Sprouts-n-'Shrooms - A Quick and Easy Side!

Brussel Sprouts.

You either love 'em...or you hate 'em. There is no in between, is there?

I happen to love them.  In fact, I could count them as my favorite veggie that isn't an oriental veggie.  Brussels sprouts look like miniature heads of cabbage. They are quite similar to cabbage in taste, but they are slightly milder in flavor and denser in texture.

Did I mention that they're good for you? They contain significant amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A, and nitrogen compounds called indoles which may reduce the risk of certain cancers.

They are too tough and icky (technical term, you know) to be gnawed raw, but you can steam, blanch, boil, saute and even fry these babies in a huge variety of ways and still not get bored with them.

This quick little side dish method combines them with shallots and mushrooms and goes with just about any entree you want to serve them with.

Start with halving the sprouts, mincing a small shallot and quartering some button mushrooms.

Heat some oil and add the shallot and sprouts.

Saute until you start to see some browned edges on the sprouts.

Add some (blurry) lemon juice.

Then add some Worcestershire sauce.

Cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

Serve piping hot!

Sprouts-n-'Shrooms
 
serves 4

2 cups Brussels sprouts, cut into halves
1 large shal­lot, minced
1 cup button mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp extra vir­gin olive oil
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pep­per to taste

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add shal­lots and brus­sels sprouts. Cook until brus­sels sprouts start to brown.

Add mushrooms, lemon juice and Worcestershire; reduce to low-medium heat and cover. Stir­ring occa­sion­ally, let cook for about 15 min­utes or until brus­sels sprouts are a bit soft and bright green.

Serious Mushroom Lover Soup

So you love mushrooms? I know I do. Any kind, size, shape...I love them all. Out of the four of us (Papa Bear, Drama Queen, Little Lawyer and myself), Papa Bear took the longest to covert to a Mushroom Lover.  My girls loved mushrooms straight out of the gate! Him...not so much. Until about six months ago, the only way I could get him to eat a mushroom was to sneak it in to a dish finely diced.

Something in him, a 'fungus switch' if you will, flipped and now...he can't get enough of the little guys! I love when that happens. It happens to everybody at some point. You dislike a certain food (not necessarily mushrooms), and then one day...

...when you least expect it...

...'IT' happens...

BAM! Boing! BOOM!

You like this food! You really like this food! Where've you been all my life?

I have made this soup many times for the Mushroom Lovers Club. Papa Bear has heard us slurp and moan and complain of a full tummy every time we have devoured it. It's one souper-hearty soup, lemme tell ya! Not for the faint of heart Mushroom Lover. But they could certainly eat it too.

Best part is...you can use any variety of mushroom you prefer. I have favorites, of course, but sometimes the ones that make it into the soup are the ones that cost less, if you catch my drift.

Mmm, Mmm, gooooooood!

Serious Mushroom Lover Soup

serves 10-12 (and makes souper leftovers the next day!)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 2inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 pint cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 pint button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 pint shiitake or oyster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 small Napa cabbage shredded
1 large bunch bok choy chopped
2 carrots cut in matchsticks
1 bunch scallion thinly sliced
Dark sesame oil

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook the garlic and ginger until browned.

Combine the broth, soy sauce, and fish sauce to the saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the scallions and sesame oil. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the scallions to the saucepan, remove from heat, and ladle into serving bowls. Drizzle a bit of sesame oil over the top of each serving.

Chicken Piccata

You gotta love the types of dishes that are interchangeable. You can do this dish with chicken or veal, and I think it (untraditionally, of course) would be rather tasty with a firm fish or even shrimp. It is also acceptable to use pork instead of chicken or veal. Vegetarians or vegans can prepare the dish using thin slices of tofu or eggplant. 

Piccata translates to piquant or piquancy, which (in one definition) means tart or zesty. Piccata does have a tart sauce, with traditional additions of lemon juice, white wine and capers. It’s also quite easy to prepare, especially in small batches. The dish takes about 20 to 30 minutes to make, so it's a speedy weeknight meal.


