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[…]
Tortellini Salad with Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes, and Eggplant
Tortellini Salad with Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes, and Eggplant 6 Side Servings FYI: We served this as a side dish for our 4th of July BBQ, but it would also make a satisfying entree for 2 or 3. Note: The veggies can be made several hours before cooking the pasta. Keep covered in the fridge and[…]
Open-Faced Peach & Prosciutto Sandwiches with Brie & Arugula
Mary Anne here. As I cruised my grocer’s aisles this past weekend, the plump, softly furred peaches captured my imagination. I wanted peaches, and I wanted them right then and there – even in their unripened form. Given their immature state, I began daydreaming this “cooked salad” on bread and the following ingredients somehow landed[…]
Michael’s Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Crunchy Scallions and Fresh Cilantro
Mary Anne here. Well, it seems Michael is getting the hang of contributing to our little blog. This afternoon, in preparation for the holiday weekend, he whipped up this salad (it’s become a standard in our home) and actually WROTE DOWN the measurements – yippee!! Michael is a pretty cute guy and I think he[…]
No-Grill Sweet & Tangy Barbeque Chicken
Mariel here. For the past week-and-a-half, I’ve been recovering from a minor surgery – a procedure that necessitated filling a few heavy-duty prescriptions that all but obliterated my appetite. When you run a cooking blog, that isn’t such a great thing. Practically force-feeding myself, I’ve been subsisting on a steady diet of white rice and[…]
Caribbean Jerky Chicky
Mary Anne here. Recently I had the good fortune to spend a few days on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. It was absolute paradise, particularly during this spate of blustery wet weather here on the east coast! As we basked in the glow of emerald green waters and relished the warm island breezes, we[…]
Root Beer Baked Black Beans
Mary Anne here. Ready…aim…fire up those grills! Labor Day is upon us and those coals will glow red-hot for summer’s last official chow down. My family will undoubtedly be expecting the traditional assortment of Slow Roasted Ribs, Macaroni Salad, Deviled Eggs, Corn Salad, Tomato and Brie and Mariel’s Cheddar Black Bean Cornbread. This year, I’ve[…]
Cheddar Blackbean Cornbread
Mariel here. I don’t need to remind you that Labor Day is just a hop, skip and a half a month away. Where the time went, we’ll never know, but since the summer’s biggest BBQ bash is right around the corner, I thought I’d whip up a suitable accompaniment to the Slow-Roasted Spare Ribs that[…]
Molasses and Bourbon-Marinated Skirt Steak with Peach Relish
Mary Anne here. No doubt about it, Michael is the grill master in our house and he can usually be found hovering over the grates whether it’s the dead of winter or a blazing inferno. Like the proverbial postman, neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow…will keep his coals from igniting. Michael also believes in keeping[…]
Pineapple Barbeque-Glazed Chicken with Mango Salsa
Mariel here. Like last week’s Spice-Rubbed Steak with Chimchurri, this recipe can be classified under “Indoor Barbecuing” aka, “recreating festive, summery foods in a small, cramped Manhattan space sans an actual BBQ.” A real mouthful. Whether you choose to slap this chicken on the barbie or roast it right in the oven, this delicious dish[…]
Spice-Rubbed Steak with Chimichurri, White Beans and Cherry Tomatoes
Mariel here. I don’t do a lot of steak-making in my little Manhattan apartment. For me, a juicy slab of sirloin or a meaty rib-eye conjures up images of backyard barbequeing, beach bonfiring and otherwise frolicking in unfenced Elysian fields. My kitchen is about 4’X4′ and as for the outdoor space…yeah, I’m not a celebrity.[…]
Father’s Day Recipes
Dad’s big day isn’t all that far away…and so far you’ve got nada. No card, no gift, nothing but good intentions. Instead of shirking your genetic responsibility to honor thy father, whip him up a manly meal he won’t soon forget with one of these Father’s Day recipes. They call them brownie points for a[…]
Slow-Roasted Barbeque Spare Ribs
Mary Anne here. My family LOVES to throw down…and no one more so than my brother Steve. Steve lives on the water in Rhode Island and has just about as many parties as there are weekends in a year! The home he shares with his wife and three daughters has become our official family reunion[…]
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[…]
Macaroni Salad with Tuna and Sweet Pickles
Macaroni Salad with Tuna and Sweet Pickles Serves 12 Ingredients: 1 lb. Medium Shells, cooked according to package directions – $0.80 2 + cups Mayonnaise – stock 1 medium yellow onion, diced – $0.52 3 large stalks of celery, chopped – $0.44 1-16 oz. jar Sweet Gherkin Pickles – $2.00 ¼ cup of the pickle[…]