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

2016 Winter Subscription Box Revealed

December 16, 2016 by Mary 2 Comments

The holidays are here and this MARY’s secret ingredients 2016 winter subscription box is the perfect festive gift! We’ve got delicious organic green mint tea (an awesome combination), and bright red lingonberry jam to make your toast (and many other things) festive! Then, the coolest looking cake slicer and server from Finland to cut and serve your cake oh so neat, the most potent and fragrant za’atar spice mix to add zip to anything, and RayZyns made of wine grapes, that are full of antioxidants. Eat these crunchy babies and they’ll keep you healthy all season long, and the MOST DELICIOUS pasta. Ever. Handmade in Brooklyn with just organic semolina flour and water, you will want to eat this everyday!!

When you cook with love and exciting new ingredients, your food will always taste better. So gather round the table, make some memories and spread some LOVE.

Take a look at the video our awesome team of designers put together!!

FELIX

Felix jams has been bringing Swedish lingonberries to the American palate for over 50 years. As familiar as Volvo, IKEA, and Swedish meatballs, lingonberries were recommended on the Doctor Oz Show as a super fruit with antioxidant benefits. This small red berry has been picked and enjoyed since Viking times. Its piquant sweet and tart flavor makes it as unique as it is delicious.

Felix jams are made of simple ingredients: Handpicked wild Lingonberries, pure sugar and fresh water, in a time-tested recipe. Because many Swedes are accustomed to picking their own wild berries, an unusually high standard is required for jams to succeed in Sweden, and Felix is the number one choice.

HOME COOK’S PANTRY ZA’ATAR

Home Cook’s Pantry specializes in fresh, made-to-order spice blends. Each pure blend is customizable to your taste preferences, made without artificial colors, fillers, anti-caking agents or MSG. Experience a different culture at each meal with blends from around the world.

Za’atar is a mix of herbs, sumac and sesame seed. It is an intensely aromatic ancient spice blend and condiment that is used to flavor everything from grilled meats to baked bread. It is also delicious when used on roasted vegetables, sprinkled on salads, and it can also be steeped to make tea.

MAGISSO CAKE SERVER

Established in 2008 in Helsinki, Finland, Magisso has a burning passion to make meaningful design and international business. Over 20 design awards later they still thrive from that same passion. They are driven by a desire to solve problems and create beautiful designs.

With the fun and colorful Magisso Cake Server, cutting and serving your favorite cake is easier and more stylish than ever. All you need to do is press the cake server through a cake, squeeze it gently to lift the piece onto your plate. Release and get a perfect piece of cake upright on your plate.

SFOGLINI PASTA

In 2012, Sfoglini (Sfo-lee-nee) opened its doors in Brooklyn, NY with one clear mission: to bring classic Italian style pasta back to New York City. They are dedicated to sourcing top quality American organic grains and using traditional Italian methods to bring you the same pasta served at some of New York’s most revered restaurants. Spaccatelli, also sometimes referred to as Strozzapreti “priest’s collars”, resembles a rolled-up scroll or towel, smooth and tight. It is superb with a chunky meat sauce that wraps into the curved folds.

STASH TEA

Since 1972, Stash has been dedicated to providing premium quality teas. They begin with tea leaves from the world’s premier tea gardens and the finest herbs and spices gathered from around the globe. Their master blenders combine these botanical ingredients to create unique and delicious teas that are natural and free of artificial flavors and colors.

Organic Merry Mint Green Tea – A festive blend of organic green tea and lively spearmint and peppermint.

THE WINE RAYZYNS Co.

Wine RayZyns are premium, specially dried Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Merlot wine grapes that are high in fiber and have more antioxidants than wine. Packed with nutrition, these dried wine grapes are deliciously sweet with a unique taste and texture that are true to each varietal.

The box contains two of the following flavors:

CabernayZyn™ – Dried Cabernet Wine Grapes – With this RayZyn product, enjoy bold, complex flavors like blackberry, fig, and currant.

ChardonayZyn™ – Dried Chardonnay Wine Grapes – Savor the crisp, rich taste with touches of apricot and toasted caramel with this delightful RayZyn snack.

