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

It’s been a whirlwind first year for this subscription box business and I’m delighted to share with you the products in our MARY’s secret ingredients winter box!! It’s the last box of the year so we made this one extra special, overflowing with goodness, giving you a great foundation to start the holiday season with some super unique items. We’ve got bitters to brighten your cocktails, teas to warm your heart on a cold winter night, along with buttery rich peppermint cookies – now that’s a great nightcap! Both the hot pepper sauce and smoked peppers in the chili paste will add some terrific new flavors to your life and then you can go make some wonderful muffins in the prettiest paper cups. You could do some hiking to work it all off with the best trail mix, or wait for my most unexpected recipe using this product. A fun time is coming!!

We hope we’ve made your cooking more inventive and stretched your boundaries a bit. We’ve certainly had quite a fun time testing and choosing the most interesting, different and fun products to work with. We wonder, for those of you who didn’t order a box, do you find these “box posts” boring? Should we move them all to the MARY’s secret ingredients site? Or do you find them interesting?

Take a look at our lovely Marie Anello, once again opening the box in this video to the tune of a seasonal classic, Let It Snow!

Here are all the products, along with a tidbit about each company.

Chelsea Market Baskets – Gran Luchito (Smoke and chilli combine for total deliciousness!)

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. And they make great holiday gift baskets!

Gran Luchito Smoked Chilli Paste: An authentic Mexican smoked chilli paste made in Mexico using chilies that have been ethically sourced directly from local farmers. When you try the product, the first thing you’ll notice is the smoky flavor, but then you’ll notice a hint of agave sweetness, perhaps the nuttiness of garlic and, of course, a medium heat. 

Dutch’s Spirits: (Aren’t these just so cute?? I love the hats!)

Dutch’s Spirits is an artisanal distillery. Named after an infamous New York mobster of the Prohibition era, Dutch’s Spirits inhabits the same location as Harvest Homestead Farm, where Dutch Schultz set up his bootlegging complex. Dutch’s Spirits has steeped their bitters production in a heady combination of historical reference and dedication to the American cocktail craft.

American Era Cocktail Bitters: Inspired by the United States’ colorful history, Dutch’s Spirits crafted bold new recipes blending unique flavors from each era to create a truly distinctive line of cocktail bitters. The variety 3-pack includes:

Colonial Cocktail Bitters: Wild spicebush berries and Kinnikinnick leaf combined with chamomile blossoms, rose petals, lavender, bitter orange, angelica seed, juniper, allspice and cinnamon. A classically aromatic bitters blend.

Boomtown Bitters: Combines the ingredients of sarsaparilla and wintergreen with flavors representing American whiskies of the day such as coconut and oak from the maturing cask. This is an alternative bitters variety for bourbon and whiskey drinks.

ProhiBitters: Blend of flavors tailored to tweak the usual gin martini. Predominant citrus notes blend with licorice, hibiscus, ginger root and coriander. 

Maddy’s Sweet Shop: (Bet you can’t eat just one!)

At Maddy’s Sweet Shop they continue to do things the old-fashioned way. Their delightful products are crafted in their artisanal bakery with time-honored recipes and the finest ingredients. Their award winning Lil’ Maddies are delectable shortbread cookies with a sweet candy crunch, covered in a unique powdered sugar coating.

Peppermint Snaps: Refresh your taste buds with the cool flavor of peppermint. It will wake you up and put a smile on your face. This is a surprisingly light and refreshing shortbread cookie with a peppermint candy crunch inside that is perfect for any time of the day.

 

PaperChef: (Make your cupcakes and muffins spectacular!)

PaperChef, a Toronto-based company founded in 2010, is a subsidiary of Culinary Papers and McNairn Packaging, a family business that has been making paper products for the food industry since 1882. The company is committed to bringing “The Art of Cooking with Parchment” to North America and the globe. The PaperChef line of products includes parchment rolls, parchment cooking bags and parchment baking cups.

Lotus cups: These cups are 100% biodegradable and they add personality to culinary creations while helping them to look their best. The cups’ inherent non-stick properties make them easy to peel away while keeping their shape, with little to no clean up.

 

Peeled Snacks: (Hiking never tasted so good – and wait until you see this recipe coming up!)

At Peeled Snacks, they know that food starts out delicious and nutritious. It doesn’t need a machine to improve it or an engineer to perfect it. They strive to bring you natural, premium ingredients so you can feel good about snacking. Eating well doesn’t have to mean eating tasteless, bland foods. It does, however, mean eating a healthy, wide range of foods from every food group.

apple APLENTY: This trail mix is a 100% organic, rich and tasty balance of sunflower seeds, walnuts, and peanuts, mixed with juicy Peeled Snacks raisins, dark chocolate, and apples. Whether you’re out on a hike or in for the night, apple Applenty will get you through, and help you bypass the doctor’s office. Enjoy!

 

Red Snapper Sauce: (No this is not made of fish – the name is a misnomer and the sauce is hot – a tiny bit goes a long way!)

The story of Red Snapper Sauce and the history of the McVea family are essentially one and the same. Some of the family’s happiest memories have been made while gathered around tables stocked with their legendary Louisiana-style hot sauce. Since they can’t invite each of you to their table, they’re sharing their history and family pride in each and every bottle.

Wildwood Arbol Sauce: This medium heat sauce is made with Chile De Arbol peppers, (a relative of the cayenne), and is quickly becoming the condiment of choice on many food lovers’ tables. It is extremely flavorful, with a woody base. Every bite increases the heat, giving warmth and flavor to any dish.

 

SerendipiTea: (Just the cutest names!!)

SerendipiTea is committed to the highest quality loose-leaf tea, selecting fine certified organics when available. They work closely with tea gardens, estates and specialists around the world, maintaining knowledge and expertise regarding all facets of tea and its production.

Holiday Cheer: Spread some Holiday Cheer this season! Enjoy this hand-crafted blend of warming spices, festive orange peel, invigorating mint & a touch of Black Tea for fortitude.

Once Upon a Tea:  A fairy tale beginning with a delectable ending! Boldly based on rooibos, the mellow notes of vanilla, rich texture of chocolate & the defining essence of mint all blend together, deliciously ever after.