Italian Stuffed Portobellos

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I made this two weeks ago, while I was on afternoons but I forgot to post it until now. This recipe comes from the tasteofhome Annual Recipes 2012 cookbook.

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Thoughts and Variations
I used bacon instead of pancetta, omitted the basil, and I could only find "baby" portobello mushrooms at the store, so I ended up having 6 in the package rather than 4. This also left me with some leftover filling, which was delicious on its own.

This one had a lot of steps to it, but it came together well. Definitely start the garlic first though; 40ish minutes is more than enough time to make the filling in the first step. I broiled the mushrooms, since I don't have a grill. If you do that, I recommend being very careful. I broiled them hollow side up, so when I turned them over, the juices spilled everywhere. I also didn't brush the mushrooms with oil after flipping them, so I think they were really dry, AND I forgot to keep an eye on them, just left them in for the 6 minutes. This resulted in the smoke alarm going off (from the juices on the tray I think), and the tops looked charred, though thankfully the mushrooms didn't taste burnt.

This were really tasty, and I'm glad I made them, though they were also a lot of work. I might make them again, possibly for company. There is also a decent chance that I would make just the filling again to eat with rice, tortilla, or just on its own. It was a really good filling. :)

Lamb and Orzo Soup

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I didn't cook anything last week because reasons, but I decided to venture a bit out of my comfort zone this week and cook with lamb. This recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook.

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Thoughts and Variations
I had a little less than 2 1/2 lbs of lamb (I didn't realize lamb was so expensive!), I used dried oregano and dried thyme (I couldn't find marjoram), 1 medium carrot and some baby carrots and 1 bundle of fresh spinach. I didn't read the ingredients list thoroughly, so I chopped the carrots and celery, rather than slicing them, though I think they were still a fine size.

This was a fairly easy soup to throw together, and despite my original uncertainty I did like the lamb. It was kind of fatty though (not sure if it was just this cut or if that's true of all lamb) so I think if I made this soup again I would use beef or pork instead. It was a very good soup, and a nice base for making adjustments to, if I felt like it in the future. I did try it both with and without the Parmesan cheese, and found it tasty both ways. All in all, I'm happy I made this one, even though I don't think I'd make it with lamb again.