Back to the grind!

Even though I haven't been posting, I have still been cooking.....sometimes ;-) I remember making new recipes and thinking, "I need to post this. It is so good!" But, alas, life got in the way. We hit a VERY busy season, and I was happy if dinner got made let alone posted on my blog! I think that anyone who cooks on a fairly regular basis gets the occasionally rut where they are burnt out. I HAVE SO BEEN THERE! I hadn't even felt like making my regular favorites. However, I have received new inspiration in the form of a FANTASTIC new cookbook!! The good news for you is that I am going to be posting more often again. The bad news is that I am not going to tell you what the cookbook is...at least not right away. There is something to be said for mystery and when it comes to food, I find that titles lead to preconceived notions. So....no titles for you yet!

Wednesday is usually a busy day for us. We have church in the evening, and that means I have to do a quick dinner and nothing too heavy. I don't like feeling like I need to unbutton my top pants button while I'm driving to church!

Without any further ado-

Dinner is served:

Mushrooms Stuffed with Breadcrumbs, Lemon, and Thyme

Makes 4-6 servings (3-4 stuffed mushrooms per serving); 108 calories per serving

12 - 16 large white cultivated mushrooms (12-14 ounces, washed and stemmed, stems reserved)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or about 3/4 tsp dried thyme

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning*

3/4 finely ground breadcrumbs* (preferably whole wheat)

*I couldn't find lemon pepper seasoning, so I combines lemon zest and pepper. For the breadcrumbs, I used whole wheat panko.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil and baking sheet. Cut off and discard the tough tops of the reserved mushroom stems Finely chop the trimmed stems and reserve.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid released from the stems has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully add the lemon juice. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes, adding the thyme, garlic, salt , and the lemon pepper seasoning the last 30 seconds or so. Remove from the heat and add the breadcrumbs, stirring well to thoroughly combine.

Rub the rounded sides of the mushroom caps with half of the remaining oil. Arrange the mushroom caps, gill sides up, in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spoon the filling evening into the caps, and dab the tops with the remaining oil. ( If desired---At this point, the mushrooms can be held at room temperature up to an hour before continuing with the recipe, or covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours before returning to room temperature and baking) Bake on the center oven rack about 30 minutes, until nicely browned. Allow mushrooms to cool about 5 minutes before serving warm.

Enjoy!! These are great with a vegetable medley on the side. Let your farmers market inspire you!!