Jumbo Stuffed Mushroom

Whenever I go out to eat, I'm the last one at the table to order. Seeing a menu full of choices overwhelms me, because I love so many things it's hard for me to focus on just ONE dish. But there are some ingredients that immediately draw my eyes.

BACON

CREAM

CHEESE

AVOCADO

TROUT

SHRIMP

MUSHROOMS

One day I was moseying along through the Farmer's Market and these large portobello mushrooms caught my eye. I had to have them and when I got these fellas home I decided to stuff them, to the best of my ability, with some of my favorite things. Anything that wouldn't fit got eaten prematurely.

It was an exercise in selfish because no one else in my house would eat them, but I didn't mind.

Ingredients
Whatever you want!
Some Mushrooms

1. Cook your stuffing first, especially if you're using proteins like shrimp, bacon or sausage (as I did)
2. Brush your mushroom with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Stack your filling inside and bake for 15- 20 minutes, long enough for everything to heat thoroughly and your cheese to melt.

Blue Cheese, Bacon...oh and Steak

It all started on a Sunday afternoon in the farmers' market. Me and Mini-me were making our way through the congested aisles in our church clothes and the child began to chant.

I want cheese, I want cheese, I want....

You get the point.

She was eager to get over to the dairy section and the free cheese samples. We discovered some really fragrant and fresh cheddar and blue cheese.

"Mommy I told you they had cheese! Dis goooood," she beamed.

I parked my cart and the two of us enjoyed a delightful snack. The cheese attendant encouraged me to feed the "baby." Sometimes, I'm amazed at the type of behavior people permit when you have a small child in tow. But, I was hungry too so we ate. Since my husband loves blue cheese I bought some to top a sirloin steak that was already in the buggie.

I paired it with asparagus covered with a bacon vinaigrette.

Bacon Blankets

I woke up the other morning to the smell of bacon. Sadly, it wasn't because someone was downstairs lovingly preparing me breakfast in bed. In fact, that's never happened and I'm shaking my head about this realization. I gotta get a campaign going...
Actually, the smell of smoked pork fat permeated the house because I cooked a whole heap of bacon the night before and it was still clinging to the air, the walls and nostrils throughout the house. The odor was so strong, my family probably dreamed of bacon all night. But no one seemed to mind, why would they? Bacon is one of life's greatest pleasures, it's a succulent treat. It's chewy, salty, greasy and crunchy.

Is there any man alive who does not like bacon?

No!

Even if you're eating turkey bacon, you're just choosing a lowfat substitute for... BACON. And this means you love bacon, otherwise, you'd just go eat a turkey sandwich, right? Right.

So for dinner, I wrapped some chicken tenderloins in maple bacon and cooked them on my grill pan. That intense heat sent bacon fumes flying all around the house. I turned on the fan above the stove but it wasn't strong enough to keep the searing meat from smelling up the place. I got a good sear on the meat too. I love to see grill marks, makes me feel like I know what I'm doing. I served these with some fresh green beans and scalloped potatoes.


Ingredients
Bacon
Chicken Tenderloins
Garlic
Cayenne
Salt
Pepper

1. Season tenderloins with salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne.
2. Wrap bacon around the chicken
3. Lay the precious meats on a grill pan, cook for about 2 mintutes on each side.