Mary Anne here. A galette is a term used to describe various types of flat, round or free-form breads and cakes. In this recipe, it’s used to describe more of a tart-like dish, while my Potato and Canadian Bacon Galette serves as a tart but actually bakes en casserole. Now that I’ve cleared that up…[…]
Chocolate-Dipped Butter Cookies with Toffee Crunch
Mary Anne here. A few weeks ago, I posted my devilishly decadent Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Heath Bar Toffee Frosting. They were a diet buster to be sure, but more annoying than that, they left me with a paltry amount of leftover toffee crunch. What to do? As you know by now, I am[…]
Lettuce Wraps Stuffed with Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
Mary Anne here. This past weekend, when I ran into an old friend at the supermarket, he casually asked if I had stopped creating new recipes for Feast and was simply overseeing Mariel’s work. I literally stopped dead in my tracks. Two things struck me about the comment: first, I would never stop cooking, and[…]
Asian Chicken Salad Tartlets
Asian Chicken Salad Tartlets Makes about 50 Tartlets Note: The chicken salad can be prepared the day before. Fill the tartlet shells with the salad just before serving. Ingredients: 1¾ lbs. cooked chicken (about 4 cups), cut into small cubes – $4.99 3 packages frozen Phyllo tartlet shells – $5.07 ½ cup peanut or canola[…]
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Heath Bar Frosting
Mary Anne here. Chocolate + peanut butter, topped with Heath Bar bits = my idea of heaven! Not much more to say about this combo, other than that I should’ve come up with this before Lent! The inspiration for these sinful cupcakes arose in the baking aisle of my local grocery store. It seems that[…]
Caribbean-Style Yuca Salad with Crispy Bacon, Sweet Onion and Celery
Mary Anne here. I first sampled Yuca – aka Cassava – while visiting St. Lucia this past December. Michael and I took a tour of the Pitons, visiting the magnificent and explosive botanical gardens…explosive thanks to the neighboring active volcano. Never have I seen flora and fauna as lush and vibrant as the native flowers[…]
Five-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mary Anne here. This past Friday the hospital where I work “went red” for Women’s Health Day, a campaign initiated by the American Heart Association that’s designed to raise awareness for women’s cardiovascular wellness. Our radiology department, led by an MD well-versed in heart disease, shared valuable info on new, non-invasive tests that assess the[…]
Chile Con Queso aka Tex-Mex Style Nacho Cheese Dip
Mary Anne here. Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, and this year I may actually watch the game as my New York Giants tackle the New England Patriots! Usually it’s all about the grub…and the commercials. My cheering section of the Ellicott-Rittenhouse team plans to keep up our spirits no matter what happens on the[…]
Crab Stuffed Ravioli with a Duxelle of Mushrooms, Shallots, Red Peppers, and Pistachios
Crab Stuffed Ravioli with a Duxelle of Mushrooms, Shallots, Red Pepper, and Pistachios Serves 4 Tip: Uncooked ravioli can be prepared the day before. Keep in the fridge, in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Cover carefully with plastic wrap. If planning ahead and freezing all or part of the[…]
Finska Kakor, aka Finnish Cakes with Sweet Butter and Almonds
Mary Anne here. Mariel’s BFF is getting married in May, and naturally we’ll be hosting her bridal shower. Mariel’s gal pal is like the second daughter I never had, and so of course I want the party to reflect how much we love her. One of the best ways to express our devotion is through[…]
Simply Scampi
Mary Anne here. As I write this, the wind is positively roaring outside my window; the thermometer has plummeted into the single digits and the windchill factor boasts a cool minus 8. It’s this time of year when my body – revolting against well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions – craves all things butter. And what better[…]
Apple and Potato Soup with Brie and Glazed Pecans
Mary Anne here. The inspiration for this soup actually came to me in October when the hospital where I work ladled up a delicious blend of apples and fennel for “Food Day.” I wanted to recreate it precisely, but since fennel can be pricey in these parts, I opted to divine the soup with a[…]
Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese with Smoked Mozzarella
Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese with Smoked Mozzarella Tip: You can prepare this up to 2 days before. Bring the tomato mixture back to room temperature before serving. Store the toasted baguette rounds in a sealed plastic container. Serves 10 Ingredients: 4 ozs. sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil – $2.49 2 cloves garlic, minced – stock 1[…]
Crispy Kale Chips
Mary Anne here. This fall, I spent a glorious eight hours up north in horse country with my favorite girl, Mariel. I just love those quiet, mom-daughter days. On this particular adventure, we stopped for coffee on the way and, while sipping from our paper cups, we perused the goodies at a local farm stand.[…]
Baked Onion Rings with Old Bay
Mary Anne here. True, I am an onion ring fanatic, but I believe there is nary a fried food that stacks up to a deep-fried, batter-crisped sweet onion. That being said, while December typically signals a break from bathing suit season, my annual trip to the tropics means I should probably be taking a plunge[…]
Old-Fashioned Hermit Cookies
Mary Anne here. Hermit cookies are hands-down my ex-husband’s favorite treat. Tim is very conscientious about his diet, but when it comes to eating these chewy gems, all thoughts of eschewing sugar are cast aside. When a certain baking company stopped mass-producing the bars a few years back, I swear he was bereft. He needn’t[…]
Chocolate, Walnut & Coconut Pie Bars
Mary Anne here. Sadly, the Thanksgiving family feast is over and the holiday bustle is officially in full swing. Between Black Friday, which now apparently launches during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade (gasp!), to Cyber Monday we are inundated with pressure to buy, buy, buy! Not so fast. I’m still glowing from our unequaled Turkey Day[…]
Glazed Carrots with Ginger and Fresh Orange Juice
Mary Anne here. Mariel is right – when it comes to our Thanksgiving feast, it’s all about the side dishes. I have to admit, I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut in terms of trying out new veggies, but who wants to mess with success and risk disappointing the “kids” on such an important[…]
Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Gouda, Sage, and Prosciutto
Mary Anne here. It would seem that I’m having a love affair with fresh sage these days. It started in August when I grew weary of mayonnaise-laden pasta salads and concocted a Potato and Canadian Bacon Galette laced with sage and Gruyere. In September, the itch for this herb returned and I whipped up a[…]
Chicken Pot Pie with Sweet Potatoes, Leeks and Portabella Mushrooms
Mary Anne here. When my children were toddling tots, I struggled to find a dinner that pleased all three of them and their dad as well. Ravioli, Linguini with Clam Sauce, Chicken/Turkey Potpie, and Chicken Tenders were about the only choices they could all grudgingly agree upon. (Note: The links for Ravioli and Linguini with[…]