I actually made this last night for dinner, but I suoppose that they are theoretically an appetizer. My three kids loved them, too.

Take 10 to 12 large button mushrooms. Pop out the stems. In the bottom of a soufle or casserole dish, melt a tablespoon or so of butter. Place mushrooms cap down in the butter.

For the filling, chop up the stems. (If you have lots of long, thick stem, you may only want to use half.) Mix in about 1/2 pound of ground meat -- can be pork, beef, turkey, sausage, veal -- whatever meat you have on hand. Shred a good handful of fresh mozzerella into the mix. Add a small egg. (If it is a large egg, you'll want to use a little more meat.) Dice a couple cloves of fresh garlic. Salt, pepper, dash of red pepper. Mix the meat mixture until consistent. Make into meatballs equaling the number of mushroom caps. Stuff a meatball into each cap.

Shred more fresh mozerella on top of the stuffed mushrooms.

I bake these for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, and then finish off under a low broiler setting until the cheese is brown.

You can basically put anything you want in the meatball part -- leave out the egg if you want and add some oil to make it bind well, or add in some crushed nuts, add onion, peppers, etc. Just whatever you feel like putting in them.

Yum.

I make a version of this...only without the egg and I just plop everything over the mushrooms. I am now not allowed to attend any family function unless I bring these.

I can't wait to make these!!!

I love them