Sauteed Mushrooms on Toast (or Biscuits)

Monday nights are hard! You come home from the first day of the week and feel like an absolute zombie, at least I do. I spend the day brooding because it's no longer the weekend and I have to get through FOUR MORE DAYS until it's the weekend again. It's truly the worst. So when I'm making dinner on Monday nights I want easy. I want simple. I want quick. This recipe inspired by What's Cooking Vegetarian by Jenny Stacey, also called Creative Cooking Vegetarian was just the trick!


I personally love mushrooms. Those little fungis are really fun guys! See what I did there? But really, I enjoy the texture, the meatiness and the flavor they can add to a dish. I also know, however that not everyone shares my affinity for mushrooms and that's ok too. Just know you're totally limiting yourself from a world of meaty meat-alternative and therefore I pity you.


Sautéed Mushrooms on *Toast

6 Tbsp butter, divided
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 pints assorted mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (baby bellas and buttons were on sale)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
4 dashes hot pepper sauce (optional)
*6 slices thick crusty bread (or 2 slices whole wheat sandwich bread and 3 buttermilk biscuits, halved)


In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Saute garlic until fragrant and add the mushrooms in stages. Every time I'm cooking mushrooms I have Julie Powell's voice (well Amy Adams as Julie Powell's voice) telling me "don't crowd the mushrooms otherwise they won't brown," excellent advice right? Who wants slightly browned and mushy looking mushrooms? Not me and you shouldn't either. Cook the mushrooms over medium heat until all slices are browned and softened. Add another 2 Tbsp butter halfway through the cooking process.


Season with salt and pepper and the delicious hot pepper sauce. It adds a nice smoky and slightly spiced element to the mushrooms. I highly recommend it. Toss in the chopped parsley and drop the heat to low.


Use the remaining 2 Tbsp butter to slather on the bread. If, like me, you allowed your beautiful loaf of Italian bread to look like a middle school science experiment, wheat sandwich bread or buttermilk biscuits (recipe to follow) work as well. Toast your carb choice under the broiler for 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.


Top the bread with a heaping spoonful of mushrooms and dig in!


I was given some constructive criticism by a new friend and reader, Abbey (which I really appreciate); she wanted to know how many servings I get out of recipes. Why didn't I think of including that in the first place? Why doesn't anyone else provide me with helpful suggestions? Do I have any readers apart from Mama Hart, my husband, Abbey and my aunt? Hello...? Are you out there...?


This recipe yielded enough 'shrooms for Nate to have 3 toasts, myself to have 2 toasts and there was still enough leftover for him to take 3 toasts for lunch today.


I made some quick-cooked asparagus to eat alongside these magnificent mushrooms.


Now for the buttermilk biscuit recipe! This past weekend Nate went backpacking/camping with some friends of his. I'm not one for hiking around with the bugs and nature only to sleep on the ground with more bugs and nature. Anyway, since I know how absolutely uncomfortable camping can be, I wanted to do something nice for Nate. So I decided to make some buttermilk biscuits.


Buttermilk Biscuits


1 1/2 sticks salted butter, partially frozen
4 C flour
1 Tsp baking soda
3 Tsp baking powder
2 Tsp salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 1/2 C buttermilk
1 egg
1 Tbsp water


Slice butter into Tbsp pieces and put in freezer for at least 30 minutes.


In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter until mixture looks like coarse sand. Add the buttermilk and continue cutting until dough comes together.


Dump mixture onto a floured surface and gently form dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick.


Using a floured dough cutter, cut biscuits and place onto an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.


Chill biscuits for 20 minutes.


Preheat oven to 475.


Make an egg wash using the egg and water. Gently brush on top of each biscuit.


Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the tops.


These biscuits are buttery, flaky and delicious! They are everything a biscuit should be and frankly the perfect substitute for the crusty bread I allowed to slowly rot on top of my microwave.


Enjoy your Tuesday, readers! We're chugging right along!