I am a traditional girl at heart.  But then I’m not.  I love my roots but I love my wings.  I just don’t use my wings to stray very far from my roots…so to speak.  I may live in Shreveport and I have grown to love it here, my last name is Bowlin, but I will always be Aimee Marie Mayeux deep down. I like to mix who I am now with who I will always be and make this life my own.  Staying stuck in the past is never fun because then we cannot grow, change and adapt…that makes life too hard.  It is all about balance my friends.  This all carries into my cooking.  Everything Thanksgiving, no matter how many wonderful dressing recipes I come across or try, I will make without fail my Momee’s cornbread dressing.  I absolutely love it.  But also, when I make it, my kitchen kind of smells like her’s used to when we walked in on Thankgiving morning.  It is like my cousin and one of my best friends, Robin, is right there with me with a spoon and we are sneaking bites behind Momee’s back.  But I will try new things too.  I may make another dressing recipe, but it will be served alongside Momee’s recipe because any other way just feels wrong.  When I have a Christmas get together or any party, I like to mix my favorites with new things.  This recipe I bring to you today is one of those new things.  I found it in a Paula Deen Christmas magazine and made it for my ornament exchange.  They are a wonderful, flavor filled addition to any festive party spread.  I love chicken Piccata and I love mushrooms, so it stands to reason these would be high up on my list.  The capers are optional but ya’ll, I call them necessary.   I will be honest and say I don’t know what capers are…and I am ok with not knowing.  They are delicious.  The only thing I would alter about this recipe the next time I make them is to give the chicken a few pulses in the food processor.  I think it would make for a better texture for the filling and certainly make it easier to put the filling in the mushroom caps.  Also, sprinkling the tops with some panko crumbs and then brushing the tops with a little melted butter to give them a little color.  I tried these on a whim and I am so happy I did.

Chicken Picatta Stuffed mushrooms 

(a recipe from Paula Deen magazine Christmas edition)

Ingredients 

2 pounds button mushrooms (white mushrooms)
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced green onions
1 tablespoon minced capers *(it says optional on the recipe but without the capers these will not taste very picatta-ish (is that a word? Lol)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon  kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cooked chicken, finely diced, or chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine (cooking wine is fine)
4 oz. cream cheese (that’s half a block)
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter, melted

Directions 

So preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Remove stem from mushroom caps and set caps aside. Dice enough stems to equal one cup and discard the rest.
Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a skillet.  Saute the diced stems, green onions, capers, salt and pepper and thyme.  Saute this for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in chicken and wine. Cook another 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add in cream cheese and Panko and stir until combined.
Fill each mushroom cap with a tablespoon of the mixture.  Bake in oven for about 20 minutes.
Serve hot.  Get ready to watch those babies disappear.  It is truly a festival for your mouth!!  You will be the star of any get together when you set these out.

I am telling you…these are delish!!

I am a little older now, but this girl still lives in my heart…try new things, but always keep your favorites close.  I think I wore that dress out.  I loved it!