Mary Anne here. Peaches are hitting their prime right now and after watching “Produce Pete’s” peachy dissertation on our local news station, I made a bee-line for the farmstand to pick a peck. Pete dished up a slew of fruity tips about selecting this precious produce and he managed to illuminate, entertain and inform in[…]
Pesto Plain and Simple
Mariel here. Pesto is the type of thing that does wonders for sprucing up a lackluster meal. Pop it on toasted bread and you’ll instantly add pep to a Tomato Salad; spread it on chicken breasts for a little zest; or just blend it with your favorite pasta. And, there are more pesto renditions than[…]
Ahi Tuna Poke
Mary Anne here. At our most recent family chow-down, my niece, Heidi, whipped up this smashing appetizer in about 10 minutes. Initially I didn’t deem sushi-quality Ahi Tuna Feast-worthy (given its high price tag), but when I saw how far it went in my family of gastronomes, I quickly changed my tune and sweet-talked my[…]
Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce for Buffalo Wings
Pairs perfectly with our Tapas Wings, Sweet & Spicy Wings or Classic Buffalo Wings. Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce for Buffalo Wings Serves 6 Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped – $0.20 the juice of ½ a lemon – $0.24 6 ozs. plain yogurt – $0.80 ½ cup mayonnaise – stock 1 cup crumbled Blue or Gorgonzola[…]
Valerie’s Fig and Olive Tapenade with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Valerie’s Fig and Olive Tapenade with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Serves 14 Note: This can be prepared 2 to 3 days ahead of time and I whipped it up in less than 30 minutes! To toast walnuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the chopped nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake[…]
Homemade Cranberry Chutney
Mary Anne here. Homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than the canned variety, (Mariel here. That’s debatable), although children under the age of 20 tend to disagree. This concoction keeps beautifully for up to a week in the refrigerator. Back in the day, I used Red Currant preserves in this recipe, but given that[…]
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Homemade Barbeque Sauce and Coleslaw
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Homemade Barbeque Sauce and Coleslaw Makes 6-7 Sandwiches Ingredients for My Mom’s Traditional Coleslaw: 1 cup Lo-fat Mayonnaise – stock 2/3 cup Buttermilk (freeze the leftover) – $0.49 1/3 cup sugar – stock 4 Tablespoons white vinegar (I sometimes use cider vinegar instead) – stock 1 teaspoon salt – stock Freshly[…]
Smoked Salmon with Dill Sauce
Smoked Salmon with Dill Sauce Serves 12 or more and recipe is easily halved Ingredients: 1 lb. Norwegian smoked salmon, pre-sliced – $17.98 Thin sliced Pumpernickel bread; cut into rounds (three per slice) with a small cookie cutter (I use a heart shape) – $2.99 Sweet butter, softened – from stock Sprigs of fresh dill for[…]
Crab Cakes with Jalapeno Aioli
Mary Anne here. Fluffy and light, I like to pack my crab cakes full of crab, not cake. My kids are definitely biased, but they all agree that this is one of their favorite recipes. This recipe pairs beautifully with Mango Salsa or Mariel’s Sweet Pepper Pineapple Relish. Crab Cakes with Jalapeno Aioli Serves 8[…]
Spring Cleaning: Jalapeño Mayonnaise
Jalapeño Mayonnaise Ingredients: 1 ½ cups mayonnaise – from stock 2 Tablespoons honey – from stock 3 red or green Jalapeño chilies, minced fine – $0.87 2 cloves garlic, minced – from stock 1 ½ teaspoons horseradish – $1.79 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar – from stock ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste – from[…]
Jalapeño Mayonnaise
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups mayonnaise – from stock 2 Tablespoons honey – from stock 3 red or green Jalapeño chilies, minced fine – $0.87 2 cloves garlic, minced – from stock 1 ½ teaspoons horseradish – $1.79 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar – from stock ¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste – from stock GRAND[…]
Mango Salsa
Mary Anne here. We eat A LOT of mangoes at my house. Whenever my daughter is coming home to visit, I always stock up on mangoes -Mexican, Thai, Indian, whatever. While they’re not the hardest fruit to cut, sometimes navigating around that long, flat pit means a good deal of flesh is lost or rendered[…]
Garden Guacamole
Garden Guacamole 10 Servings, but this recipe is easily halved Note: With firm pressure, roll limes on counter top before cutting and juicing. Ingredients: 6 Haas Avocados, ripened – $7.50 *Note: To hasten the ripening of avocado or any fruit, place in a brown paper bag for a day or two. When choosing an avocado,[…]