Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I am still stunned at myself for choosing to make a Sandra Lee recipe as she is not a favorite of mine and I usually don’t watch her show.  For some reason, I had the FN on before the holidays and Sandra made these mushrooms and since I am addicted to mushrooms,  I tried them.  They ARE good!  They take a bit of time to make but are easy to assemble.

The pictures are lousy because I didn’t get a chance to put them on a plate before they were scarfed up!  I had to elbow my way in to grab a couple pictures.

Stuffed Mushrooms

24 large stuffing mushrooms
olive oil
4 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing
1 1/2 cups diced leeks
1 cup cornbread stuffing
1/2 cup warmed chicken broth
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Wipe mushrooms clean and remove stems but save the stems. Brush each cap with some olive oil.

Dice the stems.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tbsps olive oil. Add mushroom stems and cook for 1 minute. Add sausage; breaking up any clumps. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the diced leeks and saute for another 3 minutes or until the sausage is completely cooked through and the leeks are tender. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the stuffing and warmed broth. Let sit for a minute or two until the stuffing softens. Stir in sausage mixture, sage, garlic, and 2 tbsps Parmesan into stuffing.

Fill each mushrooms with some stuffing mixture and place on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle mushrooms with remaining 2 tbpsp of Parmesan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

I made this recipe for Christmas Day.  The hens came out perfect but we all agreed the stuffing was just a little on the sweet side for us.  Next time, I think I would leave out the apple and add some celery and it would be good to go.  I loved that our meal was different than the usual meal we have had in the past ~  in fact, DS picked out game hens.  I didn’t even know he LIKED them, LOL!

Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 small leek, white part with 1 inch of green, finely chopped and rinsed
1 small apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh sage, plus sprigs for garnish
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian parsley, plus sprigs for garnish
2 cups cubed day old cornbread (I bought cornbread, cubed it, and let it sit out until hard)
3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Cornish hens, giblets discarded, patted dry

n a medium skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Saute the leeks for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened. Add the apples and cook for 3 minutes more. In a medium bowl combine the leek mixture with the sage, parsley, cornbread and enough broth to moisten. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Stuff the birds with the cornbread mixture and tie the legs of each hen together with kitchen twine. Melt the remaining butter. Brush the birds all over with butter and season with salt and pepper. Put the hens on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F., about 80 minutes.

Set the birds aside at room temperature, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!