Stuffed mushrooms

I wanted an appetizer for Thanksgiving. I know it may be a bit overkill, but I thought it would be nice to have something more than cheese and crackers. I have been channeling Rachael Ray and actually inventing dishes and not measuring (horrors). I have carefully measured and followed recipes to the letter all these years. Rachael Ray has freed me.

STUFFING STUFFED MUSHROOMS

I wanted a variation on stuffing and the stuffing I usually like the best is the one with sage and sausage. I would say this recipe will probably make about 30 mushrooms. I buy the ones that are about 1 inch in diameter. All the ingredients need to be in tiny proportions, because the mushrooms are small.

• One package Jimmie Dean sage or hot sausage
• One box low fat Philadelphia cream cheese
• celery diced very small abt 1/4 C
• Pear diced very finely abt 1/4 C
• Crumbled Gorgonzola or Bleu cheese abt 1/8 C (very strong flavor so adjust to your taste)
• 1 tsp capers chopped finely
• You could also add dried cranberries or walnuts chopped very finely
• You could crumble day old bread and dry it out in the oven and make the filling even more like stuffing

Brown sausage
Add in cream cheese over a low heat to incorporate well
remove from heat and stir in other ingredients

Fill each mushroom cap with a heaping mound of the mixture.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes in a dish with sides. When the mixture starts to bubble the mushrooms are ready.