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

Cranberry Walnut Muffins in PaperChef Lotus Cups

December 15, 2014 by Mary 9 Comments

I made these Cranberry Walnut Muffins in the PaperChef Lotus Cups and I swear they tasted better because they were baked in these cups. You know, presentation and visual excitement adds to the deliciousness of any food! These lotus cups are the creation of the PaperChef company, an offshoot of a Toronto-based, family-owned company that has been making paper products for the food industry since 1882. Everything is all natural and biodegradable. But most importantly, the parchment assures even baking and makes you look oh so professional, like you bought your muffins at a fancy coffee shop. Everyone should have one of these boxes in their pantry, so when the urge strikes to bake, you don’t have to make a cake, you can make beautiful muffins instead!

In these muffins, I used a combination of fresh cranberries and dried, as well as multi-grain flour along with some white flour. You could toast the walnuts first for an even deeper nut flavor. I didn’t because I didn’t have time. Either way, they are delicious. A friend of mine calls muffins “just an excuse to eat a cupcake in the morning,” minus the icing. I think that most of the time, she is right. But here I tried to make these a bit healthier with the multi-grain flour and they are not too sweet. YOU are sweet enough!

Make these muffins with LOVE while fresh cranberries are still around. They would also be great on Christmas morning. Enjoy!!

CRANBERRY WALNUT MUFFINS IN PAPERCHEF LOTUS CUPS – makes 18 muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups multi-grain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 cups whole milk
2 extra-large eggs
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place fresh cranberries in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse on and off until chopped as in this photo.

Line 18 muffin cups with PaperChef Lotus Cup liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Stir quickly just to combine. Add both of the cranberries, walnuts, and both sugars and stir just to distribute the fruits, nuts, and sugar evenly throughout the batter.

Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until browned on the top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Delish!

Perfect Poach!

October 31, 2014 by Mary 8 Comments

I love poached eggs! Poached eggs and corned beef hash – my all time favorite diner breakfast! I know, lots of calories, but every once in a while…a bit of heaven. Did I ever make poached eggs at home? No. Never. Too scared they’d just be a mess. And then I kinda remembered from my mom that you were supposed to put in a little vinegar or something…too complicated, especially when you’re really hungry in the morning and just want to eat quickly.

Well Perfect Poach is here to the rescue! This is our seventh and last item in our fall MARY’s secret ingredients box. This is from the Tovolo company and they believe that time spent cooking should be fun. They believe in creating kitchen tools that out-perform your expectations, but also put a smile on your face. Isn’t that nice?

So here are these little babies. They’re open-ended little bags, made of coffee filter-like material and shaped like the toe of a shoe. You put these in cups and open up the top. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Crack your eggs into each cute little bag and immediately pick up the bag with tongs and lower it into the simmering water – four minutes for a soft yolk poached egg, six to seven minutes for a harder poached egg, like my husband prefers. Lift those little bags out with tongs when ready and place on a side plate. Tilt out any water that got into the bag on that side plate, because you don’t want water on your toast. Then slide the little bugger onto your toast. Voila! A perfect poached egg – courtesy of Perfect Poach. You can check out their website for other little handy tools that will also brighten your day. I LOVE people who want to make my life easier and put a smile on my face!

Spinach Dip Mix Omelette

October 28, 2014 by Mary 9 Comments

The Spinach Dip mix is our 6^th item in our fall MARY’s secret ingredients box. This dip mix is made by a sweet company in Florida, called The Pantry Club. The company was founded by husband and wife team, Alicia and Matt Webb, and while typically I’m not a dry mix user kinda gal, this dip is totally all natural and when rehydrated, tastes just like a fresh spinach mixture. Alicia and Matt have changed my mind about dry mixes. Just smell the fresh goodness coming out of it. And, it’s gluten free!

Of course you can make a dip out of it for crudités, crackers or pita chips. They say to make it with sour cream and mayonnaise. I used zero fat unflavored Greek yogurt and added the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise or you might try adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil as my friend Daina did. It is important to make it ahead of time and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours, as they recommend. You need that time to let the flavors meld and bloom from their dried state.

Alicia and Matt also say you can use the dried dip as a flavoring agent. Perhaps adding it to a vegetable broth with some juices from sautéing skinless boneless chicken breasts would be great. But what I found to be super terrific is to add it to eggs to make the most delicious spinach omelette. Try this with your mix!

THE PANTRY CLUB SPINACH DIP MIX OMELETTE WITH SUNNY GOLD TOMATOES, PARSLEY AND ROMANO CHEESE – serves 2

4 eggs
2 Tbs. whole milk
½ package of The Pantry Club Spinach Dip Mix
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
½ cup sunny gold tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbs. roughly chopped parsley leaves
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Additional parsley sprigs for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs and milk with a whisk. Slowly add in the ½ package of Spinach Dip Mix and mix thoroughly to combine.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Swirl to completely cover bottom and sides of the pan. Pour in egg mixture. Let sit until the bottom has just cooked. Then transfer the skillet to the oven to let the eggs cook on top for about 5 minutes.

Bring skillet back up to the stovetop (make sure you’ve got a hot pad on the skillet handle) and scatter the tomatoes, parsley and cheese over one-half of the omelette. Fold over the remaining egg side on top and let cook until eggs are done to your liking. Or put back in the oven for a minute or two.

When done, slide out of the pan and onto a platter. Garnish with parsley and serve with LOVE!

Enjoy!!

MARY’s secret ingredients Fall Box Revealed

October 8, 2014 by Mary 6 Comments

We really are having such a grand time with MARY’s secret ingredients! The fall box shipped out on schedule on September 25^th so everyone should have theirs by now. We hope that all of you who ordered one were just as excited as we were with the mix of ingredients this season. This box is full of wonderful things to spice up your cooking and make preparing a gourmet meal a breeze with all the interesting flavors and the two very exciting new tools enclosed.

A very big thank you to all of you who purchased, as every box sold adds to a contribution to Feed The Children. We will donate 10% of all profits to that global organization at the end of this year. No one should go hungry.

And now our lovely Marie, who will be performing in the premiere of a new opera in November here in NYC, (we’re so excited!) introduces the products to the tune, HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR EGGS IN THE MORNING from the musical “Rich, Young, and Pretty”, written by Cahn & Brodzky, and made famous by Dean Martin and Helen O’Connell.

We’re having so much fun!

CALPHALON

Calphalon is a leading manufacturer of professional quality cookware, cutlery, bakeware, kitchen electrics and accessories for the home cook. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Calphalon is a part of Newell Rubbermaid’s global portfolio of leading brands.

Nylon Solid Turner: This spatula is smartly designed with a unique serrated edge to cut food, and the low-profile head is angled to slide under food for easy turning. Crafted with heat-resistant soft-touch silicone accents, this utensil gives you a perfect balance of comfort and control. Dishwasher safe, heat resistant to 400° F, and won’t scratch nonstick cookware. Full lifetime warranty!

FALKSALT

Falksalt sea salt flakes are extracted from pure, clean Mediterranean Sea water using traditional methods. It’s harvested in Cyprus and sold by Swedish Salinity Food with 180 years experience in trading salt. It’s a 100% natural product with no chemicals, no anticaking agents and all natural additives. Falksalt offers a wide range of natural and flavored sea salt flakes.

Falksalt Crystal Flakes Citron: These light flakes add a burst of bright lemon flavor to everything from fish and vegetables to ice cream and chocolate. Bake, cook or just top off your favorite dish before serving. Be daring!

PRODUCT OF CYPRUS BY WAY OF SWEDEN

HARMONIAN

Harmonian is a Greek brand established in June 2013. The company’s aim is to bring a new understanding of “healthy and taste conscious” food to the market.

Kalamata PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oil : Olive Oil is the true “juice of life” and is a secret shared by people at the Mediterranean basin for ages. The land of Messenia, at the southwestern end of Peloponnese in Greece, produces the fine oil of the “Koroneiki” olive variety. Harmonian selects only its top quality crops and embottles their most precious extracts with the utmost care. This oil is silky in texture, keen in flavor and rich in aroma, extra virgin, high quality. It can be enjoyed both raw and cooked.

KIND

KIND® was launched in 2004 with the aim of inspiring people to do the kind thing for your body, your taste buds, & your world. From its delicious foods made from ingredients you can see and pronounce to its commitment to social entrepreneurship, KIND® is focused on making the world a little kinder one act (and snack) at a time.

Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond bar: A brand new flavor! Dark roast coffee and whole almonds blended with honey and drizzled in dark chocolate to form a bar that, with just 5g of sugar, only tastes indulgent.

CHELSEA MARKET BASKET – Kalk Bay Food Smoulder

Their founder’s passion for inspired specialty foods, and thoughtfully designed gifts, led to the creation of Chelsea Market Baskets in 1993. Owner David Porat continues to search the world for innovative products that are distinctly high quality, fresh, unique, and have a certain indescribable charm. Chelsea Market Baskets’ ultimate goal is to delight their customers through their Chelsea Market retail shop in New York City, their mail order gift business, and their wholesale imports. They believe in product integrity and a high level of customer service. Their mission is to heighten each and every customer’s experience with these core values.

Smoulder Spice Grinder – Elements Of Spice By Kalk Bay Food : Warning: Smoking Is Addictive! A few grinds of this mix will conjure up barbeque fun. Everyone’s favorite spices, artisanally cold smoked over beech chips, make the perfect seasoning for meat on the braai. Kalk Bay Food, based in Capetown, South Africa, blends spices from around the globe into unique and delicious combinations. They are known for the quality and freshness of their products. From rare single-origin salts to inventive spice blends, Kalk Bay Food will enhance the flavor of whatever is on the dinner table.

THE PANTRY CLUB

Founded in 2010, The Pantry Club is part of a family business established by Matt and Alicia Webb. It offers ten gourmet-quality dip mix flavors that are made from natural ingredients, are MSG-free, nitrate-free and are gluten-free (with the exception of Bacon Cheddar which has gluten in it). The dip mixes can be made with the classic recipe, or they can be used to create a wide variety of meal ideas; for sauces, soups and marinades – creating hassle-free cooking that is simply delicious.

Spinach Mix Dip (Gluten Free): This special combination of seasonings not only has incredible taste, but it is a delightful complement to fresh vegetables, crackers, baked potatoes, seafood or pasta salad, or use dry as a seasoning.

TOVOLO

Tovolo believes time spent cooking should be fun, and they are honored to be a part of this experience in your home. They challenge themselves to improve the performance, function and appearance of kitchen tools. They obsess over every detail to ensure their product will out-perform expectations. However, performance alone is not enough; they want to put a smile on their customer’s face as well. They strive to add a colorful element of fun to each of their items.

The Perfect Poach: Finally, a solution to make a perfect, delicious poached egg EVERY SINGLE TIME without oil or butter! These handy bags take the guesswork and mess out of poaching eggs. Simply crack an egg into the pouch—use one pouch for each egg—immerse in simmering water, and remove after four to six minutes. Slide your perfectly poached egg onto a plate and enjoy. Bags can only be used once but they are recyclable, biodegradable, and non-stick.

Best Pancakes on a Great Griddle!

June 14, 2014 by Mary 40 Comments

Well they say that summer is here – heh heh – I wore a silk shawl and a raincoat on Thursday. Did you hear that – a COAT – in mid-June. Who ever heard of such a thing! But truly, it is the grilling season and the good folks at Wilton Armetale wanted to send me a griddle to try out. I said, “SURE, I know that brand well!” When my husband and I got married some 33 years ago (eee gads!), we received so many Wilton Armetale pieces – several different sizes of platters, bowls, and other serving dishes. At the time, we had never heard of them. (what did we know?) They must have had a marketing initiative and became all the rage. They were pretty – looked like pewter but no need to polish. We still use those same pieces today.

So now, I guess they figured out that the material is a great conductor of heat and are positioning this griddle as a “cook and serve” piece. For cooking it is terrific, but I personally don’t see the need to bring a hot grill pan to the table. No matter, this is an excellent griddle. I love the size – it spans two burners so you can cook six big pancakes at a time! Which is exactly what I did the first time out. You can also use this on your outdoor grill for things like asparagus and other vegetables. The smooth surface is a nice alternative rather than having grill marks, when you don’t want them.

I’d like to share with you this pancake recipe from AllRecipes.com. I looked for an easy one as I’m not about to be whipping egg whites and folding them in on a Sunday morning, as my brother Steve does. He LOVES making breakfast, and we get to be the lucky receivers/eaters when we are all together. I love to eat a great breakfast without spending too much time making it and then get on with the day filled with an already too big list of things I need to do on a weekend, if you know what I mean. This recipe produced super light and fluffy cakes – give it a go tomorrow morning and let me know how it works for you!

My mother always served us our pancakes with melted butter and warmed maple syrup. She would say, “Well how can you put a cold pat of butter on your pancakes – it’ll take some time to melt and then everything will get cold. You need warm melted butter and warm syrup – not cold syrup from the refrigerator.”

I know, we were spoiled, and I have kept up that tradition. 🙂

GOOD OLD FASHIONED PANCAKES – serves 4 – adapted from AllRecipes.com (they say this serves 8, but I think not)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tbs. butter, melted

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg and combine with the milk and melted butter. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the liquid mixture; mix until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes to let the baking powder activate.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Waffles for a Sunday Brunch

April 6, 2014 by Mary 38 Comments

To have a real brunch party is great fun – a different time of day to entertain! Last Sunday was our last day with Bianca and Cesare visiting from Italy by way of South Carolina, as Cesare is learning the American way in South Carolina for the Italian company he is working for. Bianca is the daughter of the family our eldest son lived with in Arezzo, when he was doing his semester abroad in college some 8 years ago. Our two families became instant friends with visits going back and forth from the day of our meeting. This stay Bianca was with us for 10 days, Cesare came on Thursday for the weekend. They both love food and fortunately are fans of my cooking so they are a joy to cook for. For her goodbye meal, Bianca wanted pancakes or waffles. I opted for waffles for Sunday brunch,

A variety of chicken and lamb sausages.

along with some sausages and a big beautiful fruit salad. Of course, since this was a party, some of us started with mimosas (made with Prosecco) or Bloody Marys.

Luscious fruit salad garnished with torn mint leaves.

I have not made waffles in a very long time, since the boys have grown up and we are not together on Sunday mornings very often. And I am not the type to be whipping egg whites to fold into the batter, if you know what I mean. I wanted something simple and quick, knowing I’d have to make a double batch for the eight of us. I found this wonderful recipe online from In Jennie’s Kitchen blog, similar to the one in the recipe book that came with the waffle iron eons ago that I could no longer find. It was great – perfect – easy – delicious! Bianca says she wants to get married, only so she can get a waffle iron as a shower or wedding present! (I think I’ll get her one soon!)

Now the thing I was fretting about late into Saturday night, was how was I going to keep the first cooked waffles warm while continuing to make them and have the full batch ready for everyone. A little research online came up with a very low temperature in your oven and put them straight on the racks, not on a plate or cookie sheet as that would cause moisture to form and sogginess to beset them. So I did this, but the lowest my oven would go was 175 degrees and they were recommending 150. So I turned the oven off and on, afraid they would dry out. In hindsight, I should have just left it on at 175 the whole time, as they could have been a bit hotter.

Here’s the recipe with thanks to In Jennie’s Kitchen:

QUICK & EASY HOMEMADE WAFFLES – makes 5 to 6 Belgian-style waffles

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tbs.baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract. Pour the milk mixture over the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Let sit five minutes to “develop” (just a fancy word for letting the baking powder activate).

Meanwhile, heat your waffle iron. Pour, or ladle, enough batter to cover about 2/3 of the surface (the rest will spread once you close the top). Most waffle irons have a handy light that goes on or off, signaling the waffles are ready. A sure sign of doneness is once you see all the steam has stopped shooting out.

Have a LOVEly brunch wherever you are!