Stuffed Mushrooms

I am not exactly sure when I started liking mushrooms, but I know it was some time after Joshua and I started dating….the second time through.

This weekend, because my husband loves mushrooms, because he spent the better part of Saturday putting in a new hot water heater for us with my dad, and because I love him, I decided to make stuffed mushrooms.

I found this recipe a while back when looking through the archived recipes on the Pioneer Woman’s website. http://thepioneerwoman.com/

To start off, rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Then pull off all the stems. Put all the mushrooms on a rimmed baking sheet and then chop up the stems. The chopping up of the stems was my least favorite part of this recipe. If I think too much about mushrooms, sometimes they start to freak me out a little. I start to think of something my father-in-law once told me about mushrooms and then the freaking out begins. It is a shame that someone can almost ruin your life with one sentence. But, I got them all chopped and was able to move on.

Next up, chop up half an onion. Now, I honestly was not going to put in the onion since Joshua hates them. But, when it came time to chop up the onion, I noticed that Joshua was snoozing away on the couch. {grin} I decided that since I was making these for him and all, I would just chop up the onion extra thin, cook them a little longer, and hope he did not notice! Yes, that is the great wife I am. I make a dish just for the husband and then lace it with things he hates!

Then toss the sausage in a pan and cook.

Sausage also weirds me out if I think about it too much. So, I tend to neglect sausage while I cook it. I only return from time to time to ensure it is not sticking to the pan. After you have browned it, remove to a plate to cool.

Yes, this plate has fish on it. I bought some on sale at Kroger for Luke. I only cook with the finer dishes and plates. And in case you really want to know, the bowls pictured above were four for a dollar at walmart. Yep, I am just plain Fancy. Fancy with a capital F.

Alright, you do not want to wash out the pan you cooked the sausage in. Instead, just throw in the onion and garlic and cook. Now, as luck would have it, when it was time to toss the onion in to cook, Luke came into the living room and put in a movie. And since the movie was blaring loud, Josh woke up. I then became a little concerned he would smell the onion. I quickly tossed it in the pan and then added the garlic, hoping the smell of the garlic would cover up the onion! Thank you Luke for waking up Daddy at this precise moment.

Now you want to add the white wine. After you add the wine, if you are like me, you will take a look and decide that in fact, a third a cup is not enough and you will add more. DO NOT DO THIS! Turns out, the Pioneer Woman knows what she is doing and a third of a cup is sufficient. I do not think the extra wine ruined the taste or anything, but adding more really was not necessary.

Toss in the chopped up mushrooms to the skillet with the onion and garlic, and then cook it all until the wine is reduced a bit.

Meanwhile, while the above is cooking, get a mixing bowl and put in the cream cheese. Separate an egg (separating eggs makes me think of my mother…. I will explain this another time.) Put the yoke in with the cream cheese and mix up.

Add the parmesan cheese and mix some more.

Once the mushroom/onion/garlic mixture is done, add it to the mixing bowl, and then add in the sausage. Mix it all up and then put it in the fridge for a little while to firm it a little.

Sprinkle a little salt on the mushrooms and then fill ‘em up!

This picture is not my hand. It is not my food and was not taken in my kitchen! It is the Pioneer Woman’s hand, food, and kitchen. The picture is not really all that spectacular, but what she wrote made me laugh. “I would like to announce to the world that I took this photo with one hand, balancing the spoon on the side of the bowl so I could hold the mushroom cap with my other hand. It’s called food photography gymnastics. I’m getting better every day”. HA!

Once they are all filled, cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Now, I think these would make a great appetizer for a little party. But, I was not throwing a party. And even if I was to throw a party, many of our friends would not eat these because they do not like mushrooms. They are weird…..and odd. But, I like them anyway. And besides, I was just making these to say thanks to the husband. Thanks for putting in the water heater. Thanks for putting up with me. Thanks for taking me back when I broke your heart when we were young! Thanks for not noticing the onions.

Since these were dinner, I just made a salad and some bread to go along with them. And let me tell you, these little things were not good. Not good at all, but HEAVENLY. Melt in your mouth wonderfully fantastic!

If you like mushrooms, you will love these little gems!

After dinner, I just walked away from the mess in the kitchen. I felt certain the maid would clean it all up. The next morning I realized that I am Amanda Stewart writing for Simply Stewarts, not Martha Stewart writing for Everyday Food. I remembered that despite the fact that I am Fancy, with a capital F and have fish plates and walmart bowls, we do not have a maid….other than myself. So, I washed all these dishes. Ugh. I wonder, does the Pioneer Woman do her own dishes?

Ingredients

• 24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms

• ⅓ pounds Hot Pork Sausage

• ½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

• 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

• ⅓ cups Dry White Wine

• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese

• 1 whole Egg Yolk

• ¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated

• Salt And Pepper, to taste


Preparation Instructions


Wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.


Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside.


Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.


Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat.


Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate.


Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.


In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.


Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.


Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.


Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.


Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving.