Best Stuffed Mushrooms

For me, I often think about the person or people I'm cooking for when I make a particular dish. That's where the love comes in.

Certain recipes always make me think of a certain person. For instance, I always think about Ethan Pride when I make Buffalo Chicken Dip in a Bread Bowl. I think about Shannon Deane when I make ribs. I think about Mike Deane when I make mini Pigs in a Blanket. Peanut butter stuff and shrimp things make me think of Frank Locke. Jalapeno Poppers make me think of Gary Schlageter. I could go on & on. You get the idea.

When I make these Stuffed Mushrooms, I always think about Bonnie Locke. (One of my closest friends and Lauren's "Ahh Bee" (Aunt B).

These babies contain no meat so they're vegetarian-friendly. I made a boo-boo today & forgot to add the chives to the cream cheese mixture so they got sprinkled on top. And this time I used Progresso Italian Panko Bread Crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs. I love those Panko crumbs! I think Bonnie will be happy with the results when she tastes them tomorrow. :-)

Here's a trick to clean a large quantity of mushrooms. You've probably read that you shouldn't get fresh mushrooms wet because they absorb the water. Wrong!!! They are not little sponges! Here's what I did today: removed the stems from the mushrooms. (Just rock the stem back & forth gently until it separates from the cap.) Then I put the mushrooms in a cheapo plastic bag, added several cups of water & kinda tossed them in the water. Like a mini mushroom washing machine set to gentle cycle. Dumped them into a colander to let them drain a little. Then laid them out on a kitchen towel (opening side down) to dry them off after their bath. They fit on half of the towel so I covered them with the other half & lightly dry off their tops before putting them on the baking sheet.

The thing that makes these Shrooms so great to me? You see that cayenne pepper in the recipe? It'll give you a nice little unexpected bite on the back of your tongue. Try 'em, you'll love 'em!


Best Stuffed Mushrooms

16 ounces whole fresh mushrooms (to 20 ounces)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 Teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 Teaspoon onion powder
1/4 Teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon chives
Italian bread crumbs

Instructions: Preheat oven to 350º.

Clean mushrooms & discard stems. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic & lightly fry, taking care not to burn it. Turn off heat.

Add remaining ingredients to garlic & stir until well mixed. When mixture is cool enough to handle, place it in a zip-loc bag.

Arrange mushrooms on baking sheet. Cut off small corner of bag - make hole just large enough to squeeze mixture into mushroom caps. Fill each cap. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are hot & tops are starting to get lightly browned.

Toldja the photos were bad!