I can’t believe how fast the holidays are sneaking up! As I’m writing this, there are only 10 days until Thanksgiving! What happened? Where did the time suddenly go?? Wow. Some of my friends and relatives around the country have already had snow!
Well, ready to not, the holidays are fast approaching and “making a grocery list and checking it twice” is definitely in order! I have my Thanksgiving menu already figured out, I’m hoping my grocery list isn’t missing anything, and I’m stopping right here. I’m not much for playing leap frog right into the next holiday! I like to fully enjoy each one, one at a time! 😉
Today I’m sharing this easy, often overlooked, holiday recipe quickly, because it’s an unexpected, extra side dish to help fill in when you’re afraid that you might not have quite enough to stuff everyone to the gills! 😀 😉
When we were kids, dishes like this made us feel so special and grown up! This wasn’t a dish at the “kid’s table”. This was something that the adults were treated to, and you had to sneak them while no one was paying attention. 😉 I still think of whole sautéed mushrooms as something special to this very day! 🙂 Tender, so very plump and juicy, a burst of flavor and so elegant. Once truly considered a delicacy, and still should be.
You can serve this dish as an appetizer, or starter for a formal sit-down dinner, or right along with the main dinner as a side dish! They’re extremely economical, look absolutely beautiful, and are delicious hot or room temperature. Just place them in a pretty dish and if you’re wanting to set this out as an appetizer, just nestle a little glass of toothpicks next to them and watch them disappear like magic!
Tender, garlic-y, buttery button mushrooms, with an added kick of hot peppers, always help to fill in the gaps, look wonderful, taste divine, and you can “design” this dish to suit many different holidays. Though the above uses red and green to represent the Christmastime holidays, you can switch out the peppers with different colors and flavors for Thanksgiving, too. Yellow and orange bell peppers can be added, or used instead, for a beautiful autumn-colored presentation of the complete spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green and brown! 😀 And mushrooms go wonderfully with turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, stuffing, and green beans!
Do make sure that you know your guests, though. I LOVE red hot chili peppers, but not everyone likes that kind of heat. Not all are super hot, so it’s a”taste and see” kind of thing. Some can be really pretty darned hot, and then I’ll come across some that aren’t hardly hot at all. So taste them, even a tiny taste, before using to check the heat index. If they’re super hot, add less if that isn’t what you’re looking for. If mild or medium heat is preferred, the recipe as written should be just fine for most tastes. If you need a very mild alternative, then of course substitute bell peppers. Just use your own best judgment and know your crowd! 😉
How much butter and oil needed will depend on how dry or absorbent your mushrooms are, and how much you enjoy. I like mine nice and buttery, so you can start with less and add as much more as you’d like and is needed to keep them nicely coated. *You can also cut back on the butter calories by lessening the butter and upping the EVOO if needed, but I really do prefer the taste of melted butter over just olive oil for these.
So keep this super easy quickie recipe in mind! It comes in VERY handy when you have that feeling that….”something’s missing, I need that one last small dish to complete the table”. It comes together in 10 minutes, and really is pretty to boot! A win-win dish that’s unexpected and always appreciated! Take care all, and I’ll see you tomorrow! ~Kelly
Spicy Garlic Chili Pepper Mushrooms
Ingredients
can sub one red jalapeño pepper for medium, or red bell pepper for mild, (
Instructions