Bacon Mushroom Caps

 

These are wonderful appetizers, easy to make and delicious. I have served them both at brunches and cocktail parties with equal success, and I always get requests for the recipe. Recipients are continually surprised by one of the ingredients - corn chips!

 Bacon Mushroom Caps

40 medium button mushrooms

½ lb. bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. butter, softened

½ c. finely crushed corn chips

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 T. finely chopped onion

1 T. dry red wine

 Remove stems from cleaned mushrooms; chop stems. Combine stems with remaining ingredients. Fill mushroom caps. Place an inch apart on baking sheets and broil 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve hot.

 

Crush corn chips very fine. I used an ice cream scoop.The recipe calls for Monterrey Jack, but I used Fontina.Cook bacon until well done and crispy, and then chop with a sharp knife.Stir ingredients together well. I cubed the butter in order to allow it to more quickly incorporate.Rolling the filling into loose ball shapes makes it easy to fill each cap.

These are a MUST TRY!

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Portobello Cream Sauce

 

I love mushrooms, all kinds. I particularly love portobello mushrooms because of their meaty texture and taste, not to mention versatility. If you have never made one of those bad boys on the grill, that’s a “must do” this summer. I was looking to do something different with them, so decided to slice a couple super thin and turn them into a sauce for pasta. It was decadent! I truly think this sauce would be excellent over steak, chicken, and pork chops as well. You simply cannot go wrong with this, and it takes no time to put it together. Easy and company worthy, how often does that happen?Portobello Cream Sauce

  1 T. butter

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

6 oz. portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ t. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 c. heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Parsley flakes, or freshly chopped chives, to garnish

 Melt butter in a 10” skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and raise the heat to high, getting the pan quite hot. Add mushrooms all at once, and let them cook for a minute without stirring. You want to get a nice sear on them. After a minute (or two) reduce heat, add steak seasoning, and sauté mushrooms until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in Dijon and heavy cream, and cook until sauce has thickened.

Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper. Serve immediately over steaks, chops, or chicken, or toss as I did, with pasta.

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Olive and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

My olive-loving friends, this one is for you. The filling can be made a day ahead, and then just plop it on top of your mushrooms and bake. It is a delightful and welcome cocktail nipple that your friends will surely enjoy.

Olive and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

1 8-oz. package button mushrooms
1 4.25-oz. can chopped ripe olives, drained
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ c. crumbled feta cheese
2 T. finely chopped Melissa’s shallot

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Clean mushrooms. Remove stems and chop. Place chopped stems with remaining ingredients (except mushroom caps) into a medium bowl and stir to combine. Mound filling in mushroom caps and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Feel free to top mushrooms with a sprinkling of Parmesan or a few gratings of mozzarella. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until mushrooms have given off some juices and shriveled slightly. Remove from oven, allow to cool for five minutes; serve.

NOTE: To make things easier, I tossed all ingredients into a mini food processor and pulsed until blended.

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Grilled Portobello Burgers

My number two son is quite the innovative cook. Despite the fact that I have been cooking a heck of a lot longer than he’s even been alive, he never ceases to amaze me with the things that he does. I have no desire to emulate him; I’m too old for that. I like good, relatively easy to prepare, comfort food, that pleases the masses. Unlike him, I have no desire to cook with liquid nitrogen, but like him, I do like to try new things.

Despite my love of mushrooms, prior to today, I had never grilled portobellos before. I couldn’t imagine how they would taste, but because the late Mr. O-P would not have liked them, I never pressed the issue. The other day, when I was in the market mushroom shopping (yes, I do go mushroom shopping), I picked up a couple of them. It has been so unbearably hot all summer long (crankiness abounds!) that I haven’t grilled much, but I figured this would be something that I could grill that would require little effort and time. 

So, as I do, I rummaged around on the Internet and came up with a recipe that sounded decent. I made the herb mayonnaise early in the day, adding a bit more rosemary than called for, because I grow my own and I love it, and I put it into the fridge to allow the flavors to meld. When dinnertime came, I fired up the grill, and while the mushroom was cooking, washed up some beautiful Boston lettuce, toasted the buns, and waited.

I could not believe how good this was. Despite the fact that I have been told they were delicious and meaty tasting, I really never believed that. And while I would take issue with them tasting 100% like meat, they certainly are every bit as satisfying as a burger. My above-mentioned son, cooks burgers on the grill, and serves them in a portobello mushroom. That’s something I’m going to try next. Meanwhile, if you’re a mushroom-loving skeptic like I am, give these a try. You’re apt to be pleasantly surprised. 

Grilled Portobello Burgers

Adapted from epicurious.com

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons grainy Dijon mustard

6 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

4 large portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of salt, pepper, and Montreal Steak Seasoning

4 brioche buns, toasted

Boston lettuce

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, 2 teaspoons rosemary, and garlic in small bowl.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray, then prepare barbecue (medium heat). Brush mushrooms all over with olive oil. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon rosemary, salt, pepper, and Montreal Steak Seasoning. Grill until tender, about 10 minutes per side.

