Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Kim here...So we are all moved into our new house! We are living country style now! Instead of the daily commuting traffic waking me up, the roosters next door are :). Pretty funny change, but am loving it. Still haven't unpacked my cookbooks yet so here are some more yummy potatoes I love to make.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 bulb garlic, roasted (see recipe below)
4 baking potatoes
1 cube butter
1/4-1/2 cup milk
Salt/Pepper to taste

Roasted Garlic
(Simply preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take your garlic bulb and cup the top off. Lay it on a square piece of foil, about 6"x6". Drizzle the top of the garlic with about 1 Tbls. olive oil. Wrap it up in the foil and put it in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes to an hour. Unwrap foil and let cool. You then can squeeze the garlic out of the cloves without unpeeling anything.)

1. Cut potatoes into cubes and put into a pot. Fill with water and bring water to a boil. Boil for about 30 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes and then put back into the warm pot. Add the rest of the ingredients to taste and mash with your potato masher.

Dairy Free Smashed Tatoes

Hey, hey it's Deb. Wanted to continue on Kim's potato crusade with another fabulous rendition of mashed potatoes, or as my girls call them, "smashed tatoes." These are as equally easy as regular mashed potatoes, I just use a few different ingredients since the Scout is allergic to dairy. These are one of her favorites things to eat.

I do have to tell a quick funny story before we start.

I jumped on the bandwagon of hiding pureed vegetables in my youngest daughter's food because she basically will just gravitate towards fruit and starches. I grabbed some cauliflower and pureed it up and stuck it in these mashed potatoes. I thought I was being sneaky. You should have seen the Scout's face when she took a bite. She said, "Mom, these don't taste very good,"and promptly spit them out. I had to laugh. I must have added a little too much cauliflower. It does work, you just have to add in enough as to not ruin the taste of the potatoes and still get the vitamins in there.

Dairy Free Smashed Tatoes

3 large baking potatoes, peeled

1/4 cup of soy milk (this is going to vary depending on how big your potatoes are and how creamy you want to make them)

2 tablespoons of dairy-free margarine (again this is going to vary depending on the size)

dash of salt

dash of pepper

* Some secretly pureed cauliflower if you want to feel like your pulling the wool over your family's eyes. Ha Ha. About 1/4 cup of pureed cauliflower.

I have to say that my measurements are not very accurate with this. I usually boil a huge batch of potatoes (it usually takes about 25 to 30 minutes for a big batch to boil) and then pull out a small bowl for the Scout. After I have the small bowl full, I grab her soy milk and add in a splash and then a couple of tablespoons of her dairy free margarine (I use Nucoa). I add a dash of salt and pepper and whip them up really well and..... voila, dairy-free smashed tatoes. Now that you have the basic ingredients, play around with it till you find the right consistency that you and the family enjoy. I find that I experiment with cooking now a lot more especially with dishes like these where you are substituting this and that. You can even keep up Kim's tradition of cheesy dairy free smashed tatoes and add a little vegan cheese to these and vegan sour cream. Tofutti makes an excellent one!

Cheesy Smashed Potatoes

Kim here...To continue the theme of the mashed potatoes, here is another good one. Yummy!



Cheesy Smashed Potatoes



3 baking potatoes, cubed with skins on

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup sour cream

chives, couple of snips

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

milk, optional...depends on how thick you want them



1. Put potatoes in the pot you are going to boil them in, then cover with water. Bring to a boil and let cook 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and then put them back into the hot pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and smoosh with potato masher. Add milk if they need to be thinned a bit.



**Feeding note**

See Classic Mashed Potato recipe for directions.

Chicken Chili and Cornbread Dumplings

How I love Fall time for all of the fabulous soups, stews and chilis. There is nothing like a huge bowl with biscuits, bread or dumplings. I thought this recipe would be just the one to start off the Fall with. It has a little bit of a kick and that's what makes it fun and festive. This wonderful recipe was found in a Bisquick cookbook. You know the ones you find at the checkout counter of the grocery store. It has so many fantastic recipes in it. I can't wait to try more. I did modify it a bit to fit the items that were in my pantry and my freezer.

