thanksgiving appetizers - 2

Yesterday I shared three Thanksgiving appetizer recipes (which could also totally work as a side dish), and today I'm sharing three more! I'll probably make 2-3 of these next Thursday, and I'm not really sure how to decide which ones. Here's part one, in case you missed it! 

I won't take credit for this genius flavor combination. I thought long and hard about what else I could top these cakes with, but I'm SO happy I went with the original recipe. Thanksgiving appetizer or not, I'll be making these again sometime soon. The creamy sour cream pairs perfectly with the sweet crispy cake. 

This stuffing contains so much goodness. I will fully admit to eating spoonfuls of this filling out of the pan - the mushrooms were merely an afterthought. But, since you can't serve a pan of cheesy sausage filling, stuffing it into little mushrooms cups is the perfect solution. 

Here's what you'll need...

20 extra large white mushrooms (I've also used mini portabella mushrooms)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of Marsala wine (I've also used balsamic vinegar for a slightly different taste - only 1 tablespoon)

4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup grated parmesan 

3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, minced

salt and pepper

Here's what to do...

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the steps from the mushrooms. Chop the stems and set aside. Place the mushroom caps in a shallow bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and Marsala. Set aside. 

Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the sausage. Cook the sausage for 10 minutes, stirring often, until it's completely browned. Add the mushroom stems and cook for 3 additional minutes. Add the scallions, garlic and panko and cook for additional 2 minutes. Lastly, add in the mascarpone cheese. Remove from heat. 

Fill each mushroom with sausage mixture, arranging mushrooms on a baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 50 minutes. 

The perfect fall flat bread to start your Thanksgiving festivities. Goat cheese makes everything better.

Here's what you'll need...

1 pre-made pizza dough

1 large yellow onion, 

3 oz goat cheese

1 pear, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Here's what to do...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out pizza dough on baking sheet or pizza stone. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on uncooked pizza dough and top with minced garlic. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until dough browns just slightly. 

While pizza dough is in the oven, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in skillet over medium low heat. Peel onion, cut onion in half, and then into slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to skillet and cook for about 10-15 minutes until soft and slightly browned.

Remove dough from oven, top with caramelized onion, goat cheese and pear. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.

What are YOUR favorite Thanksgiving appetizers? 

What do you do to help in the kitchen on Thanksgiving?