I had a second cookie for dessert tonight. I figured I deserved it after spending the better part of my week with some very energetic (albeit lovely) 7th graders. We just completed our annual overnight field trip with Inside Out in the mountains of North Carolina.

The trip in numbers:

3 days.

28 seventh graders.

4 hours in the bus round trip.

0 cell phones, video games, iPods, televisions, computers for the students.

over 55 hours spent all together, bonding as a class.

3 teachers, 3 camp counselors.

1 giant rock face to climb.

27 kids who climbed at least partway up.

about 27 kids who, upon turning around on the rock, said, “WHOA” at the view.

1 awesome rock climbing instructor who, apart from coaching each student, recited poetry for us.

1 time when I was forced to use a portable bathroom which, thank God, turned out to be one of the only clean and pleasant-smelling portable bathrooms in the universe. I wish I knew the company who cleaned it so I could write them a thank you letter. I’m not kidding.

4 gorgeous waterfalls, one of which thundered just above us as we stood on the rocks below and watched the rainbow in its spray.

1 opportunity to serve by cleaning up at the Carl Sandburg Home.

5 baby goats cuddled profusely at the dairy farm.

1 mama goat who, as it turns out, bites.

4 snakes seen in one day alone (today). Thankfully, they were seen from afar.

1 sluice in the same mountain stream where Katniss Everdeen swam.

hundreds of trees.

hundreds of bugs.

1 tsunami of bug spray in the girls’ cabin each morning.

about a dozen times when a student (or teacher) accidentally knocked over a chair in the dining hall.

7 meals eaten at camp, including 2 picnic lunches.

1 liter of food waste or less after the first meal.

0 liters of food waste at the last meal.

1 soaked camp counselor who fulfilled his agreement to jump in the lake if the kids had no food waste.

innumerable games and team challenges.

many kids who impressed me by communicating well, leading, or following wisely in said challenges.

3 student-created skits, including one with a doughnut-related crime and another with a pet chicken.

2 campfires.

1 round of awesome s’mores.

1 silly photo with my entire girls’ cabin in Princess Leia buns.

14 girls absolutely quiet by 10:30 each night. No word about the boys’ cabin, but I have faith in them (and their chaperone)!

2 cramped bathrooms behind one shower curtains that wasn’t quite wide enough to cover both.

14 girls making it “so public” when they were in one stall or the other so as to prevent ANY confusion.

0 shower conflicts. Did I mention 14 girls? My ladies were low-maintenance. Except for the mascara — but I promised I wouldn’t say a critical word about it, since I brought my own tube, too.

5+ morning dippers each day — if you aren’t sure what the “morning dip” is, think freezing water first thing in the morning.

1 very dramatic story by a campfire.

1 crawfish, 2 salamanders, 1 minnow, and 1 tiny bass caught for observation and released.

3 coke zeros smuggled into the cabin by a certain teacher who then found it difficult to scold the student who had smuggled in the chocolate truffles. And the one with the cheerios. And the one with the doughnuts. We’re a hungry bunch.

29 letters written to our future selves, which will be mailed to us next year!

1.5 dozen doughnuts consumed over 2 days.

1 very tired, proud teacher.

And for you? 2 cute pizza mushrooms with a ton of flavor, minus the carb count. Enjoy — while I take a nap!

What was your favorite school field trip? Answer here or join our Facebook discussion.

One year ago: Gooey Chocolate Skillet Cake Ice Cream Sundae
Two years ago: Chocolate Birds’ Nest Cupcake Toppers
Three years ago: Banana Coconut Cream Cakes

Rustic Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms


Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 2 servings

I wanted an umami-heavy pizza here, so along with the roasted mushroom “crust,” I added an anchovy filet. I also found that a few black olives and a smashed clove of roasted garlic did not go unappreciated. You should feel free to add whatever pizza toppings you enjoy — in fact, you’ll notice that I tucked a few leftover crumbles of Italian sausage into the mushroom cap in the foreground above, though those weren’t in the original recipe. The sky’s the limit!