Pounding the meat to the desired thinness is probably the most time consuming process. Instead of spending more money at the grocery store for the already thin cutlets, I usually horizontally slice a  chicken breast in half and then pound it out to the thickness I want, usually about an 1/8 of an inch thick. You can reduce any chance of a flying chicken mess by placing the meet in a sealable plastic bag, or by putting it between two layers of plastic wrap.

If you want a good laugh, hand your kids the mallet and then let them do the flattening for you...hilarity will follow! Plus, it's a great way to have them (or you) work out any pent up aggression...

Seasoned and dredged chicken makes for sticky fingers.

Brown those birds, remove from pan and keep 'em warm while the rest of the magic happens.

Brown some shroomage - remove and set aside.

Add garlic and wine to the pan and reduce by about half.

Stir in broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and salt. Simmer and stir in parsley, capers and butter.

Bring chicken back to the party and heat through. We do have mushroom haters, so I only added the mushrooms to the party when those that do not like them were served. Otherwise, throw them in when you reintroduce the chicken.

Serve the chicken over pasta and smother with sauce!

Chicken Piccata

serves 4

1/3 cup all-purpose flour, divided
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 chicken cutlets, (3/4-1 pound total), trimmed
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 10-ounce package mushrooms, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 teaspoons butter
Hot cooked angel hair pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

Meanwhile, whisk 5 teaspoons flour and broth in a small bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Season chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and dredge both sides in the flour.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the middle, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; cover and keep warm.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add garlic and wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in the reserved broth-flour mixture, lemon juice and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in parsley, capers, butter and the reserved mushrooms. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mushroom sauce. Toss the pasta in the pan with the remaining sauce. Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the reserved sauce.

Easy Crab (or not) Stuffed Mushrooms

These are by far the easiest stuffed mushrooms I have ever made.

And I've made more than enough to fill...oh, say...the Titanic? Yeah. A lot.

Juicy and tasty, these will satisfy a crowd! A nice and easy appetizer for any type of occasion. You can make them ahead of time and refrigerate these until you need them.

I say "crab (or not)" simply because it's really up to you. You can (or not) use crab, shrimp, surimi, or no seafood at all and they'll still be fantastic.

You could use the stuffing and pile it into a couple of portabello mushroom caps, or use cremini mushrooms instead of button.

Clean your mushroom vessels of choice and pop out the stems.

Chop up those stems - waste not, want not!

Do the same with some scallions.

As well as some red bell pepper.

Melt some butter...

Add the stems, scallions and red pepper and cook down.

Cook until most of the butter as been absorbed and everything is tender.

Put some breadcrumbs in a bowl.

Toss in salt, pepper, cajun seasoning and parmesan cheese.

Add the cooked veggies and some crab meat.

Stir it all up.

Stuff those caps to maximum capacity!

Put 'em on a baking sheet and drizzle each one with a little melted butter.

Top with a smattering of Parmesan.

After 20 loooong minutes, you are finally rewarded...

Crab (or not) Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes about 20-24

1 pound large button mushrooms

6 tablespoons butter, divided

3 green onions, minced

3 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

6 ounces crab meat

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Wash and trim the end of stems from mushrooms. Pop remaining stem out. Chop stems and set aside.

Spray a shallow baking dish or rimmed sheet pan with butter-flavored spray or grease with butter.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet; add reserved chopped stems, minced green onions and red bell pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Combine cooked ingredients with bread crumbs, crab meat, and seasonings.

Fill and pack each mushroom, piling the filling up. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; drizzle over mushrooms. Sprinkle each mushroom with a little Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

French Braised Oxtails

Remember that recipe contest that I mentioned I entered?

I created a total of five recipes and forced Papa Bear, Drama Queen, Little Lawyer, and our fantastic friends Steven, Kristina and Vinka to taste test them and rate them so I could decide which one out of the five was the one I should submit.  I ended up submitting Butternut Soup Muffins, but you can read about the other recipes that were kicked around like Shrimp Chowder Quesadillas, Old Fashioned Potato Soup Gnocchi or Creamy Tomato Roasted Mushrooms.

