Stuffed Mushrooms

I made these for a Memorial Day appetizer... it was a first time recipe, and it was a hit! They're pretty easy to make and are very tasty!

Ingredients:

24 ounces, White Button Mushrooms (or whatever small fresh mushrooms you can find)
⅓ pounds Hot Pork Sausage

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

8 ounces, Cream Cheese

1 whole Egg Yolk

¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated

⅓ cups Dry White Wine

Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Directions: 

De-stem the mushrooms, making a cavity.

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not extremely hot. Garnish with minced parsley if you're feeling fancy.

White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. light brown sugar
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1-3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 c. white chocolate chips
3/4 c. dried cranberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 2 cookie sheets. Cream butter with sugars, using a mixer, until fluffy (about 30 seconds). Beat in egg and vanilla; beat for another 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients; mix at a low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop cookie dough onto the prepared pans. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Makes 24 cookies.

*instead of using white chocolate chips and cranberries, you can use espresso beans, chocolate chips, walnuts, or pretty much whatever you have in your cupboard or lying around the kitchen :)

Apple Pie Baked Apples

5-6 Granny Smith Apples (make sure they can stand up on their own)
1/4 c. sugar 
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
Pie crust (homemade or refrigerated)

1 tsp. Cinnamon 

Step 1: Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F. Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.

Try to salvage as much of the inner apple as you can so you can use it for Step 2.  But, you may need to chop up additional apples for filling.

This recipe will make 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).

Step 2: Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.

Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.

Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.

Step 3: Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips.  You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.

Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.

Step 4: Place apples in an 8×8 pan.  Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.

 

Best served with ice cream... Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients: 
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions: 
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.
3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps, distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough. 
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.
6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Velveeta Fudge

a Paula Deen favorite of mine :)

Ingredients

1/2 lb Velveeta
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter or 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts (if you like)
2 (16 ounce) boxes confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Lightly spray the bottom of a 9 by 2-inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt cheese and butter together, then add peanut butter* and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts.

Empty confectioners’ sugar into a large bowl and pour cheese mixture over sugar*. Stir until completely mixed. Candy will be very stiff.

Using your hands, remove candy from the bowl and press evenly and firmly into the pan. Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, pat top of candy with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Place the pan in refrigerator until candy is firm.

To serve, cut into squares.

*If you want peanut butter fudge, do not add cocoa powder. If you want chocolate fudge, omit the peanut butter and instead, add the cocoa powder to the sugar mixture.