Making it Your Own
I
t’s January in California. Time for cold
weather, hopefully a lot of rain, fireplaces
roaring and the winding down of the foot-
ball season – except not in the San Francisco
Bay Area this year! On February 7, we will
be hosting the 50 th Anniversary of the Super
Bowl.
I have fond memories of watching the
49ers every Sunday when the kids were grow-
ing up and the most important part of the
game for me was the food I was going to
serve. Of course the kids wanted the typical
“sit-on-the-floor” in front of the fire and TV
and snack on “game food” – mostly consist-
ing of garlic and basil popcorn, nachos, mini
corn dogs and pizza. Not all that healthy, but
it was only once a week at the most! As we’ve
all evolved over the years, so has our taste in
“game food” – we like getting a little more
healthy and a little more gourmet these days.
In anticipation of Super Bowl 50, I’ve
pulled out Gilroy Assistance League’s
By Donna Pray
cookbook Reflections II and have picked
out three appetizers I’m planning to serve
this year. The first one is from fellow
GAL member Vicki Campanella entitled
“Marinated Carrots.” It’s on page 16 of the
Cookbook, but I made a few changes to
“Make It My Own.” The second is actually
from me. I submitted it as a sophisticated
version of “nacho” sauce – so serve it with
whole grain crackers. Last, I love GAL
Jennifer Speno and Honorary GAL Lucille
Speno’s “Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms.”
It’s on page eight of the cookbook and I do
love these mushrooms, but the only change
I made here was to substitute walnuts for the
pine nuts. Why? Our son is in the walnut
business in Northern California so they are
always in my pantry!
Hope you enjoy watching this year’s game
and I know the Bay Area will be great hosts
to whichever teams will be going for the 50 th
Vince Lombardo trophy!
Donna Pray was born and raised on the
San Francisco Peninsula. She and her
husband, Ron, moved to Gilroy in 1977
and raised their four children here. Donna
spent most of her time raising their children
and learning about volunteering in their
new community. Donna is currently the
Executive Director of the Gilroy Foundation
and is one of 35 active members of
Gilroy Assistance League. She loves to
cook, garden, and spend time with family
– especially her kids and grandkids, and
her Yellow Lab, Rocco.
Cheddar Onion Dip
1 large Vidalia onion, trimmed
and grated (about 1 cup)
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz. light cream cheese
1 t. garlic powder
¼ t. ground cayenne pepper
1 green onion, chopped, for garnish
½ lb. carrots peeled and cut into ¼ inch
thick diagonal slices
½ c. sherry vinegar
¼ c. each fresh squeezed lemon juice and
Frantoio Grove Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T. fresh oregano, chopped
2 t. sugar
1 t. sea salt
¼ t. crushed red pepper flakes
4 Christopher Ranch whole garlic cloves
Blue Cheese Stuffed
Mushrooms
16-18 medium crimini and/or
button mushrooms
2 T. butter
4 green onions, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/3 c. walnuts, chopped finely
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove stems
from mushrooms. Set caps aside. Chop
the stems. Melt butter in frying pan, add
chopped stems, green onions and garlic.
Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese and
walnuts. Place mushroom caps side by
side in a foil-lined, rimmed baking dish.
Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cheese mixture
into each. Bake for 12-15 minutes until
mushrooms are tender.
Boil carrots in water for 1-1/2 minutes. Pour
into colander and rinse with cold water; drain
well. Mix together remaining ingredients in a
quart-sized resealable plastic bag; add drained
carrots and seal well. Refrigerate for at least 1
hour (up to overnight), turning bag occasionally.
Serve with toothpicks.
Enjoy any or all of these recipes or their variations from the GAL’s cookbook!
Available at gilroyassistanceleague.com. And, feel free to “Make It Your Own!”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL •