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

Thanksgiving 2020

November 16, 2020 by Mary 4 Comments

Thanksgiving is around the corner and what are we to do with the pandemic and the growing rise of Coronavirus cases? We’re not supposed to get together with anyone outside of our “pod”. I get that. But. It. Is. So. Hard.

I really get it. As I have been alone for the majority of this time and missing my late husband Steve so very very much.

Perhaps your “pod” is larger than most, due to the sheer size of your family? I know that is true with my brother in St. Louis. He has seven children, all married and 15 grandchildren. They are all very careful. And they see each other now. They did not, back in March, April and May.

One of my other brothers, Steve, and his wife Trish, came to live with me for a couple of weeks. They had no place to go! And of course, I was delighted. They had sold one house and their new condo isn’t yet finished being built. They were living in their other house in Vermont but if they passed the 6 month mark there, they would have had to pay a full year of income taxes in Vermont and Connecticut! (Bet Trump never had to do that.)

So they came to me in upstate NY and honestly, we all had a blast. You see, we used to travel together a lot in our younger days, pre-children. And of course, I sort of grew up with him – we are 8 years apart and he is older – but we certainly grew up in the same household. So we do things the same way in terms of kitchen stuff and cleaning up. At one point, when I woke up in the morning, I honestly thought I was at my parent’s house and all was calm and stuff was happening as they had been up, comfortably getting their own breakfasts, the wafting smell of fresh delicious coffee was coming upstairs. I was all smiles. All good. In this household.

Two All-Clad pots in the sunlight. — Here are two of my gorgeous new pots!

So exciting to have new pots!

As a thank you and early birthday present, (my birthday is on Thanksgiving Day this year), my brother and sister-in-law sent me three All-Clad pots, all stainless steel, inside and out, almost too pretty to use. It’s so exciting to get new pots and these are gorgeous!!

Secrets for a Great Thanksgiving You Will LOVE cookbook. — My Thanksgiving Cookbook!

A cookbook with recipes and a process timeline!

Because it is Thanksgiving soon, I wanted to remind everyone about my handy cookbook of all of my big feast recipes along with a hassle-free planning schedule to get everything done with ease and put a magnificent meal on the table, stress free.

You can get it on Amazon here – and I am donating all of the proceeds of the sales to Meals on Wheels to feed the less fortunate.

So pick up a copy and enjoy. I have a whole slew of folks who make my stuffing recipe every year. Yes, it is that good.

Additionally, l know my Momofuku’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette recipe in the cookbook menu is a little unique and not for the faint of heart, bursting with umami. This year I am switching up that side recipe to be Green Beans with a Warm Raisin Caper dressing. Still unique, but a little tamer.

It’s a Martha Stewart recipe and usually I am not a big fan of hers but this sounds good and I think, will be a nice contrast to the richness of the rest of the meal.

So pick up a book and give it a go. And please leave a review to help others find it easily.

And remember to make everything with LOVE. Enjoy!

Have the BEST Thanksgiving ever!! It is sure to be memorable in this climate.

International Market in Arezzo, Italy

November 1, 2017 by Mary 6 Comments

Arezzo International market - spices for sale.

All the beautiful colors, all the beautiful spices!!

Two weekends ago was the International Market in Arezzo, Italy, where I am currently living. My very good friend Tiziana, was supposed to meet me for an aperitivo, but she was not feeling well so I was by myself and then ventured through the market.

I have to tell you about the aperitivos that are offered here. You order a drink such as a decent martini, as long as you explain it correctly that you want a gin martini cocktail instead of Martini brand bianco poured straight into a glass with some olives, and that’s um, bad straight white vermouth to us Americans – total yuck – for a martini.

So, anyway, now I’ve got this place that knows me and they’ve got it down pat, (so nice!), and for 4.50 Euros, you get a drink and then 3 small plates of salted peanuts, potato chips, and green olives, PLUS a buffet of cheeses, bread, roasted peppers, a pizza-like thing and sometimes roasted zucchini and eggplant – my favorites! I think this whole thing is AWESOME vs. 15 – 20 dollars for a martini in NYC, with not even a single peanut to boot!

