lucky bandit | RVA based lifestyle blog

Friday, March 29, 2024

recipe // savory stuffed mushrooms

I make a living as a cook and I was tasked with making these stuffed mushrooms for a catering event one evening. They were absolutely delicious. I adapted the recipe for a smaller portion that's easily taken to get togethers!

Savory Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
20-25 medium sized cremini mushrooms, destemmed (save the stems)
2 cups roasted red peppers, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 tbsp minced garlic
4 cups spinach, finely chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese (I used finely shredded)
1/2 cup feta cheese, big bits crumbled
2 cups breadcrumbs
3 tbsp Lawry's Garlic, Rosemary, & Lemon Rub (or you can sub s&p, garlic powder, rosemary, and lemon zest/lemon pepper)
1/2 cup fresh chives, finely diced, for garnish

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350°
-Begin by removing the stems from the mushrooms. Keep the stems - you'll be finely dicing 1/3 of them and using them in the stuffing
-Bake the mushroom caps for about 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool
-Finely dice the roasted red peppers, onion, mushroom stems
-Mix the vegetables, garlic, and seasoning - sautee these in a pan with olive oil until they start to brown
-Finely chop the spinach and mix into the sauteed mix after the vegetables start to brown to wilt the spinach
-Once the spinach is wilted, remove the mix from heat and cool
-Mix the vegetables and parmesan/feta/bread crumbs together - add olive oil if too dry
-Mold the mix into sizeable balls that fit the mushroom caps
-Stuff the caps with the mix, then bake until the tops of the mix is crisp
-Once removed from the oven, top with fresh chives

Plate them in a shallow serving dish for easy pick up!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

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Monday, March 04, 2024

2024 reading challenge & small book haul

Every year I've pledged on my Goodreads Reading Challenge to read 50 books per year. And every year I have failed. HOWEVER, 2024 is my year to succeed. I dug out my Kindle, ordered some stickers for it, and I'm determined to read as much as I can this year. I have dozens and dozens of books sitting around my apartment and I'm determined to make a dent in them this year!
I met my dad for lunch one day and after we'd parted ways it was raining and gloomy (my favorite weather!) so I stopped by the local Barnes & Noble armed with a partial gift card and grabbed a coffee (tall skinny vanilla latte with oat milk, no whip, at kids' temp) and wandered around waiting for something to catch my eye. The book gods didn't disappoint! I first spotted the book about Secretariat (of whom I am still a huge fan). I grew up not far from Meadow Farm, so he's always had a soft spot in my heart. I find WWII interesting (in that morbid way) and grabbed this bargain book. Lastly, medical controversy has always intrigued me, especially lobotomies, so I can't wait to delve into that one. I rarely pay full price for books, so this was a little treat.

Here's to reading more this year! Be sure to add me on Goodreads!

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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Friday, March 01, 2024

frugal friday - february



The year is flying by! Somehow my Frugal Friday post for January got deleted, so here's starting the year with February. 😑
  • Grocery deals: $1.49 blackberries, $2.99 strawberries, $1.44 markdown spring mix, free bag of Cheetos, $3.99 Freschetta pizza, $1.99 bag of Thomas bagels (into the freezer), $1.49 two liter of root beer, 99¢ tube of Colgate toothpaste, $3.99 bag of Totino's pizza rolls, $1.88 markdown bag of butter lettuce, 2 red peppers for 99¢
  • I redeemed a free ebook from Amazon First Reads 
  • After months of searching, I finally thrifted a push-lever salad spinner for $10!
  • While I did order delivery food, I stayed in to watch the Super Bowl via Paramount+'s free trial week
  • Over a four-day weekend, I only ordered one meal for delivery
  • I picked up a second job that's part time. I really like seeing the number in my high interest savings account go up.
I'm still decluttering!
  • A book on Pango - sold and mailed using recycled mailing supplies
  • I unsubscribed from a bunch of email lists
  • A slow feeder that was just a little too deep for Og, a Clarisonic facial brush - sold on Facebook Marketplace
  • My old hair dryer that I had upgraded, four Yeti stickers - given away on Facebook
  • The table and six chairs I borrowed for Friendsgiving - passed back to my dad when we met for lunch one weekend
  • The 12 belly bands from when I had my two late elderly dogs - mailed to a senior dog sanctuary
I've done really well with food waste lately, so hopefully I can keep it up into February
  • I used up a bunch of leftovers from work - cheesy mac, some delicious soup, salad toppings
Frugal Fails:
  • Ogden has now chewed through four phone cases since the beginning of December, I'm on number 5 now
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lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

Sunday, January 21, 2024

mini ulta haul

Little mini Ulta haul! I don't buy as many products as I used to since I only wear powder and mascara at work, but I love skincare. I've been trying to cut down on how many items I buy as I still have so many to use up, but I couldn't help finding some items on sale and using up some rewards points.
My skin is horribly dry in the winter, so I'm looking forward to trying out this sleep mask! I also haven't tried anything from wldkat before, so I'm excited to try a new brand, too.
I sleep pretty badly so I have some bad undereye bags, so I like to try different eye creams. Pacifica is usually my go-to, but I saw this balm from J. Cat and wanted to give it a go.
While I don't wear colored balm often, I love a good neutral! I plan to use this as an everyday color.

I didn't photograph the primer because I didn't want to shorten it's life while I'm still using up a sample tube from Too Faced, but I love a good primer and can't wait to try it.


my poshmark closet | shop my mercari
lucky bandit is a for profit blog. I use affiliate links and paid advertisements. I may earn compensation for a click or purchase through a link. Paid (whether via product or monetary) reviews will be noted in the actual post. Though compensation may influence the type of posts, all opinions and reviews will be legitimate and honest.

*All affiliate links will be marked with an asterick.*

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