It's That Time of Year Again...

Do you remember when I first started posting here? Well if you don't remember, and apparently I forgot my own blog-aversary too, it was with a post for a contest with the Real Women of Philadelphia. 

The cookbook that I'll be in with the Real Women of Philadelphia is almost out and now there's another contest! This time the prize is for a dream vacation and entries must be inspired by the destination you wish to visit. 

My Dream Destination is French Polynesia. I'd love to visit Tahiti and see the beaches, the culture, and taste the food. The food is something I've only researched because it's not really something you can get in Canada, but by getting a little creative, I think I've managed to make a fun recipe that says French Polynesia. 

My French Polynesia Mushroom Caps incorporate a stuffing of bacon, spinach, and Philly as a Canadian take on Polynesian suckling pig, fafa (taro leaves), and coconut milk, are surrounded with crescent roll dough as a Canadian take on French croissants, and topped with a sprinkle of French parsley and Parmesan cheese. 

The crescent roll dough makes the appetizer easy to pick up so that the mushrooms don't slip from your fingers and everything about them is delicious. You have to try them!

French Polynesian Mushroom Caps 

1 package of crescent roll dough (package to contain enough dough to make 8 crescent rolls)

16 mushrooms

6 slices of bacon

1/4 cup baby spinach, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1/4 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cook the bacon in the microwave for 5-10 minutes, or until crispy.
3. Clean your mushrooms and gently remove the stems.
4. Cut the eight pieces of crescent roll dough in half so you have 16 pieces of dough. Wrap each piece of dough around each mushroom. If your mushrooms were fairly clean and you only need to brush them, the dough should stick easily and you can place on a cookie sheet. If your mushrooms needed to be washed, the dough may not stick as easily and you may need to place them in mini muffin tins for extra support.
5. When bacon is fully cooked, drain any fat and chop it into small pieces. Combine bacon with spinach, garlic, red pepper flakes, green onions, breadcrumbs, and Philadelphia Cream Cheese in a medium bowl.
6. Using your fingers, pick up a small handful of the Philadelphia Cream Cheese mixture and stuff it into a crescent roll wrapped mushroom. Repeat until all mushrooms are filled and your Philadelphia Cream Cheese mixture is gone. You can pile the Philadelphia Cream Cheese mixture pretty high in the mushrooms, so use it all up!
7. Bake French Polynesian Mushroom Caps for 20 - 30 minutes or until the crescent roll dough begins to brown.
8. Serve French Polynesian Mushroom Caps on a large plate and sprinkle with fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!