Christmas Goodies Day 11: Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated mushrooms aren't a sweet goodie, but my hubby and agreed that they are goodies - at least to us!  We love, love, love marinated mushrooms but buying them in a jar can by pretty pricey.  Last year we hosted Christmas Eve dinner and decided to attempt making our own marinated mushrooms.  They came out really yummy and were very easy.  With fresh mushrooms on sale for as low as $1/8 oz. these are definitely a money saver to do yourself!

This year instead of all white mushroom, I did a mix of white and baby bella.  We're saving them for Christmas dinner but I have snuck a few to try them out. Yum yum yum!

Marinated Mushrooms

1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1/3 c. olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. ground dry mustard
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 lb. small fresh button mushrooms or button and baby bella mix, washed

Mix red wine vinegar, olive oil, onion, salt, parsley, dry mustard, brown sugar and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Stir in mushrooms. Simmer 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to glass bowl or container and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Source: All Recipes

Recipe Wednesday: DIY Sage Turkey Breakfast Sausage

I just tried this recipe last week - it was my first attempt making sausage from scratch and my whole family loved the results! In fact the next day when we had a pasta/Italian sausage dish for dinner Peter (age 3) informed me that he wanted "the other sausage" instead of the Italian sausage on his plate!

I love how this is much more economical than buying ready-made turkey sausage. I often settle for the cheaper pork variety but my real preference is turkey since it's healthier and lower in calories/fat.  To keep the cost low on this recipe, I used dried herbs but I'm looking forward to summer when I can cook with fresh herbs from my garden.  Yay for spring!

Sorry I forgot to take pictures, but I am sure I will be making this again soon and will try to remember to do some pictures then.

Sage Turkey Breakfast Sausage

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 Tbsp. fresh sage or 2 tsp. dried sage leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1-1/2 lbs. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.  Crumble the turkey over mixture and mix well.  Shape into twelve 3-inch patties. [Note: I chose to make them smaller, about 2 to 2-1/2 inches.]

In a large skillet, cook the patties in oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink.  Drain on paper towels if necessary.

Note: I scaled the ingredients down for 1 pound of meat and it worked great!

Recipe from Healthy Cooking Oct/Nov '10.