2-in-1 Holiday Appetizer

I used to love watching “Quick Fix with Robin Miller” on the Food Network.  The thing that really made me watc h the show was how she would transform the leftovers from dinner into something new and different the next day.  I like meals that you can really get your money’s worth out of. 

Today I would like to show you one of my favorite Holiday appetizer… and the great thing about it is… you have breakfast ready for the morning when you make this app!

These easy Stuffed Mushrooms taste amazing and are sure to be a hit at any holiday party.  They are very hearty and have just the right amount of heat.  I try not to make them all year, so that when I make them during the holidays, they are special!  I first tried a version of these mushrooms at a holiday party a year ago when my friend Tracy made them.  They were a hit!  I made a few adjustments to her recipe to incorporate freshly chopped onion and to stretch the filling, and voila! Appetizer + breakfast!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground sausage (I recommend Jimmy Dean HOT)

1 small onion, chopped (or 1/2 a medium/large onion)

1 block of light cream cheese

1/2 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup

whole mushrooms (bigger than a quarter, up to half dollar sized)

Fresh or dried parsley

Prep:

Begin by prepping the mushrooms.  Pop the stems off, one by one.  This will give you a little “well” to fill.  After the stems are removed, you can wash the mushrooms well.  Set them, well-side down, on paper towels to dry.  They dry the tops.  Allow to stand and dry while you prepare the filling.

Brown sausage with onions in a skillet on medium-high heat.  (Throwing the onions in with the sausage will help soften them and add flavor to the sausage.)  Drain the meat after browning it to get rid of excess fat.)  Reduce heat to low.  Add block of cream cheese and stir while cooking over low heat, until cheese melts and is smooth.  Add the soup and mix well.  Add parsley and mix.

Fill each mushroom with filling.  Then bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and filling is bubbling.

(before baking)

(after baking)

Delicious!  You will not regret making these!  And they taste way more complicated than they actually are! 

But now… you probably have leftover filling.  What do you do with it?  Put it in the fridge.  Tomorrow morning, grab a bagel or English muffin, spread some filling on it, and pop it in the toaster oven.  In just minutes you have a hot, delicious, hearty breakfast!

How was your weekend?  Ours was wonderful!  Here are just a few shots from the past 2 days!

Holiday charity Zumba class!

Coffee…

Warm fuzzy socks…

and time with friends around a fire!