Spinach, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

TGIF! I made it! I survived the first week of camp! This week was a lot of fun and I am having a great time with all the staff members and all the campers.  We had a blast kicking off camp with fun getting to know you games and we even got to go to a bowling alley as a special field trip.  It was a great week, but it also taught me a lot about myself as a site director and leader.

I discovered how much I appreciate when people are doing a good job because they want to and they get satisfaction out of it.  It really annoys me when I have to remind people to work harder and do a good job because that is so not my style.  I tend to try really hard to constantly improve because I want to and I love it when others do this as well.

I also discovered more about myself as a teacher.  It is so rewarding when campers, on the second day, bring me random art projects that they made for me or want me to have.  I love being around kids and I love how it motivates me to be my best so that I can be a positive role model in their life.  Today, a camper came up to me and said, "You should be a teacher." And I responded, "That is what I want to be when I grow up." And she paused, thought, and then said, "Well, good because you would be a really good one, I would want to have you as a teacher." And then, she walked away and continued playing the game in the gym.  I smiled to myself and recognized that my day had just been made by a random camper who was simply thinking out loud.  I have a hard time identifying what it is that makes a good teacher, but I am glad that people recognize that whatever "it" is, I have it.

My day continued to get even better as my mom and I threw together a really great dinner.  We made an amazing salmon dish-broil your salmon instead of baking it-it's awesome.  Then, I made a stuffed mushroom recipe that I had had my eye on for ages.  And finally, we threw together a random vegetable dish to complete our light, fresh, healthy, and delish dinner! The mushrooms were absolutely phenomenal and you must try these.  Even if you don't like mushrooms, the filling for these is so good that I think it would be worth making.

Now, I am going to go enjoy my weekend and think about how I can make the next week of camp even better :)

Spinach, Artichoke, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms (adapted from Circle B Kitchen)

Ingredients:
12 Stuffing Mushrooms (baby portabellas-or Trader Joe's Stuffing Mushrooms)
6 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
6 oz artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 medium shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
lemon juice (1-2 tbsp)
3 oz goat cheese, crumbled
handful of shredded parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil.
2. In a small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and saute the shallot and garlic until shallot is translucent and softened. Place into a large bowl and let cool.
3. In the same large bowl, place the spinach, artichoke hearts, goat cheese, and about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Toss to combine.
4. Remove the stems from the mushrooms and wash them.  Let them dry on a paper towel.  Once dry, stuff the mushrooms with the spinach mixture and place on the prepared pan.  Season each mushroom with salt and pepper.  Drizzle a little lemon juice over the mushrooms.  Next, sprinkle a little parmesan cheese and olive oil over each mushroom and bake for 10 minutes.

Enjoy :)