Stuffed Mushrooms

The greatest appetizer I have ever ate was at a Boy Scout Cooking Contest and it was Stuffed Mushrooms. I just want to say that my son's troop won the silver skillet competition for their cooking that day. this is a versitile recipe as you can cook it outside on a cast iron pan on fire or inside your home in the oven.

This is also a quickie when having guests since it uses ingredients you most likely will already have. That is a big plus for me with recipes.

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon cut up into little piece before cooking or crumbled up after cooking (your choice)
1 package fresh mushrooms (about a dozen or so)
1 package cream cheese, softened (I buy whatever is cheap)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I use cheddar)
1 tsp minced garlic (use garlic powder if you don't have fresh)


Directions

1 Grease a shallow rectangle baking pan; set aside. In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon until almost crisp. Remove bacon from skillet; discard fat. Drain bacon on paper towels. Crumble up if it is not in little pieces already. Set aside.

2 Clean mushrooms. Remove stems from mushrooms; discard. Set tops aside.

3 In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, bacon, shredded cheese, and garlic stirring until well mixed. Spoon mixture into mushroom tops.

4 Place stuffed mushroom tops in the prepared baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Let stand for 5 minutes.

 

 

Cooking 101

In the last two weeks I have discovered that not all children pay attention in math or reading class. Not surprised or anything like that but was thinking about how to get some well needed learning at home for the youngest one (age 11) who has little attention span...I hear "I'm bored" alot. A light bulb went off when my mom called to ask me about family recipes that Russell might enjoy. Cooking!!!!!!!! It teaches reading and math and you can't get bored doing it as a kid. Wow something so simple yet it went right over my head. Bonus...you can get them to work together without fighting by assigning them separate parts of the cooking. I am putting this to the test and it is working. OMG!!! They actually are asking me to cook. Where did my kids go and who brought me this gift of sitting back and having five minutes of peace. Thank you who ever you are.

I have a shelf of cookbooks that I use most of but I have a few kid specific ones that I have boughten and not used so it was time to break them out. We tried Garlic Cheese Fries. Yummy.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 garlic cloves, minced (about 5 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag, tossing to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown, turning after 20 minutes.
• Place butter and garlic in a large nonstick skillet, and cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add potatoes, parsley, and Parmesan cheese to pan; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Stumped for something to make

Sometimes we all get stumped on what to make. You know that day when you look in the fridge and nothing sounds good. Well when i have those days I go to this site that you put in ingredients and it gives you options. I love this because there is no concern I am not going to have an ingredient or it will include something off the wall that is not commonly in my pantry or fridge. I have pulled the widget and posted it so you can use it too.

HOME MADE GRANOLA

My mom is coming to visit this weekend and she thinks she is going to kick back and relax. little does she know I am finally going to get her granola recipe and maybe a few other recipes while she is here. Check back with me on Tuesday and I will post the famous home made granola my mom used to make when we were kids for snack or breakfast. Have a good Holdiay weekend everyone.