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Warm, comforting, and richly flavored, this savory mushroom and tortellini dish celebrates the earthy depth of wild mushrooms paired with pillowy cheese-stuffed tortellini. Quartered mushrooms are gently sautéed with garlic and shallot until golden, then deglazed with a splash of Marsala wine to lift the caramelized fond. A touch of fresh rosemary infuses the pan with herbal warmth while a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil round out the mouthfeel, creating a silky coating that clings to each pasta parcel.

The tortellini are cooked al dente and folded into the mushroom mixture, allowing the pasta to absorb the savory pan juices. Finishing the dish with a swirl of cream or a generous handful of grated Parmesan adds luminosity and salt-balanced richness, while a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of chopped parsley brighten the overall profile and cut through the creaminess.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound of white mushrooms – cleaned & quartered or mushrooms of your choice

1 pound of portabella mushrooms – cleaned & quartered

4 large garlic cloves

1 medium shallot, thinly diced

1-1/2 teaspoons of fresh minced rosemary

½ cup dry Marsala wine

3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

1 cup of minced green, yellow, and red peppers

1 package of frozen or fresh Tortellini or pasta of your choice

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 large garlic cloves, grated or minced

Process

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

In a very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper,

Cook over high heat, stirring until the mushrooms are browned all over, about 2 – 3 minutes.

Add the sliced garlic, shallot, peppers, and rosemary; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and cook until nearly evaporated,

Add the balsamic vinegar and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.

Stir in the minced garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.

Prepare pasta according to directions

After draining the pasta, return it to a large bowl and stir in the melted butter and mushroom mixture. Stir in 1/3 cup of fresh Parmesan cheese until melted. Garnish with chopped parsley and a swirl of fresh cream if desired.

The Wheel of Time s03e04 ​​​

Witwatersrand Gold & the Creation of South Africa

The colonial authorities responded to the news of the gold find at Witwatersrand by sending surveyors to choose a suitable nearby site where the inevitable influx of gold prospectors from all over the world could live. The site chosen would eventually become the great city of Johannesburg. Within a decade, the young town boasted 100,000 inhabitants, and by 1900, this figure had risen to 166,000. Johannesburg became the largest African city south of the Sahara. It was a wild place in the early days where the spending was as loose as the morals. One contemporary described Johannesburg as “Monte Carlo imposed on Sodom and Gomorrah” (Jackson, 14).

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A quick thank you for helping The Sandwich Generation pass 2K views last week. I appreciate your support as I chronicle this trek!

Before we begin, I would like to take a minute to discuss my new venture with my son Jacob, a YouTube channel entitled Assembling The Sandwich Generation. On this audio vlog, I share my mindset while writing each blog post found here, and also provide an audio reading of each post. Our vision for the vlog has been evolving, and we’d love for you to check it out! Our latest audio vlog can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@AssemblingTSG

The word empathy has become a politically charged word in recent years. Rest assured, I am not here to look at empathy within a political context. To be honest, you may have noticed I am not interested in discussing political affiliations at all on this blog. I’m far more interested in exploring what we have in common and how we can relate and connect as a community. I’m working under the potentially naïve assumption that we have more in common than we have differences. I don’t typically like being credulous, but in this arena, I welcome the possible naivety.

I would like to take a step back and look at the concept of empathy with a fresh pair of eyes, through that nonpartisan lens. I would like to explore how empathy drives The Sandwich Generation, including our interactions with the generations adjacent to it. When our relationships get complicated with our loved ones, regardless of generation, it’s important to remember – there are two sides to every story. Isn’t that the root of empathy?

Let’s look at the definition of empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand, share, and experience the feelings and perspectives of another person. There are three types of empathy: cognitive, compassionate and affective.

Cognitive empathy is the ability to rationally understand a person’s feelings and thoughts. In this example, a colleague is passed over for a promotion. You think to yourself, “They are likely disappointed and possibly embarrassed.” You understand their emotions without feeling them yourself.

Compassionate empathy is the need to react and provide help in any way possible. For example, your friend tells you they are overwhelmed with work. You not only understand their stress, but you also offer to pick up their drycleaning for them or bring them a meal. It combines understanding feelings with action to improve those feelings or their situation.

Affective empathy is the ability to experience the feelings of other people. For example, a friend is going through a breakup, and you feel an actual wave of sadness yourself. You don’t just understand the feelings; you emotionally resonate with them as well.

Like me, I’m guessing you’ve experienced all three types of empathy at some point throughout your life. The focus of this post is to investigate how these types of empathy are employed in our relationships. The goal of this investigation is to ponder how this improved understanding of empathy could benefit our relationships. With the understanding that there are two sides to every coin, I would like to explore three relationship categories – one with my own generation, as well as the generations adjacent to mine.

1. Empathy with The Youthful Generation. Think for a moment: who in The Youthful Generation do you interact with most? When I think of how I exhibit empathy with The Youthful Generation, I first and foremost think of my children, Julia and Jacob.

Both Julia (22) and Jacob (19) have recently been looking for part-time jobs. The job market has been tough for young adults recently. Many places Jacob applied to locally are not interested in “seasonal” employees, as he will be returning for his second year at Illinois State University in the fall. Julia was looking for longer-term employment, planning to work while she attends graduate school at Marquette University this fall. From my end, cognitive empathy produces the thought, “This stinks that they are struggling to find work.” Compassionate empathy has me brainstorming with them on where to look and how to interview. I’m pleased to report they have both been recently employed!

2. Empathy with another member of The Sandwich Generation. Now think of a member of The Sandwich Generation that you interact with the most. In this category, I am thinking of my wife Heidi.

Like any spouses, Heidi and I have different ways of thinking. In a nutshell, I am more analytical in thinking, and she is more emotional in hers. One is not better than the other - in fact Julia has said that when she confides in her parents, she enjoys getting two different perspectives to the same issue.

From my own exploration of these empathy types, I’m recognizing I could utilize more cognitive empathy when talking through an issue with Heidi. Even though we may approach a problem differently, in the end we want the same result. We want what is best for the family and the members in it.

3. Empathy with The Silver Generation.  You get the drill – who do you interact with most? In this grouping, I interact with my mom the most.

As you may have read in previous posts, I am becoming increasingly involved in my mom’s decision making. This includes her finances but also extends into more frequent activities such as managing her e-mail inbox.

From my end, compassionate empathy has taken ahold of this management. I want to provide help and make things simpler and more feasible for her. My affective empathy is employed when I get frustrated alongside her, as she gets disgruntled by a task that was once routine.

Thanks for joining me on this quick dive into empathy. To me, it seems like these are scenarios and actions we have been engaged in all along. It appears that a little more compassion could go a long way in our relationships. Perhaps we just need to remember to work on our patience and take time to be empathetic. Easier said than done, right?

Which category of empathy do you most readily identify with? How do you employ empathy with your core group? Please comment below.

Check out my YouTube Channel, Assembling The Sandwich Generation. https://www.youtube.com/@AssemblingTSG

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The Sandwich Generation: Serving up stories from the middle slice!

Until next time,

Brett