Chicken Chili with Cornbread Dumplings

Chili:
3 cups of cubed cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups of water

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 can (15 oz.) Great Northern Beans

1 can of corn, undrained

1/2 bag of frozen mixed color peppers (red, green and yellow - pretty)

1 can (4.5 oz.) of chopped green chiles

1 tsp. ground cumin

Dumplings:
1 1/3 cups original Bisquick mix

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

2/3 cup milk

1 tsp. chili powder

In 5 quart nonstick Dutch oven, heat all chili ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly *(I really didn't know what a dutch oven was until I went to my local Target and found one in the pot and pan aisle. I actually had one at home without even realizing it. Think a deep set pan that has a lid. Pretty basic.)
In medium bowl, stir all dumpling ingredients until soft dough forms.
Drop dough by 8 rounded spoonfuls onto simmering chili. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook 13 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are dry. (They expand quite a bit as well, so don't be alarmed.)

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Kim here...Well, fall is here, yeah! It is my favorite time of the year! Mashed potatoes definitely say fall and the beginning of the holiday season. We love mashed potatoes around here and I do them up in many different ways. Here is my classic version, will post more versions soon. I always leave the skin on my mashed potatoes which give it a yummy rustic feel, plus you get the good nutrients from the skin! Oh, don't count the calories in this one!

Classic Mashed Potatoes

3 brown potatoes (large)
1 stick of butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
salt
pepper

1. Cut potatoes into cubes (do not peel potatoes). Place in a pan for them to boil in. After you put all your cubed potatoes into the pan, fill with water until it reaches just the top of the potatoes. Set burner on high and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes.

2. Drain potatoes in colander and then place back into the hot pan, this will evaporate some of the water left in the potatoes. Place the butter, milk (start small amounts first), and generous portions of salt and pepper. Mash together with your potato masher. If the consistency is too thick, thin with a little more milk adding a little at a time. Enjoy!

**Feeding and Puree Tip**
This recipe is perfect for your little ones who are still eating mashed foods. Mix it in with meatloaf, stew, chicken, steak...the list goes on and on. You may just want to take the large chunks of skin out. If you are pureeing this, use just your potato masher or food mill. Putting this in your food processor will turn your potatoes into paste. Believe me, I have done it before!. Just mash with more milk until it becomes more liquidy.

Fall Meatloaf

First off, I would like to give a big shout-out to Amy of Peptogirl Industries who awarded us the Este blog investe e acredita na Proximidade Award. To translate the gift from Portuguese to English, it means: "This blog invests and believes, the proximity" (meaning, that blogging makes us 'close' -being close through proxy).

Blogging really opens up a whole other world for a lot of us. It helps keep us in touch with friends and family and helps build a whole new interest based community where we can meet new friends and network our interest and expand our knowledge and visions of what we can accomplish or want to try. It's nice to find other sites out there that have the same vision as us. We are supposed to pass this award on to eight other blogs that are deserving of this award.

Here are the eight that I thought definitely deserved it:

http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/

http://angrychicken.typepad.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

http://ellierichellie.blogspot.com/

http://www.allthingscupcake.com/

http://foodallergyqueen.blogspot.com/

http://www.nut-freemom.blogspot.com/

http://cupcaketastic.blogspot.com/

Thank you Amy for the award. We really appreciate the recognition!

With all of the pumpkins and costumes out at Target, the local apple orchards open for business and my first grader keeping me updated on a daily basis of when the first day of Fall was going to be, I am happy to announce that it is officially here! This is my favorite time of year. I don't know if it is the colors, the cold weather or all of the good homemade soups and apple desserts that I consume that make me love Fall, but it's here and I am happy. I thought we could post a few of our favorite Fall recipes. We know that you have them tucked away in your recipe boxes just waiting for the season to arrive. So let's pull them out and start sharing.

Fall Meatloaf

I am a big fan of moist meatloaf. Most traditional meatloaves have oatmeal in them that really dry them out. My Mom has always referred to these as "dog food." She claims they are just too dry, and I have to agree. I like my meatloaf moist with lots of ketchup and potato. This is another version that I fix for my family. I love using Stove Top Stuffing. It really helps keep the moisture along with the delicious barbeque sauce. I hope you and your family enjoy it. I like to serve mine with a huge baked potato and broccoli.