Spread mayonnaise mixture over buns. Place mushrooms and lettuce on bun bottoms. Cover with bun tops.

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If you are an indoor burger kind of person, you will swoon over these Famous-Barr John White Burgers.

This post is linked to:

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Reader Tip Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Full Plate Thursday

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Delicious Beef Burgers

​Grilling season has been upon us for some time, but in my case, it has been way too hot to grill. Still, it is National Grilling Month, and I could not resist the call of the burger. I made up a number of them to grill early in the morning before it got too hot, slathered them with barbecue sauce, simmering them in that same sauce in the oven later in the day before enjoying them between two slices of toasted bun.

I think this is probably the most delicious grilled burger I have ever eaten (if I do say so myself). It’s a wonderful combination of tastes, and while you may question the inclusion of mushrooms, particularly those of you who don’t like them, let me tell you that they impart a wonderful flavor to the burger while adding moisture at the same time. If you have ever eaten a grilled burger that was bone dry, it’s because it didn’t have enough moisture, and some cuts of beef just don’t. Adding mushrooms to the meat before you form it into patties and grill it, gives it moisture without fat. It’s mighty good.

Delicious Beef Burgers

2 lbs. ground chuck

4 crimini mushrooms, finely diced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

Break ground chuck apart over a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and gently mix together until everything is incorporated. Grill until interior of burger reaches at least 160°F. Slather with the barbecue sauce of your choice. This one is my favorite.

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If keeping cool and making your barbecue indoors is how you prefer it, you can’t go wrong with this Crockpot Barbecued Beef!

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Full Plate Thursday

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine

I am finishing out Mushroom Week with this delicious and easy, on-the-table-in-30-minutes meal, Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine. While this can, indeed, be on the table in 30 minutes, it helps to start the day ahead by marinating the chicken breasts in buttermilk. If you have never done this, trust me when I tell you that this should be your new practice with absolutely every dish that you make that uses chicken, and I am talking every single one, including chicken salad, or even if you’re just adding pieces of cooked chicken to a chef salad. It makes a world of difference, because that buttermilk helps to break down any toughness the chicken may possess, and it will come out juicy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken Florentine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and halved*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Melissa’s shallot, minced
1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup homemade chicken stock 

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 handfuls baby spinach

In a large sauté pan, melt oil and butter together. Sauté the chicken on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate, tent, and set aside. Put sliced mushrooms into the pan, cook and stir until softened. Remove with slotted spoon to bowl; set aside

Add the 1/4 cup butter to the pan and allow to melt. Add garlic and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook until partially thickened. Whisk in chicken stock, cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Add the spinach, and allow to simmer until sauce starts to thicken and the spinach is wilted. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, heat through, and serve atop the pasta of your choice.

Makes 4 servings

*You learned how to do that here.

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Another easy and excellent chicken dish is this toothsome Chicken Piccata.

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Over the Moon

Celebrate Your Story

Full Plate Thursday

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Bacon & Mushroom Spread

Continuing in our Festival of Fungus, today I am offering up Bacon & Mushroom Spread. Not only is this a delicious spread, but it has to be made ahead in order to allow the flavors to meld into something magnificent. You reheat it in the microwave when ready to serve, so this is probably one of the easiest hors d’oeuvres you can possibly serve your guests.

I put mine in one dish alongside an assortment of crackers, but if you like, you can use this as an appetizer at the beginning of the meal, putting small servings in ramekins and serving them on a plate with a couple of crackers or pieces of flatbread. It’s a lovely presentation, and a delicious way to start a meal.

Bacon & Mushroom Spread

3 slices bacon
6 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Cook bacon in a 9-inch sauté pan until crisp. Remove bacon from pan to drain; crumble and set aside.

Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic to the pan in which you cooked the bacon. Cook over medium/low heat until tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper over the top, and cook, stirring, until smooth. Add cream cheese, Worcestershire, and soy sauce, stirring until cheese is melted (At this point it is going to look like glop. Don’t despair; it is supposed to look like glop.) Stir in sour cream, lemon juice, and reserved crumbled bacon. Heat through.

Pour into serving dish; allow to cool 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve the following day at room temperature, or warm 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave.

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Another delicious spread is this Superior Pecan Spread. Everybody loves this one!

This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

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Chicken Lombardy

Chicken Lombardy is not new. It fact, it is a dish that I have been having for years, but it is also one that I tend to forget about. This past weekend when a friend of ours, named Lombardi, gave us a call, I decided it was worth a revisit.

  I’d forgotten how quick and easy this is to put together. I seasoned the flour with lots of things, like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ample amounts of pepper, to give it lots of flavor. I served mine with fettuccini because I was out of thin spaghetti, although I far prefer the latter. Start your pasta water while you’re browning the chicken, and drop the pasta in when you slide the chicken dish into the oven. This way everything will be ready at the same time. This is a lovely, company worthy meal that is quick, easy, and stress-free.

Chicken Lombardy

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

½ cup flour

½ cup butter

1 cup sliced mushrooms

¾ cup Marsala wine

½ cup chicken broth

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart baking dish; set aside.

