This Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms recipe is sponsored by Fisher Nuts.

Stuffed mushrooms are an appetizer that always grabs my attention at a party. If you are a mushroom lover, like me, you probably feel the same. The ideas for stuffing mushrooms are endless, so many combinations to play with, a couple of my personal favorites are these Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms and these Spinach and Toasted Pine Nut Stuffed Mushrooms. Well, you can officially add these Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms to my favorites list.

The ingredients for the stuffing are simple, which is always best. When I was in NY with Fisher Nuts and Chef Alex last month I was so inspired by the use of such simple and fresh ingredients in all the recipes we tasted. One of my favorite recipes I was able to try was Chef Alex’s Walnut Stuffed Cherry Halves. These little bites included walnuts, arugula, Parmesan and balsamic vinegar and were true perfection. Chef Alex mentioned that she likes to use arugula in recipes as she would an herb and that really stuck with me. I am a huge lover of arugula salads but was inspired to use arugula a little different this time when I included it in the Walnut and Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushroom recipe.

The mushrooms come together pretty easily and can be prepped ahead and cooked later. Just stuff them as you would, and place them carefully in a large tupperware container until you are ready to cook and serve. They cooked up fast, in just 10 minutes, so they are a great to serve to friends and family if you are entertaining over the holidays. They are also vegetarian which is always a nice option to have so that everyone can enjoy them.

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As I’m trying to collect my thoughts to write this post there is quite the commotion happening around me. That commotion shall be named…Hurricane Micah.

This little man has been causing quite the ruckus in our house lately. Especially around the kitchen.

Anyone need tupperware? Micah makes sure we’ve got some ready at all times. Plus they make sliding around the kitchen even more fun.

Let’s just say we have entered the “getting into EVERYTHING” phase. This cutie is keeping us all on our toes these days! 🙂

The fun is only just beginning….

For the sake of keeping Micah out of the trashcan and away from my cookbook shelf, let’s keep this post brief shall we?

Rotisserie chicken rocks. It’s a “mom’s best friend” (a commenter on my last rotisserie chicken salad nailed it with that phrase). Buffalo anything also rocks. And I don’t make enough of it and am not quite sure why. That needs to change.

I loved this chicken salad. My husband LOVED this chicken salad. My kids didn’t go anywhere near it (they don’t care for spicy stuff, more for us). For the record, this Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken Salad is a keeper.

It’s great for lunch or dinner in a wrap, pita or on a salad. Or even better with pita chips or crackers in front of the football game paired with a cold beer.

Make it. Eat it. Love it. You won’t regret it.

Have a great weekend! Go Gators!

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Blogging has changed quite a bit for me over the years. When I started my blog, I was a stay at home mom to my two babies who were of the ages 3 and 1 at the time. There were no iPhones, I had only recently acquired a digital camera when my older son was born a few years before and there certainly wasn’t any social media to waste precious time on throughout the day. Blogging was my outlet, my way to reach out and connect with other people without leaving the house. It was exciting to publish a post and see who stopped by to leave a comment. At first it was my friends or my husband’s co-workers. Eventually I became friends with other bloggers like Lisa and Jenny and Maria and Leslie and commenting on each others blogs were our way of keeping in touch with each other. I was over the moon when my sister in law Jamie started her blog, it was like we were cooking in each other’s kitchens all the time though we lived 9 hours away.

Fast forward to 2014 and blogging has evolved into a whole other animal. It’s become somewhat of a business for me (though I still struggle with the idea of that) and I am so grateful beyond words to be able to work from home because of it. I’ve made some of my best friends through blogging…some I’ve been fortunate to have met in real life, some I still haven’t met. It’s amazing to reflect on the doors that have opened up and the experiences that have been experienced. However, blogging in 2014 isn’t just about cooking a recipe, taking a photo and publishing a post anymore. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes, so much busy work to keep up with…a huge part of it being social media. I’ve kept up with it over the last few years for the most part but lately I’ve been wondering how much I want to keep up with anymore. I think having my third baby (9 years after my 1st) and seeing how fast my older two are growing up makes me realize how precious this time in life is. I am not going to stop blogging, don’t get that crazy idea in your head. But I have finally come to terms with the idea that I can no longer keep up. Nor do I want to. I am determined to focus on working smart and not hard to be able to happily manage my time spent with the online world and with my real life world. I am not 100% there (will I ever be, probably not) but I’m figuring it out. Bottom line is, I don’t ever want to look back at this time with regrets because I was spinning my wheels and not being intentional with my time.

On that note, I had no intention of rambling on like this here today. All I wanted to do was update a photo on a recipe that I published back in September of 2009. Reading the post and seeing the recipe brought back so much from that time in life that I couldn’t help but reflect on how things have changed and evolved over the years. I hope you don’t mind the rambles… 😉

Have a great Monday!!

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(originally posted in September 23, 2009, photos updated in March 10, 2014)

I love having salads for lunch. But I don’t always like making salads for lunch. Unless everything is already cut up or pre-made for me, I would more likely grab something like a piece of bread and turkey in a rush, rather than sit down and eat something really good for me.I made this salad one day using a little shortcut of bagged shredded Broccoli Slaw that you can find in your grocery store produce section. To it I added, some grape tomatoes, chickpeas, crumbled blue cheese and balsamic vinegar. It doesn’t take long and it will definitely satisfy your taste buds. And bonus… its good for you, like a good salad should be.

