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

PS Seasoning & Spices Buttermilk Blueberry Shortcake

October 9, 2016 by Mary 15 Comments

Dessert can be an issue if you’ve got some gluten free family members or guests. However, I have just solved that problem for you!! Make this PS Seasoning & Spices Buttermilk Blueberry Shortcake and you will be the most loved cook around! This is easy to make, quick to bake, has the brain food of blueberries and looks amazing with a beautiful presentation. And, you’ll get the double whammy of blueberries because the freeze-dried blueberries in the mix plump up so nicely in the shortcake, coupled with the fresh blueberries and the cream. It’s delish!!

PS Seasonings & Spices is new to me as a company. But they’ve been around for 4 generations!! Owned by the Hanni family, based in Wisconsin, they started with mastering the craft of smoking and seasoning sausages and in 1984, formed PS Seasoning and Spices. They have now expanded with other product mixes.

This PS Seasonings & Spices Gluten Free Blueberry Pancake Mix is new and outstanding, and the gluten free part is like icing on the cake! You really can’t tell at all that it’s gluten free. And the mix is loaded with freeze-dried blueberries that make it oh-so-good. Of course you can follow the instructions and make blueberry pancakes, but where they call for milk, I recommend you use an all-natural buttermilk (I like Kate’s Buttermilk) and you will get fluffy, light and thick pancakes.
Here were mine!

And here is the recipe for this wonderful fresh and delicious dessert!

PS SEASONING & SPICES BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY SHORTCAKE – serves 6

18 oz. fresh blueberries, washed and air dried
¼ cup sugar
2 1/3 cups PS Seasoning & Spices Gluten Free Blueberry Pancake Mix
½ cup buttermilk (I like Kate’s)
3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
½ pint heavy cream, whipped
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In large bowl, gently fold and mix the blueberries with 1/4 cup sugar; set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir PS Seasoning & Spices Gluten Free Blueberry Pancake Mix, buttermilk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until a soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream and vanilla with a whisk or electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Cut and split shortcakes, spread a large spoonful of heavy cream on the bottom, place a large spoonful of blueberries on top of the cream and top with a little more whipped cream and the other half of the shortcake. The cream acts as the “glue” here to hold it all together.

Serve with LOVE and enjoy!!

There are a few fall boxes left to purchase.

And your purchase helps us support Feed The Children.

Chef’s Cut Honey Barbecue Chicken Jerky & Spinach Omelet

July 29, 2016 by Mary 6 Comments

Chef’s Cut Real Jerky in our summer MARY’s secret ingredients box was created by Chef Blair Swiler and Dennis Riedel. Blair has been smoking meats his entire life; a tradition passed along from his father. Today the vision to change the jerky world has resulted in the best tasting, highest quality jerky on the market. They use only premium cuts of steak and white breast meat and always hand-cut each piece, using only the finest real ingredients – just like you would find at your favorite steak house. Chef’s Cut Real Jerky is the jerky you’ve always wanted. It’s Jerky Done Right. Totally.

I have a confession to make.

I am not a jerky lover. I don’t snack much between meals and jerky really is a snack item. I did try biltong when we were in South Africa. I had to – it is such a tradition that they made me! The biltong (a form of dried cured meat very similar to jerky) I had was ostrich and actually I loved ostrich! When we were there we ate several ostrich burgers – delish!

But back to this jerky. I had never heard of chicken jerky! And other jerky’s I’ve had were all super dry and usually beef, but not this! This chicken is moist and flavorful. The honey barbecue flavors are perfect with just the right amount of sweet and heat.

Jerky is actually very healthy, being high in protein, low in fat and great-tasting, if you do snack, this Chef’s Cut brand should be your new ticket!

So what I did here was a way to start your day off right. Years ago, I used to just eat a big fruit salad for breakfast and then I got a doctor who was more holistic who told me that my body, and probably everyone’s, needs protein first thing in the morning. Making this change in my diet was brilliant! I can go until 2 pm or later for lunch without killing someone, whereas in the past, if I didn’t eat by 12:30, well, watch out.

Protein, first thing in the morning provides a great foundation for you to handle any situation. You see the fruit salad just converted quickly to sugar, gave me a fast spike in blood sugar with a mighty fall starting at around 11:30 – I would be starving and not a very nice person. This doctor explained to me that if we were back in caveman/tribal days, living on the land with no refrigeration, you would’ve eaten the leftovers from the night before for breakfast.

So it won’t be a surprise that for this product recipe, I made an omelet! Honey Barbecue Chicken Jerky with some fresh spinach – it was delicious!! And what a great way to start the day, tasty protein with a boost of iron from the spinach and lovely eggs to hold it all together. No need to worry about salt, pepper or hot sauce as the seasoning that comes from the jerky is just perfect.

Make this tomorrow morning and I promise you’ll have an awesome day. Who knows, you may even win the lottery!! But you gotta buy a ticket – in other words – you gotta do the work to make this. Enjoy!!

CHEF’S CUT HONEY BARBECUE CHICKEN JERKY & SPINACH OMELET – serves 2

4 eggs
1 Tbs. heavy cream (optional)
1.25 oz. Chef’s Cut Honey Barbecue Chicken Jerky, finely minced
1 cup packed baby spinach leaves, washed and air dried (I like a lot of spinach!)
½ Tbs. unsalted butter
Fresh mint or chives as a garnish

Whisk the eggs together and then whisk in the cream.

Melt the butter in a medium non-stick skillet on medium heat. Swirl it around to coat the entire pan. Pour in the eggs. Take a fork and holding it flat, quickly stir the eggs once or twice in the bottom of the pan.

Let the eggs set and when a bottom forms, gently lift the edge, tilt and pour the uncooked eggs to move underneath and cook. Continue doing this until the top is nearly cooked.

Then distribute the minced Chef’s Cut Honey Barbecue Chicken Jerky over half of the omelet and top with the spinach leaves, evenly distributed over the jerky. Fold over the unfilled half and let rest and cook a bit more for a minute or two.

When done, slide out of the pan onto a platter. Cut in half to serve with LOVE, enjoy, and you’ll have a totally awesome day when you start it off like this!!

Lemon Zest Pork Sausage Patties for Mother’s Day

May 7, 2016 by Mary 8 Comments

When I was young, my brothers and I would serve my Mom breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day, with a single red rose in a bud vase on the corner of her tray. We had this little rectangular bench that had legs just the right height to fit over her legs in bed, and we put her tray on top. I think one of her brothers made the bench but it was really sturdy, not like a tray with collapsible legs that can buckle under and spill everything. She also used that little bench for us when we were sick in bed.

My husband talks about doing the same thing for his mom – serving her breakfast in bed. We usually went the bacon and egg route with our mom. He did pancakes. Only he got clever. One year he decided, who needs syrup on top of your pancakes, why not put it in your pancakes and save that step! Clever, eh? Well he made some nice flat plates with those babies – a new kind of Frisbee!

My kids served me breakfast in bed once when they were young and we lived in NJ. But we didn’t have that little bench I grew up with and having a tray on my thighs all wobbly and eating in my bed just kinda grossed me out. I am not OCD but crumbs in my bed just don’t work for me so we stopped that nonsense.

We moved on to them making me multi-course special dinners and I’m so excited for tomorrow as we’re going over to our oldest son’s house. He and his fiancée – oh did I tell you that both boys are engaged? Yes!!! We’re so excited and love love love both of their girls. The oldest one will marry this September in NYC and the younger one in July of next year in Poland. All great!!!

So we are going to oldest one’s house tomorrow (yes they bought a house together in Brooklyn, with a back yard!) and he is grilling up something – ribs and a surprise – so I am psyched!

But back to breakfast and sausage patties. I know I posted 2 other sausage patty recipes but lately, I’ve been obsessed with acid. No, not the drug kind. Lemons, limes and various vinegars have been on my experimentation list. Acid in dishes really perks things up. Acid in unusual places adds a brightness that wakes up your taste buds. So I thought, why not grated lemon zest in sausage patties.

And I didn’t just add a little, I wanted you to taste it. I remembered a delicious pork roast I had made once with lots of strips of lemon peel plastered on it so I went for it in these sausage patties and they were delicious!! With the added unusualness of garam masala and the touch of red chili flakes, these patties will produce the mmmm’s you’re looking for.

Try these tomorrow. So good!! Even if there’s only 2 of you, these rewarm so nicely in the microwave to have during the week. And it’s nice to have a proper breakfast on weekday/workday!

LEMON ZEST PORK SAUSAGE PATTIES FOR MOTHER’S DAY – makes 12 -14 patties

1 lb. ground pork
1 shallot, minced
¼ cup minced fresh herbs – parsley, thyme and oregano
1 tsp. garam masala
1/8 tsp red chili flakes
½ tsp Kosher salt
12 grinds of fresh ground pepper
1 small egg
1/3 cup panko
2 lemons – finely grated zest from each – use a microplane

Combine everything together well, but try not to handle too, too much. Form into small patties. Coat a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil and sauté until done on medium high heat, about 5 – 7 minutes per side. Pork should be at 155 – 160 degrees. There should be no pink left in the meat. (The egg and panko make the patties light.)

Enjoy!!

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mothers out there!! Straighten your tiara and milk it for all it’s worth!

Delicious Sunday Morning Breakfast Sausage Patties

January 30, 2016 by Mary 15 Comments

We always enjoy a big breakfast on Sunday mornings. It’s nice to take the time to make a bountiful and beautiful one to linger over as a special treat. I am spoiled in that my husband always makes me breakfast during the week. As I‘m sure you probably do, we start our workdays eating breakfast in a rush, eager to get the day going. He serves me mine to eat while I’m putting on make-up and blow drying my hair. I take a bite and chew, hairbrush in hand, multi-tasking to try to save some time.

So this is all the more reason we truly enjoy our Sunday mornings! I know I’ve published my sausage recipe before but this one is a little different with the added shiitake mushroom. I LOVE mushrooms! My husband, not so much. However, I snuck this one in and he LOVED it!

One shiitake mushroom and multiple mushrooms behind it.

Use just one very large shiitake mushroom.

Chopped up shiitake mushroom on a wooden board.

One large mushroom chops up into a lot!

The mushroom did not add a deep mushroom-y flavor, but it did add a wonderful lightness that really made these Delicious Sunday Morning Breakfast Sausage Patties good enough to record, share and make again.

I hope you’ll try these – and remember it’s always better to know what is in the food you’re eating as opposed to buying store made sausage. That is why I do not mind taking the time to make these on a Sunday morning. They actually come together, very quickly and easily – takes about 20 minutes and then time to grill or sauté in a skillet.

You should also know that these reheat beautifully in the microwave for 30 seconds for that quick weekday breakfast. So leftovers are not a problem!

DELICIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BREAKFAST SAUSAGE PATTIES – serves 6, makes 14 patties

1 lb. ground pork
1 small egg
¼ cup of panko
1 Tbs. grainy mustard
¾ tsp. herbs de Provence
1 large shiitake mushroom, stem trimmed at bottom & stem and cap finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped red onion or shallot
2 – 3 sprigs of Italian parsley finely chopped
Sprinkling of salt
Black pepper – 20 grinds

Combine everything together with your hands. Mix thoroughly, but lightly. Do not overmix.

Shape into 12 – 14 small patties.

Spray grill pan or sauté pan with a very light coating of canola or vegetable oil. Cook patties on high heat, turning once, for a total of about 7 minutes.

Serve with scrambled eggs, toast, fruit salad, coffee and LOVE!

Decadent Oatmeal with Michel et Augustin Cookie Squares

December 22, 2015 by Mary 6 Comments

So here’s my rationale for this one. The French and the Italians always eat something very sweet for breakfast. It’s the holidays so we can be a little decadent. And, the oatmeal part is good for you!

These cookies from Michel et Augustin in the MARY’s secret ingredients winter box are so darn delicious, they really don’t need any help with a recipe. They’re made with only simple and real ingredients, as if you would make them in your own home. And the chocolate in each of them is super special! However, we always promise our product partners that we will create a new and exciting recipe or serving suggestion.

So for a super powerful breakfast, make yourself some steel cut Irish oatmeal. Then take two of these shortbread cookie squares, either flavor, cut them into chunks and place on top of the oatmeal. Wait a bit and watch the chocolate in the cookies begin to soften and melt into pure luxurious decadence!

OMG, so the shortbread gives a buttery crunch and the chocolate with the sea salt is just divine.

Oatmeal like this every morning?

Yes please!

If you have young ones, this is a terrific way to get them to eat their oatmeal. Promise.

Then for a further treat upon treat, fire up some marshmallows over your gas burner, take two cookies and have them face each chocolate side to each other and place that melty marshmallow in between and you have just made yourself THE most amazing s’more and you can tell the Girl Scouts to take a hike with their graham crackers and Hershey’s crappy chocolate variety.

Total yum.

Total heaven.

DECADENT OATMEAL WITH MICHEL ET AUGUSTIN COOKIE SQUARES – serves 4

4 cups of water
Tiny pinch of salt
1 cup steel cut Irish oatmeal
8 Michel et Augustin cookie squares, either flavor

Bring the water to a boil. Add salt and gradually add the oats, stirring as you add them. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When done, portion out into 4 bowls. Roughly chop up two cookies for each bowl and place in the center of the oatmeal.

