I am a bigtime proponent of stuffing. At Thanksgiving dinner, I happily bypass the turkey for a big serving of stuffing with gravy. I am also a fan of mushrooms. I understand why some people are grossed out by mushrooms, but I am not one of those people. The word "savory" for me is perfectly embodied in a mildly pungent, intensely flavorful sauteed mushroom. It makes sense, then, that I would eventually come to stuff mushrooms. The only surprise here is that I didn't do it sooner-and believe me, after eating these, I sorely regret that fact. When my parents went out to dinner a few nights ago, I opted to stay home and make these scrumptious stuffed mushrooms for myself. Let's just say I didn't mind missing out on a restaurant meal at all with these baby bellas to keep me company...

Ingredients:
*makes 6 stuffed baby portabello mushrooms

6 baby portabello mushrooms
1 piece of bread, toasted and generously buttered with
1 tbsp butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 bell pepper, minced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1 strip bacon, sliced into small pieces

    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Carefully remove the stems of the mushrooms. Use a knife to score the inside of each mushroom, then hollow out the mushrooms with a spoon, reserving the little chunks of mushroom you are removing in a small bowl. Tear up the buttered toast into small crumbs and add them to the mushroom chunks in the bowl. Add the rest of the stuffing ingredients, and stir to mix. Fill each mushroom to slightly above the rim with stuffing. Press the stuffing into the mushroom to make it more compact, and top off each mushroom with any remaining stuffing. Bake the mushrooms on an ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until the bacon is fully cooked and the stuffing is slightly browned on top.