Super Bowl Baby!!!!

Yes, this is one wife and mother who is so excited for today!! I know there are a lot of women out there who dread Super Bowl Sunday like the plague b/c they know their husbands will be unreachable for the duration of the game, but in our house, it's a family affair! Pregame starts at 10 in the morning, and post game lasts well into the wee hours of the night! We are part of one of the biggest nations in the world---STEELER NATION!!! That's right, we bleed black and gold. Adam has been a fan for years, and when he entered my family, the western Pennsylvania family, they were more welcoming once he dropped names like Chuck Noll, Rod Woodson, and Jerome Bettis. This year we are having a quiet celebration at home b/c of it being a school night for Alex. My mom is coming over to watch the game, and we will be on the phone w/ the PA clan through out the game. Since I'm going to be too busy waving my "Terrible Towel" to be in the kitchen, and b/c my little Steelers fan requested it, I'm doing a party buffet full of our favorite "nibbly bits" (as Alex calls them) for our game time meal. Most of the things are tried and true favorites, but this one is a brand new I found at allrecipes.com. We love mushrooms, and I know the gang will flip for these. So if you are watching the game tomorrow, enjoy good times, good food and great football! If you are a Packers fan, we can still be friends, just so you know where my loyalty lies and always will!

Stuffed Mushrooms
12 whole fresh mushrooms
1 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS minced garlic (I will be used 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder ( I will omit this b/c of Alex)

Preheat oven to 350º. Spray a baking sheet w/ cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough ends. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and stems. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool. When stem mixture is cool, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepper, onion and cayenne powder. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.