MerlayZyn™ – Dried Merlot Wine Grapes – Experience this RayZyn product and enjoy velvety flavors with hints of raspberry and plum.

Start the New Year right. Eat healthy. Live Joyfully.

There are a few boxes left and you can buy a winter subscription box here and receive all of these great products! Look out for all of my recipes using these products in the coming days. Better pantries make better meals!

Revealing our Gluten Free Fall Box!!!

October 6, 2016 by Mary 2 Comments

We’re so excited!! Some of you have asked for this and now we have it! A box full of completely gluten free products! In this box we have delicious items you can eat right away as well as clever recipes coming your way to use the product differently, capitalizing on their gluten free attribute. All of the products are tested by me and my team before they can even make it into the box, so we make sure they’re super delicious and good for you.

Take a look at this awesome video put together by our very talented team.

And if you didn’t buy a box, we still have a few left that you can purchase here. Remember the holidays are coming and this makes a great gift!! And of course, for every box purchased, you’ll be helping us in our fight against worldwide hunger through our partnership with Feed The Children. We believe that no one should go hungry. Don’t you?

MOM’s POPPED LOTUS SEEDS – poppedlotus.com

Their founder was first introduced to the deliciousness of popped lotus seeds as a child when his mother gave them to him as an afternoon snack. After rediscovering his childhood treat, he decided not to keep this amazing snack food to himself. By improving upon what his mother gave him as a child, he now offers popped lotus seeds in a variety of flavors that can help you feel healthier while exploring a non-traditional snack.

Sea Salt Simple and salty, this tasty snack delivers a crunch that is sure to satisfy. Made with few ingredients – just sea salt and purified butter. MOM’s Lotus Seeds are a healthy and delicious snack the whole family can enjoy.

NUTS OVER FISH – nutsoverfish.com

Nuts Over Fish encourages all people to improve their overall well-being by creating products which support a healthy lifestyle. They promise their products will always be all natural, gluten free, cholesterol free, trans fat free, with no preservatives or additives because they believe in a healthy diet. They are proud to be a New Hampshire small business, manufacturing and producing their products locally.

Cashew Nut Topping They use an unbleached, natural bag as an ultimate barrier protection against light, moisture and oxygen. When you open the package you will immediately smell the distinctive nutty aroma of cashews. The nuts are ground with orange peel, cumin, coriander and curry.

POURfect – pourfectbowl.com

POURfect products were invented and designed when owner Randy Kaas lost his sight in 2001. He has been in the kitchen utensil business since 1978, and was inspired by the TV show, The French Chef starring Julia Child. The need for a mixing bowl that wouldn’t spill when you couldn’t see what you were doing was recognized. POURfect Products solve common cooking problems, making your life easier, less messy, and more enjoyable.

Pourfect Beaker Dishwasher and microwave-safe, their beaker has a flat edge spout that assures no drips. Features gull wings that eliminates spilling of ingredients and has a comfort grip that fits naturally in hand.

PS SEASONING & SPICES – psseasoning.com

For almost 60 years, four generations of the Hanni family have been dedicated to mastering the craft of seasoning. Today PS Seasoning & Spices carries on old-world flavors and celebrates traditions of the past while also creating new products and blends to meet modern day demands.

Blueberry Mix Get the flavor of bright, plump blueberries in a gluten free mix. Packed with deliciously tart blueberries, make stacks of fluffy pancakes for the perfect breakfast or brunch. Whether you’re living gluten free or just looking for a great mix, these pancakes are for you. Want something a little different? Also try this mix in a waffle! Serve with fresh blueberries and sprinkle with powder sugar for a breakfast that’s simply delightful.

SUPERSEEDZ – superseedz.com

SuperSeedz are no-shell, and dry-roasted in small batches. Never oil-roasted and never “spray flavored.” Instead, every super seed is seasoned to perfection and dry roasted to lock in the unmistakable flavors and addictive light crunch. Just like Kathie, ‘the seed queen’ made them in her skillet for her kids to eat a healthy snack. They have 8 flavors.

Maple Sugar & Sea Salt Each seed is seasoned with 100% pure maple sugar and unrefined sea salt. An oh-so-indulgent sweet and savory snack, yet packed with protein and other nutrients.

