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Overnight it seemed, this big blob sprung up in the yard. Curious, I pulled it up, took it inside for a photo that was posted on Facebook with the question what is it. Immediately came back a number of responses, mostly from Maine friends, identifying it as an edible puffball.
Edible? I was a little doubtful but decided to give it a try. First, I sliced it to find it a little on the spongey side and solid all the way through. So began a series of dishes ranging from omelets to risotto to pizza and adding chopped, diced orsliced pieces of puffball. What was discovered was that a puffball is fairly tasteless until it is seasoned and has a very different texture from other mushrooms with which I am familiar.
Of all the ways it was prepared our favorite was mushroom soup. I had no recipe so I chopped a section of the puffball and sautéed it in butter with some onion and garlic. Chicken stock was added along with salt, pepper and herbs d’Provence. The mixture simmered for about 10 minutes and then using a handheld blender(my favorite kitchen tool), I pureed it. It tasted good, but thinking how it could be improved I added half and half and returned the soup to the stove and heated it through. Talk about good, the hubby and I both had seconds. Served with a green salad and some crusty bread, puffball mushroom soup is a simple and yummy dinner.
If you ever see one of these growing in your yard, pluck it right up. If it’s white all the way through, don’t be afraid to use it, but if it’s yellowish and has a mushy texture, throw it in the trash.
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
So spoke my neighbor commenting on the run of less than perfect days experienced in the last month. Like so many other places on the planet, midcoast Maine has had unusual heat that combined with fog and humidity have made for some pretty uncomfortable days. Here we suffer through because most homes have no air conditioning. For me, that means spending more time than usual at the grocery or TJ Maxx where it is cooler.
Breakfast and lunch are easy. Cereal or a blueberry muffin heated quickly in the microwave suffices in the morning. 
A midday sandwich, especially one made with lobster, is more than satisfactory. 
Dinner is a bit more challenging, but I’ve gotten pretty creative with salads. This time of year corn and tomatoes are at their best and layering them with cucumbers, red onion, olives, feta cheese and basil makes for a delightful and refreshing meal.
A favorite again takes advantage of the season’s bounty and adds grilled lobster. There are never complaints about anything made with lobster!
Setting the table to inspire memories of Italy was easy. The centerpiece was a $3 find from the local Goodwill.
Clusters of red grapes repeated the look of the clusters on the candelabra. Talk about an easy creation!
Dishes, each with a different Italian landscape and wine, bought some years ago at TJ Maxx completed the theme.
It’s hard to imagine a table coming together more quickly than this one. With the plates having so much color and energy, there was no need for more than a simple background.
PROSCIUTTO BAKED BUFFALO MOZZARELLAWITH GARLIC & TOMATOES
So what to do with a collection of odds and ends? Soup seemed to be the best answer, and here’s what I pulled together.
Add to these a teaspoon of Hungarian sweet paprika which I have enough of to last a lifetime. I will have to do as what was done in Hungary and put some in everything.
The end result of this concoction was pretty darned good and the accompanying salad’s ingredients used up the rest of the odds and ends. The only thing missing was a good piece of cornbread!
For ideas, I go no farther than these two cookbooks loaded with recipes to suit any palate. There’s no chance I’ll ever get through the two!
Spoon 1/2-3/4 c. of polenta into the center of a plate. Arrange asparagus around it and spoon the sauce over the polenta. Garnish with chopped herbs.
This night there were two salmon filets and a bunch of asparagus, and in just a few minutes they were in the oven roasting away.
While they were cooking, I whisked together a tangy sauce of key lime juice and soy sauce to pour over the fish and asparagus.
In less than half an hour, a healthy and satisfying dinner was ready to go on the table.
If you are standing in line at the grocery or drug store checkout and see this magazine, buy it. I can’t promise you will slim down but be assured you will prepare some very tasty recipes.
Slow Cooker Sausage Cassoulet