Pictured above was our recent fall box. The winter box will be revealed tomorrow!
My new subscription box business, MARY’s secret ingredients, has been a huge journey for me and my team this year. The support and warmth I’ve received from you means a great deal to me. I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to all of you who have shared your kind words as well as perhaps purchased or reviewed boxes for us. Your help has been invaluable!
So now, since it is the season of giving, and because I want to share not only my appreciation, but also the wonderful gourmet, international products with you, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY!!!
I’ll be giving away one FULL YEAR’S SUBSCRIPTION of MARY’s secret ingredients (that’s FOUR boxes filled with surprise products) to one lucky follower, as well as TWO SPRING 2015 boxes as runner-up gifts!
The rules are simple; just comment below with your favorite dish to cook for the upcoming holidays (feel free to add a link to the recipe if you have one) and on December 16th, my team will use a random number generator to choose the lucky winners. Since there are three chances to win, I do hope that all of you will comment and share with your friends!
Unfortunately, if you live outside of the continental United States, (that’s you, Maureen and Charlie Louie), I’m sorry to say you won’t be eligible for this giveaway, as MSI’s shipping is still limited to the U.S. However, please comment below with your favorite recipes anyway. I can’t wait to see what you have to share!
Best of luck to all of you, and stay tuned for more posts about the contents of our winter box and all the great recipes I’ve created using this season’s ingredients.
Now here I’d like to share with you just how NOT to roast a chicken. Remember that great on-the-flash dish I made in front of our guests – the Cumin and Mustard Roasted Chicken pieces with dried fruit? Well on Sunday night, I tried to do that again with a whole butterflied chicken, with a more complex, delicious glaze (thank goodness, because that’s all that was left) and, of course, a longer time in the oven (30 minutes) since it was a whole bird and THAT was my undoing.
Mmmm, lovely….
The fruit totally charred!! Just look!! (Imagine if that happened when I had the guests over!)
Fortunately we could just remove the fruit and enjoy the chicken, which was cooked perfectly. Two prunes and two pears survived.
I know your holiday recipes will all be smashing, unlike this one!
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Mother’s Day Dinner with Cornish Hens and Sauerkraut 
Sweet Potato Pie…. yummmm!!!! 😀
My mom’s pecan roll. It isn’t Christmas without it. 🙂
My favorite dish to cook for the holidays is whatever my friend Laura and I decide to make for gifts. It’s our tradition to get together over a weekend and make something and package it beautifully. We try to alternate from savory to sweet and we’ve done everything from cookies and candy to spice rubs (a big hit!). In between batches, we’ll toss on a silly movie and make a pot of tea. Here’s the link to this year’s recipe: http://wp.me/p2SJwY-1y.
Happy Holidays!
For the past three years, my husband and I have been in charge of bringing a new fabulous dessert for the family Christmas dinner. Of course, we always have to try out the recipe ahead of time to make sure it works for guests! This year, we already tried out a dark chocolate creme brulee from the Epicurious site: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Dark-Chocolate-Creme-Brulee-1578
Surprisingly easy and very delicious. We have eaten the test version already and look forward to having it again in a few weeks.
While I’m not much of a sweets person, if I’m going to make Christmas cookies, it will always be my family’s butterballs. Who can say no to butter, sugar, and nuts? Here is a link to the recipe: http://myvermontkitchen.com/2013/12/18/the-country-mouse-goes-to-the-big-city/.
I’m also toying with the idea of making buchta this holiday season. My family is Czech, and every Christmas growing up, we’d get a buchta from my great grandmother. (Think a flaky coffee cake filled with nuts and fruit.) Grandma had a special touch, her dough was so thin and flaky. I’ve made it twice myself, but it’s been at least 20 years, and of course, it was a big lead balloon instead of an airy pastry. I’m curious to see if my baking skills have improved! 🙂
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What a fantastic giveaway. I love the fruit with any turkey!! Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas to you and yours.
That’s a generous giveaway, Mary.
Have a wonderful holiday season!
Angie
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted…Spelt Gingerbread Biscuits
Homemade cinnamon rolls – they are a lot of work but make Christmas morning so special!
My favorite dish to make this time of year is a dessert which is basically an overgrown peanut butter cup for adults which is layered onto a buttery, graham cracker bed. It’s decadent. I have to cut back on the sugar and the chocolate because the recipe is so rich, but it is heavenly!
Fantastic giveaway. I got received my 3rd box and I love them all. My favorite recipe is a winter comfort food – http://micheleswomancave.blogspot.com/2014/12/dark-chocolate-pudding-cake.html
I love to make Amanda Hesser’s Ginger Duck for Christmas.
My favorite dish, not my recipe, is my grandmother’s sweet potato pie!!!
I would love to win the giveaway as I was just introduced to this box, today, via twitter! I would love to try it out! It all sounds delectable and it would force me to try new things!
Love making apple cranberry pie
Rosemary & red wine glazed pork chops
Served with:
– Garlic mashed potatoes
– string beans almondine
All homemade and delicious … Mmm 🙂
I love to make Chocolate Peppermint Cake for my friends and family when they visit!
http://www.marthastewart.com/281748/chocolate-peppermint-cake#Best%20Chocolate%20Cake%20Recipes|/274371/chocolate-cake-recipes/@center/276954/great-cake-recipes|281748
This sounds amazing! Thanks for the follow or I probably may not have found this. My favorite dish to cook is Zuppa Tuscana with extra yummy Kale, I also like to experiment.
My husband likes to cook Tandoori Chicken for everyone. We look forward to this as he puts in lots of effort to make it right, it really turns out to be very good.
my dish i love cooking is mexican cornbread just some mean and add corn and hot peppers and cheese i love it along with corn and cream cheese and peppers
Everything looks so yummy!! My family’s favorite is my homemade Chocolate Cream Pie and Sweet Potato Pie ❤️ I am keeping my
Fingers crossed for the Awesone giveaway.
Aloha! Glad to discover you!! Bummer… I’m in Hawaii so it looks like I don’t qualify…but I’m going to still enjoy your recipes and blog 🙂
My favorite 2 dishes to cook for the holidays are:
1. Cheesy Potatoes and 2. Coffee Crumble Cake; both are a secret family recipe, sorry.
Cheesy Potatoes are potatoes with cheese and a nice crisp to the top.. (can’t go into much details) but we would eat this around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Coffee Crumble Cake is really good but it’s not a horrible sweet taste, its just really fresh and not overpowering. CCC can be for like any time but its so delish so we would make it for the holidays!
I love to make sweet potato casserole for the holidays. I don’t have a recipe, just something I perfected over the years. Blend sweet potatoes with melted butter, vanilla and sugar. Pour into baking dish. Then mix flour, brown sugar, pecans and melted butter. Spread over the sweet potatoes and bake until browned.
Everyone always requests my orange creamsicle fudge. It is so good. Here is the link for it: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Orange-Cream-Fudge/
Be sure to work fast when swirling the two together. It sets up quickly.
Pumpkin cheesecake and Cannoli’s are my favorite to make during the holidays.
I love to make bison chili especially this time of year. I use 3 different kinds of beans and a homemade enchilada sauce in it.
My favorite dish to cook is stuffed mushrooms. Stuffed with the mushroom stems, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, onion, garlic, butter, & bread crumbs. Mmmmmmm so delicious!
Excited for this boc
Excited for this box hope I Win
Fondue is a favorite in our home.
http://www.caramelizelife.com/2013/02/28/fondue-and-football/
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My favorite dish to make for the holidays is a really easy pumpkin quick bread (with chocolate chips!).
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We love to grill at the holidays! Greek pork chops and a tenderloin are favorites as well as a nice tri-tip. Of course we have to have homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning too! No wonder I gain weight over the holidays!
ham nice crispy skin with spiced honey glaze
I am Latina, specifically Puerto Rican and our tradition includes Pasteles, Pernil (roasted pork shoulder), and Coquito (not quite but somewhat similar to eggnog with a ‘kick’)! and I can always go for cheesecake for dessert! NOM NOM NOM 🙂
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My favorite dish to cook around the holidays is my great-aunts broccoli casserole recipe dish.
My favorite thing to make during the holidays are my christmas morning cinnamon sticky buns. I don’t have a recipe since I have been making them for over 30 years.
Very nice giveaway.
Happy Holidays.
I love preparing roasted, herbed vegetables. They compliment holiday foods really well & provide a “healthier” option. Thank you for the chance, it’s always so exciting to open up a new subscription box!
My Favorite dish during the holidays is my daughter’s is Sweet Potato Casserole!
awesome giveaway! i love to make lasagna soup for the holidays! xo jillian
Oyster dressing
Jam cake
I love cooking a nice and juicy pot roast! I throw whatever ingredients I can find at the farmers market (carrots, turnip, potatoes, etc) into a pot. My secret ingredient: prunes! They become so moist and make the roast sweet and delicious!
Every year for Christmas we always cook different kinds of quiche – it isn’t Christmas without them! Yum!
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My favorite thing to cook during the holidays is sugar cookies! My daughter is 3 and this young tradition is one I hope to continue with her. As a family we try to make the holidays about time together and making memories through fun activities.
We love your recipes! Being that my parents were Italian (Mom) and Scottish (Pop) we made the best of both… including lasagna, eggplant parm, shortbread cookies and so much more! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
My husband’s spanikopita. Family recipe passed down from his grandmother. It’s not written down anywhere as far as I know, it’s all in his head. It’s our go-to special occasion recipe.