Blue Cheese Pecan Stuffed Mushrooms

Tomorrow is Super Bowl, and I wanted to make some type of blue cheese stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer.  I searched Pinterest, looked through five or six cookbooks, and still didn't find anything I liked, so I came up with these.
Funny, I haven't blogged in years but I wanted to save this recipe on Pinterest so here goes.  I have over fifty cookbooks, and probably that many Taste of Home and Bon Appetite magazines, but anymore my go to for food ideas is Pinterest or just a Google search.  One thing that bothers me is pages and pages of dialogue before you get to the recipe, so I'm just showing a few pics and then the recipe.
I used what I had in the fridge so some of the ingredients are a little strange.  First I knew I would need some type of bread crumbs.  I had some everything bagels, that I chopped up and toasted, in the freezer so there you go.  Feel free to use whatever type of bread crumbs you have, but these were really good.  Next I had some left over kale mix that I got at Costco, I chopped up some of it and sauteed it with the mushroom stems.  There never seems to be enough of the dressing and goodies in the mix, so I always seem to have some of greens left over.  These include broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, chicory and kale, which is a great start to a lot of dishes.  You could use any kind of greens like spinach, Swiss chard or kale instead.  So without further adieu....

Blue Cheese Pecan Stuffed Mushrooms

• 12 Large Mushrooms 
• 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Pecans finely chopped
• 1/2 Cup Sweet Kale Salad Mix (greens only)
• 1/2 Cup Crumbled Blue Cheese
• 1/2 Cup "Everything Bagel" bread crumbs
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Clean the mushrooms, remove and save the stems.

Heat the olive oil in a small pan.

Chop the stems.  Add the mushroom stems and greens to the pan. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme.  Saute until the stems are soft. Remove from heat and cool.

In a bowl combine the pecans, blue cheese, bread crumbs, and cooled mushroom stems & greens.

Stuff the mushroom caps and place in a greased baking dish.  Brush the tops with melted butter.

Bake for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe: Blue Cheese Pecan Stuffed Mushrooms

I'd love to hear what you think of these.

Christmas in July and the Family Chopped Challenge 2014

Merry Christmas!

Our family has gotten so big that it is difficult to get all of us together in one house to enjoy Christmas, so six years ago we decided to celebrate Christmas in July.  My sister, brothers and myself take turns hosting each year.  The host finds a campsite, plans activities, chooses a theme for the present exchange, and sets the meal plans.  My brother and I switched turns this year because of a glitch in our campsite reservations.  We live in the woods with a good location for camping, so we were happy to host at our home this year.  It was kind of a blessing in disguise to only have two months instead of a year to plan.  We quickly came up with all of our ideas, and sent out the invitations.  We were also blessed this year to have our daughter and her family visiting.

Asparagus Tart with Balsamic Reduction

This was a hit at Easter, so I thought I would share.

1 Package of Puff Pastry (thawed)

1 (4 ounce) package Rondel cheese with herbs, room temperature
1 small bunch of  Asparagus cleaned and trimmed
2 T. Olive Oil
1 t. Sea Salt
1/2 C. Balsamic Vinegar

Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease.  Place 1 sheet of puff pastry on the pan and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes until lightly browned.  Carefully remove to a serving platter and cool.

Toss asparagus with olive oil and sea salt on the backing pan and lay out in a single layer.  Roast at 450 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly tender.

Reduce the balsamic in a small pan until halved.

Spread the cheese on the puff pastry then top with the roasted asparagus.  Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the top.  Cut into 2 to 3 inch squares and serve

Suggestions:  Cut the asparagus into bite size pieces for easier eating.  You could also cut the puff pastry into individual portions before baking.

Herb Mustard Pork Loin & A Great Knife

 You've probably seen variations of this recipe before, but it is one of my favorites to make in the summer when my herbs are flourishing.  It is really simple and versatile, you can change it up with any herbs you have on hand.  You can even use dried herbs, just make sure to use a lot less.  I also want to show you one of my favorite kitchen gadgets.

Swiss Steak & Veg-all Salad

You know how some meals bring you right back to your childhood?  This is one of those.  If I was to read these recipes I would probably blow right by them, they seem so boring.  Back when these were popular you didn't see 5 or 6 spices listed in every recipe, they were simpler.  This doesn't mean they don't taste delicious.  So please give them a try and let me know what you think.