Out of This World Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of my favorite things to eat and in pretty much any form as well. Unfortunately my husband doesn't share in this same mindset about mushrooms so I have to get creative in ways to get him to eat them. And if I'm being honest I think this recipe may have just taken the cake. I made it for my mom's birthday celebration so it was taste tested by a dozen or so people and there wasn't a person at the party who didn't love them. This recipe is a real crowd pleaser and quite easy to whip up on a moment's notice.

I came across the idea for this recipe from my husband's days in the pizzeria. One of the cooks there would add cream cheese to a traditional stuffed mushroom recipe, bread them and fry them. I took the idea of using cream cheese and ran with it. I wasn't crazy about the idea of frying them so I decided to add some crumbled sausage to the stuffing instead. It was delicious and I have to admit I felt like giving myself a little pat on the back making them.

Baked Clams

Long before I actually grew to love and enjoy seafood there was baked clams. For some reason though I was adamantly against eating anything that came from the sea, you could hand me a baked clam, lots of lemon slices and I would just go to town. These days I will eat just about anything whether it be from land or sea. My husband and I have become quite the adventurous eaters and are pretty open to trying new things. Even still baked clams remain one of my favorite treats, they are like a comfort food to me of sorts paired best with a bowl of lobster bisque from my favorite fish market. 

Baked clams are a great, fancy looking dish you can whip up in mere minutes. They are make for an impressive appetizer or side dish and pair perfectly with a nice piece of steak. There are a lot of variations on baked clam recipes, I think mine is fairly basic but it tastes delicious. And don't skip on the addition of paprika, the spice really takes the dish to the next level.