One way I've coaxed children and adults to love vegetables is by stuffing them. My kids wouldn't go near bell peppers until I stuffed and baked them with ground beef and rice topped with tomato sauce.

My cousin said she was "allergic" to eggplant. Last week I shoehorned buttery breadcrumbs and ground lamb into eggplant "slippers" and baked them. Her allergy miraculously vanished! Stuffed mushrooms have always been a much easier sell. Perhaps it's because they're so accommodating.

Stuffed mushrooms, like a great life-partner, love to meet your particular needs. On a budget? Delicious stuffings can be as frugal as leftover breadcrumbs sautéed in a bit of butter and garlic. Coins jiggling in your pocket? Stuff mushroom caps with chopped crab or lobster sautéed in butter and wine.

Perhaps you are looking for a finger food to pass. Select the small button-sized mushroom to stuff and serve. The larger "stuffing-sized" mushroom are perfect for small-plate dining or stuffed and used as an appetizer proceeding the main course. For the main course in a vegetarian dinner, mound the stuffing into portabella caps. Serving this recipe warm from the oven on a bed of balsamic dressed greens is a wonderful idea.

Here's are other recipes to whet your holiday whistle: Crispy Roast Turkey (includes video); Sweet Potato-Pear Soup; Balsamic Portobellas stuffed with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes; Glazed Butternut Squash and Apples; Roasted Brussel Sprouts; Yogurt and Fig Cake with many more to follow on dinnerFeed.

Yield: 22-26 large mushrooms Cost: apx. $14.00 Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

22-26 medium to medium-large mushrooms (1 1/2-2 pounds) 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 cup diced yellow onion 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1  (9-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry 2/3 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1 cup grated Parmesan 1/2 cup panko, Japanese bread flakes 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Remove stems from mushrooms and chop stems. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter or in a large sauté pan, stir in paprika, and heat mushroom lightly on both sides. They should not be cooked through at this time. Remove from butter and arrange, stemmed side up, on a large baking sheet. 3. In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, sauté the onions 1 minute then add the chopped mushroom stems, with a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté until mixture is softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pine nuts, spinach, Parmesan, panko and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. 4. Divide mixture among mushroom caps, mounding slightly. Bake on middle rack in the oven for 10-20 minutes, to desired level of doneness. Serve warm.