Faces of Hunger Film Festival in NYC

September 13, 2016 by Mary 6 Comments

On October 14^th I’ll be heading over to NYU for the annual Faces of Hunger Film Festival. Faces of Hunger is dedicated to increasing awareness of food security issues in the United States of America and is run by Palms for Life, an NYC based non-profit that works globally with organizations on-the-ground to provide access to food, water, education, and sanitation.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know fighting world hunger is one of my main missions in life, and it isn’t just a problem in developing countries. Here in the USA one out of seven children live in food insecure households. And don’t even get me started on the sheer amount of food waste in our country; that was a whole post on its own already! One powerful statistic I saw on the Faces of Hunger page is that if we cut food waste by 25%, we would have enough for everyone to eat. We have to hold ourselves accountable and commit as a country to make a change!!

I welcome you to register here for the FREE event, I think tickets are only available for another day or so, so take advantage and join us!

They will also have an auction with various items including an annual subscription to MARY’s secret ingredients. Remember, each box supports our partnership with the global organization Feed The Children, so if you can’t join us at the event, you can still buy a box and support the cause while enjoying our curated surprises to help you make memorable meals.

Mary’s secret ingredients is here!!

March 14, 2014 by Mary 16 Comments

I’ve been so looking forward to this day. Mary’s secret ingredients, a limited edition subscription box bursting with culinary surprises, is here! The website is launched. We’ve lined up partners that can’t be beat. We’ve curated the product assortment in the box to be awesome. I’m so excited to have this media outlet to present all the great new small food manufacturers that are wholesome and gourmet.

Products pictured here are characteristic of the wonderful surprises that may be in your box.

This is such a great opportunity for them to get their product into your hands. And, this is such a great opportunity for you to be surprised with new, unique, artisanal and non–processed food items and ingredients arriving at your doorstep.

The world is truly full of great people who have awesome ideas for new products. This is a chance for you to be first in the know. I will provide additional support in blogs following your receipt of the surprise subscription box, to use those products in even more unique ways, with recipes and tips.

Unleash your creative inner self! Order a MARY’s secret ingredients box today and make some memorable days in your kitchen with your family and remember, always prepare and serve your food with LOVE and it will always taste better!

Thank you all for your support!

Sending love to you, Mary Frances

Spread LOVE – MARY’s secret ingredients is COMING SOON!

March 5, 2014 by Mary 20 Comments

I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, trying to figure out ways to spread more LOVE in this world of ours. Like many people, I constantly want to try new flavors, and to learn other countries’ traditions and favorites. What are those unusual vegetables or fruits at the Jamaican market? What do you do with all the different dried chilies you see in some stores? How can you fuse certain heritages’ flavors? There are so many new ingredients introduced every year – artisanal, unique, small batch – how can you find them and play with them in your repertoire while continuing to spread LOVE in your cooking?

Well, I’m out to solve that problem, as well as to do my part to help feed hungry children. Soon, we will be bringing you MARY’s secret ingredients, a limited edition, culinary surprise, subscription box service containing unique, gourmet and artisanal ingredients, along with small kitchen products to spice up your cooking. During each quarter in 2014, 100 themed seasonal boxes will be filled with lovely surprises to inspire you, delivered right to your door. The cost will be $25.95 per box (including shipping) and 10% of our annual profits will be donated to the wonderful non-profit organization Feed The Children. No one should go hungry. Not in this country. Not anywhere. Put double LOVE in your cooking!

Our site will go live in the next few days. We have exciting and delicious ingredients to share with you. Terrific partners have signed up to participate with their delectable products. Additionally, I’ll be creating new recipes with these colorful ingredients, so you can refer back here to the blog for further inspiration in your cooking.

As mentioned, there will be only four box themes curated this year, with room for just 100 orders for each, so sign up just as soon as our site is launched which will be early next week. At the moment, we are only able to ship within the U.S. – we hope to be able to serve our international friends in the near future. You, my dear readers, are what makes all of this extra fun, and I want to thank you, near and far, for being part of this community and being here on my food adventure.

I’m so excited to share this with you all, and will let you know when the site has launched!

My good friend Marie gave this butter knife to me as a birthday present – the inspiration for this new adventure. Isn’t it great?