Cheddar & Bacon Mushroom Cakes

My husband called from work and asked if I would make Stuffed Mushrooms for dinner. I didn't have mushrooms at home and the weather was terrible so I didn't want to drive to the store. This mushroom cake was the result of what was in the pantry/refrigerator... I used canned & fresh mushrooms, as that was what I had on hand. You could use any combination of mushrooms - whatever you have, whatever you like.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 8 Mushroom Cakes

Ingredients

• 6 1⁄2 ounces mushrooms, stems & pieces, drained
• 1⁄8 cup shiitake mushroom, diced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper
• 4  ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4  slices bacon, diced
• 1  medium onion, diced
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  tablespoon fresh chives, snipped
• 1  tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1⁄2 cup  Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 2  eggs, beaten
• 4 -5  garlic cloves, smashed
• 1  cup  Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, for dredging

Directions

1. Heat diced bacon in skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is crisp and crumbly; remove bacon bits, leaving bacon grease in pan. Turn off the heat to the skillet. Add 4-5 crushed cloves of garlic to the bacon grease, remove & discard garlic cloves when fragrant (to flavor the bacon grease - leave in the grease longer for a more intense garlic flavor).
2. Mix all ingredients (minus the cup of breadcrumbs for dredging) together in a bowl; form into patties, dredge in breadcrumbs.
3. Reheat the bacon grease and fry the patties in the bacon grease until golden brown on each side.