Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms with Cranberry Drizzle

8 oz. Ground Pork

1 (8 oz.) Package Cream Cheese

2 (8 oz) Packages of Fresh Mushrooms or cremini are good choices).

1/3 Cup Cranberry Sauce

Grated Parmesan

Line a 10 x 15 ” baking pan with foil.

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove stems from mushrooms and wipe mushrooms to clean.

Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in cream cheese until combined. Stuff sausage mixture into cleaned mushroom caps. Arrange on prepared pan.

Bake until mushrooms are tender and filling is hot. 17 to 20 minutes.

Top with cranberry sauce that has been whipped with whisk. Garnish with parmesan cheese to taste.

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

This recipe can be used as a side dish to one of your main dishes, or it can be used as a stand-alone appetizer at a party. Or maybe, just as a snack. If serving at a party, use small cupcake papers to serve.

6 cups cauliflower florets

1 Tbls olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 cup (1 half of a stick) butter

2 cloves of garlic (minced)*

2/3 cup slivered almonds, chopped

2/3 cup panko

I buy minced garlic in a jar in my produce section of grocery store. 1 teaspoon is equal to 1 clove garlic. So much easier and I always have garlic on hand.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cauliflower in a 13 x 9″ baking pan. Drizzle with oil an sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat all pieces. Roast for 20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Roast 3 to 5 minutes more or until cauliflower is crisp-tender.

Meanwhile in a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds stirring all the time. Stir in almonds and panko. Cook over medium-low heat until almond mixture is golden. Sprinkle over cauliflower. Makes 8 servings.

Crabmeat Appetizers

This is a great recipe to use when you are having people in for a buffet. It is quick to put together and you can freeze them and bring them out when you need them. Just pop them under a broiler until they are lightly brown on top and bubbly.

6 English Muffins

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

1 jar (15 1/2 oz.) Kraft Old English cheese spread (room temperature).

1 1/2 Tablespoon Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon minced onion spice (not fresh onions)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 pound (8 oz.) fresh crabmeat.

Mix together butter, cheese spread, mayonnaise, minced onion spice, garlic powder and celery salt. Carefully add in crabmeat. Split English muffins in half and place on a cookie sheet. Spread crabmeat mixture on each half. It will look like a thick coating, but that will be okay. It will melt a little when broiling.

Freeze on cookie sheet. When frozen, cut each half into quarters. They can be kept frozen in freezer bags until ready for use.

When ready to serve, remove from freezer and place under broiler until they are golden brown and bubbly. I put them into a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes to allow the English muffin to toast a little on the bottom. Then switch the oven to broiler.

*If you have Old Bay Seasoning on hand, You can eliminate the onions, garlic powder and celery salt. Replace with 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning. Just a dash of Garlic Powder should be also added.