Since tomorrow is the Super Bowl, I figured I would squeeze in one last post for all of you party planners out there. Everyone loves finger foods and what Super Bowl spread is complete without a taco recipe? Typically I will make my little bro’s taco dip (which I totally need to post at some point), but this time, I thought I would mix it up a little bit! This recipe is simple and the  perfect size for game day grub.

Although this is not really a recipe, it is still worthy of posting because a.) they are tasty and b.) they are seriously adorable!  I simply sauteed onion, browned lean ground beef and added in some homemade taco seasoning.  I then placed spoonfuls of the seasoned ground beef into Tostitos Scoops and added all the necessary fixings. My favorite taco condiments include lettuce, Mexican shredded cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and green onions. The flavor combination are endless, try adding tomatoes, salsa or guacamole to really liven these up!  Have a great Super Bowl Sunday full of food, friends and of course…football! Check back soon for a fabulous chocolate cake recipe!

Toss it into the crock pot Sunday morning, and you’ll have the men drooling by game time. I served these up slider style on mini buns with a dollop of homemade cole slaw and alongside potato chips. This made for a very hearty dinner and great leftovers. If you are looking to add something to your Super Bowl Spread, give these a try. Remember to stop back over to let me know how you liked them…I love hearing from my fabulous readers!

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I am not a huge football fan, okay let me rephrase that, I am not a football fan at all. According to all of the men I have encountered today, “There is a BIG game on tonight!” In my opinion, Brian labels all of these games as “BIG” because he wants me a.) to make him game appropriate snack food b.) he wants full control the living room TV without me nagging and c.) to make him game appropriate snack food. Yeah he is all about the game night grub. In case you are wondering, I did a little football research for ya and tonight is the BCS Citi National Championship Game between Texas and Alabama. There…I am sure you are all at ease knowing who is playing!

Here is a little game night snack that is not only easy but also pretty darn delicious! It’s so simple to make and I am betting you have most, if not all of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge! Serve is up with some sliced French bread, pretzel crisps, toasted pita or just plain old tortilla chips and put a BIG smile on your football fan’s face for the BIG game! Just be aware that it is incredibly high in fat, so don’t come blaming me if your pants are a little snug tomorrow!

Although I typically do not post appetizers and main dishes on my blog, this recipe was just too good to keep to myself. If you watch Top Chef, you are probably very familiar with the term “deconstructed” as it is used the culinary world. It seems like someone on that show is always deconstructing something. My favorite deconstructed dish from this season of Top Chef was definitely Ashley’s recipe for pot roast…the recipe looked amazing and was thoroughly enjoyed by the judges, but I must confess, I am far too lazy to make this dish at home. However, when I saw Ina Garten’s recipe for deconstructed stuffing I knew this was something more my speed and thought it might just be a prefect appetizer course for Thanksgiving.

Essentially these are stuffed mushrooms overflowing with a sausage and panko filling bound together by creamy marscapone cheese. I found marscapone cheese at Fresh Market, but if you don’t feel like shelling out the cash for marscapone, I think cream cheese would work just fine. I also used sherry instead of the Marsala because that is what I had on hand. Although I would never forego my usual Thanksgiving stuffing recipe for the deconstructed version, I loved the flavor and texture of these mushrooms and will definitely make them again. I hope you enjoyed this brief break from baked goods, but rest assured I will back tomorrow with a Thanksgiving breakfast/brunch item that will be sure to make your mouth water. Have a great day and thanks so much for stopping by!
Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients
16 extra-large white mushrooms
5 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons Marsala wine or medium sherry
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings
6 scallions, white and green parts, minced
2 garlic cloves minced
2/3 cup panko crumbs
5 ounces mascarpone cheese, preferably from Italy
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely. Set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and toss with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and Marsala. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, crumbling it with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s completely browned. Add the chopped mushroom stems and cook for 3 more minutes. Stir in the scallions and garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the panko crumbs, stirring to combine evenly with all the other ingredients. Finally, swirl in the mascarpone and continue cooking until the mascarpone has melted and made the sausage mixture creamy. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste, Cool slightly.
4. Fill each mushroom generously with the sausage mixture. Arrange the mushrooms in a baking dish large enough to hold all the mushrooms in a snug single layer.
5. Bake until the stuffing for 50 minutes, until the stuffing is browned and crusty.

Tips/Notes:
1. I cut this recipe in half, which yielded 8 stuffed mushrooms.
2. I used the sherry as a substitute for the Marsala.
3. These reheat very well, we had them for leftovers the following day and they were just as delicious.

With summer vegetable crops overflowing, it seems like everyone with a garden is passing out veggies. Earlier in the week, Bri came home with summer squash from a co-worker and I had no clue what to do with them. I love vegetables, but squash does not rank high on my list, although I find it edible, it’s definitely not a favorite. If you follow me on twitter, you may recall me asking my twitter peeps for squash recommendations…they offered up recipes ranging from squash bread to squash casserole.

All of the ideas looked very promising, but I was really intrigued by the recipe for these Farmer’s Market Quesadillas sent to me from Short Bread City. Random thought…Every time I hear the word quesadilla, I think of the movie Napoleon Dynamite…please tell me I am not alone here!

I had all of the ingredients on hand including a red jalapeno from my mini patio garden. The great thing about this recipe is that is comes together in a snap and can be used with a huge variety of different veggies to suite your individual taste. These are also quite healthy, which is always a plus in my book! These Farmer’s Market Quesadillas were a very tasty and satisfying weeknight summer meal and would also make a fabulous appetizer. Trust me …you really won’t even miss the meat, Bri gave this vegetarian dinner a thumbs up and he would eat steak everyday of the week…if I would let him! We served these up with a spicy taco sauce and reduced fat sour cream…I think black bean salad would have been an amazing compliment as well! If you have an overflowing garden give this recipe a try…I bet they will be a huge hit your family and friends.
Farmer’s Market Quesadillas
adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used green)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms (I used canned mushrooms because it was all I had)
1 chopped jalapeno; seeds removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
cooking spray
6 (9 inch) whole wheat tortillas (I used Jalapeno-Cilantro Tortillas)
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. In a large nonstick pan, cook red pepper, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and mushrooms in olive oil over medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until just tender. Remove vegetables from pan.
2. Coat the same pan with cooking spray, and place one tortilla in pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese evenly over tortilla, and layer 3/4 cup of the vegetable mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle another 1/8 cup of cheese on the vegetables, and top with a second tortilla. Cook until golden on both sides, for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
3. Remove quesadilla from pan, and repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 8 triangles with a pizza cutter. Serve hot.

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The title of this post may have gotten your attention, but these are not brownies in the typical sense. I was making dinner last Sunday and wanted a quick appetizer that was something outside the box. I remembered reading about these “brownies” and decided to give em a go. The “brownies” are savory and more along the lines of a quiche. They are tasty, easy and a great appetizer served warm or room temperature. I made quite a few alterations to the original recipe, but I have also linked you to the unaltered version on allrecipes. We really enjoyed these, they are something different and I even stuck a leftover as a quick breakfast the following morning. Not to mention anything with bacon is stellar in my book!!!
Spinach Brownies
Ingredients
(10 ounce) frozen package spinach
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 onion; chopped
1/2 medium red pepper; chopped
1 clove garlic
2 pieces of bacon; chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 8×8 inch baking dish.
2. Place spinach in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until spinach cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain thoroughly and set aside.
3. Sautee red peppers, onions, garlic and bacon in a pan over medium heat until vegetables are slightly softened.
4. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and butter. Mix in spinach, pepper mixture and mozzarella cheese.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before serving.