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These mushroom sandwiches via Between the Bread look so enticing, don't they? Makes us wonder why every deli board doesn't have a "mushroom sandwiches" section.

For most of my life, I hated mushrooms, and when I turned the corner into mushroom conversion, I became somewhat obsessed. Lately, 'shrooms have been my go-to sandwich filling if I'm not feeling particularly meaty. The earthy, salty taste and the substantial presence feel so decadent, especially when melted with cheese.

First we have a mushroom panini from DeLessio Market, smushed into cheesy service with zucchini and onions. Like many mushroom paninis, this suffered from a slight slipperiness, but that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing.

Check out her other mushroom sandwich encounters when you keep reading.

We've got a new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social networking site that celebrates our favorite topics, including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly. Today, Padma shows us what the spice cardamom is useful for, and why it's so much better to grind cardamom yourself.



Cardamom comes in two main forms: pale, sage-green pods that contain eight to 10 tiny, highly perfumed seeds (which are crushed to make the spice powder), and the larger black cardamom that is used to give savory roasts and curries their heat. For baking, make sure you ask for the green kind, as it is significantly more delicate in aroma and taste; the black variety tastes of menthol and eucalyptus. Most supermarkets sell cardamom in its powder form, but it’s very easy to make your own freshly ground cardamom powder for baking and mixing into spiced teas, like masala chai. Turkish and Arabic coffee also get their aroma from cardamom; it’s a lovely spice to have on hand to dress up many a simple sweet concoction.

Related: Global Pantry: Juniper Berries Are Multitaskers

Just take a dozen or so green cardamom pods (they are only a 1/4-inch long) and slowly peel away the pale, dry, green shell of each to reveal the tiny black pellet seeds inside. One side of the pod will be more pointed; with your thumb and index finger, peel back a side by breaking the little pointed nub. You can even smash or crush a few at a time with the back of a large metal spoon or ladle. Make sure you have a small mortar and pestle on hand; peel the pods directly over the mortar’s basin so as to catch all the seeds. Once you’ve collected enough seeds, discard the green outer shells and pound the seeds into a fine powder with the pestle. Save in a small glass jar in your pantry; the powder will keep its fragrance for months if you seal it well.

What’s your favorite spice for baking and cooking?

Photo Source: 2bp

More stories from PadmaLakshmi.com:

Global Pantry: A Dash of Asafetida Is All You Need

Warm Up With Drinking Chocolate

From My Kitchen: Basil and Blood Orange Salad

Pumpkin: A Savory Flavor That Spans Seasons

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Weekend brunch is one meal that I typically prefer to eat out. Beyond the fact that I get my Bellini served to me in an actual champagne flute, it's also such a hassle to pull together something even mildly elegant when I roll out of bed late on a Sunday morning. A hassle, that is, until I met the breakfast strata.

The casserole of breakfast fare, the strata layers your favorite early-bird foods in one delightful dish. Normally, it includes eggs, bread, some kind of cured meat, and often a sautéed leafy green for a savory hangover fix. But this weekend, I also had a hankering for something sweet and came across this french toast strata recipe that calls upon soft challah bread, maple syrup, milk, and eggs, punctuated by surprise ingredient chicken sausage. It's a light, fluffy take on the breakfast sweet that's like no french toast I've ever tasted.

And the best part is that you can do all the prep work the night before, so all that's left to do when you stumble out of bed is preheat, bake, and eat. Which leaves ample time to pour your own Bellini. Read on for the recipe.