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Feast on the Cheap

Entertaining Recipes for the Budget Gourmet

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Farro Salad with Sweet Potato, Scallions & Dried Cherries

June 2, 2015 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

Farro Salad Serves 6 as a side dish Ingredients: 1 ½ cups farro – $ 5.99 (for a 1 lb. bag) 3 cups chicken stock or water ½ lb. sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice – $0.99 3 oz. prosciutto – $3.99 2 scallions, chopped, green and white parts – $0.25 ¼[…]

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Sliced Steak with Turnip Puree and Toasted Quinoa

January 16, 2015 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 1 Comment

Sliced Steak with Pureed Turnips and Toasted Quinoa Serves 4 Note: When buying turnips, select the smaller ones. They are not only sweeter but also a whole lot easier to peel and dice before boiling. And the quinoa (a protein-packed grain, BTW) is actually crunchy as this recipe requires only a small amount of water[…]

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Vegetarian Chili with White Beans & Wild Mushrooms

December 26, 2014 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

Vegetarian White Bean Chili with Mushrooms Serves 6 Note: Don’t use canned beans for this dish as the lengthy cooking time will cause the beans to lose their integrity. Additionally, if you don’t want to soak the beans overnight follow these directions for the quick-boil solution: Using a large pot, cover the beans with about[…]

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Hot Crab Dip with Old Bay Seasoning

November 25, 2014 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 1 Comment

Hot Crab Dip with Old Bay Seasoning Serves 10 Ingredients: 8 oz. whipped cream cheese, softened – $2.19 3 scallions (about ¼ cup), chopped fine – $0.99 ½ of a red bell pepper (2/3 cup) , chopped – $1.07 a heaping ½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese – $1.09 ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese –[…]

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The Year in Review…Babies Inc

December 31, 2012 by Mariel Goodson 11 Comments

Mariel here. This has been quite a year for me. In the span of 12 measly months, I’ve gone from dog-mom to baby mama, city-dweller to suburbanite, sleep-lover to insomniac, all thanks to an 18-lb bundle of drooling, face-sucking, chubby-thighed baby boy. I’ve learned a few lessons over the past year, none of which have[…]

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Whole Wheat Pasta with Mushrooms, Sweet Peppers, and Fontina Cheese

September 15, 2011 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 19 Comments

Mary Anne here. Hellooo autumn! Well, maybe I’m jumping the gun since the temp today was a humid 82, but the promise of the the season does put a glow in my heart. It’s the best of all weather, as the fading summer sun provides golden warmth during the day only to be replaced by[…]

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Beggar’s Salad with Raspberries, Prosciutto, Chevre and a Chunky Almond Vinaigrette

August 9, 2011 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 11 Comments

Mary Anne here. I realize that given the ingredient list, the name for my salad is a bit of an oxymoron, since it’s certainly one of the most elegant combinations I’ve ever tossed into a bowl. But in my opinion, it’s a beggar’s salad because it was inspired by a bounty of fresh greens that[…]

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Shrimp Po’ Boys with a Spicy-Sweet Remoulade

August 4, 2011 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 18 Comments

Mary Anne here. It would seem we’re on a sandwich roll here – get it? Oh whatever. From Mariel’s Crispy Chicken, Fried Egg and Prosciutto Sammie and my Classic Lobster Roll to these ridiculously rich Open-Faced Peach and Prosciutto with Brie and Arugula Sandwiches, we could practically open a deli! Thanks to the steamy temps outside, I[…]

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Fried Rice with Shrimp and Pancetta

April 3, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

Serves 6 Mary Anne here. This reheats beautifully for leftovers, although my host scarfed it down before anyone else could! Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons Peanut oil, divided – $4.49 3 large eggs, lightly beaten – from stock 1/3 lb. Pancetta, trimmed and diced (from one chunk) – $3.60 1 cup scallions, diced (including green tops) – $.45 *Plus 1 or 2 extra[…]

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Well-Stocked, The Asian Edition

