Ina Garten’s Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Today is the day after of our annual Christmas Eve party. Today I will not think about the dirty dishes, the crumbs on the floor or the piles of torn wrapping paper or tissue spread throughout our family room. I will sit with my cup of Earl Grey tea, munch on leftover sweet treats I have left and watch my kids’ faces as they play with their games and toys.

But, if you have a dinner party tonight, and need some guidance on appetizers, here is my Barefoot Blogger entry: Ina Garten’s Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms.

I love LOVE mushrooms, and I adore eating stuffed mushrooms. My favorite is my artichoke-spinach stuffed mushrooms. But, after making these for a neighborhood Christmas party, I think we have a tie!!

One reason these mushrooms taste so heavenly is that they are first coated in olive oil and sherry. The stuffing is made with sweet Italian sausage, scallions, garlic, panko bread crumbs and mascarpone cream. I didn’t feel like splurging on the mascarpone, and since I had 4 bricks of cream cheese in the fridge, I made the switch. Stir in some parmesan cheese and these mushrooms are ready to be stuffed. It takes about an hour to cook in the oven, and what you have are some crunchy, juicy, creamy mushrooms.

I also used portobello mushrooms, since I was making these for about 12 people. It would be an understatement to say that these mushrooms were a huge hit. It was the grand slam of the evening. In fact, several ladies told me they wanted the recipe so they could make them for you guessed it, their Christmas dinner.

So from the Family Spice kitchen to yours, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and good times for you and your family in 2010!

For the full recipe, click here. And visit Family Spice for more great recipes!