Portobello Mushroom 'Potato Skins'

So I pinned Crouque Monsieur from Rachael Ray's website, because I saw it - and I wanted it. However, I was at a loss as to what to serve with it. There were already carbs in the bread, so I didn't want to have a carb, but I had a taste for cheese, yes more cheese than even on the sandwich - I love cheese.

I was thinking of doing potato skins, when my mind wandered to portobello mushrooms and I thought 'yes!'

Easier, and healthier?? I'm in!

So, here is the recipe!!

What you need:

-As many portobello mushrooms as you want to make, cleaned - I bought a pack of 6 'slider' sized mushrooms

-A bag of shredded cheese (I actually used 1/2 a bag for my 6 'slider shrooms')

-3-6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled - if you go the easy route, make sure you buy the 'real' bacon bits

-sour cream to dollop

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Remove the ribs and stems from the portobello mushrooms. Line up on a cookie sheet.

Fill each mushroom with shredded cheese - don't be shy!

Top with crumbled bacon

Bake for approximately 20 minutes - the mushrooms should be soft and give to the touch when they are done. I had one mushroom, larger than the rest, that took an extra 5 minutes, so cooking time may vary with mushroom size.

Top with sour cream. You can even throw chives on if you have them laying around your house.

Enjoy!

My photo below does not show the dollop of sour cream, but you can be sure I added it on!

And ps - those Crouque Monsieur were fantastic! I highly recommend pinning them an giving it a try!

Until next time!

The Buffalo Food Gal

Simple recipe - Loganberry Iced Tea

OK, so this first recipe is extremely simple, but anyone who knows Buffalo and Western New York, knows that it is blasphemy to dislike Loganberry.  If you are not from the area, you are probably asking what the heck Loganberry is.... in a nutshell, it is a pretty sweet berry flavored soft drink.  If you haven't had it, I am not really sure that the flavor can be described.  I guess in some way, if you have ever had Ribena Black Current drink concentrate, it is kind of like that... but not really.

So, before I get to the recipe, let me say that Loganberry drink is sweet..... really sweet.   Now, as a kid, that smack your lips sweetness was amazing!  However, as I have gotten older, and lost my taste for sweet things, I began to cut my Loganberry with water, to cut down on the "smack" factor.... which is how I came up with this drink...

If you need to order online, here is a link to a Loganberry syrup:

http://shop.christmascentral.com/items/item.aspx?itemid=16153645&CAWELAID=1621629147&catargetid=1614140047&cagpspn=pla-&gclid=CNGXkPvkmrMCFbQ7OgodXF8A2A


So, here it is - the recipe for Loganberry Iced Tea:

What you need:

- 3-6 tea bags
- Approximately 1.5 quarts of water (more or less depending on what container size you have)
- Approximately 1/2 litre of Loganberry drink - or approximately 1/4 cup loganberry syrup - add slowly and increase if you want it sweeter.... a little goes a long way

Boil water (about 200 degrees if you are using black tea, roughly 160 degrees if you are using green or white).  Once the water is boiled,  pour into any container that can withstand heat, and steep 3-6 tea bags for about 5 minutes.  If you like your tea strong, steep longer (shorter for less strength).

Once the tea has steeped long enough, pour into your drink container over ice.  Make sure to leave room for the Loganberry.  Then, add the Loganberry, and refrigerate.  When cold, serve in a glass over ice.  Garnish with mint or lemon.

This is simple, but a yummy way to cut some of the sweetness (and calories!) from this Western New York staple!

Next time I brew some of this up, I will post a picture of it!  If you try it, make sure to comment and let me know what you think!!

Greetings!

Hi all! So, I am freakishly new to this whole blogging thing, but I love food and love my city, so I figured I would give it a go.....

To start, I would like to introduce myself, tell you why I am blogging, and what this whole thing will be all about!

I am a bride-to-be, marrying a wonderful man this July. I have three crazy dogs and a supportive family. I never really knew I loved to cook, or how much I loved Buffalo, until I left and moved to Florida. While I found a few decent restaurants, most places were chains in Florida.  The best food I found was anything Latino - Columbian, Brazilian, Cuban - I even found a cute Mexican place literally around the corner from my house. But alas, I missed Buffalo and Western New York.  I started cooking my mom's meals, longing for good old Polish food, and desperately trying to recreate food I had loved from restaurants back home. I also missed the chilly walks from the subway to the Sabres' games. I missed how random strangers would smile and wave as you walked down Elmwood. I missed the hometown cooking, and realized the hidden culinary gem that is Buffalo. So I packed up after a few years of Florida heat, left behind the few favorite restaurants I found near my muggy home, and moved back to the so-called blizzard capital that refused to escape my mind.

So what will I be doing in this blog? I will post things I cook (I love to invent and modify recipes), as well as post about local restaurants. One thing you can guarantee - there will be no chain restaurants on this post. I will critique and be honest about my experiences. I will also check out restaurants in any of my future travels.

In turn, please be honest and critique my recipes, should you try them. I love feedback and want to improve.

In addition, please feel free to ask me questions about my city, my recipes and the restaurants I feature.

I look forward to sharing with you!

~The Buffalo Food Gal