Midnight at the Oasis

Many plan fancy dinners for our Valentine's - we make reservations at the best restaurants for steak or lobster, or we order in, or we slave over a hot stove preparing that special meal.

Or what if you chose to do something a little different? Create a little personal magic? Put a little more of you into the evening?

One year, I surprised my beloved with an exotic feast! First, I set the stage: I dragged my a soft oriental rug into the living room, started a crackling fire, arranged floor pillows for lounging, lit pillar candles, scented the air with incense, turned on some soft jazz, slipped into a dress, and laid out small dishes of foods that we could sample and share...

The menu was quite simple, mostly items I was able to pick up at my local market: assorted olives, tapenade-stuffed cherry tomatoes, hummus with garlic pita toast points, small bruschetta bites, mushrooms stuffed with breadcrumbs and thyme, cool and crisp asparagus, fresh figs and grapes and strawberries. And, of course, a nice bubbly to drink!

Stuffed Mushrooms

15 or so white button or baby portobello mushrooms
¼ to ½ cup breadcrumbs

1 lemon
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, rinsed
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher or sea salt
1-2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Gently wipe mushrooms and remove stems, retaining stems for the stuffing. Place mushroom caps on a parchment-lined backing sheet.

Place stems, garlic, salt and pepper into a food processor and pulse. Scrape down bowl and pulse again. This mixture should be creamy.

Scrape stuffing into a mixing bowl. Add breadcrumbs and lemon juice, mix well.

Gently spoon the stuffing into the mushroom caps. Bake 8 minutes at 300F. Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!