Giada’s stuffed mushrooms are a great appetizer for your next gathering. You can do almost all of the steps ahead and just bake them right before serving. They make a beautiful presentation as everyone loves mini-anything, and they taste yummy too.

Mushrooms are a funny vegetable, and most people either love them or hate them. I was out shopping with a friend last weekend at TJ Maxx and was asking if she saw any mushroom brushes around.. you know, the brush that makes it easier to clean mushrooms? My friend replied that she didn’t know and that she always washed them in the sink. I told her that I don’t wet mushrooms because they get soggy and you can simply take a damp paper towel or a mushroom brush and gently scrub them.

Well, it looks like a woman standing nearby was eavesdropping and couldn’t hide her shocked face- she thought I was nuts! Embarrassed at being overheard, I quickly scampered to another area of the store (the pillow section, in case you care), but I still believe I am right. My grandmother and my mom taught me not to wet mushrooms, and it makes sense to me. Have any of you heard the same before, or do you think I am nuts too?

However you clean your mushrooms, Giada’s stuffed mushrooms are a great starter recipe. It is really easy to follow, and I found that I only had one huge adjustment- I prefer baby bellas to the white mushrooms she specifies.

Giada’s Stuffed Mushrooms
adapted from foodtv.com (& Amy’s recipe)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 tbs chopped fresh flat parsley
2 tbs + 1/4 cup olive oil
2 packages baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
kosher salt and pepper

Make ahead instructions:
Mix together the bread crumbs, parmigiano, garlic, parsley, 2 tbs olive oil and salt and pepper (to taste) in a medium bowl. Put a little bit of the filling into the cavity of each mushroom, pressing down with your thumb a bit to keep the filling in there. Stack in a tupperware container with sheets of wax paper between each layer. Refrigerate until needed.

When you’re ready to serve:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the mushrooms in one layer (filling side up) in a casserole dish. Drizzle gently with olive oil and fill the area around the mushrooms with about 1/2 inch of water. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the dish immediately. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Prosciutto wrapped breadsticks are one of the fastest and easiest appetizers you will ever make. They are great for any last minute dinner since they require very little prep time and absolute zero cooking time. And they only require two ingredients!

I feel silly calling such things recipes, as two ingredients with no cooking can’t really be called a recipe, but I realize that a lot of people need a little help in the cooking department- even with such an easy idea. I had forgotten all about prosciutto wrapped breadsticks until I saw a photo of a Christmas Eve my mom hosted some time in the 1990′s.

Prosciutto Wrapped Breadsticks
Serves 20

Ingredients:
1 lb prosciutto di parma
2 boxes breadsticks

Directions:
Wrap a piece of prosciutto around the edge of each breadstick. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Any other quick and easy appetizer ideas?

Shrimp and bean barley salad makes a great refreshing spring or summer meal. The addition of mint adds a kick of unexpected flavor, and celery adds much needed crunch. From start to finish, the assembly of this salad took 15 minutes. It is beautiful, fresh, and most importantly, delicious. Luckily, it is also makes for the perfect balanced meal!

My friend Gina made an amazing shrimp couscous salad for Anita’s bachelorette party we helped host last weekend. The dish was so wonderful I asked her for the recipe, which comes from her family’s cookbook.  Until I receive a copy (ahem, Hi Gina! recipe, please!) I made my own version, inspired by the flavors of her dish. I hope you enjoy this shrimp & bean barley salad as much as I do!

Shrimp & Bean Barley Salad
Inspired by Aunt Nancy’s recipe
Serves 6 or more

Ingredients:
2 cups dry pearled barley, rinsed
1 lb cooked shrimp, 70-110 count* (frozen, tail off and ready to eat)
4 oz feta cheese
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup cannellini beans
20 large mint leaves, chopped fine
1/2 cup diced red onion (almost 1/2 large red onion)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
splash red wine vinegar
2 tbs stoneground mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbs kosher salt
fresh cracked pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring 5 cups of water to a boil and add the rinsed pearled barley and a dash of salt. Cover and set to low for 30 minutes. Drain any excess water and set aside.
*If you used frozen cooked shrimp, as I did, run it under cold water until thawed. Let drain.
2. Combine the feta, diced celery, beans, mint leaves, and onion in a large bowl. Add the barley and shrimp and mix well to combine. Place in fridge until ready to serve.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the barley salad and mix well. Serve cold as an appetizer or a meal! Enjoy!

Other shrimp recipes:
Giada’s Fusilli with Shrimp & Arugula (Giada DeLaurentiis’ family dinners)
Spicy Shrimp Dinner

Edited to Add!

Zaatar, at least the kind we eat, is a mix of the spices thyme, oregano, and marjoram with teeny toasted sesame seeds and salt.

I will send a little sample to try to the first 5 people who email me their mailing addresses! (rhodeygirltests at gmail dot com)

Also, one of our favorite ways to eat it growing up was by dipping a piece of pita bread first into olive oil and then into zaatar. MMMMMmmmmm!

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Maybe the easiest, crowd-pleasing thing to make for a party.

Roll out a pizza dough. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with zaatar (a mix of spices, including thyme mmMMMm). Bake at the highest temperature your oven will allow, until the crust and bottom are a nice golden brown. Enjoy!

Wow. Deb over at Smitten Kitchen knows what she is doing. Holy Moly. I wanted to make a different type of dip for lunch with our favorite bishop on Saturday. Hummus, baba ghanoush, lebneh- mine would never compare to what these men have eaten all over the world and Middle East in the past. So when I saw Deb’s Smashed Chickpea Salad, I knew it would be the perfect creative dip for the lunch!

I served this with some toasted lavash bread, sliced red pepper, and baby carrots. Also, deviating from the recipe, I smashed the chickpeas all the way to make it more dippy. It was a success, and you all need to try it!

Find the original recipe here, and let her know how much you like it once you try it!!!!!!!

The ingredients are:
-1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well.
-chopped red onion
-chopped kalamata olives
-lemon zest and juice
-a bit of parsley
-sea salt and pepper

It was reallly delicious, and all of the guys (my dad, PB, and the bishop) loved it!

In other news….

Please leave me all your blog links in this below post. I love reading all of your blogs but I am having a tough time keeping things organized, and I’d also like to spread the word about your blogs by adding you to my blogroll! So if you are not already on my blogroll, give me your link please!!!! Oh, and try this dip! I mean it!