forks and knives are for dummies

Yeah that's right- I said it. I am going on 20 and still prefer finger food to the perfected choreography of fork and knife. And I found the greatest all-inclusive finger food that limits the use of an inordinate amount of napkins. Wait for it...no, not pigs in a blanket...close but no cigar (as my 5th grade teacher always said)...but, Stuffed Mushrooms! A meal that fits gently into the space between forefinger and thumb. The mixture of textures and flavors that you can fit into those small nooks is truly extraordinary. A little butter and garlic later and you have a toasty dose of heaven. My roommates can vouch for that, as a couple days later I made another batch and when I went back for more there were two left! I first served this at a potluck between friendlings. Didn't make it to the actual dinner so turned them into hor d'oeuvres! The second time I chomped down about ten myself. Makes for a nice light meal.

Neat Fact: Mushrooms sweat! (see step 3 for details)

Like my apron? Comes equipped with 2 ruffled pockets. Can't forget those.

Housewife-y enough? Je ne crois pas...

The "How to":

Yield: Makes 20 hors d'oeuvres
Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 45 min

• 3 slices firm white (brown) sandwich bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 20 large (2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter) white mushrooms (1 lb)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano & Gruyere & Swiss (1/2 cup or more)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Tear bread into pieces and pulse to coarse crumbs in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and toss with oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Spread in a shallow baking pan and bake in middle of oven until golden, 6 to 8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl.
• Pull stems from mushroom caps (to create space for stuffing) and finely chop stems. Put mushroom caps, stemmed sides down, in a lightly oiled large shallow baking pan and bake in middle of oven until mushrooms exude liquid, about 10 minutes, then remove from oven. (This is called sweating)
• While mushroom caps are baking, melt butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté chopped stems, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add onion, celery, garlic, oregano, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Cool vegetables slightly, then add to bread crumbs along with cheese (and parsley) and toss well.
• Turn mushroom caps over, then mound mushroom filling in mushroom caps, pressing gently (there will be some filling left over). Bake in middle of oven until mushrooms are tender and stuffing is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

(Source: www.epicurious.com)

Okay, Okayyy. Here's the finished product-