Friday, March 09, 2012

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

I hated mushrooms as a kid. Actually, I hated a lot of vegetables as a kid. I grew out of that as an adult, thankfully. And, because there is justice in the world, now my kids hate mushrooms (among a few other things). Sweet justice, according to my parents. 

Oh well. 

When I make something our kids don't like, they have to have at least some.
When it comes to this appetizer, that just leaves more for the adults in the room. :)


Crab-Stuffed Mushroom Caps
20 mushrooms

20 large white mushrooms with stems
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp minced onions
1 can (4 oz.) crabmeat, drained
2 Tbsp. unseasoned, dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped, fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. grated, Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 black pepper
2 or 3 drops hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 400º. 

Wash the mushrooms & pat dry with paper towels. Pull out stems, leaving a hole where the filling will go. 



Mince all or most of the stems to make 1 cup. Set aside.


Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add minced stems & onions. Cook & stir until vegetables are  tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. 

In a medium bowl, combine mushroom-onion mixture with all remaining ingredients. Using a teaspoon, stuff mushrooms with filling, mounding on top.


Arrange stuffed mushrooms in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 400º for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. 




And now here's the whole thing without the pics:

Crab-Stuffed Mushroom Caps
20 mushrooms

20 large white mushrooms with stems
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp minced onions
1 can (4 oz.) crabmeat, drained
2 Tbsp. unseasoned, dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. low-fat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. chopped, fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. grated, Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 black pepper
2 or 3 drops hot pepper sauce

Preheat oven to 400º. 

Wash the mushrooms & pat dry with paper towels. Pull out stems, leaving a hole where the filling will go. Mince all or most of the stems to make 1 cup. Set aside. 

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add minced stems & onions. Cook & stir until vegetables are  tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to burn them. 

In a medium bowl, combine mushroom-onion mixture with all remaining ingredients. Using a teaspoon, stuff mushrooms with filling, mounding on top.

Arrange stuffed mushrooms in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Bake at 400º for 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature. 