2 eggs beaten

2 lbs. of lean ground beef

1 pkg. of Stove Stop Stuffing Mix for Chicken

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of bbq. sauce - divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, beat eggs with a fork. Combine in large bowl, lean ground beef, stuffing mix, beaten eggs, and 1/4 cup of bbq. sauce. Mix until well blended. Shape mixture into an oval loaf in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top meatloaf with remaining 1/4 cup of bbq. sauce. Bake 1 hour or until cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature. Should be at least 160 degrees in the center of meatloaf to be considered done.

The Rainier

Kim here...Ok, so we are in the process of moving and I accidentally packed my cookbook I have all my recipes in that I have come up with! So, I will be getting creative this week to recall things I make that I haven't necessarily written down. Here I go again recreating a dish at a restaurant. This particular restaurant, 33rd St. Bistro, is one of my favorite places. I get the same thing over and over there. I have recreated it for home use.

The Rainier

Foccacia bread (sliced for a panini sandwich)
Smoked Mozzarella (shredded)
Roasted Chicken (shredded)
Mango Mayonnaise (simply take a cup of mayonnaise, add about 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 1 Tbls. mango puree, mix it together)

Build your sandwich on the foccacia using the cheese, chicken and mayo. Put in a pannini press and grill. If you don't have a press, just make it like you would grilled cheese...using a little oil to cook it in.

Garlicky Cheese Bread

Kim here...We love garlic bread around these parts. When you are in the mood for something different and have some calories to spare, this is your bread! I again, re-created after having it at a restaurant. I didn't put measurements on this one because you just need to use your judgment on what is just right for your tastes. Enjoy!

Garlicky Cheese Bread


Sweet French bread
Butter, softened
Garlic cloves, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shredded
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Mozzarella cheese, shredded


Soften the butter and spread on the bread which is split lengthwise.
Sprinkle on garlic cloves, then the cheeses.
Broil under the broiler until desired doneness.

Strawberry Lemonade Slushy

With summer rapidly coming to a close and Kim with her punch inspiration, here is our favorite summery drink treat. This wonderful recipe was courtesy of Kraft Food and Family Magazine. I love this magazine that Kraft sends out free of charge. I have found so many fantastic recipes in these. I have actually kept every single one and go back to them often.

Strawberry Lemonade Slushy

1/2 cup lemonade flavor drink mix (we use Country Time around these parts)

1/2 cup water

3 cups of ice cubes

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Measure drink mix into cap to 1-qt. line (1/2 cup) Empty into blender container.

Add remaining ingredients; cover. Blend on high speed 10 seconds. Turn off blender. Stir with spoon; cover. Blend an additional 5 seconds or until smooth, using pulsing action. Serve immediately. Store the rest in freezer. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries for a little bit of a twist.

Holmes Punch

Kim here...Thanks Deb for my birthday greeting! I had a great one! Well, this punch, while simple, is sooo good. It has also been there for all of my later in life big events (ex: wedding, showers, etc.) My husband's mom's family is very big into punch. This punch is at every event, yes every event! His Aunt Diane is usually the one mixing it up. So this is a tribute to the Holmes Punch!

Holmes Punch

1 liter of Hawaiian Punch
1 liter of lemon lime soda

Mix together with ice and serve.

Happy Birthday Kim!!!!

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Kim!

Look at us here in all of our high school glory.

Hope you have a great one my friend!

Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake

Kim here...My husband's favorite dessert is strawberries and ice cream. Well, because I just can't serve ice cream in a bowl with some chopped up strawberries and always have to jazz it up, here is one of the versions of this dessert I have come up with. It's pretty tasty, not to mention very easy. This would make a great dessert to have when guests are over because it doesn't take but a minute to prepare and the visual on it is spectacular. Looks like it took you two days, but in reality just a few minutes. Enjoy!

Ultimate Strawberry Shortcake

1 package of puff pastry shells
Vanilla ice cream
Strawberries, chopped
Chocolate Syrup
Powdered Sugar for dusting

1. Bake the puff pastry according to directions. After baked, split in half.
2. On one round of the puff pastry, spoon on a dollop of ice cream. Put the other half of the round on top of the ice cream. Now it looks a little like a ice cream sandwich.
3. Take your strawberries and put some on top of the puff pastry and around the sides of it.
4. Take your chocolate syrup and go around the edge of the plate in a swirly design, or however you like to do it. This is for presentation and so you can dip your bite into the chocolate as you go.
5. Lastly, take your powdered sugar that is in a sifter type device and dust the dessert.

