Garlic Mushrooms

I made these for the first time last night for our "steakhouse" dinner at home. I don't know if it's the most *amazing* recipe, or the hardest, BUT they were delish! =] Here's how to make these scrumptuous mushrooms...

You will need:
1 lb. of mushrooms (I used a mix of baby bellas and white, but you can use whatever you want)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 T olive oil, divided
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Heat up 2 T of the olive oil over medium/medium high heat. When heated add garlic. Let simmer about 1 minute. I just grated my garlic over the oil...I love my new grater!

Add your mushrooms. Saute 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly. You may need to add a little more oil if they are looking dry, not a whole lot, you don't want them to be greasy.

In the meantime, mix the rest of your ingredients together in a small bowl. I hate when recipes say to "constantly" stir something, but wait! You have to do this over here too! I don't have 4 arms, they'll be fine for a minute...

I smashed my mushrooms up while they were in the skillet, I didn't care if they looked pretty, it was only me eating them. But, you can slice them up or buy them pre-sliced at the store. It's all up to you! =]
After the 5-6 minutes, add the sauce to your mushrooms and serve immediately. Enjoy! They are amazing, well I thought so anyways. I had never made mushrooms for myself, and I don't know why, I looove them. But, this is extremely simple and so good.


Here is our "steakhouse" dinner at home. My husband manned the grill and I cooked the shrooms. =] This will definitely be made again! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Bacon wrapped jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese

I'm really excited about these, they are so delicious! The good thing is, they are easy and only take 3 ingredients! You can make 2 or 200! Great for appetizers and parties!

Here's what you'll need:

- jalapenos

- cream cheese

- bacon

- toothpicks

Here's what to do:

1. Start by soaking as many toothpicks as jalapenos halves you'll be making. Soak about 20-30 minutes, that way they won't burn in the oven.

2. Cut the stems off and then cut in half, length wise.

3. Next, take all or none of the seeds and ribs out of the pepper. These are what make the pepper hot, so if you like some heat, keep 'em. If not, take 'em out!

4. Fill with as little or as much cream cheese you want. I love this part, so I tend to put a little more in mine.

5. Wrap with your bacon. I usually cut one slice into thirds, which usually works depending on the size of the pepper.

6. Skewer the bacon, length wise, making sure to skewer the bacon at least twice to ensure it stays on the peppers.

7. Place on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath in order to catch any drippings. Pop into a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Sooo yummy! Enjoy!

So...deep fried pickles...YUM!

This was me when I was about 3 I think. It has nothing to do with the post, I just thought it was awesome. =] I loved my Cool Whip hat!

I ventured to a little restaurant here on campus, Scotty's, and for the first time had deep fried pickle chips! Well, I fell in LOVE with them, but the price was a little steep for what you get, $8 for some fried hamburger pickles. So, my fiance and I tried one night to re-create them, they were alright, but just not what we were looking for. So, Saturday I randomly started to make some coconut shrimp with a recipe I got out of a cookbook I got for Christmas. Well, I thought, well maybe the pickles would be good with this coating.....OMG they were amazing!!! So, we have found almost an exact recipe like the one at Scotty's and for much cheaper! If anyone is interested here it is:

3/4 c flour

3/4 c cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3 1/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp oil

I lay my pickles out on a paper towel before dipping them, so they can drain a little. Dip 'em, deep fry 'em until golden brown, then drain on a different paper towel. We like to dip ours in ranch dressing, Scotty's also serves it with horseradish but I don't like that. I found that the ranch packets that Hidden Valley makes is the best ranch to use, the buttermilk recipe, not the sour cream one. Anyways...I just wanted to post this, because we're so in love with it, even though it probably has a million calories! =]

April Fool's idea

I just saw on Sweet Charli a cute April Fool's Day idea and it made me think of another. We made "fried egg sundaes" where I work for the residents. We got vanilla pudding and smeared it on a plate, thick enough so you can't see through to the plate, but not clumpy either. Then we put a peach half on top of it. When you see it, it looks like a fried egg....they thought it was pretty cute and it's really tasty! I just wish I had a picture.