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

Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream and Our MSI Spring Box Winners!

April 28, 2015 by Mary 16 Comments

My mother used to make this cake often for birthdays or for our Sunday dessert. It was my brother Greg’s, always requested birthday cake for his July 30th birthday. It never misses an ooooh or ahhhh when brought to the table. The towering presentation, light and refreshing coolness, was always a hit, particularly in late July in steamy St. Louis.

My mother would use Dream Whip in those days, (remember that dry packaged stuff you added milk and vanilla to?) along with Duncan Hines Angel food cake mix. Ah the ‘60’s – the introduction of time saving mixes entered our lives, the beginning of processed food creeping into every aspect of our eating. Although my mother often talked about making the cake from scratch, the thought of a dozen egg whites was daunting. And then what do you do with all those yolks? (I am asking the same question now.)

When our boys were little, I continued the tradition of making this cake on Sundays with (yes, don’t judge) a boxed cake mix, but real whipped cream. Then my oldest asked for this for his recent big birthday. Only this time, I made the cake from scratch. There is a difference. Light, fabulously fluffy, not too much almond, this is sweet in so many ways. It is worth the effort. Be sure there is no butter, grease or olive oil even nearby and have your egg whites truly at room temperature – no kidding. Separate your eggs first and put your yolks back in the fridge right away, but leave those whites out. I probably let mine sit out for over 2 hours before attacking them to whip.

Be sure to use fresh cake flour too and don’t forget to cut through the batter with a knife to remove the air holes before baking and have a good liquor bottle around to turn that cake upside down on to cool, as soon as it comes out of the oven, otherwise you will watch it sink back into the pan. Find the right sized bottle first, before you even start making the cake.

Huge piece of angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries.

The birthday boy’s first piece!

This really isn’t hard and it is so pretty, so light and so delicious!! The birthday boy had one piece the size of three plus then another regular sized piece.

Yes, he was pretty happy.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE – serves 12
1 cup cake flour
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. sugar
12 large egg whites, MUST be at room temperature
1 1⁄2 tsp. cream of tartar
1⁄4 tsp. salt
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla
1⁄2 tsp. almond extract

For the filling:
2+ cups heavy cream
1 rounded Tbs. powdered or confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
12 -16 oz. fresh strawberries, washed and dried. Save 5 – 6 perfect berries for the top decoration, hull and slice the others.

Note: For those not used to making angel food cakes, do not get any yoke in the whites. If you do, throw it out and start over. A good thing to do is to separate the egg in a glass first. Then if no yoke, pour into your clean, totally grease-free bowl to whip.

DO NOT GREASE PAN. Use a two-piece angel food cake pan.

Pre-heat oven to 375°.

Sift the cake flour and 3/4 cup + 2 Tbs. sugar; set aside.

Combine the extracts in a small bowl; set aside.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until peaks form.

Add the other 3/4 cup of sugar slowly, then beat on high until stiff peaks form. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in flour mixture and extracts slowly. You will add the flour in 5 or 6 additions, folding after each one. Make sure you fold in the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl.

Spoon batter into an angel food cake pan. Move a knife through batter to remove air pockets.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger.

Remove from oven and invert pan onto a liquor bottle to cool completely.

To remove the cake from your pan take a flat metal cake spatula and insert it perpendicular in up an down motions around the rim of the cake pan just to get the ‘crust’ away from the pan.Then firmly spank the sides of your pan. Invert onto your serving plate then take the knife to the now top which was the bottom of your pan and gently cut cake away from the pan insert, using the same back and forth motion with the flat metal spatula. No need to cut around the center tube as you can just give the cake a gentle but firm tap or downward shake on to the plate. Or you can pick up plate while holding onto the pan insert with your thumbs and firmly strike the bottom of the plate onto a folded towel. (Just give it a slam down on the towel/table).

Cut the cake into 3 layers.

Whip 2+ cups of heavy cream – lightly sweeten with a Tbs. of powdered sugar and a little vanilla. Ice each layer with the cream and cover with sliced fresh strawberries. Top with whole strawberries and serve right away, with LOVE!

And now our MSI winners of our spring box giveaway are:

Carol Ezovski
Chelsea W
Stephanie Gee
Dominick Costa
Christina Bauer

Congratulations to all of you and I know you’ll love your spring box, which due to some growing pains over here, is mailing out this Friday, May 1st. Enjoy!!

MSI Shares the Love – Giveaway and Fantastic Crispy Potatoes!!

