Just the mention of the word “mushroom” strikes fear in my children.  We’ve told them so many times NOT to eat the mushrooms in the yard because they will throw up and die, that they cannot even think about eating the good kind.

Abby has a mud kitchen on the side of the house where she “cooks” all kinds of mud pies, cakes, quiches, soups, and cookies.  She garnishes them with various flowers and occasionally herbs from the garden.  But never mushrooms. She won’t go near them. Ever.  You’ll throw up and die, I tell you!

So tonight, we had to get creative with our dinner description.  We told them it was ostrich, and it worked like a charm with Alex, because he thought that was really cool.  The girls ended up with cheese quesadillas, because they didn’t want to throw up and die. Who can blame them?

I adore mushrooms in any form, but this may be my new favorite.  The portabellas taste like steak!  We paired the grilled portabellas with fresh lettuce from the garden that I just dressed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  But if I were using Walmart lettuce, I’d make up a balsamic vinaigrette.

Marinate the mushrooms in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and fresh rosemary.  No salt.  Just drizzle the vinegar and oil and let them sit while the grill heats.

Grill the mushrooms about 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness.  You want them to be soft.  Salt and pepper them when they come off the grill.