Countless times, I've come home flustered from a hectic day and the question looms, what's for dinner? Before I had a dishwasher, on days I was particularly bereft of ideas the main goal was reduce cleanup - keep the number of dishes and utensils used to a minimum. Now that I have a dishwasher I can certainly focus less on dish damage, but minimizing cleanup is always a relevant concern. The dishwasher's size serves as a practical constraint too. Living with a Chef there is never, and I mean never, a shortage of dirty dishes. When he cooks, I clean. When I cook, I clean. You get the picture.

Imagine a meal without utensils at all, where you pick and choose with your fingers, uninhibited, like a child. Enter finger foods. All week we have been dabbling in the realm of finger foods, as holiday gatherings are frequent and energy is starting to wither. Today one of my favorite combinations, broccoli rabe and sausage, finds its temporary home in a mushroom cap. Next week, you'll see it residing alongside some orecchiette.

Ingredients

30 or so cremini mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces sausage (I've used pork and chicken sausage; any kind will do.)
1/2 bunch broccoli rabe
3 chopped garlic cloves
red pepper flakes to taste
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt

*This recipe is adapted from Food Network Magazine's November 2014 Issue.*

To prepare

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and set aside. Wipe caps clean with a damp paper towel. Toss caps with olive oil and season with salt. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet.

Finely chop the mushroom stems and broccoli rabe. Cook eight ounces of sausage, casing removed, in a skillet over medium heat. Break up the meat until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the mushroom stems and broccoli rabe, cooking for 4 minutes or until tender. Add the chopped garlic and season with red pepper flakes. Cook for an additional minute.

Let cool, then mix with breadcrumbs, parmesan, and chopped parsley. Divide mixture among the caps and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes and serve with additional parsley and cheese if desired.