So if you are looking for a glorious appetizer recipe for your holiday meal, I found it for you!! As a child, stuffed mushrooms were a part of every holiday meal. I remember my Mom allowing me to pop the stems out of the center of the mushrooms and I just thought I was so cool. Still to this day I love the sound the mushrooms make as you pop the stem from the mushroom with your thumb, ahhh the little things. Back in the day my Mom made her stuffed mushrooms with a crap load of butter, bread crumbs, chopped up stems and garlic. I think there may have been something green as well, maybe parsley or some other herbs, but I am not positive about that. She would saute the stems and garlic in the butter, add the bread crumbs and green stuff and stuff the mushrooms. I just remember the salty butter flavor and the crispiness of the bread crumbs. Yum!


However, sorry Mom, but this recipe I made last night was better than yours. Yes, I know by making that statement that I am now getting a lump of coal in my stocking this year. But it is the truth! So these mushrooms are rich and creamy and smokey and heaven! The cream cheese makes them just melt in your mouth and the bacon just makes them taste decadent! I did not use blue cheese in them, but for some reason, maybe from the Parmesan, but the mushrooms also had an earthy flavor reminiscent of blue cheese.

So first of all, pop the stems out of the mushrooms. I bought the large stuffing mushrooms because I wanted well big mushrooms. I always clean my mushrooms using a damp paper towel and that is what I did. I read a long time ago that if you rinse them they tend to absorb more water and so the towel keeps them a little more crisp, for whatever it is worth.


Next take a pair of scissors and cut the bacon into pieces. Cook the bacon until crisp.


When the bacon is done keep 2T of bacon fat in the pan and saute a 1/2 cup of sweet onion. Cook until tender. On a side note, the easiest way to get rid of bacon fat is to put it in a bowl and put in the fridge. Once it has hardened up, just scoop it into the trash.



Next add the chopped mushrooms stems and garlic to the pan.


Turn down the head and add the 1/4 cup Parmesan and 4 oz of cream cheese and stir until melted.


Stuff the mushrooms and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Voila!


Here is the link to the original recipe and just want to give a quick shout out to Mountain Mama Cooks (a fun food blog):  http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2011/02/bacon-and-cream-cheese-stuffed-mushrooms/


I brought these to a Christmas party and they were a hit! Every single mushroom was demolished in seconds, it was almost as if I attended a party with a bunch of locusts. And I mean that as a total compliment because I love when people love the food I make. Cheers!