PROJECT OF THE DAY: Stuffed Mushrooms

Thought I'd do a really quick post today for you guys. Last week I was supposed to give a cooking lesson on Stuffed Mushrooms to a friend, unfortunately we had to cancel. I, of course, still had to make the mushrooms since I still had all of the ingredients sitting in my fridge. I know it's not the same as having an actual cooking lesson, but here's how to make them!


INGREDIENTS: (again, i'm sorry for the not so exact measurements)

About 30 mushrooms (preferably larger ones)
½ a large or 1 small onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. Ground sausage/pork (I like to use half spicy and half regular)
1–2 tbs. Honey
¼ cup cream cheese
breadcrumbs
2-3 stalks green onions, chopped
grated parmesan

STEP 1:
Prepare the mushrooms by wiping off any dirt on the mushrooms with a moist towel. Remove all the stems and finely chop them. Set aside. Heat a large pan and precook the mushroom caps by cooking them for a few minutes on each side until browned. Once browned, transfer mushrooms to baking dish. If any liquid comes out of mushrooms during cooking, be sure to pour it out into a separate container before placing in baking dish.

mushroom caps waiting to be filled

STEP 2:
In same pan, drizzle some olive oil. Once oil is heated, saute onions until browned and softened. Then add garlic and saute a few more minutes. Now add in ground sausage, making sure to break it up in the pan. Once all the pink in the sausage is gone, add in all the chopped mushroom stems. Mix well with meat, and cook for about another 5 minutes. Drizzle in the honey, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Now stir in the cream cheese. Be sure to let the cheese fully melt and incorporate with the meat. If the mixture looks a little watery, add a handful of breadcrumbs at a time until mixture has thickened. Lastly, mix in a couple handfuls of chopped green onions. Turn off heat.

sauteed onions and garlic

STEP 3:
Take mixture and carefully spoon a couple of scoops into each mushroom cap. Be sure to pack down the meat with spoon so that it doesn't fall apart. Once the mushrooms are all filled, sprinkle as much or as little parmesan cheese you want on top. (to make things easier I like to make sure all the mushrooms are bunched together).


STEP 4:
Set oven to Broil. Once oven is heated and ready, place baking dish on top rack. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is slightly browned. The mushrooms are ready to be served!

mushroom goodness!

*Here's a little tip – There will most likely be leftover filling. I usually like to just eat the leftover with some rice or mix it into an omelet. Perfect for breakfast the next morning!

PROJECT OF THE DAY: Eggplant Parmesan

First let me start off by mentioning that I am not a big fan of eggplant. The slimy texture of it once you cook it freaks me out. But a few years ago, while I was living in the bay area, I went to this quaint little Italian restaurant. My friend had ordered the Eggplant Parmesan, which she thought was amazing, and so demanded that I try it. Well, I did. And my attitude towards eggplants had been changed. Eggplant Parmesan is now the only way that you can get me to eat that slimy vegetable.

I first started making this dish a couple of years ago during Lent. I was always trying to find yummy new vegetarian dishes to make since I couldn't eat meat, so I took this as the perfect opportunity to experiment with making this dish. After once again perusing the internet for a recipe, I saw that it was a fairly simple recipe. So, I decided to just wing it and came up with my own version of it. Even though it's a simple recipe, theres a couple different parts to it, so it does take a while to put together. I don't really measure when I cook, so I apologize for the lack of an ingredient list, but here's what I did!

First up, the tomato sauce. I started making it by first sautéing half a diced onion and a couple cloves of garlic until the onions were softened. Then I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and a large can of tomato sauce. I stirred it together and let it come to a simmer. Once it was simmering, I added in some chopped fresh basil. I let it simmer for a few more minutes, then took it off the heat and set it aside for later.

Next part was the eggplant. I sliced up 1 large eggplant and breaded it. The breading process consists of 3 parts. I needed 3 bowls for this. In the first bowl I put flour, which I seasoned with garlic powder and seasoned salt. 2nd bowl had 2 scrambled eggs, and the 3rd bowl was filled with panko. To bread the eggplant, I took a slice and coated it in flour, then dipped it in the egg, and lastly covered it with the panko.

Now, it was time to fry. I fried the breaded eggplant in some vegetable oil a few minutes on each side until it was nicely browned and crispy. Once the pieces are finished frying I placed them on a paper towel to get the excess fat off of them. After all the pieces were fried it was time to assemble all the parts. I took a large baking dish and poured a layer of the tomato sauce that I had made onto the bottom of the pan. Then I placed a layer of eggplant in the sauce. Next I sprinkled a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese over the eggplant. On top of that, I placed a few pieces of fresh basil leaves on each piece of eggplant. Then I topped it off with another layer of eggplant. Lastly, what gives this dish its name, I sprinkled a generous amount of shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Once it was all assembled, I placed it in a 400 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes. After that, I changed the oven setting to broil and moved the dish to the top rack of the oven. I left it in the oven only long enough for the parmesan cheese on top to brown, and it was finally done and time to eat! I had some extra tomato sauce left so I boiled some pasta to mix with the sauce and served it along side the Eggplant Parmesan.



The pasta and the eggplant went perfectly together. I think the reason I enjoy this dish so much is that the eggplant gets soft, but is definitely not slimy. Plus it doesn't hurt that the crispiness of the breading and all the cheeses kind of masks the taste of it as well. After making this dish, I think I can say that me and eggplant now have a better understanding with each other.