Ingredients:
2 large portobello mushroom caps
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and few grinds pepper, divided
freshly grated Mozzarella cheese, to taste
4-6 slices pepperoni
a handful of sliced black olives*
2 cloves roasted garlic**, smashed
1 anchovy filet, chopped lightly with a fork
6 tablespoons pizza sauce of your choice***
crumbles of cooked Italian sausage (optional)
*I used some pitted black Cerignola olives marinated in olive oil and red chili flakes from my specialty grocer, but you can use any you like.
**I bought mine from the specialty grocer, but you can roast a head yourself using this guide — you won’t believe the sweet, mild flavor. You can use raw, but use less, because raw garlic is much hotter, spicier, and obnoxious. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
***I just used a jarred brand I love.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Clean the mushroom caps by brushing gently with a wet brush. Remove the stems from mushrooms and gently remove gills with a spoon. Brush each mushroom cap with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt and a grind of pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the mushroom) or until they are nicely roasted but still holding their general shape.

Let the mushrooms cool until they can be handled. Drain any excess moisture from the caps and spoon a few tablespoons of pizza sauce into each one. Top with sliced olives, anchovy pieces, pepperoni, Italian sausage (if you’re using it), the smashed roasted garlic, a generous sprinkle of Mozzarella cheese, and another small grind of pepper. Place the mushrooms back into the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately.

by | 18 Comments

18 Comments on Rustic Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

  1. Mom
    April 27, 2013 at 3:35 am (12 years ago)

    Sounds like an awesome time with some very unique and special kids! 🙂 Except for the snakes…. and the toilets, and the ice water dips…..

    Reply
  2. Lisa @ Who Stole My Baby?
    April 27, 2013 at 3:47 am (12 years ago)

    What a fun trip! I remember my middle school retreat so well. They had a dance, and they had to bribe the boys with extra credit to get them to ask girls to dance. It was super dramatic, as you can imagine.

    Reply
  4. Lauren at Keep It Sweet
    April 28, 2013 at 10:59 pm (12 years ago)

    You definitely do deserve an extra cookie! These would make a perfect dinner.

    Reply
  5. Megan
    April 29, 2013 at 1:37 am (12 years ago)

    Lordy Lordy. Thats sounded intense!

    Still you had me at baby goats 😉
    Super jelly!

    Reply
  6. Brooke Schweers
    April 30, 2013 at 10:56 am (12 years ago)

    Yum! These look incredible! I need them in my life now!!

    Reply
  7. pizza .com
    April 30, 2013 at 11:03 am (12 years ago)

    Ich denke, verschiedene Arten von Pizza voigue in der ganzen Welt wie Rustikale Pizza bei mehr wie. In diesem Pizza haben verschiedene vagitables enthalten. Daher fast mehr poeple erste bevorzugen, weil ihre Hilfe uns easilly pflegen können Gleichgewicht im Körper.

    Reply
  8. Mushrooms Canada
    April 30, 2013 at 2:04 pm (12 years ago)

    These are absolutely perfect! All of the fabulous pizza flavours without all of the carbs. You certainly can’t go wrong with this recipe…thanks for sharing!!

    -Shannon

    Reply
  9. Elaine @ Cooking to Perfection
    April 30, 2013 at 8:14 pm (12 years ago)

    I love this idea! I’m a huge fan of portobello mushrooms, and always looking for new recipes to try using them. I’ve never come across a pizza recipe before, but think it sounds delish. Trying this very soon!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Reply
  10. Jenny @ BAKE
    May 1, 2013 at 9:53 am (12 years ago)

    wow! these look so moreish!

    Reply
  12. PapaLos - The Man, The Chef, The Dad
    May 20, 2013 at 5:20 pm (12 years ago)

    That sounds like a trip most of those kids are going to remember for a long, long time. I would be a proud teacher too, give yourself a pat on the back for that one!

    I’ve never been on an overnight trip like that. The furthest we’ve gone was from the Bronx to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Visited the Amish country out there and I still remember it. It was a fun time and was amazing to see as a kid who was growing up in the Bronx. It’s also the first and only time I’ve tried Shoo-Fly Pie. Something I have been dying to find ever since.

    The pizza stuffed mushrooms… Amazing! I’m not one to opt out of pizza dough for anything else, but these look and sound so good it’ll be hard to pass up. Maybe I could talk the wife into it one day.

    Reply
  13. Jane
    November 28, 2014 at 2:40 pm (10 years ago)

    So heartwarming. Thank you for spreading such goodness.

    Reply
  14. Sturgis
    December 5, 2014 at 9:46 am (10 years ago)

    What an excellent recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. It’s sad, I remember the days when families would share moments like you described. Now it seems the schools have taken over in ever increasing ways the role of the parents.

    Reply

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