Stuffed mushrooms recipe

I love love love stuffed mushrooms.  There are so many ways to make them!  I almost never make them the same way.  In fact, I had a friend call me and ask me for my stuffed mushroom recipe the other day and all I could tell her was the basic ingredients and how to put them in the pan.  The rest I left up to her because you can alter the recipe according to your likes and dislikes.  The most important thing is that it is not an exact science.  Use what you have, what you like, and if you use my basic directions, I bet they will taste amazing. 

Ingredients that I use:

1 container of white mushrooms
ritz crackers (or any other buttery cracker.)
cream cheese or mayonnaise
1/4 cup of shredded cheese
1/8 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp butter or margarine
seasonings..... garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, whatever you like
water


and you can add:
assorted toppings..... peppers, shrimp, linguica, onions, etc



Preheat oven to 350*.  Wash and de-stem the mushrooms.  There are usually about 10-15 mushrooms per package.  I take about 4-6 stems, wash them and put them aside.  Place the mushrooms top down in an oven safe baking dish.  Now get out a food processor and toss in about a half of a sleeve of crackers.  Toss in the mushroom stems also and pulse until everything is chopped.  In a bowl, mix the cracker crumb mixture with about a 1/2 cup of cream cheese (or mayo. I like the consistency and taste of the cream cheese better.) Add the shredded cheese (I use mozzarella) and the parmesan. Now I don't normally use the toppings, but you can use finely chopped linguica, sausage, shrimp, scallops, peppers, etc.  Pulse them in the food processor a bit before adding them to the mix.  And then the seasonings.  I used a spice mix from Tastefully Simple, called the Everything Cheese Ball mixture, it has garlic, onion, sesame seeds and lots of other seasonings in it.  You can honestly use any spices and herbs that you like.  Once everything is mixed together thoroughly, start stuffing the mushrooms.  I use my clean fingers and a spoon.  I give each mushroom a good dollop and then make sure I pat it down a bit so it gets down into the mushroom.  If you have leftover mixture, put it in a ziploc bag and freeze it.  Now you have filling for next time. 

 

I then pour water into the dish until there is about 1" of water in there.  Now take a pat of butter and put it in the water.  Just one pat will be enough for a baking dish full of mushrooms.  Bake the mushrooms for 20-25 minutes or until the mushrooms are brown and the stuffing is a nice golden brown.  And now, enjoy.  This makes a perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving, a nice side dish, or a dish for potluck.  So easy to make, and because you can alter the recipe, its very easy to avoid allergens.