Spring Break

All of the students are on Spring Break at the university I work at, and campus has been silent.  When I get off the bus and walk across campus to my office, I see maybe one other person, when I used to see hundreds.  There isn't the tempting smell of bacon coming from one of the residence halls, which is good, because of one these days I swear I will break down and go in there and order a plate of it.  When I leave, the bus isn't crowded, and I haven't encountered a hammered undergrad in almost a week. (High point:  St. Patrick's day - shorter guy, red hair, dressed as a leprechan, literally being dragged across campus at 5 PM.)  It's been very nice - all of the spring bulbs are starting to come up, the squirrels are getting more active (I keep trying to catch one for Hunter, but I think the squirrels are onto my game), and the weather has been gorgeous.  Colorado is entirely different from Oregon, and in more ways than relative humidity.  I've found that in Western Washington/ Oregon, for the most part, it's green year round - Spring really kind of sneaks up on you.  You first notice it in when the cherry trees bloom in the Quad, but it doesn't fully hit you that it's spring until then.  Here in Colorado, if you look closely, you can see the grass starting to green a bit, and the weather is starting to warm up.  We've been trying to grill more now that it's nice out.  

Grilled Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

             Adapted from Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals 2 

2 tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 large lemon, juiced

2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs. olive oil

2 medium to large Portobello mushroom caps

Salt and pepper to taste

3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped from the stem and finely chopped

Mozzarella cheese to top, sliced

• Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl or plastic bag.  Coat mushroom caps evenly in marinade and let sit for 30 minutes.
• Place caps on the grill cap side up (gill side up) and season with salt and pepper, light grill and set to “medium-high” cook caps for 4-6 minutes on each side.
• Combine tomatoes and rosemary, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper.
• Turn mushrooms cap side down and fill with tomato mixture, and cover with mozzarella slices, heat until cheese melts.