Different take on Stuffed Mushrooms and the Start of Year 7

We’re starting my seventh year of “Cabana Boy Cooks” this week.  I hope the changes I’ve made over the last two weeks are helpful to your surveying the site.  Please note that all the “Gluten-Free” recipes are now available under their own “Recipe Tab” to make it easy for those needing them.  There are 50 plus GF recipes as of now and I add two more every four weeks. 

There are now over 650 recipes under all the recipe tabs for you to enjoy and share.  Please do try the recipes that fit your taste and lifestyle and share the link with any and all your family and friends.  Thank you and please ask questions or give feedback so I may serve you better.  Now let’s get started with the 7^th year.

If you like “Mushrooms” than I’m sure you must like “Stuffed Mushrooms” too.  Never tried them, you don’t know what you’re missing.  The recipes this week are a must try for anyone.

The two best mushrooms to use for stuffing are the ever available white mushrooms and baby bella mushrooms.  You will want to use ones that have a diameter of about 1½ inches.  These give you plenty of room for the filling and make a two or three bite delight.

If you are serving them as a finger food as people mill around at a party, you might go down to a one-inch diameter.  That way you don’t need utensils.  The cooking time will need a little adjustment for this size.

Fillings for stuffing mushrooms are really almost unlimited.  After you have tried making a few different stuffed recipes, use your imagination and experiment with some of your favorite foods.  Cheeses, sausage, bacon, bread crumbs and fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro are popular as components in the stuffing mixture.  One of this week’s recipes calls for imitation crab, which saves money.  But fresh or canned crab meat works wonderfully too.  Just a little more expensive.

Remember to be careful in cleaning the mushrooms.  They absorb water easily so do a quick rinse and dry with a paper towel gently.  Another way is to just use a damp paper towel and lightly rub the mushrooms.

Also, be careful removing the stems.  That’s what helps create the cavity to hold the filling.  Don’t throw the stems away.  Trim them and dice up to use in the filling.

The recipes this week include Wednesday’s “Porcini and Olive Stuffed Mushrooms” and then “Crab and Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms” on Thursday.  Enjoy trying them and “Happy Cooking” until next week.