Stuffed Mushrooms

I used to think that mushrooms were gross.
It was one of those things I'd pick out of
pizza
salad 
or restaurant entrees.


But then, I saw the light. 
Madisonville launched the Texas Mushroom Festival
I competed in a scholarship pageant 
and they made me try mushrooms.
The first thing I had was Olive Garden's stuffed mushrooms
Since then I've been hooked!

Here's a simple recipe for them 
that's great to take to Christmas parties
or as an appetizer at a formal dinner  

I've included some tips for quicker prep as well!

You'll need:

24 whole fresh button mushrooms

3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 tsp. vegetable oil

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Bread crumbs and minced fresh herbs, for garnish (optional)

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Buy the pre-washed mushrooms and save a few minutes.

If you saved money instead and don't buy the pre-washed ones,
 clean the mushrooms with a damp towel 

and remove the stems, saving for later use

Add the stems and garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped
Although I love fresh garlic, I bought the jar of minced garlic

Heat oil on medium head and add your garlic and stem mush, 
cooking 5-7 minutes or until all the moisture is gone. 

Lower to medium-low heat and add in cream cheese, 

Parmesan cheese and spices.

Stir together until smooth and creamy

Remove from heat

Fill the mushroom caps with the 

cream cheese mixture using a small spoon

Top with breadcrumbs if desired. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are hot

and liquid starts to form under the cap

Tranfer to a serving platter

Garnish with fresh herbs if desired

 and serve immediately!

This recipe is great because you can mix in 

any number of yummy things you'd like:

bacon bits

crumbled sausage

diced jalapeno 

etc etc

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

What's your go-to holiday appetizer or snack?