A Very Mushroom Sunday

Sunday's theme was mushrooms! (Wait, I have themes?) Really I just had an overabundance of mushrooms. So for appetizers we had some stuffed mushrooms loosely based on a Giada recipe. I only had smoked gouda on hand and did not have any mint. If I had extra cheese I would have melted a little bit on top because I'm a cheese fiend. They were a hit! (read: I only managed to snag three of the eight before Mr. Lawyer devoured them)

Stuffed Mushrooms 

(By Giada, Food Network) 

Ingredients 

1/2 cup Italian-style dried bread crumbs 

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

28 large (2 1/2-inch-diameter) white mushrooms, stemmed 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Stir the bread crumbs, Pecorino Romano, garlic, parsley, mint, salt and pepper, to taste, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl to blend. 

3. Drizzle a heavy large baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, to coat. Spoon the filling into the mushroom cavities and arrange on the baking sheet, cavity side up. Drizzle remaining oil over the filling in each mushroom. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the filling is heated through and golden on top, about 25 minutes.

Next up was a chicken recipe from my dear Mother Unit. It was nice a light, not overly lemony. There was not enough mushrooms to go around even though I doubled the amount. My only issue with this one involves my own semi-irrational fear of not cooking chicken enough and giving everyone salmonella. So I pulled a Grandma Nancy and microwaved the chicken at the end because I couldn't get the temperature high enough on my meat thermometer! No one ended up in the bathroom and it was a super yummy meal.

Lemon Chicken with Mushrooms

(From the Mother Unit)

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breast halves, skin removed
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter
salt

4 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (doubled to 8oz)
4 green onions sliced
2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine or a dry Chardonnay
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions

1. Place chicken breast halves between sheets of plastic wrap; gently pound to thin to an even thickness. Combine flour, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika in a plastic food storage bag. Add chicken and coat well; shake excess flour mixture off.
2. In large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Sauté chicken breasts for 3 to 4 minutes per side, turn and sprinkle with a little salt. Place on platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Add mushrooms to the skillet with a little more butter, if needed. Sauté for 3 minutes, until browned and tender. Add green onions and sauté 1 minute longer. Add Marsala wine and lemon juice; simmer for 1 minute. Put chicken back in skillet; simmer for 1 minute longer.
4. Arrange chicken on platter; pour sauce and mushrooms over the chicken and garnish with a little chopped parsley.