My sister, Danielle, created this simple but elegant mushroom dish.  She loved it so much that she immediately picked up the phone to share it with me and the readers of Cooking with Brandy. The recipe serves 2-3 people.

• 12 large white button mushrooms (stems removed and dirt wiped off)
• 12 slices of brie cheese from a 1 ½ inch round log (1/4” slices)
• 12 small basil leaves
• 3 tbsp of melted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil and turn up the edges to form two shallow bowl. Place mushrooms in foil bowls with tops down. Top with brie slice and basil leaf. Drizzle butter over mushrooms and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in over for 5-10 minutes until brie starts to melt and mushrooms firm, dark and juicy.

Dani

www.danielledesigns.com

June 8th – 14th, 2008

Well, another wonderful week has passed.  Coupons clipped, groceries shopped, food prepped, and bellies bursting.  This week’s menu had quite the variety but enjoyed by many.  Most of the recipes are from cookbooks and other resources, but I threw in my “twist” when I could. From semi-homemade pizzas to slow-cooker recipes and on to luscious desserts, I recommend these dishes to the food lover in you. 

Sunday, June 8th: After venturing through my cookbooks and then visiting the local super market to pick up the ingredients for this week’s concoctions, I returned home to endulge my kitchen obsession for, sad to say, seven hours.  Sometimes, I get so caught up playing around in the kitchen, with my little tv tuned to the food network, that I lose track of time.  Baby Zoey was in my belly just dancing away and other than a little ache in my feet, I was tickled pink to be making these creations. 

I have presented stuffed mushrooms in many different ways but I was up for a challenge when my vegetarian friend asked for a spin on a sausage-stuffed mushroom. An easy fix was using vegetarian style beef that tastes just like the real thing.

Ingredients:

• 12 large button mushrooms
• ½ cup of vegetarian meat substitute
• ¼ cup finely diced white onion
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced (about a ½ teaspoon)
• ¾ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
• ¾ cup Pecorino Romano, finely grated
• ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 4 tablespoon for cooking preparation.
• water
• 4 slices of mozzarella or provolone cheese.

Serves 6 (2 per person)