorkers, keen on current issues, conscious of diet as part of the picture of overall health.

One recipe in particular deserves to be printed for its complete lack of real food items, ignorance of traditional foods (... this is not Waldorf Salad...), and basically the less-than-pleasant feeling I get in my gut when I consider being presented with the final product:

I think this is called Waldorf Salad. It's a YUMMIE dessert.
1 carton cool whip
1 pkg pistacio pudding
1 can shreaded pineapple, drained
1 pkg mini marshmellows

warm cool whip to room temp, drain pineapple, and combine EVERYTHING!

Ewe! So what's the lesson here?

The lesson is that the food industry, with all their Food Products, and millions (if not billions) of advertising dollars, have convinced us - even the smartest among us - that their boxed, labeled food concoctions comprise the heartiest of American home cooking.

The lesson behind the scenes is that this is why we're getting fat, getting diabetes, heart issues - why in fact the top 8 diseases in this country are diet-related. Even when we set down to make a casual home-cooked meal, we are not eating food - we're eating food products.

It is my firm belief that focusing on health is not about food components, which fats to eat, how many carbs and proteins, but about food quality. The single most important thing people can do for their health is to eliminate food that comes in wrappers; that is - processed food, or "Food" (note the quotes).

"Food" is not Food. "Food" is processed food, meaning that what was once a plant or something natural, has been ground, extracted, boiled down, or broken down into its component parts, then reassembled, often with chemicals, additives, and other food parts to comprise something that looks natural. The problem is that it is not natural - and that we don't understand how our bodies process real food, which are the original plants themselves, that deliver a complex system of nutrients which all support each other's assimilation. When we fracture these elements and add unnatural components, we're fracturing the composition of the original food and making the body's job of digestion and absorption difficult and imbalanced. Not to mention all the sugar and fat that are usually added to make the final concoction palatable - which sabotage a healthy, balanced state. So if this is so precarious, why do we do it? WE don't do it - the food industry does, and they do it because it's really cheap to make, the profits are high, and they have lured us into thinking it's good for us.

Food means whole food - food that is as close to its natural form as possible. Be it plant or animal product, aside from the preparations we make in our kitchen, this Food is largely unadulterated, and our bodies have evolved on it for thousands of years.

There's a universe of amazing, beautiful, tasty whole foods out there just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. They are simple to prepare and you don't need to worry about whether they have, for instance, the right amount of protein per serving. They don't have brand names and can't bear labels that espouse their health properties. But if you eat them most of the time, and avoid the cool whip, fat-free cream cheese, and boxed cake mixes , you'll find yourself enjoying food more (without the stress) and feeling better.

Below are two recipes I received that are made with real food, which are simple and delicious. Thanks to the senders - you know who you are.

Pear Cranberry Walnut Salad with Apricot Dressing

Mixed Greens
A pear or two
Dried Cranberries
Walnuts
Crumbled Blue Cheese

Dressing:
Apricot Nectar
Dijon Mustard
Canola Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:
Peel, core, and chop pears. Toss greens, pear, and cranberries together. Add the walnuts
and blue cheese on top or you can mix those together too.

Dressing:
Whisk the nectar, oil, and vinegar in equal proportions with about
half the amount of mustard. Adjust the proportions to your liking.
Salt or pepper to taste. Voila!

Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame & Tarragon

* 1 cup quinoa
* 2 cups vegetable broth
* 2 cups frozen shelled edamame
* 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup drained and diced jarred roasted red peppers
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1.Toast quinoa in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it becomes aromatic and begins to crackle, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.

2. Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook gently for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and, without disturbing the quinoa, add edamame. Cover and continue to cook until the edamame and quinoa are tender, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Drain any remaining water, if necessary.

3. Whisk lemon zest and juice, oil, tarragon and salt in a large bowl. Add peppers and the quinoa mixture. Toss to combine. Divide among 4 plates and top with walnuts.