April 21, 2015 by Mary 14 Comments

A handful of our wonderful investors in MARY’s secret ingredients crowdfunding campaign were also avid subscribers so they said they didn’t need their boxes (duplicates) from the campaign. So we would like to share the LOVE and give away their 5 spring boxes!! All you have to do for this giveaway is tweet the name of your favorite potato recipe, that you like to share with your family and friends, with the hashtag #MSIsharesTheLove. For those of you who don’t normally tweet, here’s your chance to learn how! Please make sure you use the hashtag handle (#MSIsharesTheLove) so we can group you all together. Tweet between now and April 25th (this Saturday) and then we will randomly pick the 5 winners to receive a FREE spring subscription box*! So tweet away and good luck to win!!

My husband LOVES crispy potatoes and is always asking for them. I have one surefire recipe but it uses tons of butter and olive oil to get them that way, which is just way too fattening.

So this past Sunday, for my son’s birthday dinner party, I made these.

My naysayers said these potatoes would dry out, not be good, most likely be dehydrated. How can they possibly be baked that long?

Ha!!

CRISPY BAKED YUKON GOLD POTATOES – serves 4 – 5

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, 2” in diameter, scrubbed
Olive oil
Maldon Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and scrub potatoes, dry and prick all over with a fork.

Place potatoes on the oven rack and bake for 1.75 hours, until skins are hard and crispy.

Remove from oven and using a serrated knife, cut in half, but not all the way through. Drizzle with your best olive oil and sprinkle on the Maldon Salt. Enjoy!!

So now don’t forget to tweet us your favorite potato recipe. Is it crispy or soft?

Please remember to use the hashtag handle #MSIsharesTheLove to win your free box. Buy an extra one as a gift – Mother’s Day is coming! As Joan, one of our subscribers recently said, “Love these boxes. Have found new things I wouldn’t have tried by seeing them on a shelf in the store.”

This is our reason for being! – to inspire your cooking with new flavors, cuisines, ideas. To put excitement back into YOUR kitchen!

Thank you Joan for being a subscriber!! We LOVE hearing this feedback!

* Free box includes shipping in the Continental USA only.

Easter 2015, New Beginnings and Bacon Wrapped Walnut Dates

April 16, 2015 by Mary 9 Comments

Isn’t this what Easter is all about – new beginnings?

So I‘ve been slightly slammed lately, trying to get MSI off the ground, keeping PM+CO going, (cause that’s where we make money to pay the mortgage, rent and salaries) and just trying to balance it all to be able to sleep at night – which hasn’t been easy. So this past weekend, we got to go up to the country for the first time in four weeks! I cannot tell you how blessed we are to have this very simple place that is so very different from the city. I have my little painting studio there and I was working on a very abstracted landscape and got to go back to its simplicity and wow – that felt SO good! Even when we could drive up there, I had been away from the studio for so long because the snow was so deep, I wouldn’t have been able to open the doors. So I walked in last Saturday and really had to take a step back to try to remember what it was I was trying to achieve in my work.

I put it together and happily continued on for hours – and it felt SO good!! New beginnings – springtime – eh?!

Here is a snippet of our Peaster celebration! (Passover and Easter). We started with my husband’s delicious matzo bowl soup with one son’s homemade sourdough bread, followed by Barbecued Fresh Ham with an Ancho Fig Compote – both recipes from an April, 2001 issue of Food and Wine magazine – served with Parsley Buttered Egg Noodles, and Sesame Soy Sauteed Asparagus. Dessert was two gorgeous pies with whipped cream and of course, some chocolate eggs and jelly beans too!

We were privileged to have one girlfriend with her Mom and stepdad, one nephew, and one close friend of one son with his mom visiting from Turkey and the four of us. We made ten in total. It was wonderful and really, my boys take over. One makes drinks and one dotes on me to not get too stressed. They both help serve (because they just think I’m not capable?) One made the fantastic loaf of sourdough bread that we served with the matzo ball soup and the other acted as my sous chef earlier in the day. Honestly, I AM amazed. They know so much. I only wish my own mother was still alive to see this. My mother loved to bake breads. She unfortunately rarely had enough time when we were all home (6 kids) and then when she did have time, no one was home to eat it all! And here I have a son who has a sourdough starter (my Mom’s dream) and makes bread all the time!! He was making another loaf just yesterday morning. And this is a time consuming thing, particularly if you don’t have a big six hour dedicated time block. But he makes it work with his schedule. He’s figured out how to do it in stages, interrupted by all of his activities and it works!

Here is the sourdough with an amazing crust!!

To you younger moms out there, this is proof that it really does pay off to cook and serve healthy meals at home. The one girlfriend said at Easter, “Oh well god forbid, if I even TRY to throw out the chicken bones, I get yelled at – gotta make broth!”

And I’m sitting there thinking, I don’t make broth with every chicken….

I hope you all had a great holiday celebration – whatever you celebrate – it’s just important you get together and CELEBRATE!! EVERYTHING!!

Take a look at this fantastic, simple appetizer that everyone loved. I’m sorry that this photograph is not great but here I am holding a plate of these Bacon Wrapped Walnut Stuffed Dates, and talking to one of our guests, while licking my fingers!j

My big beautiful barbecued fresh ham!

Big bowl of parsley buttered egg noodles.

A big bowl of comforting, parsley buttered egg noodles. Who doesn’t love that?

Beautiful pecan and blueberry pies for Easter dessert.

Kate’s beautiful pecan and blueberry pies.

These are amazing – make them and you’ll see!

BACON WRAPPED WALNUT DATES – serves 10

20 large Medjool dates, slit the long way but not cut all the way through, and pitted
20 walnut halves
10 slices of thin sliced bacon, cut in half

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Stuff a walnut in the middle of each date, close and wrap with 1/2 of a slice of bacon, having the ends meet underneath the date. Arrange on a small broiler pan with a rack so grease can drip down.

Roast for 12 – 17 minutes, until the bacon is done. Let cool 5 – 10 minutes as they are much too hot straight out of the oven. Serve with LOVE and a toothpick inserted in each one, plus plenty of napkins. Delish!!

Shrimp Stir-fry with Asparagus

April 2, 2015 by Mary 22 Comments

Before I tell you about this terrific Shrimp Stir-fry with Asparagus recipe I wanted to give you an update on our crowdfunding. Our effort hit its deadline last Friday and we’re very very pleased to have raised $11,710.00, thanks to all of your support!! You are AMAZING!! The money raised will help us move forward in our mission. We are all very excited and grateful here in our offices – yay!!

I dream of a world where no one is hungry and everyone has clean water. I’m not asking for much – but so many don’t have this basic human right. I dream of MARY’s secret ingredients making this happen!! If we all band together, buy some boxes, (Spring box deadline is April 25th), we CAN make this happen. And then the whole world would be a happy productive place, in all four corners. It would be truly AWESOME!!!

My husband LOVES shrimp!! We don’t eat it often because I only like to get this fresh Florida shrimp from this one fish store in NYC, that used to be right near our old office location but now since we’ve moved to the Tribeca area, we don’t get to go there often. Only if we stay in the city and drive there on a Saturday. With (what I hear) spring coming soon, (it snowed again on Tuesday) asparagus will be plentiful, so I recommend you make this very easy and delicious, slightly spicy Shrimp Stir Fry with Asparagus. Fresh, clean-tasting, healthy and good for you – all good things!!

So make this shrimp dish for your family and serve with LOVE . The pancetta adds big flavor, along with the garlic, asparagus is so tasty this time of year, the chili flakes add a touch of spice and the cashews give you some buttery crunch. It’s a win-win and super quick to throw together.

SHRIMP STIR-FRY WITH ASPARAGUS – serves 3 – 4

1 Tbs. olive oil (you don’t need much oil as the pancetta will render some fat)
1 – ¼” thick slice of pancetta, minced into ¼” pieces
1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 11/4” lengths
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled with tails left on, washed and patted dry
Salt
Pepper
¼ – ½ tsp. hot chili pepper flakes
2 Tbs. dry white wine or dry vermouth
Handful of roasted cashews (I even used lightly salted ones)
Chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish

Warm the olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the minced pancetta and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and toss and cook for 2 -4 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Meanwhile, make sure your shrimp are washed and patted dry, Season one side with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp over and add the white wine and sprinkle on the chili flakes. Continue cooking until the shrimp are pink and done, about 2-3 minutes total, on this other side. Throw in the handful of cashews and toss all to distribute evenly.

Serve over steamed Jasmine rice and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

ENJOY!!

We’re getting ready for an Easter/Passover (Peaster!) combo dinner on Saturday night and I’m so excited to see all of our guests. We will be 10 around the table and we’re going to start with a homemade Matzo ball soup that my husband will make and the main will be a barbecued fresh ham with an ancho fig chutney. I haven’t figured out the rest of the dishes yet. Any suggestions???

Happy Peaster to everyone!! (or should it be Eastover?)

MARY’s secret ingredients crowdfunding – help bring home the bacon!

March 22, 2015 by Mary 17 Comments

My best blogger friend, dear Maureen, over at Orgasmic Chef just contributed to our crowdfunding effort for MARY’s secret ingredients (MSI) all the way from Australia!!! THANK YOU MAUREEN!!! Your show of support means so very much to me and our whole MSI team.

So we are heading into the last week of the crowdfunding campaign and this has been quite an experience. (If you like to sweat, run one!) Please check out this video we made.

Meanwhile we’ve been reaching out for funding in all different ways – meeting with VC firms, people who know people, connections activated everywhere. I’ve decided that sleep is overrated – I’ve had to – as I get very little of it lately but amazingly, I am not tired. I am exhilarated by this mission – our big hairy audacious goal of eradicating hunger. Did you know that over 16 million children go to bed hungry every night, in this country alone? There are about 870 million hungry people worldwide. They are of all ages, from babies whose mothers cannot make enough milk to the elderly with no relatives to care for them. And many poverty-stricken overweight people are actually starving and malnourished because they’re eating all the wrong food – processed, fatty, addictive junk!

