Night Crawlers con Funghi

When I was a little girl, I loved to play in the dirt. I loved the smell of dirt, and much to the horror of my parents, I even liked the taste of dirt as I frequently sucked on rocks to get them clean. I know...pretty strange kid huh? My parents are probably surprised that I didn't die of trench mouth. 
One summer at my Grandma's house, my brother, sister and I got the hose and flooded her flowerbed and got nice and muddy making mud pies. We made dozens of pies loaded with sticks and grassy weeds popping from the gooey masses. We added a sprinkle of dirt on some and dried leaves on others. We uncovered earthworms and added them in the pies. Occasionally a worm or two were sacrificed as they tried to wiggle free from the mud pie. I remember feeling happy as we worked with a surprising amount of cooperation. We rarely did anything together that didn't involve arguing or eventual tears. Apparently, making a mess together builds teamwork. We eagerly lined up our mud pie masterpieces on sunlit patches of grass to dry. We were so proud of ourselves as we looked at the fruits of our labor... "Let's show Grandma!"
We didn't go far to find her because Grandma found us. Our excitement faded quick. The shock and horror on her face obvious as she looked at the mess we made of her flowerbeds...No more mud pies! 

Obviously we got in trouble, but we sure had fun doing it. It was worth the trouble. I still like playing in the dirt when I go out to garden and thankfully I gave up sucking rocks. Inspiration for this dish came from making mud pies and playing with worms. Nightcrawlers con Funghi is a fun Halloween dish that's hearty and packed with savory flavor from the sauteed pancetta, onions, garlic, and mushrooms tossed with rosy-hued Udon noodles and toasted garlic breadcrumbs...It is so delicious! (I'm eating leftovers as I write this!) 
Imagine the fun you can have plating this dish at your next Halloween party. Serve it in large flower pots with shovel serving spoons or serve individual plates on a garden trowels spilling over onto dirt breadcrumbs, like I did below. Serve it warm or room temperature. Either way, it is simply delicious! Happy Halloween!

Night Crawlers con Funghi (Noodles with Mushrooms and Pancetta)

Serves 4

1 small onion, sliced
5 oz. Pancetta, diced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2-3 cups baby Bella mushrooms, halved
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 t fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper (to taste)

2 packages Udon Noodles
1/4 t each orange and purple gel food coloring

1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 T butter
1 t garlic powder

Breadcrumbs
Melt 1T butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. Add panko bread crumbs and garlic powder and toast breadcrumbs until they are a dark brown, stirring frequently to ensure they don't burn. Set aside.
Mushroom/Pancetta Mixture
Add butter and olive oil to large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, mushrooms and pancetta and saute for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme leaves and continue to saute until pancetta and onions are browned, and mushrooms are cooked to desired tenderness. About 10-15 minutes more. Add  salt and pepper to taste. Turn off heat and set aside.
Udon Noodles
In a small bowl add 3-4 cups water and add approximately 1/4 t. each of orange and purple gel food coloring and whisk until dissolved and the water is an orange-brown color. Transfer water into a saucepan and add Udon noodles. Let noodles sit for about 10-15 minutes to color the noodles. Once desired color is achieved, cook the noodles according to package directions and drain. Add noodles to skillet with mushrooms and pancetta and stir fry until noodles are coated. Top with additional thyme leaves and breadcrumbs and Enjoy!

Other Halloween Main Dishes to try:
Love at First Bite Linguini                           Midnight Sushi                             Fiendish Fingers

Garlic Cheese Bread

I'm taking a little detour from Halloween foods today to stroll into everyday meal territory with this amazing Garlic Cheese Bread.

I was at the grocery store last week and picked up this huge loaf of french bread, fresh from the bakery, for only 99 cents. A. Total. Steal. All I could think of was getting it home to make my Mom's Garlic Cheese Bread. This is her copy cat recipe for Black Angus Restaurant's Cheese Bread and it is the most amazing, fattening and delicious garlic bread you will ever eat. It is literally a meal in itself...like a monster grilled cheese sandwich! In fact, we ended up eating only this bread for dinner the night I made it. What do you know...I just didn't get to the rest of the meal once it came out of the oven all hot bubbly and cheesy. :)

This recipe makes a full loaf that can feed 8-9 people because it is so rich. If you don't have a crowd, you don't have to bake both halves, you can freeze the other half and pull it out of the freezer for another meal. I intended to freeze half but realized I was out of plastic wrap. Darn. I had no choice but to bake both halves and we had to have this cheesy garlic bread for the next 4 nights...that's probably why I've gained 5 pounds the week I made this garlic bread. sigh* It was so worth it. Enjoy!

Garlic Cheese Bread
Serves 10-12

1 large loaf of french bread, sliced lengthwise
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup Asiago cheese, grated
1 cup Jack cheese, grated

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and spread generously over french bread halves. Place bread on a parchment lined cooking sheet and bake 10 minutes, then place under the broiler for about 3 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 3 minutes before cutting. Cut into 1.5" wide slices. 

Can be frozen: Wrap each half loaf in plastic wrap and then foil or a ziploc bag, then freeze. Thaw before baking.

Other recipes to try:
Chicken Panini with Leeks and Swiss Chard
Veggie Sandwiches with Black Bean Hummus and Sunflower Sprouts
Ham, Cheddar and Onion Scones