Stuffed Mushrooms

Recently, I needed to schedule a routine medical procedure, so I made an appointment and was pleasantly surprised to find they had an opening the next day.  It felt like I won the lottery since it literary takes 3 – 6 months anymore to get an appointment for anything.

Visit with the dentist? How’s next summer looking for you?  Eye exam?  Hmmmm, there might be an opening on the seventh Tuesday of next month.  Sometimes, they don’t even answer the phone, ask you to leave a message, promise to call you back and then…..crickets.  I’m starting to feel like a telemarketer, or maybe at the very least an annoying relative who smells like mothballs and tells you the same story for the 1000th time every time they see you.

Unfortunately , my excitement at an actual appointment before I celebrated my 100th birthday was short-lived.

About an hour before I was supposed to be there, the office called to cancel: “ We don’t have the necessary equipment here; they never should have scheduled you at this office,” the woman explained.  “I can schedule you for one of our other offices…..how’s next Christmas looking?’

Yeah, super hard pass on that, oh, and thanks for making me waste a whole day, which in the appointment making world is, what, seven years? Grrrrrr.

I called a second place who claimed they could see me the following day.  Not wanting to get burned again, I asked if they actually did the procedure and actually had the necessary equipment on the premesis.  They assured me that they did.  Okay, so I did win the lottery.

Or not.  They called me four times that day to confirm and double check my information. The first two, I was a bit impressed that they were on the ball and so organized.  By call four, I was not so impressed.  I was more concerned.  Did I really want people who couldn’t seem to correctly enter simple information like name, address and date of birth into a computer handling my medical needs?  Maybe I would be better off just buying an Apple Watch.  They seem to be able to do pretty much everything these days.  Or maybe I should ask Alexa or Siri.

Ah, but that was nothing compared to the next day.  About 3 hours before my appointment, they called yet again.

”No,” I barked at the woman, “I am not repeating my information one more time!  If you can’t keep track of this, then you are not where I need to be.”

”Okay, but I am the technician, and I don’t have any access to your information otherwise,” she explained.

I think my brain actually exploded from too many snarky thoughts running amuck in it all at once.  But it got even better.

”oh, we don’t have anyone here who can give you the results or even talk to you, we mail them to your doctor,”  she told me.

”You mean email,” I corrected, wondering who they did have there. A trained seal perhaps with a gyroscope?

”No, regular mail,” she informed me.

And then I understood everything.  #1 It wasn’t that they weren’t entering my information into their computer because they were incompetent.  They didn’t HAVE a computer and the poor things probably kept losing their pencil and paper. #2 I wasn’t lucky to get an appointment, beating out hundreds of other people by sheer luck; I was the only one trying to MAKE an appointment!  Everyone else was running in the opposite direction.

And another hard pass on that one too.  I’ll just have to clear my calendar for 2023.

Ingredients for spinach and artichoke mushrooms:

• 1 (8oz) package white button mushrooms
• stems from the mushrooms
• 1  1/2 cups packed baby spinach
• 2 large artichoke hearts (packed in water)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 3 Tablespoons sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Dice the. mushroom stems and chop the spinach, then saute them with the diced onion in just the tiniest bit of oil (I used a spray oil and lightly coated the pan), till the spinach is wilted and the mushrooms stems are brown.  Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds till fragrant.  Remove from heat.
3. In a blender, combine the artichoke hearts, parmesan and sour cream and process till smooth and creamy.
4. Add the artichoke mixture to the spinach mixture and stir to combine.
5. Using a small spoon, fill the mushroom caps and place on a lined baking sheet.
6. Bake 25 minutes till mushrooms are cooked and topping is golden.

Ingredients for ricotta stuffed mushrooms:

• 1 (8oz) package of white button mushrooms
• stems from the mushrooms
• 1  1/2 cups packed baby spinach
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup diced fennel
• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Chop the mushroom stems and spinach.  Saute with the fennel till spinach is wilted and stems are brown.  Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds till fragrant.  Turn the heat off.
3. Add the ricotta, lemon juice and salt.  Stir to combine.
4. Using a small spoon, stuff the mixture into the mushroom cape and place eon a lined baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25 minutes till mushrooms are brown and topping is golden.

Ingredients for walnut stuffed mushrooms:

• 1 (8oz) package of white button mushrooms
• stems from the mushrooms
• 1/2 cups unsalted walnuts
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (or parmesan cheese)
• 1  1/2 Tablespoons vegetable broth
• pinch of salt
• chopped parsley for topping

Directions:

1. In a small pot, boil the walnuts for 15 minutes.  Drain, then set aside to cool. (or you can soak them in a container in the refrigerator for 2 hours, and drain before using)
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. Dice the mushroom stems and saute them with the onions till the stems are brown and the onions starting to soften.  Remove from the heat and cool.
4. Put the cooled walnuts, stems, onions, nutritional yeast, broth and salt into a blender and blend till smooth.
5. Using a small spoon, stuff the mushroom caps and place on a lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, till mushrooms are brown and topping is golden.  Remove and sprinkle with a little chopped parsley before serving.

Enjoy!