New Zealand Mussels Appetizer

I bought a bag of these frozen mussels at a HyVee supermarket.  They are already cleaned and cooked, so it makes preparation super simple.  Plus they are very affordable!  (I've heard these also called green mussels.)

This recipe, with a few modifications, can be found at Food.com.  This is one delicious appetizer. So let's get cooking.

Thaw the mussels and loosen them from the shell. Drain and pat dry, then place them back in the shell and arrange on a baking sheet.

Next make the bread crumb topping.

1 cup panko bread crumbs
3 Tbl. melted butter
1 Tbl. parsley flakes
1 clove garlic finely minced
2 Tbl. grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
juice of one lemon

In a bowl, combine bread crumbs, melted butter, parsley flakes, minced garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the mussels, Spoon the bread crumb mixture evenly over the mussels, pressing down a bit.

Broil for 5 minutes or until the bread crumb topping is golden brown and crunchy, and the mussels are warm. Watch carefully when broiling.  It can go from golden brown and delicious to black and burned.  Not that I would know anything about that.  ;)

Enjoy friends!

Scallop Gratin

Oh my gosh!  These are just fabulous.  You gotta try 'em, we had these for an appetizer tonight and wow!!  Scallops don't have a lot of flavor -- so they need some help.  This is the recipe. 

Get 6 gratin dishes ready.  Pour 1 Tbl. dry white wine in the bottom of each dish.  Use a wine you would actually drink, not a "cooking wine".

2 pounds of sea scallops.  Pat them dry--very dry.  Cut the scallops in half if they are large.

6 Tbl. butter, softened
2 shallots minced
4 tsp. parsley
2 Tbl. lemon juice--fresh
2 Tbl. bacon bits
2 tsp.salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 Tbl. olive oil
1/2 Cup panko bread crumbs

Mix in the bacon bits and panko right before you are ready to assemble the dishes.

Here is the final mixture.

Arrange the scallops in each dish on top of the tablespoon of white wine.

Smear (or spoon) the topping over the scallops.  At this point you can put them in the fridge until time to bake and serve.  That is the cool part of this dish--it can be made a few hours ahead of time.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.  The panko will make the topping really crispy.

Tonight I served this as an appetizer with some crusty bread-- oh my gooooodnessss!

Thanks Food Network for the recipe!  Enjoy Friends!

Appetizer Tray

Here's an appetizer tray I made up to have later this afternoon.  

Sharp Cheddar Cheese & savory crackers, Mini Caprese Salad, 

and Shrimp Shooters with spicy cocktail sauce.

Close up of the Shrimp Shooter

Rub a lime wedge around the edge of the glass,

dip in coarse sea salt--kinda "margarita like"

Close up of the Mini Caprese Salad

Grape tomato, fresh basil leaf, buffalo mozzerella,

drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Close up of Cheddar bites

Serve with a cold beverage.  Iced green tea, or cold beer.

Enjoy friends.

Mushrooms with Cream Cheese Stuffing

Thank you, Pioneer Woman, for this super yummy recipe.  I had leftover cream cheese stuffing, so I used it on some jalapeno peppers.  It's all good.

Recipe from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman!  

You can view step by step photos and instructions on her blog,

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

(Note:  I substituted turkey sausage for the pork sausage)

Ingredients

 24 ounces, weight White Button Mushrooms

 1/3 pound Hot Pork Sausage

1/2 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

 1/3 cup Dry White Wine

 8 ounce pkg. Cream Cheese

 1 whole Egg Yolk

 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated

 Salt And Pepper, to taste

         

Preparation Instructions

Wipe off or wash mushrooms in cold water. Pop out stems, reserving both parts.

Chop mushroom stems finely and set aside.

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat.

Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate.

Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir & cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot.