Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

JUNE 18

July 14, 2017 by Mary 18 Comments

June 18th is emblazoned in my mind.

We could not conquer my husband’s Stage 4 kidney cancer.

Steve passed on Sunday, Father’s Day, June 18th at 2 pm, surrounded by our sons, their wives and me. As he took his last breath, the Mets’ pitcher hit a home run. Seriously.

Steve loved baseball. The Orioles were his team (being from Baltimore) and the Mets were his NY team with our sons.

We had 10 weeks to say goodbye. He was diagnosed on March 31st. And in the beginning, we really thought we could beat this.

I have been putting off writing this post.

Maybe, I’ve been thinking, if I don’t write about it, it won’t be true. We spent nearly 41 years together. I met him when I was very young. We were partners in LOVE, business, parenting and most of all, best friends who made each other laugh, a lot.

Now, the quiet and the evenings are the worst. I play music loud at night. The other day I was folding towels and some of his underwear I had just washed and dried (why, I’m not sure) and thought, oh, he’s just in the next room…and then I realized no, sobbing, he is not in the next room.

We all tried so hard. After Steve’s last hospital stay, our oldest and his wife appeared at the front door with suitcases in hand to move in with us to help care for him. Zach and Agata followed two days later, arriving from Poland.

Our oldest son came up with a “magic water” recipe to get him to drink more. It was filtered room temperature water with a teaspoon of coconut oil and five drops of pure peppermint oil. He loved it. We were constantly making and serving him bone broth, as his mouth was so dry, it was painful to eat. Our bone broth was soothing, full of nutrients and delicious. The secret? Cook it a long, long time in a 200 degree oven – 24 hours for chicken broth, 48 for beef or lamb broth.

He came home that last time with two PIC’s for intravenous nourishment, steroids, saline and heparin. We could all become RN’s at this point – even with Zach watching through FaceTime on the computer from Poland, very late into night, before catching his flight here.

At his memorial service the following Wednesday, over 200 people showed up, with the minister stopping the eulogies after 15 people spoke, as we were going way overtime. We had a jazz trio play and it was truly a celebration of his life. Our meditation piece was Take Five from Dave Brubeck.

I have received so many notes, phone calls and email comments about how wonderful the service was and even an interest in our Unitarian Church. Yes, it is an all-encompassing faith that respects all beliefs and acknowledges that we are all connected and part of the interdependent web of life. A few famous Unitarians are John Adams, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Isaac Newton, and Amelia Earhart.

What is the recipe for a great marriage? Respect and support for each other, clear communication leaving nothing to fester, laughing a lot, and dancing together. Steve was a GREAT dancer!! We danced a lot, clubbing it in the late seventies and just by ourselves lately. We were always complimented on the dance floor at weddings and bar mitzvahs. I think because we were so in tune with each other in life.

We got to have two great sons, lived in the city at first, then Summit, NJ, and then back to the city and country. CollectiveIy, we started four new businesses with our creative juices constantly flowing. I am so very grateful for our full exciting life together, never a dull moment.

My love. My honey. Such a kind, intelligent, creative and fun man who was a terrific father and husband. I miss him so.

And now I am in Poland readying for our younger son’s wedding tomorrow. I kept telling Steve we’d be here together, dancing under the stars. But it was not meant to be.

It’s now time for me to buck it up and be joyful for Zach and Agata. Only the airlines lost my luggage after leaving NYC last Saturday. I was hoping and hoping they’d find it but no luck so now, I need to find a dress for the wedding tomorrow, along with purchasing all other things…

Remember, always cook with LOVE and stay healthy.

Best Salmon Casserole

June 11, 2017 by Mary 20 Comments

Salmon casserole plated with asparagus, boiled potatoes, and tomatoes.

Salmon casserole plated with steamed asparagus, boiled buttered potatoes and fresh tomatoes.

My mother used to make this casserole when there were only two kids home (out of six) as a Friday night rotation. Remember, no meat on Fridays! Casseroles are so old fashioned but this one is truly a “Best Salmon Casserole” and great to make when you have nothing in the house as it uses canned salmon. I used to make this when our kids were young and everyone loved it.

So with Steve and his cancer taking over his appetite – and he needs to eat to be nourished to get well, I have been beside myself trying to figure things out – which, by the way, seem to change hourly. So I thought I’d try to go back to basics – to this old-fashioned salmon casserole recipe from my mother.

What is it – with all us?

It seems that you reach a certain age and all hell breaks loose just when you’re looking to relax just a little bit?

Poor Maureen at Orgasmic Chef – her husband had a very bad fall and is suffering from a head injury. “John fell while going up the stairs to bed and hit his head on a rendered brick wall. A fractured skull, bleeding in the brain, pneumonia and a couple of other things ended up with him in an induced coma and on a breathing machine.” How awful and how very sorry we all are to hear this, Maureen.

And then Maureen, herself, is dealing with lots of pain due to Forestier’s Disease/DISH disease. While she says, “I have a doctor I trust completely and that means so much. While there is no cure for the disease I have, it is manageable if the right medicines are found. My problem has always been that I don’t react well to most all pain relievers. Recently, I was headed to blindness before we tracked the culprit down and reversed the changes to my eyesight by stopping a drug. Now I wear a patch on my back that has brought me to nearly normal most days.”

I am waiting for my husband to get a CT scan to ascertain what is going on. His platelets are too low to go back on the cancer medication. My neck and shoulders are killing me from stress. Writing this here in the waiting room is helping.

Monitoring, helping, advocating is more than a full time job, which is why I’ve been away for over 5 weeks. Cancer is a moving target and Steve’s is a nasty aggressive one. But we are fighting back with all our might.

Make this Best Salmon Casserole and get some good comforting protein. Nothing better than a good ‘ole recipe from Mom.

BEST SALMON CASSEROLE – serves 4

¼ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbs. flour
1 heaping tsp. dried Coleman’s mustard
½ tsp. salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
1 can (1 lb.) red sockeye salmon – drain in a 1 cup measure to save juice, remove skin and crush bones
Milk or unsweetened almond milk
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
½ cup panko
2 Tbs. melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 2-quart casserole.

Place eggs in a small sauce pan and cover with 1” of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water to cool before peeling.

Prepare the salmon in a medium sized bowl – drain the juices into a 1-cup measure, remove skin, crush bones, and flake.

Peel the eggs and chop. Add the eggs to the salmon. Just look at this beautiful blue eggshell, inside and out! Eggs are from Mike and Cindy’s Thunderhill Farm in upstate New York.

Melt butter in a small pot. Whisk in flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook for a bit, to color this mixture to cook the flour to make a roux. When browned a little, add milk to the juices to measure one full cup and gradually add the liquid into the roux, whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. Simmer and whisk until thickened.

Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the chives. Add the sauce to the salmon and eggs and fold all together to combine completely. Place the mixture in your prepared casserole. Sprinkle panko evenly on top and drizzle with the melted butter.

Bake for 15 minutes and serve. Delish!

P.S. It’s interesting that my mother’s recipe says it serves 6 – and it probably did in those days as people ate less! But I think it’s safe to say it serves 4. This would make a great lunch entrée as well!

Our Life Now and The Best Hummus Recipe

May 8, 2017 by Mary 35 Comments

My husband has renal cell carcinoma.

There. I said it.

It’s in his right kidney, a tumor that has grown out of the kidney and invaded about 20% of his liver, and 3 lymph nodes nearby.

Our whole life has changed.

We found out on March 31st, a pouring down rain, extremely dark and dreary Friday afternoon. He told me on the phone as I was out and about all day at client meetings. I was heading home and had stopped in the Vitamin Shoppe, and literally sobbed on this poor sales associate’s shoulder.

For several days, I couldn’t even tell anyone other than immediate family.

He had started on two chemo drugs and after just 5 days we were back in the emergency room as it was all too strong for his body. We are back home now.

He does not like anything to eat. So totally new, so unlike him. Everything seems to make him gag. We all are reading, researching and trying everything.

Does anyone have any ideas?

I won’t bore you with all the details as we start this new chapter in our lives. I will say that this is a nasty, nasty disease.

But we are determined to beat this thing. Our youngest son is getting married in Poland in July. We need to be there. And we will be. They are getting married in a palace in the southwest countryside and I keep telling Steve we will be there, dancing under the stars.

For a while, in between the two hospital stays, on Easter Sunday, he liked this hummus. My nephew Adam said this was the best hummus he had ever tasted.

I hope you’ll like it too.

Your health is precious and LOVE is an important component of it. Make this with LOVE and enjoy!!

THE BEST HUMMUS

1 lb. dried chickpeas
2 tsp. baking soda, divided
I head of garlic, cut in half, roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper
1 small clove of fresh garlic, finely minced and smashed with a bit of salt – OPTIONAL
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
11/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini, plus 2 Tbs. (I used Soom – delicious!!)
2 tsp. ground cumin, plus more for serving
Fresh ground pepper
11/2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for serving and roasting garlic
3 Tbs. ice water

Rinse and drain chickpeas and check for any foreign debris and remove. In a large pot or Le Creuset Dutch oven, cover chickpeas with 3” of cold water and stir in 1 tsp. baking soda, cover and let soak overnight. The chickpeas should double in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take the whole head of garlic and slice in half, parallel to the root end. Place on aluminum foil, drizzle the cut sides with a teaspoon of olive oil, some salt and fresh ground pepper. Close up the foil tight and place in an ovenproof dish and roast for about 25 minutes, until garlic is very soft and tender. Open up foil to cool when done.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas twice. Combine the soaked chickpeas and remaining 1 tsp. baking soda back in the large Dutch oven and add cold water to cover by at least 2″. Bring to a boil, skimming surface as needed. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until chickpeas are very, very tender, 45–65 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the chickpeas sit in the water for at least 30 minutes or even longer. Drain out 3 ½ cups of chickpeas and set aside to cool. You will have extra left over. Save the extra chickpeas in their juices in the refrigerator and use on a salad or toss with other vegetables. You can also freeze them in their juices at this point too and make more hummus at another time.

In a food processor, place drained chickpeas, all of the roasted garlic, (squeeze it out of the skins), lemon juice, salt, cumin, some fresh pepper and olive oil, and process until puréed. Only add the fresh garlic if you really, really love garlic.

Add tahini and pulse to combine. With motor running, add 3 Tbs. ice water and process until the mixture is very smooth, pale, and thick. Taste and season with salt and/or more lemon juice as desired.

Spoon hummus into a shallow bowl and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Top with more ground cumin. Serve with pita chips and raw vegetables. I like celery and fennel sticks.

Joseph Joseph SmartBar with Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

April 23, 2017 by Mary 18 Comments

You know, I cook so much and wash my hands all the time but there are still some smells that never seem to leave my hands. Do you know what I’m talking about?

I am a garlic lover so I don’t mind that smell much, but other people? Well that’s a different story. Then there’s the smell from a dishrag that SOME people consistently leave in a pile in the sink, NOT squeezing it out, like, ahem, my husband, ALL the time. It’s that gross, germy foul smell from not having rinsed, squeezed and hung up the dishrag!!! How many times do I have to ask why, and always his response is, “But I’m not finished yet! I was going to do it.”

Blahhh!!!

But now that we have the Joseph Joseph SmartBar, I can remove that foul smelling unsqueezed dishrag smell with one hand wash, easily! You see you fill this nifty stainless steel container/bar with liquid hand soap and depress a little silicone button on the bottom to release some soap while washing your hands with the stainless steel bar. The stainless steel helps remove strong odors from your hands by attracting the sulphur molecules deposited by germy rags or garlic or onions.

Genius, right?

But let’s talk about this genius Joseph Joseph SmartBar by giving you an amazing recipe, instead of talking about stinky dishrags. So here is my version of the famous James Beard recipe from long ago, of Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic.

And use the Joseph Joseph SmartBar while making the Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic recipe to rid your hands of the garlic smell!

