February 4: Stuffed Mushroom Day and Homemade Soup Day

Stuffed Mushroom Day

The first time I had stuffed mushrooms, my friend had made them and, truth be told, they weren't very good.  I'm not sure what she did, but I remember politely eating one and then not eating any more because it was just too salty. 

Since then, I've had stuffed mushrooms a few times.  And, other than that unappealing first time, the time that sticks out most in my memory is when my friends had stuffed mushrooms at their wedding.  Those were a hit!  They were super delicious and even the non-vegetarians were snatching them up.  I can only imagine that it must have been hard for the catering staff to keep up with demand. 

I've made stuffed mushrooms a few times, and I never follow a recipe.  I usually just separate the stems from the caps and then chop up the stems.  To the chopped stems, I usually add chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and chopped celery.  Then I finish the mixture by adding whatever mixture of herbs I have on hand that I think will go well together and either shredded cheese or bread crumbs.  The mixture is then stuffed back into the caps in heaping piles and baked in the oven at 400 under close watch for 15-20 minutes.

I'm always left with leftover stuffing and I always try to use it all up in other dishes, instead of just throwing it out.  This most recent time I was left with enough stuffing to add to biscuits and to stuff inside pastry dough, making a home version of a Hot Pocket.  (Or perhaps it's more of a mushroom calzone?)


Homemade Soup Day

As I've said before, homemade soup is awesome.  It's super cheap and easy (most of the time) so what's not to love?  Homemade soup would've been perfect today because it's was overcast and dreary most of the day, then finally opened up with rain.

So what would've I done if I had made soup today?  First, I would've tossed some broth into the crockpot.  (While not essential for homemade soup, crockpots are a great tool.)  Then, some carrots and kidney beans.  A bay leaf would be added, as would some peppercorns.  About an hour before I wanted to eat, I'd add some celery, onion, and cooked rice.

Mmm...maybe I'll make soup tomorrow.