So with MSI, we hope to work on both ends of the spectrum – with the products in the surprise subscription box and the recipes I create using them, providing inspiration and encouragement for healthy cooking at home, and then donating a large portion of the profits to Feed The Children.

So we’d love to have you join our initiative and be a part of this big hairy audacious goal to eradicate hunger. There’s unique and lovely rewards to be had. Visit the SmallKnot site to find out more.

And now I’d like to share with you the BEST way to cook bacon.

Nothing says Sunday morning breakfast to me more than bacon and eggs, which is what I grew up with. Only my mother would fry the bacon in a skillet (she got a thin sliced pound that would feed all eight of us at least 2 slices each!) and when it was all finished, she’d make the eggs in the same skillet and baste them with the bacon grease! With all the bacon craze now, my boys are asking me for this, but I just won’t do it. Cholesterol heaven! So these are over easy with just a tiny bit of butter in a non-stick pan.

My husband and I were walking around the city yesterday, on the east side of town, and happened upon this great Spanish butcher shop. Not much English was spoken here (and my Spanish is nonexistent), so my bacon was sliced a little thicker than expected. This actually took about 27 minutes to cook. Typically 18 minutes is ideal.

THE BEST WAY TO COOK BACON
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use a rimmed baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Lay out the strips of 1 lb. nitrate-free thick sliced bacon. Position your oven rack at the very top and roast for 15 – 20 minutes. Mine usually takes about 18 minutes. Carefully remove cooked bacon with tongs and drain on paper towel lined plates to absorb the grease. This is so much better and easier than frying and clean up is a breeze because of the parchment paper lining. Enjoy!

Help us bring home the bacon and visit our crowdfunding site for exclusive merchandise and deals! (I couldn’t resist!) Spread the word to your community. And thank you so very much – with all my LOVE.

Here is the link: http://smallknot.com/marys-secret-ingredients-1 – The campaign runs until March 27th – this Friday!

Blood Orange, Avocado and Baby Kale Salad

March 15, 2015 by Mary 14 Comments

As many of you know, I LOVE salads. I eat one for lunch almost every single day. I really believe that it’s important to eat some raw fruits and vegetables daily. And I adore blood oranges. Their season is NOW so try to go out and buy some and make this Blood Orange, Avocado and Baby Kale Salad. It’s so simple, refreshing, and truly delicious.

Blood oranges always remind me of Italy – a beloved place for my whole family. My husband worked with the largest Italian shoe manufacturer, the Soldinis, in the early years of our marriage, running the women’s division for North America. (Boy did I have a shoe collection then!) He came back from trips there and always remarked how they often had fruit for dessert and that the Italians were deft at eating it with a knife and fork! The first time I ever tasted a blood orange was in Italy – when I would go on trips as the “wife” – not working myself. Then our oldest son chose to be in Italy for his university semester abroad. And as luck would have it, the University of Rochester had their Italian branch in Arezzo, Tuscany, exactly the same city where we spent the most amount of our time, since the Soldinis lived there.

While our oldest was there in school, we made a family trip to visit and of course got in touch with the Soldinis, and they invited all of us to their home for a traditional Sunday lunch. Elita served a 12 course meal! This lunch lasted from noon to past 4 pm. She made everything – all so delicious. I remember at least three different meat courses, soup, two different pastas, salad, vegetables, on and on, it was a feast. And I kept on asking to help her and she kept refusing, but finally I insisted. She did have a woman helping get things out of the kitchen but everything else she did. It was such an amazing memorable time for food and conversation. Rossano was around when our oldest was born and now here we were all together again, all grown, on their turf. And yes, we did have fruit for dessert, served with a knife and fork.

Here’s the salad – not really a recipe – just a great combination of ingredients put together. Make it with LOVE and enjoy.

BLOOD ORANGE, AVOCADO AND BABY KALE SALAD – serves 2

2 handfuls of baby kale greens – washed and dried
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
2 blood oranges, peeled with a sharp knife and sliced
2 scallions, sliced, white and light green parts only
Finest extra virgin olive oil you can find – I used Harmonian Kalamata olive oil from our fall MARY’s secret ingredients box
Salt
Pepper, fresh ground

Slice the ends off of the oranges and hold one flat and firm, cut side down, on a cutting board while slicing the peel and pith off with a sharp knife. Roll the orange over and slice into 4 slices.

Place a handful of baby kale on each plate. Put alternating slices of avocado and blood orange on top of the kale. Top with sliced scallions. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle some olive oil on top. No need for any vinegar as you have the citrus with the oranges. Enjoy!