(kept this old photo around for memories 😉 )

Note: If you aren’t a fan of blue cheese, try it with gorgonzola, it’ a little milder and equally delicious. I used Ile de France’s St. Agur blue cheese recently for this salad and wow, my taste buds were singing! Good stuff!

Broccoli Slaw Salad

Yield: 1-2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag of pre-shredded broccoli slaw
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/2 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 oz crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese (I used Ile de France St. Agur blue cheese)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2-3 TB balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine veggies, beans, and cheese in a bowl, gently toss with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Top with crumbled cheese.

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‘Tis the season for fresh garden tomatoes! Sadly, I can’t say these beautiful tomatoes came from my garden, but they did come from my grandpa’s garden! My garden has been a little neglected this year due to my lack of desire to be out in the heat digging around in dirt while pregnant. The tomato plants I put in pots have slowly withered away due to lack of attention but my herbs are still going strong, thanks to the all the rain we’ve been getting these last couple of months.

My grandfather’s garden, however, is producing a ridiculous amount of tomatoes. He planted around 60 tomato plants this year (he cut back from the 120 plants he put in from seed years prior – he’s 82 and outta control!!). He changed things up this year and planted mostly cherry tomatoes, which makes me happy because they are one of my favorite varieties of tomatoes. When I was home last week I made sure to come home with a big bunch.

Normally, I pair up tomatoes with mozzarella or feta cheese, but this time I was inspired to try something different after coming home from Whole Foods with a nice container of their crumbled blue cheese. I added a few snips of fresh chives (from my garden!) and a drizzle of olive oil – this simple summery salad turned out absolutely delicious!! If you are a blue cheese lover like I am, then you really must try out this Cherry Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad. It would make an excellent addition to any upcoming picnic or barbecue this summer – especially the Fourth of July!

More tomato recipes on Aggie’s Kitchen:

Corn, Tomato and Basil Saute

Pasta Salad Caprese with Roasted Garlic and Balsamic Dressing

Quinoa Spaghetti with Garlicky Greens and Tomatoes

Grilled Zucchini Frittata with Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

Green Bean, Cherry Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad

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Cherry Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad

• Author: Aggies Kitchen
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Salad

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Ingredients

• pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

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Instructions

1. Put tomatoes, blue cheese and chives in a large salad plate or bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and very gently toss.

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This Cherry Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad was featured in Tomato Recipes To Eat All Summer Long on Greatist!

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta Toss

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I definitely inherited the “no waste” mentality from my grandmother. She will find a way to use up every last drop of whatever you are about to throw away (for example…hand washing soap dispensers, I am constantly adding water to them and shaking them up to get those last few pumps before they get tossed – does anyone else do this?). She has always recycled everything – way before it was the “environmentally friendly” (and cool) thing to do…I don’t think she realizes how forward thinking she really is.

There was even a time when a few pairs of shoulder pads from some of my shirts from way-back-in-the-day (ugh) appeared as sewn together pot holders in our kitchen. True story.

I draw the line there.

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I’m really trying to make it a habit to have more salads for dinner. So far, thanks to the last couple of recipes chosen for the Craving Ellie in my Belly group, I’ve been able to do that. For me the key to a salad is lots of flavor. I can’t feel like a rabbit when I’m eating salad.

This week’s CEimB recipe is Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing and was chosen by AJM of You Eat Now. It was really a nice weeknight recipe, the chicken cooks up quickly under the broiler and the salad dressing was whipped up in no time. We are big fans of buffalo chicken in our house so this was a great way to get our “hot wing” fix in a much healthier way.

The recipe calls for simply tossing the uncooked chicken strips in your favorite hot sauce (Frank’s is the way to go!). I decided to add another layer of flavor to the chicken by marinating it with some olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and chili powders before adding the hot sauce. Also, since we like it really hot, I tossed the broiled chicken in more hot sauce before topping it on the salad. I wasn’t sure if it would be filling enough for my husband, but he seemed pretty satisfied and said it was great. Oh…and I thought the dressing was really yummy. I poured all the ingredients in a small mason jar and just gave it a few shakes…and voila, homemade blue cheese dressing.

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Buffalo Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Chicken
• Method: Oven

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Ingredients

Buffalo Chicken Salad

• 2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce (or other hot sauce), plus more to taste
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 hearts Romaine, cut into 1-inch strips (about 8 cups)
• 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, coarsely grated
• 2 scallions, green part only, sliced
• 1/2 cup Blue Cheese Dressing, recipe follows

Blue Cheese Dressing

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt (I used Greek yogurt to avoid the straining process)
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

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Instructions

Buffalo Chicken Salad

1. Preheat the broiler. Put the chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound with a mallet or hammer so the chicken is an even thickness of about 3/4-inch, then cut the chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch strips. In a large bowl, combine the hot sauce and the oil, add chicken and toss until the chicken is well coated. Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and broil until it is cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.
2. In a large bowl combine the Romaine, celery, shredded carrots and scallions. Toss with the dressing. Divide the greens between 4 plates, top with the chicken. Serve with extra hot sauce.

Blue Cheese Dressing

1. Fold a full sheet of paper towel into quarters and put it into a small bowl. Spoon the yogurt onto the paper towel and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to drain and thicken. In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk and thickened yogurt into the mayonnaise until smooth. Add the vinegar and sugar and continue to whisk until all the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the blue cheese and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

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Notes

Recipe from Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave

 

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