Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

Oh God. These are addicting. I take them to potlucks and parties and I constantly have to write the recipe down for people. I love it:-)

Ingredients:
1 package mushrooms of your choice, rinsed
1 8oz package cream cheese
4 slices thick bacon, chopped
1 shallot, chopped finely
4 tbs parsley, finely chopped
4 tbs + 4 tbs bread crumbs (I use Italian seasoned)
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Right now is also a good time to make sure the mushrooms are clean and there is no lingering dirt. I also hollow out the mushrooms a little more.  If you have a grapfruit spoon or a strawberry corer (my mom has a Pampered Chef one that works great). You can throw out the extra middle and half of the stems. The other half, chop finely and set aside.

In a small pan, cook the bacon until almost done. Remove the bacon but leave the fat in the pan. Cook the shallot and mushroom stems in the fat. When done, place into a large mixing bowl. Mix together the cream cheese, bacon, shallot mix, parsley, 4 tbs of bread crumbs, lemon, and spices. Once its mixed well, spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps. Its okay if they are really overflowing.

Sprinkle the bread brumbs over the mushrooms (or dip them in) and place them in a casserole dish. You'll want the dish to have sides because the mushrooms will produce water while baking and it could spill into your oven.
Bake on 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.

I have added crumbled bleu cheese to this before- just about 4 or 5 tablespoons to the cream cheese mixture. It is great:-) I think feta and sundried tomato would be yummy too.

Broccoli Pasta Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

I was surprised at this one. I love love love food, but I am not a big one on fruit with vegetables at the same time. Fruit with meat: okay. Fruit with veggies: eh... whatever. I'll try any food once. This time I'm glad I did.

My grandma was telling me all about a salad she had at a bbq thag had grapes and broccoli in it.

I was like "Whaaaat?!"

Then I thought about it. If some random person at a potluck bbq at the senior center can make grapes taste good with broccoli, I can too. So I did, and this is how...

What you'll need:

1 box pasta (I used the rainbow bow tie)
1 head fresh broccoli, cut into small peices (florets and some stems)
4 green onions
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (I think pecans wojld be delicious too!)
1 cup red grapes, halved or quartered depending on the size
Optional: 3 slices of cooked, chopped bacon

Cook pasta according to package directions. Chill in a bowl and toss with all ingredients except grapes and almonds. Add the dressing (recipe below). Mix in the grapes and nuts just before serving.

Champagne Vinaigrette:

1shallot, minced
1 tbs hot Chinese mustard
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup champagne vinegar (could also use a mix of champagne vinegar and apple cider vinegar)
1/4 cup salad oil
Salt and red or white pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except oil in food processor and blend until smooth. While on high,  slowly add in oil. Keep in a covered container in the fridge for one week.

Superbowl Party Menu!

I am not a football fan- at all really.  To be honest, I don't even know who is playing this year:/  I usually watch just for the food.  So, here is a fun Superbowl menu idea with recipes.

Busy Mama Recipes



1. Guacamole.  Duh.  Did you know that more avocados are sold the Saturday before the Superbowl than any other day?  That's pretty weird- but a testament to how good guac is during the game.  There are literally thousands of recipes out there, but this is mine, just in case you need ideas:

4-5 avocados
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed (or my favorite- pickled jalapenos, chopped)
1 shallot, sliced finely
zest and juice of one lime
1 bunch cilantro (leaves only, chopped)
1 tbs Chile powder
1 tsp cumin
salt and fresh black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and store covered in the fridge.  

2. Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers.  Yum.  Click here for the recipe and variations.  


3. Jalapeno Popper Dip.  This is a great alternative to the cheese and bean dip.  I have seen several recipes on Pinterest and other sites, so there are a ton of option to choose from.  I have made something similar to this many times, I just didn't call it "jalapeno popper" dip.  Click here for my recipe.


4.  Seven Layer Dip.  Well, sort of.  This particular one happens to be 8 layers:-) With all of the cheese and Mexican flavors in the first two dishes, having yet another Mexican style dip seems a little over the top.  So.... GREEK DIP it is!  I have also seen this on Pinterest   This is my recipe, but again, you can Google this and come up with tons of other ideas.

24 ounces hummus (I like roasted garlic, but you can use any flavor you want)
24 ounces prepared Greek Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)
1 cucumber, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
About 1 cups chopped Kalamata olives
About 1 cups chopped Greek Pepperoncinis
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Chopped fresh dill (about 1/4 cup)

Layer the ingredient in order in a casserole dish.  Serve with pita bread or crackers.

Greek yogurt sauce:  Mix 24 ounces of Greek yogurt with 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbs lemon juice or red vinegar, salt, pepper, and 2 tsp dried oregano.  Normally I would also add dill and cucumber but it's not necessary since those are already in this dip.  

5. Chicken Salad.  Mmm... This is the one I love.  It's perfect because it is different from all of the other dishes.  Click here for my Tarragon Chicken Salad recipe.  


6. Fruit Salad.  Again, thousands and thousands of variations, but click here for my recipe for fruit salad with a yogurt dressing. 


7.  Are you making buffalo wings?  I don't have a recipe on hand for them (well, I haven't made them in a while so I don't want to post without testing it once).  But, I do have a pretty yummy recipe for Bleu Cheese Dip that would go pretty well with any buffalo wings you make:-)


8. And finally, the main dish.  This is a homemade calzone-type dish that can be made with multiple variations (included in the recipe).  I like this one because you can choose which kind you would like, plus you can serve it hot or cold and you can slice it for easy serving.  People love it! The recipe and variations are here in my blog.

Seafood Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers with Bacon

I made these with my grandma the other night.  They were delicious, I can't wait to have them again.  I was afraid they would be too spicy, but as long as you get all of the seeds and the pulp out of the pepper, they will be fairly mild.  My two year old ate them with no problem.  (However, the filling will be very hot so make sure they have time to cool down.

My grandma bought the jalapenos at the farmer's market here in town, so they were BIG.  I liked them that way, it made them easier to stuff so it went a lot faster.

Make sure that you wear gloves when you handle this many hot peppers.  Be careful not to rub your eyes or touch sensitive skin with juice on your hands.  I learned my lesson the hard way- touched Stewie's face once (years ago) after handling hot peppers, I burned his eye:-(  I felt so bad.  I always wear gloves now, even if I think I can handle it.

Stuffed Jalapenos


12-15 large jalapeno peppers
1 8oz package cream cheese
1 bunch green onions
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 8oz package crab meat or imitation crab meat
Juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
1 tsp salt
1 tbs pepper
12-15 strips bacon, raw


Cut all jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove all seeds and pulp, rinse with water if necessary.


Preheat oven to 350.


Combine all other ingredients (except bacon) in a bowl and mix until uniform in texture.  Spoon mixture into jalapenos halves, replacing the other halves on top of the stuffing so the pepper sticks back together.  It is okay if the peppers are "overflowing" or if the cream cheese is coming out of the sides.  


Wrap each pepper in bacon from bottom to top.  You can hold in place with toothpicks if needed.  The bacon should hold in any cheese mixture that is falling out.


Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the bacon is fully cooked.  Let cool before serving, the inside with be extremely hot.


**Next time I make these, I am going to replace the cream cheese with bleu cheese crumbles and cheddar cheese.  Kevin also wants to try it with a smoked cheese.  I'll let you know when I try it;-)