Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

Growing up, I hated mushrooms. They are still not my favorite when they're raw, but cooked -- I LOVE them!!

I got this recipe from my girlfriend Aly, but I added sausage this time to try something new. The thing about this recipe is that I don't really have any specific measurements. It varies depending on how many mushrooms you have -- so I went by instinct.

I took 9 mushrooms and cleaned them up.

I removed the stems from the mushrooms.

I minced the stems and put them to the side.

I then cut about 1/8 cup of onion.

I melted about 1 tbsp of butter in a non-stick skillet.

I used 1 andouille sausage and 1 italian sausage for this recipe.

I squeezed out the sausage into the pan...

... and made sure to break down the sausage so they're smaller. I just cooked it until it was brown.

Then I added the onions and mushroom stems and cooked them down for a bit.

I added some bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, salt, and pepper. At this point, I added some butter to gain the right consistency.

As the filling was finishing on the stove, I placed the caps on a cooling rack and placed the rack on a baking sheet to catch all of the filling that might fall. I love this trick!

I filled the caps with the filling.

Then, I placed the mushrooms on the baking sheet.

I threw the mushrooms in a 350 degree oven.

12-15 minutes later...

They were really good and didn't last too long!

>> If you end up making this appetizer, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

One Bowl Banana Bread

Two things I love about this recipe is that 1) everything is mixed in 1 bowl (easy clean-up!) and 2) it's very adaptive to additional ingredients (I'll talk more about this in a bit).

(Side note: you can talk old browned/black bananas and peel and slice them and store them in the freezer for future use.)

Okay, let's jump in because I cannot wait to share this yummy goodness!!

I mashed 3 browned bananas with a fork in a large bowl. They practically peeled themselves.

I added 1/4 cup (1/2 a stick) of softened butter. 

I measured out 1 cup of sugar (1/2 granulated white, 1/2 light brown sugar) and threw it in the bowl. I think in the future, I will only use 3/4 cup of sugar because it was a tad sweet -- but nonetheless delicious! 

I was preheating the oven at 350 degrees so I decided to roughly chop about half a cup of walnuts and 1/4 cup of coconut and toasted it in the oven until the coconut began to brown.

I added a 1/4 tsp of salt. For baking, I like to use popcorn salt because it is finer.

I added 1 tsp of baking soda...

... and 1 egg that was beaten. At this point I mixed all of the ingredients together.

I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla...

... and a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.

I measured 1 1/2 cups of flour and threw the toasted walnuts, coconut, and a nice handful of chocolate chips into the measuring cup.

The goal here is to coat the "extra" ingredients so that when they are added to the wet ingredients, they will mix together well instead of clumping together. 

This is the part of the recipe where I could choose to add any other "extra" ingredients, such as macadamia nuts, rum, bacon, almonds, instant-espresso powder, marshmallows, and/or  peanut butter. Banana bread is sounding pretty fun!!

All mixed together!

I sprayed a loaf pan with non-stick spray and added the batter.

55 minutes later...

This banana bread was AMAZING! It turned out great and I'm excited to make it again soon :)

>> If you end up making this for dessert, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Lasagna-Style Baked Ziti

I'm a sucker for anything in a casserole dish. So when Will mentioned he was craving a pasta dish, I wanted to make this re-furbished lasagna dish. It takes about 40 minutes and will feed your crew for days!

I started with a home-made meat sauce. To the ground beef, I added andouille sausage for a cajun kick!

I cooked 16 oz of ziti pasta and added the sauce into the large pot.

Then I added 4 cups of spinach. Will helped me mix everything together :)

Then I added 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese.

Once the mix was well incorporated, Will poured it into a 9x13 casserole dish.

He sprinkled it with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella.

We threw it in a 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

All done!

We ate the baked ziti with garlic bread.

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Cream of Asparagus Soup (Créme d'asperges)

I've never made this soup before, but I've had it twice before. My mother-in-law and my aunt from Brazil both made it, and both times they were absolutely amazing! Will had a craving for soup, and I was up for trying something new!!

I ran to the store and picked up 2 pounds of asparagus, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, and chicken stock and got started!

I rinsed the asparagus and had 3 bowls set up. On for the cut stalks, one for the tips, and one I call the "trash bowl".

I snapped off the bottom of the stalks and threw them in the trash bowl.

I cut off the tips and saved them for later as a garnish.

I cut the stalks into 1/2 inch pieces.

In a 4 quart heavy pot, I melted 2 tbsp of butter and added 1 large chopped onion. You want to sweat the onions down...

... and then add the chopped asparagus stalks.

I cooked them for 5 minutes.

I then added 5 cups of chicken stock and simmered it for 15-20 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, I blanched the asparagus tips and put them aside for later. To blanch any vegetable, you cook them for 2-3 minutes in salted water and then throw them in a bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking and helps keep the vibrant color.

Although most recipes call for adding the heavy cream (1/2 cup) after blending the soup, I added it before I blended it because I think it makes a smoother and lighter soup. 

I poured the soup back into the pot and kept it warm. I actually added a 1/4 tsp of fresh lemon juice, added salt/pepper to taste, and whisked in 1 tbsp of butter. Just before I served the soup, I threw the asparagus tips back into the pot to warm them.

The soup turned out so light and surprisingly creamy! 

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis