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Melanie Underwood, founder and CEO of Gather Culinary, shares her easy-to-make Super Bowl recipes for the big game.
Melanie Underwood founded Gather Culinary in 2022 with the goal to help individuals gain confidence and creativity in the kitchen. Through after-school programs, adult classes, camps, and even retreats, Gather Culinary hopes to inspire connection and community through cooking. Underwood has 26 years of experience as a Culinary Instructor and is a certified high school culinary arts teacher. She teaches in her home kitchen in Yonkers and harvests produce from her garden to use in the dishes. After the meal is complete and lessons are learned, the class sits together to enjoy the meal and converse with one another.
Along with gifting her culinary knowledge to Westchester’s hungry minds, Underwood lists recipes on her website. In honor of Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, she shared a few recipes with us for you and your guests to enjoy. “I like making dishes that you can prepare in advance, so you aren’t rushing the day of,” says Underwood. Enjoy a spinach dip, sangria, and sausage-stuffed mushrooms that can all be made in advance and heated up on game day, giving you ample time to host.
Spinach Dip
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
6 ounces baby spinach, chopped
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cream cheese
3 ounces white cheddar, grated
3 ounces parmesan, grated
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 scallions, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 baguette, sliced and toasted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine all ingredients by hand or in a food processor. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately with toasted bread.
Best Game-Day Sangria
Makes 1 gallon
Ingredients:
2 bottles Rioja
1 bottle prosecco
1 cup Cointreau
1 cup orange juice
2 cups seltzer
2 cups simple syrup**
2 sliced oranges
4 limes cut into 8 wedges, each
1 sliced lemon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve cold over ice.
** Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Directions:
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
@westchestermag Melanie Underwood, founder and CEO of Gather Culinary, shares her easy and delicious game day sangria recipe! This is the perfect drink of choice if you’re hosting a Super Bowl party because you can make it beforehand to insure it’s ready when the guests arrive. Cheers! #sangria #westchester #gatherculinary ♬ Lunchtime Naps – Age of Departures
Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
Makes about 30 mushrooms
Ingredients:
1½ pounds mushrooms (with caps and stems)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
½ pound sausage, out of the casing and crumbled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, crumbled
¾ cup breadcrumbs
¾ cup crumbled Gorgonzola
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Remove the stems from the mushrooms and set aside. Brush the mushroom caps with a damp cloth, season with salt and pepper and set aside. Finely chop the mushroom stems and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan; add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes; add the sausage and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the thyme, breadcrumbs, and gorgonzola.
Using a small spoon, fill the cavity of the mushroom’s cap with the stuffing. Place on an oven-proof wire rack on a sheet tray and cook for about 15 minutes or until slightly softened. Remove from oven and serve.
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