Oh BROTHER, Dave and I are having too much fun. I know – poor us. Here’s how our days have been going:

Annie: What do you want to do tonight?
Dave: Grill?
Annie: YES!
Dave: Wine?
Annie: YES!
Dave: Fire pit?
Annie YES!

Sleep, shower, repeat.

I am certainly not complaining. We’ve basically moved into our backyard since the lovely weather has landed. We’ve been tending to our gardens, grilling nearly every night and letting the cats out to explore the yard. Look at these CUTIES!

Scooter (who you previously know as Leo or Neo) was very into his new catnip plant.

And of course with summer comes friend hangs and dinner parties. For a recent shindig I found myself not feeling like one of my go-to appetizers (you can only make Dog Food Dip so many times), so I wanted to whip up something new. I’ve had a love / hate relationship with mushrooms – I dig the flavor but have not been in love with the texture. But I decided to put all that aside and make my first-ever stuffed mushrooms.

I’m not going to lie – they were pretty damn good! The zucchini added a nice freshness that I thought made these a great app for the summertime. I’ll definitely make these again, I think I’m changing my mind on this whole mushroom situation! 🙂

Do you guys have a favorite stuffed mushroom recipe? Would love to keep trying new ingredients, so lay it on me!

Servings: Makes 20
Cook Time: 17-21 minutes

Ingredients
20 crimini mushrooms
1/3 cup grated zucchini
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup minced stems
2 cloves minced garlic

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Clean the mushrooms by lightly scrubbing the tops and sides, then cut out the stems, grabbing as much of it as you can so you have plenty of room to stuff. Keep the stems for the stuffing.

Lay the mushrooms top down on a large baking sheet, and set aside.

Mince 1/2 cup of the stems that you removed and the garlic. Get a saute pan going over medium heat, and add the butter, the stems and garlic. Cook over medium to low-medium heat, stirring frequently as to not burn. You do want a light golden color to develop – which should take about 5-7 minutes.

Remove the stem mixture into a large bowl and let cool for 5 minutes. Next add the grated zucchini, bread crumbs, parmesan and thyme to the same bowl. Mix together well until your stuffing is formed.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the stuffing into each mushroom cap, pressing in slightly to make sure you’re really filling ’em up.

Then pop the baking sheet into the oven and cook for 12-14 minutes until the mixture is slightly golden.

Remove and let cool for a few minutes.

Pop these dudes on a little tray and serve them up! Yum-a-roo.