Sausage-stuffed Mushroom Caps

Here's another easy appetizer to help your holiday entertaining go a little smoother.  You just stuff them, bake them, and they're ready to go!

Here's what you'll need:
20 large mushrooms
olive oil
1 roll breakfast sausage
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375.

Wipe the dirt from the mushrooms with a damp paper towel.  Remove the stems; discard or save for another use.  Roll the mushroom caps in olive oil and place on sheet tray, hole side up.  Set aside.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet.  Add the onion and garlic, cooking until the onion is soft.

Remove from the heat.  Stir in the panko and the mozzarella.  Mix well.

Use a teaspoon to mound the filling into the hole and make a small mountain on the mushroom.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until the top is crunchy and the mushroom begins to soften, but still holds it's shape.

Enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped Dates Stuffed with Chorizo

We're coming into the height of the entertaining season, and appetizers are a great way to feed people.  I usually try to have equal amounts of hot and cold starters.  These stuffed dates take a little time, but each step is easy, and well worth it.

Here's what you'll need:
12 Medjool dates, pitted
1/2 lb smoked Gouda, cut into 12 logs
3 links fresh chorizo, skins removed
6 slices bacon, cut in half
1/4 c maple syrup
2 TBLS balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Make a slice in each date, so you can open it.  Flatten it out.

Cut each link of chorizo into quarters.  Roll each piece around a log of cheese.

Stuff the cheese-chorizo log into the date.  Close the date around the filling and squeeze to secure.

Wrap one half-slice of bacon around each date.  Place on cookie sheet with the loose end of the bacon down on the sheet.

 Bake at 400 for 7-8 minutes, until bacon begins to crisp.  Turn over and bake 7-8 minutes longer.

Combine the maple syrup and the vinegar in a small dish.

When the bacon is crisp, remove the dates from the oven.  Brush them with the syrup mixture.  Bake 2-3 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Mozzarella Nuggets

I'll be honest.  I started out attempting a recipe I saw on pinterest for fried mozzarella.  The recipe seemed a little too easy to be true.  And it was.  The results could be featured on "Pinterest Fails".  But I still wanted that cheesy goodness to go with my dinner, so I scoured my fridge and came up with these.

Here's what you'll need:
8 sticks of string cheese
1 tube thin-crust pizza dough
warm marinara sauce, for serving

Preheat oven to 425.

Cut each string cheese into three pieces.

Unroll the pizza crust and cut it into 24 squares.

Place on piece of cheese, diagonally, on a square of dough.

Roll the dough around the cheese until it's covered.  Then, squeeze tightly to seal the dough.  This is THE important step.  Some of mine weren't sealed, and the cheese leaked out when I baked them.  Place them on a sheet tray.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes, until the dough is golden brown.

Serve with the marinara, as a snack or appetizer.  I served them with pasta as the bread.

Enjoy!

Taco Belles

Last night I was looking for an appetizer to take to a friend's house, so I was rummaging through the fridge. I found a bag of baby sweet peppers, and I thought they'd taste good stuffed.  What doesn't taste good stuffed?  I combined my love of stuffed things with my love of Mexican flavors, and these little beauties were born.

Here's what you'll need:
1 16-oz bag baby sweet peppers
1 8-oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz ground beef, browned, drained and crumbled
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c shredded Mexican blend cheese
2-3 TBSP panko or bread crumbs

Combine the softened cream cheese with the meat, spices and cheese in a small bowl.  Stir until well blended.

Remove the tops of the peppers; remove the seeds.  Leave the smaller peppers whole; cut the longer ones in half long-wise.

Use a spoon to fill the cavities in the peppers with the meat and cheese mixture.

Place the peppers in a greased casserole dish.  You want it just large enough to hold the peppers, so the whole ones are supported by the larger ones.  Sprinkle with the panko.  This will give it a little bit of crunch after they are baked.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, until the cheese melts and the peppers begin to soften.

Enjoy!