APPETIZERS: WINNERStuffed Mushrooms Casino wins, leaving first-time entrant stunnedWhen her Stuffed Mushrooms Casino took the cake in the appetizer category in The Herald's ``What's Cookin' In Your World?'' recipe contest, Stephanie Alter was completely shocked.``This was my first time to do anything like this,'' she said. ``Then when you see the other entries, I really didn't think I would win.'' Stuffed mushrooms have been a longtime Thanksgiving tradition at her home. And Clams Casino has been a longtime favorite of Mrs. Alter's. With that, Mrs. Alter decided to try a variation of both appetizers. ``It was a big hit,'' she said. ``It's festive with the red and green topping.'' And it's a big hit when she's taking a dish to homes of friends and family. ``I get a lot of compliments on it, but that's in my own circle of friends,'' she said. Mrs. Alter, who lives at 7918 W. Lincoln St., Masury, with her husband, Thomas, and sons Christopher, 11, and Shawn, 9, is always looking for ways to make things simpler. So in tinkering with the recipe, she simplified the tradition by using Stove Top Stuffing instead of the homemade bread crumbs. And in keeping with tradition, Mrs. Alter ``eyeballs'' most of her recipes, so writing out the recipe for the contest proved to be something of a challenge. But she encourages people to alter the recipe. She said tasting while cooking, then making adjustments, is the best thing to do. ``It's an art,'' she said. ``I think it is. And you can't always replicate it the same way but the variations can be just as good.'' Stuffed Mushrooms Casino2 dozen medium to largemushroom caps 1. Remove stems from mushrooms and discard. Clean mushroom caps with soft vegetable brush. Rinse lightly with water and pat dry. 2. Saute bacon until it is lightly browned but not crisp. Remove bacon from skillet and reserve 2-3 tablespoons fat in skillet. Cut each bacon strip into 8 equal pieces. 3. Saute peppers, onion and garlic in bacon fat until onion becomes slightly tender. 4. Prepare stuffing mix per package instructions. 5. Combine sauteed pepper, onion and garlic mixture with prepared stuffing mix. 6. Fill each mushroom cap generously with pepper/stuffing mixture. 7. Place stuffed mushroom caps in oven-proof baking dish. Drizzle mushrooms with melted butter. Top each cap with bacon piece. 8. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 for about 15-20 minutes. |