Chocolate Truffles

Ooooops! I missed posting yesterday so I am sticking this one in a little late. Sorry, I had my days all mixed up.

So this is my chocolate truffle recipe. These babies are so delicious that you will want to eat them up before you have to serve them to anybody else. I made these for Christmas one year. I have to say that they do take a little bit of practice. The first time that I made them they were a little bit too firm when I was trying to roll them. You want to have them be the consistency of a really thick dough. They are super easy and most of the ingredients I keep handy at all times.

Chocolate Truffles

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup butter (no substitutes on this one)

12 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate. (I like to use Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips for this)

1 tsp. extract

Unsweetened cocoa powder and powdered sugar for rolling the truffles in. I don't use nuts but you can always use nuts too!

Heat cream and butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate; cook, stirring frequently until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in extract. Transfer mixture to small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let chill for several hours until mixture is firm but can still be easily spooned out. Roll mixture into 1/2 inch balls, then roll in cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Place in shallow dish and chill until firm.

Garlic Tri Tip Sandwiches

Kim here...Again, here I am copying another entree I have had at a restaurant. This is actually part of the thrill of me eating out, figuring out how to do it at home :)! My dad, his friend Charlie, my husband and I have all worked together to perfect it. I am proud to say this sandwich we created blows the socks off of the restaurant one! This is truly an indulgence but oh is it so tasty. It is a fun crowd pleaser too because guests get to have a part in their dinner which they always seem to like. Enjoy!

Garlic Tri Tip Sandwiches

Tri Tip (size depends on crowd)
Sweet Rolls (again crowd size dependant)
Garlic Butter (see below for recipe)

Garlic Butter

2 cubes of butter (this will do about 4-6 sandwiches)
1 bulb of garlic chopped (I highly recommend the food processor)

To make, put butter in a saucepan that has a large enough bottom for the sandwich rolls (open flat) to fit into. After butter is melted, turn down heat so that it won't burn or brown and add garlic. Let simmer or set for about 5 minutes.

To make sandwiches:
To prepare the tri tip, brush on a little olive oil and then salt and pepper the sucker. To cook the tri tip, there are several different ways. The preferred methodology is to smoke it. We own a pellet smoker and let it cook on there for about 3 hours and it is simply delicious. However, not everyone owns a smoker. So, here are some alternatives in cooking the tri tip in descending order from most delicious to just okay. 1. Smoked 2. Charcoal 3. Gas grill 4. Stove top grill 5. In a pan on the stove

So now that you have a cooked tri tip, it is assembly time. Let the tri tip rest 10-15 minutes before cutting into it and always cut against the grain. Slice into about 1/4 inch slices. Take your roll and open it up so that it is flat. Dip roll into the pan of garlic butter for a couple of seconds. Place sliced tri tip onto the roll with the yummy melty butter, close and enjoy!

**Feeding Tip**
To mash or puree this for little ones or ones that need help with the chewing this makes a great meal. Put sliced tri tip in food processor (2 slices). Add some garlic butter (about 1 Tbls.) and chop to desired consistency. Now, if this is still too dry for the one eating it, either add more butter or add some warmed up beef stock. The beef stock will take it to the puree step if needed. Talk about some gourmet food for your kiddos!

Mandarin Orange Salad

Congratulations to our big winner of our first Cowgirls and Cupcakes contest! As Kim said in the last post, we will be having our next giveaway at the beginning of October and of course it will be a spooky theme with another one of Kim's fantastic aprons!!!!! So stayed tuned all of you cowpokes out there!

This next recipe came from my parents next door neighbors who are more than just regular neighbors, they are super neighbors. Diane and her husband Rich have been fondly named "Grandma Diane and Papa Rich" by my daughters. I told you they were special neighbors.

I love any recipe that includes oranges. I have a perfect orange cake to share with you soon. This salad is perfect for these scorching summer days that we have been having.

Mandarin Orange Salad
A refreshing summer dessert (and a family favorite Easter dish).

1 large can mandarin oranges (or two small cans)

1 small can crushed pineapple

1 small box orange Jello

1 - 8 oz. small curd cottage cheese (NOT low fat as it becomes too watery)

1 package miniature marshmallows

1 - 9 oz. Cool Whip

Drain fruits. Combine in large bowl and sprinkle fruit with Jello mix. Add cottage cheese and mix very well. Add marshmallows and mix well. Fold in Cool Whip and chill.

We Have A Winner!

OK, so here it is (drum roll please!) the winner of our first ever giveaway here at Cowgirls and Cupcakes is......(can you stand the suspense?) Kaytea! Congratulations! Please send us your mailing address to cowgirlsandcupcakes@gmail.com and we will get that lovely prize your way ASAP. Congratulations again and thank you so much for participating in our giveaway. On that note, thank you to all who participated!

We will be having an October giveaway soon so make sure you keep posted to see what lovely things we have in store for it! I can tell you there will be another apron (Halloween themed, of course) and other fun surprises!

Saddlin' up and off to cupcake dreamland...
The Cowgirls (aka: Deb & Kim)

Brown Sugar Squares

Yee Haw, it's Deb here and it's Friday!!!! My favorite day of the week. Just wanted to remind you that our Cowgirls and Cupcakes giveaway is going to be coming to a close here on Monday at midnight. In order to be entered into the giveaway, you can either send us a recipe that we can post in the future at: cowgirlsandcupcakes@gmail.com, or make a comment on one of our posts. We have had so many nice comments and a ton of good recipes so keep them coming!

This next recipe comes from my sister-in-law Laurie. I have never tried these before, but as soon as I read the recipe, I knew that I would have to bust out a pan of these. Being that it's Friday, I thought we could all use a little treat, I hope you like them!

Brown Sugar Squares

2 eggs

2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

½ tsp. baking soda

1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°

Cream together eggs, brown sugar, & vanilla

Add remaining ingredients.

Spread mixture into greased 9x13 baking pan

Bake 20-25 minutes

Cool in pan, Cut into squares.

*I am going to have to experiment around with this recipe. For those of us allergic to nuts, we of course, just omit the walnuts. For people with egg allergy we could try our 1/2 a banana trick here or substitute with 1/4 cup silken tofu pureed or 1/4 cup of applesauce instead of the eggs. This is a great article that I found on about.com about egg substitutions. I hope you find it helpful:
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/eggsubstitute.htm

Mango Chutney Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Rice with Roasted Asparagus

It's Deb. This post came to us from clear across the United States in sunny Florida from another crafty girl by the name of Prentiss Lee Ladkani that also has an infinity for sewing. Check out her cool blog at: http://prenspace.com/blog. This sounds sooo good. I can't wait to give it a whirl. Thanks Prentiss!!!!

Mango Chutney Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Rice with Roasted Asparagus

This is a quick recipe I came up with based on a similar dish my mom used to make for us growing up. You can substitute the Mango Chutney with Pineapple preserves. Try a more traditional approach and use Apple preserves.

Prep time: 15 mins. Cook time: About 30 mins.

1.5lb pork tenderloin, patted dry

1 jar Major Grey's Mango Chutney

Salt & Pepper

2 cans Goya coconut water

Basmati rice

2lbs asparagus, patted dried and tough ends removed.

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oven to 425°. Line a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with foil; brush with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Place tenderloin in baking pan and pour entire jar of Major Greys Mango Chutney over it. Roast pork in oven for approximately 30 minutes (approx 20 mins for every 1/2 lb of tenderloin). Internal temperature should be at 160 for medium done-ness.
In another large glass baking dish, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and toss. Bake until the asparagus are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, depending upon the thickness of the stalks, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and toss with the lemon juice. Cook rice according to directions, replacing water with the Goya coconut water.
Once the tenderloin has cooked, remove from oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Slice tenderloin into medallions and serve with coconut rice and asparagus.
http://prenspace.com/blog

Black Pepper Aioli

Kim here...My hubby and I went out on a date the other night. We went to this restaurant in Roseville and had a fabulous burger. Oh yeah, did I tell ya...I am a burger fanatic! Love those things! Anyway, what made this burger different was the black pepper aioli they served on it. I cannot tell you how good this stuff was. So as always, I was determined to recreate something that I loved at a restaurant (easier on the pocket book if I can do it myself, ya know). After searching for recipes online and then combining them to make my own I came up with something that was spot-on for the restaurant. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as my family did. Even my kiddos gobbled this stuff up on the turkey cheese burgers we had tonight!

