Spinach and 2 Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Just simple and wonderful stuffed mushrooms. You get the meaty mushroom stuffed with a creamy filling and a wonderful crunchy topping with this one. I think the key here is really the technique to stuff and top—when you have a moist filling and top, you can really fill those mushrooms to overflowing,

Ingredients:

Mushrooms:

1 (8 ounce) package of cremini mushrooms (about 10-12)

1 garlic clove

1 whole shallot (about 2 Tablespoons)

1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

¼ cup shredded parmesan

¼ cup Havarti or other creamy cheese, diced

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Splash of balsamic vinegar

¼ cup Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Topping:

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Garnish:

Fresh parsley and coarse sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Clean the mushrooms and set aside the stems. Coat the mushroom caps with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and place, cut side up on the baking sheet.

Toss the mushroom stems, garlic, shallot and spinach into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Heat the remaining Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add the spinach mixture. Cook on medium for about 4 minutes or until the garlic and shallot are fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled spinach mixture with the cheeses, salt, pepper, balsamic and dry seasoned breadcrumbs. Pick up on mushroom cap with one hand and a scoop of the spinach-cheese mixture with the other. Gently push the filling into the cap and repeat until all the mushrooms are filled. Now, pick up a stuffed mushroom in one hand and a scoop of the topping in the other. Cupping the mushroom gently, push the topping onto the mushroom and replace on the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Serve hot.

St. Louis Creamy Italian-Parmesan Salad Dressing

St. Louis is one of the best places to live in the country if you love to eat. We get cultural influences from Italy (the Hill), Germany (the wineries and restaurants of Hermann, Defiance and Augusta), Bosnia, Mexico (there are small yet fabulous Mexican restaurants everywhere) and the Southern US (Sweetie’s Pie’s soul food!). You probably know that we also have our own version of cheese (Provel), we like our ravioli ‘toasted’, we have the best dessert (breakfast) in Gooey Butter Cake. Of course we also have our special thin crust pizza and our own version of BBQ. You may not realize that we also have a regional salad dressing that we adore. It’s a cross between Caesar and Creamy Italian and it goes a little something like this:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)

½ cup canola oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 Tablespoon grated onion (with juice)

¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

2 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons garlic salt

½ teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Directions: In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, anchovy paste and onion. Then slowly whisk in the cheese, sugar, garlic salt, table salt and dried oregano. Whisk for several minutes or use an immersion (hand) blender to combine all the ingredients. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This should keep in an airtight container for about 5 days but it will never last that long around here.

Banana-Coconut Snack Cake

I wish that everyone could experience how good my house smells right now. This cake is the perfect antidote for a sweet craving. It’s moist and light with a great balance of banana and coconut. I find that I always buy more bananas than I can use fresh. I let extra ones ripen, peel them and then freeze them in individual zip top bags. That way I always have ripe bananas for smoothies, oatmeal and baked goods. Note: I used a 15 by 9 pan today, so yours will probably be thicker. Either way, the taste is just fantastic!

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 egg

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup light, unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

¾ cup shredded, sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

5-6 Tablespoons light, unsweetened coconut milk (however much you need to make a glaze)

½ teaspoon vanilla

Toasted coconut for garnish (optional)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the bananas, butter and sugars. Add in the egg, buttermilk, ½ cup coconut milk, vanilla and coconut extract. Mix for 3 minutes or until completely combined.

In another bowl, stir together the coconut, flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually mix this into the wet ingredients.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 35-40 minutes. It’s done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, the top is golden and the edges have slightly pulled away from the sides of the pan.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze by combining the confectioner’s sugar, 2 Tablespoons coconut milk and vanilla.

Let the cake cool completely and then drizzle with glaze, top with toasted coconut if desired and cut into squares.

Parmesan and Potato Crusted Cod

If you are ever in the mood for a 15 minute dinner that is both healthy and comforting, give this a try. You crunch through the crispy crust and then all of a sudden you hit the buttery and flaky fish. It's dynamite and good enough for guests.  All in less than 15 minutes. 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons canola oil

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

1/3 cup potato flakes (AKA instant mashed potatoes)

1/3 cup shredded parmesan

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound cod loin fillets, thawed if frozen and patted dry (mine were about ½ inch thick)

Lemon wedges and slaw to serve

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Grab three large, shallow bowls. Combine the flour, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper in one bowl. Mix the egg and water in the next bowl. Combine the potato flakes, parmesan, breadcrumbs and a bit of salt and pepper in the third bowl. Dredge each cod fillet first in the flour (shaking off the excess), then dip in the egg wash, then coat in the potato/parm mixture. Add the fillets to the pan and cook for about 4 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden brown. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Test for doneness by checking to see if the fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily with a fork. If not, cook for another few minutes on a lower heat so the crust doesn’t burn.

Serve on a plate with some slaw and a wedge of lemon. 

Parmesan Crisps

It's been several years since I posted this recipe and thought it would be great to put it out there again for everyone who wants the simplest and the best appetizer for Game Day. These crispy bits of cheese will literally fly off the plate-just watch. 

Ingredients:

1 (5 oz) tub of shredded Parmesan cheese (not grated)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with foil and spray the foil with vegetable oil spray. Place mounds of about 2 teaspoons each of the cheese on the baking sheet  about 1 inch apart (think ‘making small cookies’).  Bake for 6-7 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown, but not dark because they will turn bitter if too dark. Cool and pile on a plate for easy snacking.

Get creative on me: You can go absolutely wild with seasonings here—you can put some freshly cracked black pepper on the top, some cayenne for heat, some garlic salt, whatever! Even better, add 2 slices of crisply cooked bacon, crumbled, to the cheese. Awesome.

Baked Custard

Better to call this ‘Baked Velvet.’ My father had a fondness for simple, clean and comforting desserts and this was one of his favorites. A warm, baked vanilla custard brings back memories of home for me and I hope they do for you as well.

Ingredients (serves 6):

4 eggs

2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

3 cups milk (whole or 2%)

Ground nutmeg or ground cinnamon (I’m a nutmeg girl myself, but you do what feels good to you)
A few berries for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the insides of six (6 ounce) ramekins with cooking spray and put one teaspoon of granulated sugar in each, rolling the ramekins to let the sugar coat the bottom and sides of the ramekins. Place in a 13 by 9 cake pan and set aside.

Heat a kettle full of water until boiling. Set aside, but keep hot.

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it just barely simmers. Remove from heat.

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt until the sugar is dissolved.

Slowly ladle in ½ cup or so of the hot milk into the eggs and whisk until blended. Continue whisking in the milk one ladleful at a time until all the milk is used. This will prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg or cinnamon.

Put the 13 by 9 pan in the oven and pour the hot water in the bottom of the pan, being careful not to get any in the custard itself. Fill until the water comes up as high as the custard in your cups. Close the oven door and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife put in the center of custard comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the oven and the custards from the pan (use oven mitts, they are hot!). Allow to cool on a rack until room temp and serve for a warm treat or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours for a beautiful chilled dessert. Toss a few berries on top for a bright contrast.