Recipe #1 - Appetizer - Gouda stuffed BBQ Mushrooms

Something very very easy, but always a crowd pleaser.

This was inspired by a recipe from the Culinary Center of Kansas City, and a class held by Richard McPeake. the recipe is so simple, I hesitate to credit Richard with the original recipe, but i certainly want to credit him with filling me in on this gem.

OK, here's my recipe adaptation ...

12 Button Mushrooms. Select the ones that are about the diameter of a Kennedy Half Dollar or bigger so that there is enough room for plenty of stuffings (I make 2 of these for each of my guests. If you are having 12 guests, make 24, if just you and a significant other, make only 4)

12 teaspoons of Gouda Cheese (I have also made these with just about any cheese I had to spare, Blue cheese was excellent, Goat cheese was also well received, a SHARP cheddar will do in a pinch)

12 teaspoons of Bar-B-Que sauce

OK, pop the stems out of the buttons. If you do it right, no need to dig, with a little twist, they will pop out, leaving enough room for stuffing. If they don't pop out, take a spoon and do a little digging, being careful to not break the sides. If you do break the sides of one, toss it (save for dicing to add to something later), and start with a fresh one. The stuffing will oooze out and make a mess of your grill/smoker.

Add a teaspoon of bar-B-Que sauce. The original recipe calls for Salsa instead, but I always seem to have 4 or five open bottles of BBQ sauce in the fridge. Not enough to use in cooking something, but too much to throw away. This is a great way to empty a bottle. The measurement is an estimate, based on average size. But you should fill the cavity made by de-stemming the mushrooms about half way.

Add some of the cheese. cut into small enough pieces so that when the cheese melts, it melts into a pool in the mushroom cavity and does not slop over the side.

I put these into my smoker about 1 and 1/2 hours before my guests are scheduled to arrive. I get the temp up to about 225 to 250 degrees. There is room in the smoker since I always like to "foil" my meat and let it settle in a cooler during that last two hours prior to serving.

Back to the mushrooms, They will leak a little liquid, so I put them on a cookie sheet. Actually, I found a great set of smaller cupcake tins. The holes are about half the size of a regular cupcake, and fit a mushroom great.

That's it. I make a presentation when the guests arrive and let them snack on these delicacies while I begin slicing the meat. Certain to be a hit... Easy and loved by all!