Spicy Spinach-Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted by: Annie

Pictured here is the best mushroom you will ever eat, but let's be real, you will not be able to eat just one. This is the kind of recipe that leaves you scraping the bowl, licking your fingers (secretly of course) and wishing that you had purchased 48 ounces of mushrooms instead of just 24.

Last weekend, our little sister came from Philly to New Jersey for the weekend, and I volunteered to make an appetizer and dessert. I spent all Saturday morning baking and cooking, and after tasting the filling for the mushrooms, deeply regretted not buying all the mushrooms in the world. When I realized I had extra filling (some of my mushrooms were "petite") I couldn't bear the thought of throwing it out, so I literally scooped it up with tortilla chips - it's THAT good. 

What you will need:

24 ounces whole white mushrooms

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mild Cheddar cheese, shredded 

8-12 dashes hot sauce (depending on taste) 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Wipe down mushrooms with a damp paper towel to clean. Remove stems from mushrooms and dice stems. Heat butter and olive oil over medium heat, and add onion and mushroom stems. Cook until onions are soft, and then stir in bread crumbs. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, then set aside to cool. 

Squeeze water from thawed spinach and set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar. Stir in cooled panko mixture, and mix well. Add in spinach, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Mix to combine. 

Scoop the filling into mushroom caps. 

Place filled mushrooms in baking dish and cook 20-25 minutes, until filling is hot. 

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Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Posted by: Maggie

Is it weird that I remember the first time I tried risotto?

Annie and I had gone into NYC together back in early 2008 to have lunch and see the Legally Blonde musical (don't judge, it was amazing.)

We decided to go to Lidia Bastianich's restaurant Becco, since they had this awesome lunch special where you get salad and three different kinds of pasta, all of which were unlimited and served tableside. I know I'm making it sound like a fancy Olive Garden with that description, but really, would there be anything wrong with a fancy Olive Garden? Say what you will about the OG - those breadsticks are the shit. (Pardon my salty pirate mouth, there's really no better descriptor here.)

Anyway, my Olive Garden fantasies are not the point of this story.

The point is, one of the three pastas that day wasn't actually pasta - it was risotto. I couldn't tell you what else Annie and I ate that day, but I still remember my first creamy, parmesan-filled bite. To be fair, the reason that I may have forgotten the other pastas that I ate is probably less attributed to the fact that they were unmemorable, and more attributed to the fact that Annie and I each enjoyed several cocktails upon discovering that they had no plans of carding her then 20-year-old self. Fun times.

Risotto has an undeserved reputation of being difficult to make. It's actually quite simple, as long as you're okay with a recipe that is hands-on for a solid 20-25 minutes of stirring.

Here's what you'll need:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Arborio rice, uncooked
8 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and minced
1 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
6-8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh basil for garnish

In a large saucepan, heat up broth. Keep warmed on low heat throughout entire cooking process.

In a large saute pan, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes. Add in dry Arborio rice. Stir to coat rice thoroughly, and cook for 3 minutes.

Turn heat to medium-low and pour in wine. Cook for a couple minutes until the wine is mostly absorbed. Add in sun-dried tomatoes and stir.

Begin adding the broth 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously, allowing the rice to absorb each cup before adding the next. Repeat until the rice is creamy and fully cooked. It should still have a bit of a bite to it and not be mushy - this takes about 6-8 cups of broth, and roughly 20-25 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in parmesan and heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with basil. Serve immediately.

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Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman 

Gooey Butter Cake

Posted by: Annie

There are certain foods I find incredibly addicting, and sadly these foods do not last more than 24 hours when they are in my house. Some of these foods include ice cream, guacamole, any sort of dip, and now I have to add Gooey Butter Cake to the list. I brought Gooey Butter Cake to work and had to physically remove it from my classroom so I would not eat all of them at lunch. The cake is gooey (obviously,) rich, and is just mouthful after mouthful of buttery goodness. If you have self-control and/or lots of people to share desserts with, make this immediately! 

What foods do you find addicting?

What you will need:

Bottom layer:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 tablespoons whole milk

Top layer:

8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter (melted)
16 ounce box powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add in egg, butter, and milk, and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Press dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until it is smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and butter, and mix until well combined. Gradually add in powdered sugar until thoroughly mixed and the batter is smooth. Pour on top of the bottom layer in the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes. Remove from the oven (even if it still looks a little undercooked) and allow to cool completely before cutting. Top with additional powdered sugar, if desired.

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Source: Adapted from Gingerbread Bagels and Paula Deen