Place chicken between 2 sheets wax paper. With a heavy mallet or rolling pin, flatten each breast to a thickness of ¼”.

Season flour and place on a dinner plate. Dredge each chicken breast until completely coated, shaking off excess.

In a 10” sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté breasts on both sides until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Do not crowd pan. Melt additional butter and repeat process if you have more chicken to brown.

Remove browned chicken to your prepared baking dish, overlapping edges of chicken. In the same pan you used to brown the chicken, sauté the mushrooms in the remaining 1/4 cup butter.

Sprinkle mushrooms evenly over chicken.

Stir wine, chicken broth, salt, and pepper into pan drippings in skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Top with scallions and cheeses, and bake 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

Serve over rice or pasta with additional sauce spooned on top.

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 This post is linked to:
Merry Monday

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

What’s for Dinner?

Inspiration Monday

8 Minute Mushroom Risotto

Pressure cookers scare me. It's not from any experience that I've had with them, good or bad, I've had none, but I well remember the stories from my youth of my grandmother trying to use her stove-top version to make applesauce and having to bring in a ladder in order to wash off the ceiling. Mr. O-P felt the same, having been scarred in his youth by witnessing a similar explosion. So when I was offered one to test from the makers of the Power Pressure Cooker XL, I have to admit to being a bit wary. My fears were not assuaged in reading the accompanying usage manual that suggested this not be used by persons with “reduced physical, sensory, or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge…” Yikes! I had to seriously question whether or not I fell into any of these categories.

My first use was the seasoning process, easily done with nothing more than water. Thinking back, I shouldn't have used up all of the ice when filling a pitcher with freshly brewed iced tea because, at about the same time I turned the pressure cooker on, new ice dropped from the maker with a crash into the newly emptied bin, and I immediately hit the floor, fearing the worst. Can you say edgy? Mr. O-P was particularly worried that the top might be launched from the unit causing me some sort of disfiguring injury. Suffice it to say that we needed cocktails before putting it to use.

Last night, too tired to cook, but knowing we both needed something, and loathe to serve my usual easy meal of a bowl of Doritos, I decided to make mushroom risotto. To me, this would be the true test of whether this thing had value or not because while I truly love risotto, I truly hate making it, and, when I do, seldom get the hoped for results.

There was a bit of chopping involved -- onion, mushrooms, garlic, fresh basil, but that was it. The beauty of modern pressure cookers is that you can cook, sear, and sauté, right in the unit prior to pressure cooking, and avoid a lot of messy cleanup.

My sautéing accomplished, I stirred in the other ingredients, holding both cream and Parmesan aside for later addition, put the lid on, closed the vent, and waited while the pressure built up and the risotto cooked for 8 minutes. Yes, eight. Minutes. No stirring, no slowly adding stock and waiting for it to evaporate before adding more, just relaxing in front of a not-very-relaxing baseball game while the time counted down.

Once it did, and the pressure was manually released by moi, I opened the lid. Frankly, it didn't look like much. The onions had risen to the top, and I was convinced this was a failure of monstrous proportions, but I dutifully poured in the heavy cream and Parmesan and began to fold everything together. As I did, the most beautiful risotto began to appear, the earthy mushroom aroma delighting my senses. I was stunned. And not only did it look good, but it was delicious. Stunned x 2. To my way of thinking, it is well worth the price and storage space to have one of these for the risotto alone.

It also has a handy "keep warm" feature to which it defaults upon completion of cooking. You'll find this enormously handy when your husband asks for "just a taste" of yours, and ends up polishing off the entire bowl!

It's not often that I get this excited about an appliance, but I am. Giddy, in fact. And now I cannot wait to see what else I can do. Oh, and clean up...did I mention that it is a breeze? Wow. Power Pressure Cooker XL, where have you been all of my life?!

Mushroom Risotto
Recipe courtesy of Power Pressure Cooker XL

2 ounces olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
4 ounces dry sherry
4 cups homemade chicken stock
8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 ounces heavy cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 ounce fresh basil, chiffonade

Place the inner pot into the pressure cooker. Push the Rice/Risotto button; adjust time to 8 minutes.

As the pressure cooker heats, place the oil in the pressure cooker to warm, and sweat the onions and garlic together for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, stir, and cook an additional 3 minutes.

Add the rice, sherry, and chicken stock; mix to evenly distribute mushrooms.

Place the lid on the cooker, locking it in place, and switch the pressure value to the "closed" position.

Once the timer reaches "0," the cooker will automatically switch to "Keep Warm." Switch the pressure valve to "Rapid Release." When the steam is completely released, remove the lid.

Stir the heavy cream into the rice mixture, and fold in the Parmesan cheese and basil.  Serve.

If you’d like to own your own personal Power Pressure Cooker XL (and you know you want one), you can order one online by clicking here.

Disclaimer: 
I received a Power Pressure Cooker XL free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

This post is linked to:

 Tickle my Tastebuds
Two Cup Tuesday
Wow Us Wednesday
Work It Wednesday