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Non traditional but good to keep people happy during the ball games etc.

Bacon Cheddar stuffed Mushrooms:

I adapted this recipe from the
standard ones over the years for people that didn't like seafood and all
the common recipes have clams or crab in them. As far as I know it is
original, it is a hit everywhere I take them. I've never written it down
or looked for it.

Hopefully you can find stuffing mushrooms, here in San Diego they are
common and are from 2 to 3 inches around, you can also use regular sized
mushrooms, just buy the bulk and pick out the larger ones, wash the
mushrooms well and carefully pull out the stems to leave a nice intact
cap, trim the yucky part from the stems and dice them fine, you will end
up with allot, set em aside.
Fry 1 pound of good quality lean bacon. Press out grease and crush
fairly fine, not powder but a little larger than bacon bit size.
Finely dice 2 bundles of fresh green onions including a portion up into
the greens.
Finely dice around 6 cloves of garlic or 2 tablespoons of the crushed
garlic in the jar (saves time)
shred fine or buy fine shredded 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese. (The
cheese is a variable on your part depending on the people served, you
might want to try Monterey jack or mild cheddar, the sharp cheddar gives
them a bite that I like)
Mix it all together and toss in a tablespoon of italian seasoning, a
pinch of salt and a teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper, don't add all
the stem mixture or cheese, but add as you go, I usually find I end up
with some of those left over, you want the stems mainly as a filler but
the other ingredients should dominate the mixture, you don't want too
much cheese or when it melts the filler will fall apart, I usually use
almost the entire package of store bought shredded cheese, which is why
I buy it, you don't want thick shreds and I don't have a fine shredder
yet.
When its fully mixed it should be a paste like mixture, stuff this
tightly in the caps to a mound a half an inch to an inch over the top,
to be pretty you can use a tablesspon to shape it, (I just jam it in
there cuz Im in a hurry) and place on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with
parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, the cheese should be
melted and the mushrooms will have a nice color, I've read to brush the
mushroom caps with butter or oil before baking to improve the color but
I never have.
After baking I either pierce the bottom of the cap with a fork or make a
small slice in the side to drain the hot liquid into the cookie sheet
then I drain it before serving or place them on a platter after
draining, this is important to prevent people from burning their mouth
if they are eaten right out of the oven as the mushrooms contain a lot
of water and bacon will release a lot of fat.
Out of all the variations I've tried, sausage, seafood etc. these always
go the fastest and there are never any left over at parties, which is my
measure of a good appetizer. So if you make them, hide some from your
guests and refrigerate after baking because they are good reheated
slowly in the microwave the next day :) This recipe is in an
unconventional format cuz its out of my head, next time I make it I'll
try to be more precise in the measurements of the stems etc and post it
in a real recipe format, they sure are good, try em!