Grab one before your guests get them all! ;)

~~~

This week I've been so busy that blogging has taken a bit of a back seat. Maybe you noticed? If you have, you are indeed a faithful reader. Thank you!! My posting schedule was kind of off & the time I usually have to write & prepare posts was pretty abbreviated. 

I do have some reasons:

1) Our church is in the midst of preparing for our annual Easter musical which means a couple of practices a week. (Have I ever told you that I'm a singer? Yup, true story.) This is great fun & one big highlight of our spring, but as you can imagine, it's a huge amount of work as well. In addition to me singing in the musical, my husband is playing the saxophone in the orchestra. As my former voice teacher (who is also the one who writes the musicals we perform - Amazing? Yes!) says, "If the musical is in your future, then practice is in your present." Truer words were never spoken.

2) We've been dealing with some sickness in our home - sore throats & my daughter fractured her arm a couple of weeks ago. Sick kids home from school, doctor's appointments, x-rays... 

3) Those things combined with life in general & a couple other extra things on our plate just takes up what free time we have. 

I'm not complaining. 
I'm simply asking you to please have pity on me if I go AWOL for a few days this month. :) 
Deal? 
Thank you, my friends! You rock!

Now, have a wonderful weekend!



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Wednesday, March 07, 2012

Note Card Set No. 2

My card making days have been few & far between lately, but this past weekend I was able to pump out this notecard set using a bunch of Echo Park scraps I had kickin' around. 


All these patterned papers & stickers are from Echo Park's Country Drive, Little Girl, Splash, Summer Days collections. 



Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Nut Jar Upcycle

Can you guess this little container's humble beginnings? 
Well, you likely already have because of the name of this post. :)


But in case you skimmed over that part & really are wondering, it all started with a little almond jar like this.


After we ate the yummy almonds, I kept the little jar thinking it was a great size. But what to do with it???

I finally just started playing, not really having the whole vision when I started. 



Here's what I did:

1. Paint the lid black with craft paint.

2. Cut some patterned scrapbook paper to fit the jar. 

3. Apply the paper with Mod Podge.

4, 5, 6. One by one, layer the tabs on the bottom of the jar, using Mod Podge on top of each one. 




7. Apply a layer of Mod Podge over the entire paper surface. Let dry.

8. I learned how to make rolled paper flowers using this tutorial. I made 3 bigger ones & 3 smaller ones. Apply with hot glue. 





Now to figure out what to do with it now that it's all prettied up... any ideas? 




I'm thinking it would be great as gift packaging with a sweet little gift inside (maybe jewelry?).



Please share your ideas as to what you think I should do with it! :)

Enjoy your day!
I link up to these great parties

This project featured on:



Friday, March 02, 2012

10 Spray Paint Ideas!

Now that it's March I'm crossing my fingers for the weather to get a bit warmer soon so I can get out & SPRAY PAINT!! Not that it's all that cold (we've had a surprisingly mild winter), but just cold enough to deter me from getting to some of the spray paint makeovers I would love to tackle. After spray painting 1 coat on my lamp revamp in my basement, I've learned my lesson. Definitely waiting for warmer days out in the fresh air...

So for now, I'm just compiling lots of inspiring ideas to use when the warmer weather appears. :)

Heehee, isn't this printable too funny? Click here for source.

Look at these old lamps spray painted in fun colours!

via Mod Podge Rocks!

I know my friend, Sarah is going to love this chandelier! And purple too!

via Vintage Revivals

Spray paint an old shutter & use it as a note board.

via Better Homes & Gardens

How lovely & easy is this?! Glass vases with rubber bands & then spray painted. 
Remove the rubber bands when dry & you have a cool design!

via Pinterest (I couldn't seem to find the original post this photo belonged to. If it's yours, please let me know!)

This is just a normal chair painted in such a cheery colour!

via Domestically Speaking

I love these fabulous wooden crates painted & used as shelves! Nifty & thrifty!

via Be Different Act Normal

I'm in the market for a new pepper mill since ours broke. Now I'm thinking of just finding a thrifty one & painting it!

via Kotori

This is pure happiness. Take old kitchy finds (from your basement or a thrift store) & spray paint them.
Display with pride.

via Craft

Taking ordinary items like glass bottles & spray painting them to help you beautify your home is pretty wonderful.

via The Colorful Living Project

More thrifty finds spray painted in gorgeous, trendy colours! 

via Tattered & Inked

Are you feeling inspired yet? Eeeee! I am just itching to get out my spray paint! 
If this is not enough, check out some of my previous spray painted projects

Do you have any painting projects in the plans for this weekend? 
Whatever you have planned, have a great one. See you next week!

Enjoy your day!


Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Schmoo Torte

Happy leap day! Too bad having an extra day on the calendar doesn't actually mean having extra time.

To celebrate this special day :), indulge in this yummy dessert... one of our favourites, the Schmoo Torte.

This is a light concoction of angel food cake, whipped cream, caramel, & pecans. It's like a caramel cloud.



Schmoo Torte

sauce:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar

 In medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, mix together all sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cool. Refrigerate until cold.


cake:
1 box Angel food cake mix
1 cup cold water or amount that cake mix says
1 cup finely chopped pecans

 Mix according to package directions. Gently fold in pecans. Bake according to package directions or at 350º for 40-50 minutes, until top is lightly browned & cracks feel very dry & not sticky. Turn upside down. Cool completely, at least 2 hours.

filling:
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

 Whip cream. Add icing sugar & vanilla. Continue beating until soft peaks form. 

Putting it all together:
  Cut cake into 3 equal layers. 



Spread 1/4 of caramel sauce on bottom layer.


Top with 1 cup of whipped cream. 


Repeat the layers - cake, sauce, cream. Top & ice cake with remaining cream. Drizzle remaining caramel over the top. Decorate with pecans, if desired.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.


And here's the recipe again all together...


Schmoo Torte

sauce:
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar

 In medium saucepan, over medium-low heat, mix together all sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Cool. Refrigerate until cold.


cake:
1 box Angel food cake mix
1 cup cold water or amount that cake mix says
1 cup finely chopped pecans

 Mix according to package directions. Gently fold in pecans. Bake according to package directions or at 350º for 40-50 minutes, until top is lightly browned & cracks feel very dry & not sticky. Turn upside down. Cool completely, at least 2 hours.

filling:
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

 Whip cream. Add icing sugar & vanilla. Continue beating until soft peaks form. 

Putting it all together:
 Cut cake into 3 equal layers. Spread 1/4 of caramel sauce on bottom layer. Top with 1 cup of whipped cream. Repeat the layers - cake, sauce, cream. Top & ice cake with remaining cream. Drizzle remaining caramel over the top. Decorate with pecans, if desired.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

~~~~~

So, what are you doing with your extra day? I'm planning for my husband's birthday tomorrow. 
Happy early birthday to him!!

Enjoy your day!
Check out these great parties I link up to!

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