Serve with LOVE and watch everyone swoon!!

Discover other unique, gourmet products in our upcoming spring box – mails March 25th! Our box subscriptions make a great last minute holiday gift. You can download a gift card at check-out to put under the tree.

Ultragrain All Purpose Flour in Biscuits & Chocolate Cake

October 20, 2015 by Mary 26 Comments

The flour in our fall MARY’s secret ingredients box seemed to be a surprise for some. But then again, this isn’t just any flour. It is Ultragrain All Purpose flour from Ardent Mills that replaces white flour, cup for cup. In the past, I’ve baked with straight whole wheat flour and some other partial combinations. Sadly, all did not have a good success rate. Not so with this flour!! I put it to the test on biscuits and cake and this Ultragrain multigrain flour performed in a terrific way!!

It is unique in that it’s whole wheat flour that offers whole grain nutrition but with the taste, texture and appearance of white flour. It’s made with specially selected white wheat that’s grown on family farms in Colorado and surrounding states. Naturally milder, sweeter and lighter in color than red wheat, it’s milled using a unique method that retains all of the whole grain nutrition while achieving the consistency of white flour.

Ultragrain All Purpose Flour contains 9 grams of whole grain per serving and twice the fiber of other all-purpose flours.

But this is what most interests me, this flour is unenriched, unbleached, has no bromate, and the wheat is a non-GMO grain. This is a BIG thing! Who needs all that added crap or bleach!

I would even go so far as to say that I would bet that if you have a gluten sensitivity, (not intolerance or celiac) you may find this flour to be ok. Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Check out these biscuit and cake recipes. Notice the lovely texture of both in the photos. The taste and light texture are wonderful, yet this is so much better for you all around without the additives, bleach, or genetically modified base, plus you get the added fiber with 30% of the flour being whole grain. You can have your cake and eat it too!!

SKILLET BUTTERMILK BISCUITS – adapted from Food & Wine Magazine – contributed by Coleen Cruze Bhatti

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for greasing
2 cups Ultragrain multigrain all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk (I used Kate’s Buttermilk – the real thing)

Preheat the oven to 450° and butter a 12-inch cast-iron skillet. In a large bowl, whisk the 2 cups of flour with the baking powder, salt and baking soda. Add the cubed butter and using a pastry cutter or your fingers, pinch the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles very coarse crumbs, with some of the butter the size of small peas. Gently stir in the buttermilk, just until a soft dough forms.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and pat it into a 3/4-inch-thick round. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, stamp out biscuits as close together as possible. Gently press the scraps together and stamp out more biscuits. Arrange the  biscuits in the prepared skillet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.

So good, you don’t even need butter!

CHOCOLATE CAKE!

This made in the pan chocolate cake is super easy and quick to make. The recipe is from Mollie Katzan. I add a little more cocoa for a super chocolaty taste. Just be sure you’ve thoroughly mixed your dry ingredients and then the wet as well, lifting up the pan periodically so you can check.

You can literally make this in 15 – 20 to mix and then 30+ minutes to bake. Now there’s no excuse not to make a dessert, and it’s even vegan!!

MADE-IN-THE-PAN CHOCOLATE CAKE – serves 9 – adapted from Mollie Katzan

1 1/4 cups Ultragrain multigrain all purpose flour
1/3 heaping cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cider vinegar or white vinegar

Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready an 8-inch-square glass baking pan. Put flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and baking soda into the pan. Mix it together thoroughly with a whisk and spatula making sure all is blended together and no white flour clumps are visible. Lift up the pan and check to make sure all is blended on the bottom and especially in the corners.

Add water, oil, vanilla extract and vinegar. Stir slowly with a whisk in small circles to blend. As it becomes a batter, mash, scrape, and stir with whisk and spatula until smooth, particularly scraping and blending from the corners of the pan.

Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and spread it evenly. Clean the edges, then bake for 30 minutes until top bounces back on your finger impression and a toothpick come out clean.

Cool completely in the pan, on a rack. Dust with some powdered sugar (there is no need for frosting) and cut into squares.

I served it with LOVE, a dollop of ice cream and some strawberries for a really pretty and super easy dessert.

Ardent Mills Ultragrain All Purpose flour was one of the products in our MARY’s secret ingredients fall box. You can get your SURPRISE winter box here! Make a great gift and helps us in our support of Feed The Children.