Pepperoni Pizza-Stuffed Mushrooms

Everyone loved this. (Personally, I thought they were just okay.)  I got this recipe during my free trial of America's Test Kitchen.

Topping

1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, quartered

1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TBSP olive oil

Mushrooms

24 large mushrooms, stems removed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 recipe stuffing (see below)

Stuffing

1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, chopped fine

1/2 c shredded Italian cheese blend

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 TBSP tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

1.  For the topping, pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs.  Mix parsley, garlic and oil in bowl.  Stir crumbs in oils to coat.  Set aside.

2.  For the stuffing:  Reserve 2 TBSP chopped pepperoni.  Process remaining pepperoni and all other ingredients in food processor until smooth.  Transfer to zipper bag until ready to use.  

3.  For the mushrooms:  Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.  Line rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on baking sheet.  Toss mushrooms with oil, lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  Arrange mushrooms gill side up on rack and roast until juices are released, about 20 minutes   Turn caps over and roast until mushrooms are browned, about 10 minutes.

4.  Remove baking sheet from oven.  Flip roasted mushrooms gill side up and cool slightly.  Snip off one corner of zipper back of stuffing, then fill mushrooms.  press each cap, stuffing side down into bread-crumb topping to coat.  Sprinkle with reserved pepperoni and arrange, topping side up on rack.  Bake until filling is hot and topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes before serving.

**My notes:  To save steps, I mixed the parsley and bread crumbs in the stuffing and just spooned it into the mushrooms.  I also don't own a food processor so I didn't have the stuffing all smooth.  I like chunky better anyways. Everyone still fought over the leftovers.  

Chicken and Rice--Wednesday

I didn't mean to make a chicken meal again last night, but the recipe I had planned needed a 4 cheese blend that I forgot to buy so I had to find something else to do with my peppers and mushrooms. So you get a chicken and rice recipe instead of a Roasted Vegetables with Pasta recipe. I'm still sad. I was really looking forward to that!

This recipe came from the Century of Foods cookbook (RS cookbook from Southeast Idaho). I've made it many times and tweaked it so much it doesn't resemble much the "Chicken Kabobs" recipe it started as. It used to be one of my favorites, but I don't make it that much any more, probably because I have so many other recipes and am always looking for new things. But we still like it.

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp garlic

3 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 TBSP pineapple juice

1/8 tsp pepper

few shakes cayenne pepper

2 boxes of mushrooms, quartered

1 can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 onion slivered

4-5 pieces of chicken (or as many as you would like). I like thighs in this recipe. You can leave whole or cut into pieces.

Mix sauce. You can double the sauce if needed. Place all ingredients in a baking pan. Let marinate for about an hour. Bake at 350 for 45 mins-1 hour. Serve over rice.

Chicken Quesadillas-Fresh Salsa Tuesday

Years ago when I was on the Preston School District Technology team, we would go to lunch at Main Street Grill. I always ordered the Chicken Quesadillas. Loved them! Years later I tried making them. . .this is where I arrived:

Chicken Quesadillas

Use the following in amounts to your liking:

1-2 cups Chicken (of course grilled or broiled is yummy, but I'm lazy and just use a can)

1 1/2 cups Mushroom

1/2 cup Green onion

Fajita seasoning to your liking. I've always used a packet, but didn't have any yesterday so I used this recipe. Very good. I only used about half of the recipe (same is true with the packet). I don't believe I will be buying the packet again.

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon crushed chicken bouillon cube

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Saute mushrooms in about 1 TBSP butter until they cook down. Add chicken, seasoning and green onions. Mix well.

Layer tortilla, grated cheese, thin layer of chicken mixture, another layer of cheese and a tortilla. I do them with a folded tortilla so they are easier to turn. Cook until cheese melts.

Fresh Salsa 2

I like all salsas cut in small pieces, but the spicier it is, the smaller I like the pieces. This one I like chopped with a food processor. . . which makes this one quite quick!

3 tomatoes

1 red pepper

1/4 bunch cilantro

1 tsp garlic

2 jalapeños, one with seeds and membranes, one seeded

1/2 white onion

Salt to taste right before serving

lime juice to taste (maybe a TBSP)

Last night I only had one red pepper and I was saving it for another meal so I used a green one. My jalapeños must have been very spicy and so this was too kicky for my taste so I added about 1 TBSP vinegar to take the bite off the spice while it refrigerated. It also wasn't as sweet since I substituted out the red pepper so I added 1 tsp of sugar. Very yummy!

This meal would also have been way yummy with this rice, but I didn't think of that until just now. I'll try that next time I make these.

Cilantro-Lime Rice w/ Black Beans
2 cups uncooked rice
1 tsp butter
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tsp lime zest
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
Cook in rice cooker, in microwave or on the stove.
When cooked, mix together and add:
4 TBSP lime juice
4 tsp sugar

Stir in:
3 TBSP fresh chopped cilantro
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained