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 –[…]
Leek and Apple Soup with St Andre and Sweet Potato
Mary Anne here. We really are cooking in these parts, although you’d never know it by the pitifully few posts making it to our beloved blog. It seems that I’m long on inspiration but short on time when it comes to formally writing my latest creations. Hurricanes and snow storms only serve to slow my[…]
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[…]
Roast Beef with Horseradish Cream
Mary Anne here. I must confess, I am not an ardent carnivore, but some of my warmest childhood memories center around Sunday family dinners. Oftentimes my mom would pull out all the stops and serve her bawdy brood a rare roast beef complete with all the trimmings. In those days, we ate gravy and butter[…]
Strawberry Mousse
Mary Anne here. While Mariel is busy trimming her caloric intake with naturally sweet, healthful condiments like this Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions, I seem to be channeling my Southern ancestors, conjuring up sweet strawberry confections like this delicious mousse. Did I mention that not one, but TWO kinds of sugar candy-coat this[…]
Southern Sausage and Cheese Breakfast Biscuits
Mary Anne here. This recipe was culled from my Nana’s book of “receipts.” She was a post-Civil War baby, raised on a plantation in Eufala, Alabama, and although my grandfather moved his bride to the icy cold of Buffalo, N.Y., her heart and palate remained south of the Mason-Dixon line. Nana’s leather-bound book of receipts,[…]
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[…]
Leek and Potato Soup with Roasted Pears
Mary Anne here. Okay, I must confess, we’re on a pear tear here at Feast on the Cheap. Having discovered that pears enhance everything from soup to Cinnamon Pear Coffee Cake, we just can’t get enough of this seasonal fruit. Pears add a certain je ne sais quoi to all manner of recipes, so I[…]
Acorn Squash and Pear Soup
Mary Anne here. Wandering the aisles of my local market, I noticed that pears were finally out in full force…and were conveniently nestled beside a display of the most beautiful green acorn squash I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Right there in the supermarket, I began conjuring up a soup that wed these disparate beauties and[…]
Cheesecake Brownies with Glazed Mixed Berries
Mary Anne here. As I cruised the aisles of my greengrocer, I was inspired by the bounty of plump blueberries and the fattest, reddest, ripest raspberries I’ve ever seen. My wheels started churning and I found myself caught betwixt cheesecake and brownies, hence this most holy of matrimonies. Cherry-picking a few ideas from my mom’s[…]
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[…]
Easter Leg of Lamb with Mint and Garlic
Mary Anne here. In my little village, leg of lamb usually carries a hefty price tag and therefore, is not a meat I work with when creating recipes for our blog. Case in point, last year, we touted a wallet-friendlier Easter Sunday Brunch in lieu of lamb, which rang in at $12.99 a pound. I[…]
Irish Soda Bread
Mary Anne here. If you’re a novice baker and intimidated by the mere thought of bread-making, then this loaf’s for you! Irish Soda bread literally takes fifteen minutes to prepare and under an hour to bake. I whipped up these two loaves right after work and still had time to prep dinner and start writing[…]
White Bean, Kale, and Sausage Soup
Mary Anne here. Our Cassoulet certainly covers the bean and pork superstition that goes hand in hand with celebrating New Year’s Eve, but we thought to offer an alternative, just in case. And, it’s yet again, another soup. Seriously, Mariel and I just can’t get enough of this winter staple! I created this soup after[…]
Eggplant Pinwheels with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Mariel here. I’ve been on the receiving end of more than a few not-so-subtle hints recently. My mom, pining for the day when I usurp responsibility for holiday dinners, lunches, brunches, breakfasts and desserts, has been encouraging me to find Christmas recipes I might be interested in making. But why would I do that when[…]
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[…]
Winter Beef Stew with Mushrooms and Turnips
Mariel here. I literally cannot stop making soup. A close friend of mine from college subsists on a steady diet of broth and I’m starting to understand her craze for the crockpot. So, as you’ve probably guessed, I’m sharing yet another soup recipe, although this dish is a bit heartier – a cross between a[…]
Waldorf Salad with Brussels Sprouts
Mary Anne here. Traditionally, my family forgoes a green salad on Turkey Day in favor of all of the other scrumptious sides we can chow down on just once a year. We do, however, always have fresh green beans in some form – a slight nod to healthier fare. But for some reason, this year[…]