It's the Holidays!!! Such a warm, happy, festive time! I hope everyone else is having a wonderful season. After Thanksgiving and the massive turkey overload, I wanted to surprise my boyfriend with something different. I waited until he was at work and made an appetizer tray and had an indoor picnic ready after decorating a tree and having a fireplace (on Netflix) ready to go. While most of the items were baked straight from the frozen aisle, I did make these stuffed mushrooms at the suggestion of a friend of mine. A creamy filling makes them bearable for even mushroom haters, like myself. These were insanely simple to make and the filling would even make a delicious dip.
Ingredients
* 1 lb Jimmy Dean sage sausage
* Chopped fresh sage, to taste (optional)
* 1 block cream cheese
* 1 container white button mushrooms
* 1 tsp black pepper
*1/2 tsp salt
* 1 tsp paprika
Directions
Brown sausage, breaking into small bits. put sage in the pan as well if you are using it (I did not in this particular variation since I was using sage sausage).
As sausage browns, preheat oven to 375. Clean mushrooms and gently carve out until only the empty top remains. Leave cream cheese out to reach room temperature and soften.
As the sausage browns, drain and place back in pan. stir in cream cheese and seasonings into pan with sausage until well mixed. Then pipe or spoon into mushroom caps and bake 15 minutes until golden on top and heated through.
These work well as an hor d'oeurve or finger food at a party, or a snack food for any time.