Sausage Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

Prepared by Jen

Ingredients:

• 16 extra-large white mushrooms (Baby Portabellas)
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry (instead of coating mushrooms w/wine & oil I added 3 or 4 Tbls of the wine to sausage mixture.)
• 3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
• 4 scallions, white and green parts, minced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2/3 cup panko crumbs
• 5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop . Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside. (I added a couple chopped mushrooms to the chopped stems and I don't toss them in wine and olive oil).

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it's completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Add 3 - 4 Tbls Dry Marsala wine. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley. Cool slightly.

Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer. Bake until the stuffing is browned and crusty about 50 minutes.

Note: Recipe is by Ina Garten

Banana Coconut Nut Muffins

Prepared by Jen

Recipe coming soon

Apple Strudel

Prepared By Jen

Recipe courtesy Robert Bleifer (Food Network)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 to 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, halved, and sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup, for sprinkling
• 5 sheets phyllo dough
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped almonds
• Cinnamon, for garnish
• Powdered sugar, for garnish
  

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pour rum over raisins and microwave on high for 25 seconds to plump raisins (let sit 10 minutes).
• In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, and plumped raisins.
• In a medium bowl, melt 1/2 stick butter to phyllo sheets
• Place 1 sheet of phyllo (use 2 sheets & overlap about 2") on work surface and lightly brush with butter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon each of sugar, panko, and almonds, then top with another layer of phyllo and repeat the process four times. Place the last sheet of phyllo on top of the sugar mixture and brush it with the with butter, but do not top with more sugar, panko, and almonds.
• Place the apple mixture on the lower 1/3 of the phyllo stack, being sure to leave a 2-inch border. Gently lift the bottom edge of the phyllo stack to cover the filling, then fold the side edges over. Continue to roll the stack away from you, until the filling is completely sealed in and the seam is on the bottom.
• Transfer to the lined baking sheet, brush the top with butter and sprinkle with 1 more tablespoon of sugar. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Thai Chicken Satay Skewers

Recipe From Allcooks.com, Prepared By Jen

Chicken Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 servings)

Marinade:

• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 heaping teaspoon grated gingeroot
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Marinade Directions:

1. Reserve 3 tablespoons mixture for dipping sauce; cover and refrigerate
2. Add 2 tablespoons water to marinade and pour over Chicken.
3. Cover; marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, stirring mixture occasionally. (very salty if marinated overnight)

Peanut Sauce:

Bring to boil over Medium-high heat stirring constantly:

• 3 tablespoons reserved soy sauce mixture
• 3/4 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk or Coco Goya Cream of Coconut (I prefer Sweetened Coconut Milk – stronger Coconut flavor & sweeter taste)
• 2 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Simmer uncovered 2 – 4 minutes or until sauce thickens

Grill or Bake Chicken in oven

1. Soak 8 (10- to 12-inch) bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to prevent them from burning; drain. Prepare grill for direct cooking.
2. Drain chicken; reserve marinade. Weave 3 to 4 chicken strips accordion-style onto each skewer.
3. Brush chicken. Discard remaining marinade.
4. Grill skewers on uncovered grill over medium-hot coals 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning halfway through grilling time or bake at 350 in oven.

Serve with warm peanut sauce for dipping.