Stuffed Mushrooms

Food is my favorite outlet, I feel like if you can conquer a delicious recipe you can conquer the world.  Cooking is so simple and yet so complex at the same time.  It is a romantic idea to me and is a form of art.  Think about it food makes people happy, comforts them, excites them and really good food can even bring up memories for people.  It is a beautiful thing it and unites the world.  While I don't have much control over what my future is bringing right now, I know that I can cook a good meal and create something that I can share with the world (even if only a few people actually read this).  It is nice to feel like I can contribute something that shows the part of my personality I sometimes hide.  Food is a way of rounding myself out especially when they are amazing recipes like this one!

I had no bumps and bruises like I did with the corn salsa but I did end up with a rather messy kitchen.  Sometimes you just do NOT feel like washing the dishes.  Actually that is probably my least favorite chore in the house.  Darn you 50s built apartment building...I MISS A DISHWASHER.  Anyway everyone who likes mushroom and meat and cheese should eat this it was delectable.

What's really good about this recipe is that although it takes a little bit of time you really don't have to do any prepwork.  Really its just throwing sausage in a pan as well as some cream cheese, onions spinach and garlic.  Not hard at all.  Even if you can't chop an onion.  (They do it for you in the grocery store now!)  

This has been one of my favorite recipes I have concocted and it was a perfect end to an endless sunday worth of work and just crap.  This dish is really filling I could only eat one mushroom instead of the 3 others I wanted to eat so I even had leftovers for the next day.  Its pretty cheap and would go really well with some garlic bread for all of you non glutuneers out there.  I'm excited about my recipes and I'm glad that I started this blog as my food baby making abilities outlet.  I hope you all enjoy these delightful mushrooms for dinner and PLEASE leave me comments I would love to hear from you guys.    Oh and if any of you are having a bad day just watch this video and it should get a giggle out of you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eZ3HAUjPIw

Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

4 portobello mushroom caps
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
one package of hot jimmy dean sausage
2 1/2 cups of spinach
1/3 can chicken broth (Campbell's)
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup mozerella cheese


1.  First put your sausage in a skillet and brown it.  When it is cooked, take it out and lay it on a paper towel on a plate to drain the grease.
2.  Next step is to mince your garlic and onions fine.  Then add those with a tablespoon of olive oil to your pain and cook until translucent.
3.  Next put your spinach in the pan and cook until barely wilted and then add your sausage back into the pan.
4.  Next add your 8 oz of cream cheese and chicken broth and let melt together until consistent mixture.
5.  Then take your mushroom caps and use a spoon to scrape out the gills inside of the mushroom.  Once these are clean rub your caps down with olive oil and salt.
6.  Last step, fill the caps with your mixture and sprinkle with mozerella cheese.  Bake on 350 for about 12 minutes or until mushrooms are as soft as you like to eat them.

Fantastic and Dangerous Corn Salsa 

Hey everyone! So I absolutely fell in love with my first recipe I am posting and I have to say it was a hit with the boyfriend as well.  Now yesterday was a pretty good but boring day and I needed a little fiesta in my life so I decided to make corn salsa.  This recipe is absolutely fantastic and Antonio Banderas would drool over this salsa.  I even cried at one point during the process of making it.  That in itself is a hilarious story.  So you know, I always watch cooking shows and they warn you about the oil you get on your hands from hot peppers and to wear gloves when cutting them.  Well I thought it was some kind of like extra precaution so food network wasn't liable for the third degree chemical burns their viewers can receive from jalapeños.  I was very very wrong.  RULE ONE when cutting any hot pepper or even mildly hot pepper....

ALWAYS wear gloves.

Jalapeños are not that spicey in my opinion but I learned just how much heat was present in one measly pepper when I decided to itch my nose and rubbed my eyes almost simultaneously.  Within a matter of seconds I was blinded and felt like my nose was the result of a painful burn via kelso on That 70s Show.  Not even Ashton Kutcher himself could have made me control the actions of a girl in dying need of relief. 

My first bright idea was water which was NOT a good idea at all.  Especially even mildly warm water it makes the burn worse you guys... NEVER hot water.  I then proceeded to dunk my face in a bowl of milk....this would have made an extremely funny YouTube video.  That helped while my face was in the milk but didn't last long. I then called my mother in a moment of extreme desperation and that did no more than freak my mom out.  Finally I found the answer OLIVE OIL.  Yes slippery stain your clothes, but oh so relieving olive oil.  I soaked my hands for a few minutes while it worked for my face, it didn't get rid of the burn underneath my nails and that just had to go away on its own unfortunately.  Needless to say this very very simple salsa took extremely way to long to throw together.

 Now onto the food!  

This recipe is so easy to make my favorite dog Roscoe could make it!  

Now using fresh corn would have been a lot fresher and a pain in the rear end.  Nobody has time to boil it shave it and then use it.  Obviously in a restaurant you would but frozen corn works just as well.  I just used two 12 oz bags of corn steamers from Harris Teeter.  And it's way cheaper then fresh corn! I let that cool in a big bowl while I chopped up the rest of the ingredients.  I also didn't have any fresh cilantro but they sell these awesome squeeze tubes of concentrated herbs in the grocery store and I just used what I had on hand.  Last note before I write down the recipe make sure to let the favors marinate for a few hours it'll taste way better :). I served this salsa on top of some white rice dusted with chili powder and lime flavored grilled chicken on the side. I hope you guys try this recipe it's definitely a crowd pleaser and I will obviously make it again :)

Corn Salsa Recipe  

• 24 oz of frozen corn
• 2 jalapenos 
• 2 limes juiced 
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 2 cups of fresh cilantro
• 1 can of petite cut no salt tomatoes 
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cumin 
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 2 tsp of salt 
• 2 tsp of black pepper

1. First defrost the frozen corn and put in a large bowl to cool down while preparing other ingredients.
2.  Dice 1/2 red onion as small or as big as you like and throw into the bowl of corn. Do the same with your jalapenos and fresh cilantro.
3.  Add in the can of tomatoes after you have drained all of the liquid from the can.  You can also juice both of your limes into the salsa at the same time.
4.  Lastly add all of your spices into the mixture and then mix all together. Make sure to let the salsa marinate for about an hour (overnight is best) before eating.  Note: It goes really well with lime flavored tortilla chips too!

Well, I first want to start by introducing myself and telling you guys why I decided to start this food blog.  My name is morgan, I turned 21 this year and I love to cook.  I am graduating from Campbell University (a school in the middle of no where) in August and possibly moving to Philadelphia where I can get more than fast food and really bad italian for dinner.  I also have come to the conclusion that I could never go to culinary school due to the fact that I spill and drop about everything I touch when I'm cooking.  Nonetheless it always ends up being delicious....well most of the time anyway.  Instead of going to culinary school I decided to go to Campbell for Pharmacy school and well as soon as I realized I hated chemistry that was not a major foreseen in my future.  Then I switched over to Biology and it has been one of the greatest decisions I have ever made.  Although the program itself has made me want to rip my hair out and sometimes prefer to be on America's Most Wanted instead of studying the citric acid cycle, it has challenged me at my best (and worst).  Campbell while a small (VERY SMALL) school and in a southern (VERY SOUTHERN) town, it has charm in many areas and has been my home for the last four years.  Although I love my program and my teachers and friends....plain and simple no one around here knows anything about decent food.  Local grocery stores barely carry half the stuff I want to cook with.  SO...that is when I learned that I would have to cook ten times more than I usually do with limited options for lavish restaurants in none other than Buies Creek.  I am starting this blog because I have always admired other food bloggers and spend about half of my time on the internet drooling over lick your fingers worthy spicy rubbed pork tenderloin and ooey gooey delicious chocolate molten cakes and the hilarious commentary of other bloggers.  Then I realized that it was something I should do myself!  Taking summer classes in the middle of nowhere has its advantages to focus on school but every girl needs an outlet.  This blog will be mine.  Now I do have to tell you guys that I am in the process of being gluten free but that DOES NOT MEAN its disgusting food.  I can't promise every recipe I make will end up with a 5 star review but I will say that most of the gluten free food I make is mainly just lots of fresh vegetables and meats.  I try not to eat a lot of processed foods at this point at all anymore but I do crave chocolate and caramel...and ice cream...and cookies (ok I love sweets which are probably worse than general processed foods) BUT I do try to have as many healthy alternatives as possible.  This blog is not tailored to gluten free zombies but to everyone and I hope you all enjoy this blog.  Even if I only have one follower its one more than I had yesterday.  And please feel free to give me any ideas for recipes or things you could change about stuff that I make.  Cooking is supposed to be fun and its not an exact science (pun on my major).  Be creative get in the kitchen.  If you want tips please feel free to ask.  This is my relaxation.  I enjoy making people fat and happy and prefer to roll every person out of the door like a plump blueberry.  (willy wonka reference for any of those who didn't catch on).  I can't wait to start this new journey with you all!!! Let's EAT :)