Black Pepper Aioli

1 cup mayonnaise
4 roasted garlic cloves (to roast garlic...cut the top off a garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour)
1-2 tsp. lemon or lime juice (depends on how tart you want it)
1-2 Tbls. fresh ground pepper (start with one tablespoon, go up from there...there should be lots of pepper in this, this is what makes it good)

Put all ingredients into a food processor and mix well. Serve on burgers, etc...

Feeding Tip:
When you make a burger and want to feed it to your little one who can't chew yet, this sauce makes a great way to soften it. Stick half the burger patty into your food processor. Spoon in about 1 Tbls. of this as well. Mix until you have the desired consistency. The burger will still be chunky, but the aioli makes it soft so that they can swallow it. If you have a child with sensory issues like mine, they will love this. The black pepper is like a party in their mouth!

Vegan Spinach Dip

It's Deb. Here is another great recipe for all you vegans and vegetarians out there as well as our friends that suffer from milk/egg allergies. This is another recipe from our friend Monica over at Puppybird.

Vegan Spinach Dip

1 package (10oz) organic frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 container (16oz) Tofutti Better than Sour Cream
1 cup Veganaise (vegan mayonnaise) *(I don't know where she finds this, but I am going to have to go on a little recognisance mission to find this goodness in a bottle)
1 package Knorr Vegetable recipe mix
1 can (8oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
3 organic green onions, chopped

Combine all ingredients and chill about 2 hours. Serve with your favorite dippers.

Wendy's Stuffed Mushrooms

Kim here...This is my sister-in-law's infamous stuffed mushrooms. They seriously get devoured at any get together! Wendy is an excellent cook and owns her own catering company. She is very well known in Yuba County and does a wonderful spread. If you need something catered she is a great resource! Her catering company is Cooper Catering. Email us at cowgirlsandcupcakes@gmail.com and I will pass the information on to her! Thanks Wendy for sharing this recipe with us. We get very excited around here when we get recipes to share! Here is what she has to say about her mushrooms...

Wendy's Stuffed Mushrooms

I use regular mushrooms but if you want to be fancy you could use crimini mushrooms too. I would just recommend using medium to larger size mushrooms, its hard to stuff the tiny ones.


1 lb mushrooms
1 lb regular or reduced fat Jimmy Dean Sausage
16 oz cream cheese
1 bunch green onions
1 Lemon
1 clove garlic
A few Tbls olive oil

Do ahead: Take your mushrooms and wipe then with paper towel. Don't wash with water. Carefully pull out the stems and scrape out the center a little with a knife or fingertip depending on how the stubborn the mushroom is being. You want a nice little well in the middle of the mushrooms. Set aside.

Set out cream cheese to soften. Fry up your jimmy dean sausage on medium heat until well done and brown. Make sure that the meat is in small crumbly pieces. Add 1 or so cloves of crushed or minced garlic. Continue to cook until your garlic is golden for maximum flavor.

Using a mixer add cream cheese, sausage, minced green onion, 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/2 tsp lemon zest, a little finely ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix until mixture is well blended and creamy. Set aside.

Saute mushroom in a combination of a little olive oil and butter until the mushrooms are tender. Drain liquid and put mushrooms in an oven safe casserole pan. For this next step you can use a cake frosting tube; however I would be careful of using the same tube for frosting later.....sausage frosting just seems like it would taste wrong somehow. If you don't have a cake frosting tube like me, just use a zip lock. Fill zip lock with sausage mixture,zip tightly, and cut a small hole in the corner. Proceed to squirt enough mixture to fill the well in the mushrooms. It should overflow a little bit but not too much. You can do this a whole day ahead if you want or bake right away on 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until Mushroom filling is golden brown.

Enjoy! Wendy