So I’m walking down the streets of the International Market with nothing enticing me to buy or eat. I maybe could have stopped to have had a beer someplace and tried to meet some people but I had to drive home and I already had that one martini by myself so I did not want to do that. Then, this person on the street grabs my arm and says, “I know you!” and I’m like, “No you don’t. Nobody knows me here.” (except for my lovely 12 friends and NO ONE else and she wasn’t one of them) But no, she insisted, “I know you, I know I know you,” she said flaying her arms, very surreal. And I was like, Ok, maybe… and then she says, “From the winery!” Where I live in San Fabiano, at the cantina, she did write up my order…

It was so sweet of her and I was finally so sweet back. I may look normal on the outside but I am not, since Steve has passed.

I am really messed up In my brain and just with everything, I am so, so sad. Writing this now with tears streaming down my face, I’ve learned that it’s much easier to cry in the shower.

My whole life has changed and yes now, I am living in beautiful Tuscany with amazing friends, but I so miss Steve and I am so sad.

So for now, I just want to share with you some pictures from the International Market. Italians are very interesting. First of all, there were amazingly few “international” booths and when I was there, they were completely empty!

The Swiss and Tunisian booth had no one, the Russian booth had some activity with the vodka as well as the Spanish booth with paella. Potato chips were a hit in the German booth. My friend Cristina enjoyed the New York Pastrami booth, complete with Heinz mustard, the next day. But the most active booths were the prosecco, porchetta, salumi and cheese booths – all Italian!

Here are some pics to enjoy.

Arezzo International Market - one big paella pan.

This is one HUGE paella pan!!!

Arezzo International Market-loving potato chips

Italians LOVE potato chips and isn’t it neat how they get them on these spears?!

Arezzo International Market - the delicious porchetta.

Ahhh – the DELICIOUS porchetta along with the pancetta and salumis!! My “porchetta” recipe is here

Truffles for sale!!

Arezzo International market - frying bread.

Frying ciaccia fritta – bread!

Arezzo International Market - another great Popiel product.

Selling another “great Popeil product.” I think this is a pot lid that can cook something else at the same time…

I’ll have a recipe coming next week. LOVE to all!!!

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….

SOOM CHOCOLATE TAHINI CAKES

April 8, 2017 by Mary 6 Comments

These three sisters have got it all down pat. Their Soom tahini’s are to die for!

Really.

The Soom Company is made up of three sisters, Shelby, Jackie and Amy who worship the sesame seed, with good reason. It’s so good for you in so many ways, but let’s talk first about the taste. My husband hates things with tahini – but not with theirs! True story.

The three sisters decided to call the company Soom Foods because soom soom is sesame in Hebrew.

Tahini is a versatile “paste” made from sesame seeds, which are high in protein, calcium, omega-3, six fatty acids and antioxidants. Soom only uses sesame seeds from Ethiopia – the very best place for them. They produce and package their product in Israel and import it to sell in the US. The chocolate tahini is peanut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, kosher, no added oils… and only 10 grams of sugar! 

This Soom Chocolate Sesame Spread tastes so naughty, but it’s actually good for you! It’s like if Nutella had a soul, it would be Soom! The indulgence of chocolate with the nourishment of sesame.

So dig in and spread on ANYTHING.

Here it is on ice cream – so smooth, so yummy, so delicious.

Their website has lots of recipes using their regular tahini and the chocolate variety.

And then I made these cakes. So good…

Make with LOVE and enjoy!

SOOM CHOCOLATE TAHINI CAKES – serves 6

8 Tbs. unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pans
½ cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for pans
2 – 3 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 pinches of salt
1/3 cup Soom Chocolate Sesame Spread
3 large eggs
¾ cup superfine sugar
Zest of 1 lime (optional)
Ice cream, for serving
Fresh mint for garnish

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use extra butter to grease 6 half-cup muffin molds or similar, or use smaller molds. Dust molds with cocoa and sprinkle the sesame seeds in the bottom of each. Sift together remaining 1/2 cup cocoa with the flour and the salt. Set aside.

Melt 8 Tbs. butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or in a small, heavy saucepan on very low heat. (Watch carefully if using a saucepan.) When almost completely melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth and all melted. Set aside.

Using an electric beater, whisk eggs. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the Soom Chocolate Tahini on a low speed. Add in the cooled melted butter. Fold in the cocoa/flour mixture by hand with a spatula, until thoroughly combined.

Pour the batter into the molds and set molds on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake 12 to 14 minutes, less for smaller molds. A skewer or toothpick inserted in the middle should NOT come out clean. 12 minutes was perfect in my oven.

Cool for 20 minutes or more before unmolding. Dust tops with lime zest and serve with ice cream or just serve with ice cream and mint garnish. The center of the cake should be warm, wonderful, and gooey.