April 3, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 3 Comments

Mary Anne here. Last weekend I was lucky enough to spend time with close friends at their cozy lakefront cabin in Pennsylvania. Under normal circumstances, as a guest, I would have shown my appreciation by treating my hosts to dinner at a lovely restaurant. But given the state of my own economy, I instead offered[…]

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Oh Right, It's April Fools Day

April 1, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

I must have forgotten. I’ve pulled a few pranks in my day, but I rarely kid about food.  My kids on the other hand…they’ve tortured each other. My daughter – who also happens to be the eldest – used to trick my oldest son into eating cat food by “wrapping” it up in whatever gum[…]

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Happy Meals

March 26, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

Given the dreary economic climate, I thought it might be a good idea to explore foods that activate neurotransmitters in the brain for an immediate mood boost – minus the sugar-high. Happy Foods include Magnesium-rich bananas, which reduce anxiety and improve sleep patterns; Vitamin-C rich oranges, which help diminish nervousness, bad moods and depression; Selenium-packed[…]

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Ode to the Egg: Cooking Tips

March 20, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 5 Comments

As promised, part II of Ode to the Egg includes a list of egg-related cooking and usage tips: 1.   For perfect hard-boiled eggs: There is a pocket of air inside the fat end of the egg. If you’re a real perfectionist and don’t want your eggs to crack in the boiling process, take a very[…]

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Spring Cleaning

March 10, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

Spring Cleaning As the daylight hours begin to lengthen – FINALLY! – I start to feel the rumblings of my old self return.  With this comes a strong desire to throw open the windows and look for the first blooms of spring outside my kitchen window. The first few days of spring are a time[…]

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Spring Cleaning: Organizing Your Time

March 10, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 1 Comment

Organizing Your Time for the Spring Cleaning Menu The Spring Cleaning menu, while relatively simple, requires a bit of extra work the day before, so organize the finer details of your event four, three, and two days beforehand. The day before, you will prepare the filling for the lemon pie as well as the actual[…]

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Gadgets – The Tenderizer

March 4, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 2 Comments

For many years, Herb & Honey-Marinated Filet Mignon reigned supreme as my favorite “special occasion”  meal. But as I just noted in my Highs and Lows post, I recently found an equally tender, equally mouth-watering, far less expensive option: sirloin. I should mention however, that it takes a little extra muscle-power, a good meat tenderizer,[…]

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The Highs and Lows

March 3, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

The Highs and Lows Feel like Filet Mignon but can only afford ground beef? Or maybe your spouse has invited your new in-laws (or boss, or stuffy maiden aunt…) to dinner on a Saturday night.  And as much as you’ve been reining in on the take-out expenses and Saturday night restaurant splurges, we’re all still[…]

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Well-Stocked

February 19, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse 2 Comments

Since the purpose of this blog is to provide delicious yet recession-friendly recipes to those of us who are becoming more acquainted with our kitchens, I thought a good place to start would be, well, the beginning.

While each recipe varies from the next, there are a variety of basic ingredients every well-stocked kitchen should have. I’ve included a grocery list that will help set first-timers and burgeoning gourmands on the right track. I’ve provided the cost of each ingredient as well as a grand total, and moving forward, the total cost of each of the subsequent recipes you’ll find on this site will assume your pantry – or cabinet – is stocked with the basics.

Welcome to Feast on the Cheap

February 17, 2009 by Mary Anne Rittenhouse Leave a Comment

Thanks for checking in! This is the inaugural Feast on the Cheap post and I thought I’d start by introducing myself.

I’m Mary Anne Ellicott-Rittenhouse and for the past 20 years I’ve worked as a caterer in Westchester and Eastern Long Island dishing up everything from haute cuisine to comfort food using a variety of original recipes and re-worked family favorites, courtesy of my mother and grandmother. My mantra is simple: I believe that delicious, healthy, homemade food should be easy and accessible – and shouldn’t require a massive bank account or massive amounts of time.

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MEET MARY ANNE & MARIEL:

A mother-daughter duo starring a professional caterer and a fledgling foodie.

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