Archive - February 2015

We went to Jason’s coworker’s house yesterday to watch the game. I brought Caramelized Onion Dip and Cayenne Stuffed Mushrooms. These appetizers are a huge hit with all of my friends and family and both are very easy to make (especially if you have a food processor to chop up the mushroom stems and garlic)!

Caramelized Onion Dip
(Recipe credit to Food & Wine)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream, room temperature
1 8oz block of cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and ground pepper

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. It may take about 30 minutes.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cook, stirring, until the water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Let the onions cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
3. Transfer the onions to a cutting board and coarsely chop.
4. In a large bowl, mix onions with salt and pepper, as desired.
5. Mix in the sour cream, cream cheese, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Season more as needed and serve at room temperature.

Cayenne Stuffed Mushrooms
24 whole fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (gluten free, if desired)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel and carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine with food processor, if available.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic.
3. Pour stem and garlic mixture into a bowl lined with paper towel. This will help get rid of excess moisture and oil. After a minute or so, remove stems from the towel and place inside bowl to cool.
4. In a large bowl stir stems and garlic into cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick.
5. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Dip each cap into the breadcrumbs and arrange in prepared casserole dish.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.