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.

So So So Easy Pot Roast

I forgot how great a good roast is! I made one for dinner tonight.. first time in months. Dang, I need to do this more often. Especially now that it's almost Fall.

I have talked to so many people that are "intimidated" and don't feel like they can make a roast turn out properly. That's just crazy talk.  They are so easy. Plus... SO worth it.

They are cheap: chuck roasts were on sale, so I got about 8 pounds of boneless meat for around $12. While that sounds spendy, think about how far 8lbs of meat can go.

They are easy: mine fit in my crockpot. I added a few ingredients, turned it on, and walked away. Dinner= done. The person who invented a crockpot deserves a lot more credit than they're getting.

They are clean: Crockpot. That's it. No pots, pans, spoons, whisks, etc to clean up. Just one dish. So simple.

This dinner is a complete dinner. Protein, carb, veggies. You don't need a side dish (although I cut up fresh cantaloupe and cucumbers and we also had fresh bread).

It goes a long way: 8 pounds of meat feeds a lot of people. Especially when served with potatoes. Leftovers galore!

They are versatile: Roast the first day. French Dip sandwiches with au jus the second day. Philly cheesesteak the third day (just use roasted pepper and mushrooms with swiss and provolone cheese.. yum!). You can make amazing paninis with pepperjack cheese, meat, and the onions from the roast. I like to cute up the meat and put it in salad for lunches. Oh, and beef enchiladas... holy cow those are good!

Here is what I did to make my roast today. Keep in mind, there are so many different ways to do this, this is just my fast "I have three kids under 9 and I work all day today" recipe. If I had two days, this recipe would be fancier.

First thing is to prep the vegetables. I used:

2 white onions, quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
3 celery sticks, cut into two inch chunks
7-10 small red new potatoes, washed, skin on, halved
1 can whole peeled tomatoes in juice
3 cloved garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
Pinch (literally, a pinch) of red pepper flakes for a little kick
2 cloves, whole
1 bay leaf

First, I browned the meat in a skillet. I just used a little olive oil and cooked the msat on all sides. Total it took maybe 5 or 6 minutes.

Place the meat in the ceockpot and add the veggies and spices. Pour the tomatoes over the top. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for about 4 hours.

Ta-da!!! Pot roast!

Hint: add about 1/2 cup of beer and its delish!

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.

Chicken Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

This is such a great summer salad. I never make it because Kevin hates cilantro (ridiculous, huh?) I guess this will be one for me to enjoy with my sisterwife.

I bought a whole chicken and had it cut into smaller pieces so it would bake faster. I used lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper for the marinade and baked it on 365 for about 30 minutes. I just pulled that apart and used it on the salad. You could use grilled chicken breasts or no meat, and this recipe would still work.

For the salad, toss together:

Lettuce
cherry tomatoes
Red onion
Grilled corn, shaved from the cob
Red or orange bell pepper (I roasted mine in the oven for five minutes- yum!)
Avocado,  diced
Tortilla strips
Salsa for garnish

Dressing:

1 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1-2 whole chipotle peppers (canned in the ethnic foods section of the store. I have also used a small can of jalapenos in addotion, depending on how spicy and tangy you want the flavor)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
Juice and zest of 3 limes
Pinch (less than 1/8 tsp) cumin
Salt and pepper (I used cayenne pepper for a kick)
3/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

Combine everything except the oil in the fiid processor and blend u til smooth. Slowly add the oil while on high. Cover, chill, and use within 5 days.
Coat the salad in this dressing. If serving later, keep the dressing separate from the salad to avoid it getting mushy.

And of course, you should pair this with white sangria;-) Delicious!