CHICKEN WITH 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC using the Joseph Joseph SmartBar to wash all the odors away! – serves 4

4 ribs of celery, coarsely chopped
2 medium-size onions, coarsely chopped
6 sprigs of parsley
2 Tbs. coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 whole 3.5 lb. chicken, trimmed of fat, washed and dried with paper toweling
2 Tbs. olive oil
½ cup dry vermouth
1½ tsp. Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
40 cloves garlic, unpeeled – about 2 heads
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
Additional parsley, roughly chopped for garnish
French bread for serving

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cover the bottom of a heavy 6-quart Dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) with the celery and onions and distribute the parsley, rosemary and mustard in dollops, on top. Pour the vermouth over everything. Brush the chicken (or use your fingers) distributing the oil all over, coating all sides evenly and place in the casserole on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a few gratings of nutmeg. Tuck the garlic cloves in all around.

Cover the top of the casserole with the lid or tightly cover with aluminum foil to create an airtight seal. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes without removing the cover. Check for doneness – should be 155 – 160 degrees. When done, set the oven on broil and return the casserole to the oven for 3 – 4 minutes to brown the skin, watching it carefully and turning the pot to get an even browning. When nicely browned, let the chicken sit in the hot pot on your cool stovetop for 10 minutes.

While the chicken is on the stovetop, switch the oven down to 350 degrees, wait 5 minutes, and then place your bread in the oven to warm for about 10 minutes.

After the chicken has sat in the pot for 10 minutes, place it on a platter and let sit for 5 more minutes while you warm up the vegetables and the sauce, covered, for 5 minutes. Move the pot off heat and swirl in 1 Tbs. unsalted butter into the sauce. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the whole chicken on a platter and garnish with the roughly chopped parsley.

Serve the chicken along with the vegetables and juices with slices of the heated crispy baguette or French bread. Squeeze the garlic from the root end of the clove and spread on the bread, while dipping in the sauce.

So yummy and satisfying, it’s a perfect, easy Sunday night dinner. Make and serve with LOVE. Enjoy!!

And wash your hands with the Joseph Joseph SmartBar, from our spring MARY’s secret ingredients box! We are all sold out so order your summer box now if you don’t want to miss out on our next batch of cool new products. The summer box starts shipping on June 25th.

Wilder Condiments Honey Jalapeño Mustard with Leeks on Roasted Sea Bass

April 14, 2017 by Mary 4 Comments

So first I must tell you – this Wilder Condiments Honey Jalapeño Mustard is something else! The taste is pure wow – sweet, spicy, strong! It is the epitome of what honey jalapeño mustard should be. Imagine those three tastes coming at your taste buds, on the attack! Pure yum! I couldn’t wait to use this in one of my recipes.

Wilder’s mustards began as a backyard project, concocted between BBQ and beer brewing sessions by chef and owner Isabel Freed. Based along the sunny, surf swept coastline of Santa Cruz, CA, her hometown is her inspiration. Good food and good company are at the helm of everything she makes.

This honey jalapeño mustard is the perfect blend of sweetness and spice made with sustainably grown California jalapeños and honey. Isabel says, “It’s best enjoyed brushed over grilled chicken, with a crisp sauv blanc in a picnic basket.”

I beg to differ as I have found so very many great ways to use it, whether it’s straight out of the jar and tossed with some lightly sautéed vegetables or roasted mellow with some fish as I’ve done here.

Wilder Condiments HoneyJalapeño Mustard tossed with sauteed baby bok choy and garlic.

Sauteed baby bok choy with olive oil and garlic and tossed with 2 Tbs. Wilder Condiments Honey Jalapeno Mustard.

Don’t think of it as just mustard. It’s a wonderful condiment/dressing/topping to use in so many ways. And yes, you can also use it in a salad dressing for an added sweet and spicy tang.

Isabel says that good food and good company are at the helm of everything they make. This is exactly our philosophy of everything we deem worthy to put into our MARY’s secret ingredients

boxes. So with this spring box, we are getting you ready for all of your summer backyard BBQ’s!