Also recently dispelled is the myth that mushrooms contain virtually no nourishment, and are hard to digest. Not true! In fact, the past few decades have taught us quite the opposite: almost all mushrooms contain powerful nutrients for health. Some examples: Oyster mushrooms have been shown to inhibit tumors and dramatically reduce cholesterol and show promise as a blood-builder; Shiitakes strengthen immune function, lower LDL cholesterol, are strong anti-virals, and have exhibited strong anti-tumor properties. Portabellos and criminis have powerful anti-tumor abilities, and Maitakes have been shown to lower high blood pressure, protect the liver, stimulate T-cell production, and inhibit the growth of tumors.

In Japan, mushroom extracts are part of the most progressive medicine in caring for cancer patients and strengthening delicate immune systems ravished by disease.

As it turns out, mushrooms are a powerful super food - and these super powers can be of great service to us as we fend off invaders during the cold days of winter.

Some tips:
• You can buy mushrooms fresh or dried. Dried are convenient to have on hand always, and reconstitute within 20 minutes. The reconstitution liquid makes a nutrient-dense and very flavorful broth.
• If buying fresh, inspect your mushrooms for vital signs; their gills (the underside of the cap) should be intact and undamaged, and the mushroom should not smell of ammonia or mold, but rather a pleasant odor evocative of earth. Be careful buying mushrooms suffering behind plastic - Mushrooms hate plastic, and often don't look so hot if they've been there for a while. Store your mushrooms in paper bags or glass. Never plastic.
• Mushrooms are best cooked. Many raw mushrooms contain a substance that makes the protein in them difficult to break down. This substance cooks out. Some mushrooms (such as morels) have substances in them that can cause serious gastric distress if not cooked out. In general, the nutrients in mushrooms are more bio-available when cooked.
• Cleaning mushrooms: always do this right before cooking. With a damp cloth, gently brush off any dirt. Washing mushrooms washes away delicate flavor, and mushrooms don't like a lot of water, so only submerge them if they're looking really grimy. In that case, fill a bowl or clean sink with cold water, and delicately swish your mushrooms around. Remove promptly.
• In case this has inspired in you a sense of adventure, make note of an old mushroom hunter's phrase: "there are old mushroomers, and there are bold mushroomers, but there are no old, bold mushroomers!" Don't pick and eat a mushroom unless you're absolutely, completely sure what it is. There are better things worth dying for...

Wild Mushroom Fricassee Over Farro (or Barley)
Note: This recipe calls for a pressure cooker to cook the grain quickly. If you're not so equipped, that's ok: you can cook it in a regular pot on the stovetop (1 part farro to 3 parts liquid - simmer for 25 minutes). You'll want to start that first, and skip step 4.

2 lbs mixed mushrooms (shiitake, chantrelle, cremini, oyster - whatever you want!)
3 T olive oil
1 1/2 t coarse sea salt
fresh black pepper
1 1/2 c. farro or barley (yummy, nutty grains!)
2 T butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 t all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dry red wine
2 T each of chopped flat-leaf parsley, thyme, and rosemary
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
grated parmesan cheese

1. Place a rimmed baking sheet in the middle of an oven and preheat to 450 degrees
2. Cut the mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, leaving small ones whole
3. Toss the mushrooms with 2 T olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mushrooms on the hot pan from the oven and roast there for 15 minutes.
4. Prepare the farro: In a pressure cooker over high heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the farro and 1 teaspoon of salt, and secure the lid. When the pot comes to full pressure, reduce the heat to med-low and simmer for 9 minutes. Remove from heat, and slowly release pressure (with the gauge, or by running cold water on the closed pot at the sink). Test the farro for doneness, and if necessary, simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes more, until tender. Cover to keep warm.
5. Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer another 5 minutes.
6. Transfer the roasted mushrooms to the onion pan. Add the flour and saute, stirring, until the flour browns and begins to stick to the bottom, about 3 minutes.
7. Add the wine and 1/2 cup water. Scrape up the brown bits from the pan with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
8. Add the herbs and garlic, simmer 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over farro, and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan.

Recipe borrowed from one of my favorite cook books, Peter Berley's Fresh Food Fast.