I really want to point out again (and again and again...) how much I appreciate Papa Bear and Steven for helping me with this project.  They took some fantastic shots of the food, and provided a ton of insight. I don't know what I'd do without them. Thanks guys....I love you!


I am a firm believer that oxtail is an underrated meat. It is not very expensive (at least not where I shop) and is on sale quite often. It is so rich and flavorful that you don't (or can't) eat a ton of it, so a little does go a long way.  I love the flavor of oxtail in stews and braises so much that I actually have several recipes for oxtail.  I make a country-style oxtail stew (much like a pot roast type of dish) that Drama Queen even requests for special occasion dinners.

If you like red meat, please don't overlook oxtail. You won't be sorry!!

Season oxtail with salt.

Place oxtail in ziploc and pour soup over to coat.

Marinate in fridge overnight.

Measure out cloves and allspice.

Tie them up in a cheesecloth for later.

In a large dutch oven, heat some oil and brown those tails in batches on all sides. Let them rest on a plate while you work the rest of the magic...

Saute springs of thyme, garlic, carrots, leeks and celery until softened.

Pile that meat right on top of the veggies.

Add enough wine and marinade (soup) to cover.

Add your cheesecloth-wrapped spices and bury them in the liquid. Cover & cook for one hour.

Have some diced pepper, diced tomato and shiitake ready to add to the pot. Cover and put back in the oven for 30 minutes or so.

Serve right out of the pot! You could also serve over rice or pasta.

French Braised Oxtails

4-5 pounds oxtails
1 can Wolfgang Puck French Onion Soup
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium leeks (white parts only), chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped

red wine

1 1/2 teaspoon cloves, whole
1 1/2 teaspoon allspice, whole
2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups any color peppers, chopped
10 ounces fresh or dried whole shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, re-hydrated if dried
Salt
Finely chopped scallions for garnish

Combine oxtails and soup. Marinade overnight. Take oxtails out of marinade and reserve onion soup.

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown both sides of meat in batches in olive oil. Lower heat to med-low and add a little more oil and butter; saute springs of thyme, garlic, carrots, leeks and celery until softened.

Return oxtails to pot and add wine and enough water to cover the oxtails. Bring to a simmer. Put cloves and allspice into a sachet or tie in a cheesecloth; submerge in liquid. Season with salt, cover, and put into a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Then add tomatoes, mushrooms and pepper. Stir and return pot to the oven for half an hour or until oxtails are tender. Check to see if additional water is needed during braising process. Seasoning with more salt if needed.  Garnish with scallions.

Steven made this even better...by adding a pinch more salt, sugar and thickening up the sauce, which tightened up the flavor and intensity quite a bit.
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Creamy Tomato Roasted Mushrooms

Remember that recipe contest that I mentioned I entered?

I created a total of five recipes and forced Papa Bear, Drama Queen, Little Lawyer, and our fantastic friends Steven, Kristina and Vinka to taste test them and rate them so I could decide which one out of the five was the one I should submit.  I ended up submitting Butternut Soup Muffins. These Shrimp Chowder Quesadillas were a close second...

This recipe was rated number three out of five. These were so good...good enough to be eaten as a side dish or add some pasta or rice and be made into a full meal.

Which I believe I shall do in the very near future...

Halve or quarter some button and cremini mushrooms.

Toss them with some capers, garlic, olive  oil, salt, pepper and WP's Creamy Tomato soup.

Drop pats of butter randomly on top of mushrooms in a roasting pan.

Roast for about 20 minutes. Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice and parsley.

Serve 'as-is' with a good crusty loaf of bread, or over with pasta or rice.

Creamy Tomato Roasted Mushrooms

1 pound mushrooms such as cremini or white, halved lengthwise if large
1/2 can Wolfgang Puck Creamy Tomato soup
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

Toss mushrooms with soup, capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 1/2- to 2-qt shallow baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately, with crusty bread on the side for swiping up the sauce.