But meanwhile, try it on this delicious roasted fish. I used a sea bass fillet, but you can use really any fillet. I’d bet it’d be just great on swordfish, but my local fish store uptown doesn’t always have that. For a super fresh, company-worthy meal, make this tonight, on this special Good Friday!

WILDER CONDIMENTS HONEY JALAPENO MUSTARD WITH LEEKS ON ROASTED SEA BASS – serves 4

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned, split in half lengthwise and sliced
1.5 lbs. sea bass fillet
2 Tbs. Wilder Condiments Honey Jalapeño Mustard
Salt – preferably finely ground French grey
Pepper, fresh ground

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Slick one Tbs. olive oil on top, in the shape of the fish. Spread the sliced leeks down on top of the olive oil in the shape of the fish.

Wash and pat dry the fish. Spread the 2 Tbs. Wilder Condiments Honey Jalapeño Mustard on the backside of the fillet and place mustard side down on top of the sliced leeks.

Smear the top side of the fish with the 1 remaining Tbs. of olive oil. Spread it around with your fingers and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roast for about 20 minutes or plan on 10 minutes per one inch of thickness of the thickest part of the fish and leeks, until the fish is completely done, white throughout and a tiny bit flakey. Sea bass is a dense fish so check it with a knife and fork.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!!

Almond Joy After-Dinner Drink with Catskill Provisions NY Honey Whiskey Truffles

April 13, 2017 by Mary 6 Comments

Ok, so you try to think of something spectacular to serve for dessert, particularly when guests are over, when all you really want is a small super special chocolate thingy, right? Well if you had that “thingy” then how about a terrific, simple after-dinner cocktail to serve with it?

It would work even better than a dessert, right?

So we have it here for you in the MARY’s secret ingredients recent spring box! These artisanal, handmade NY Honey Whiskey Truffles from Catskill Provisions will have you hurrying back to their website for more, I guarantee.

I absolutely adore chocolate truffles and have eaten them from all over the world, but I’m telling you, THESE are THE BEST!!! And I do not say that lightly.

Just look at this cut one where the interior ganache swirls up on just the cut!

And the flavor, with the whiskey and honey, is to die for. Catskill Provisions uses their own honey and their own honey whiskey to make these precious gems. There are only four in this beautifully packaged box. (I told you, you’ll want more.)

100% New York State raw honey is the common ingredient in their all-natural food products, from chocolate truffles and sauces to mixes and marinades to rubs and cocktail rimmers and, of course, their highly acclaimed whiskeys & spirits.

It began with one beekeeping kit—a gift that sparked a passion. Claire Marin, proprietor of Catskill Provisions, was immediately taken with the bees’ Zen-like devotion to their pursuits. She was impressed with how they worked together towards a common goal, in easy harmony with their environment.

Born in Madrid and raised in New York City from the age of fourteen on, Claire had already attained success in the publishing world as Vice President, Publisher of Woman’s Day Brand Group. But after moving to the small, rural town of Long Eddy in the Catskill Mountains, she found herself more and more moved by the bees. Following their example, she began building her own community-oriented business with resources close at hand—the hives, maple trees, and local farmers of Upstate New York.

And so in thinking about my job here, to use these in a different way — I couldn’t use them in a recipe, they are way too special on their own. So I created this delicious drink recipe to go with them! An all around PERFECT dessert in my book!

Make with LOVE and enjoy!!!

ALMOND JOY AFTER-DINNER DRINK WITH CATSKILL PROVISIONS NY HONEY WHISKEY TRUFFLES – serves 1

1 bar spoon (1 tsp.) of very hot tap water
1 bar spoon of honey, preferably Catskill Provisions
Stir to combine in a cocktail shaker

When the honey is dissolved, fill the shaker with ice

Add 1.5 oz. Rye whiskey
and 0.5 oz. Disaronno Italian Liquor or other amaretto liquor

Stir for 30 seconds – do NOT shake

Strain into your favorite straight-up glass (I used our Baccarat Perfection Martini glasses)

Enjoy thoroughly with Catskill Provisions NY Honey Whiskey Truffles.

Go to sleep dreaming the sweetest dreams….