Mary Anne here. Salad is the simplest of all preparations, and as far as I’m concerned, no dinner is complete without one. I love most things green, but nothing more so than the crisp snap of spinach or arugula tossed with dried fruits, cheese, and crunchy nuts. Often, when I’m just too tired to even[…]
Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles
Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles Makes 3 quarts Note: You’ll need cheesecloth to make a “bouquet garni”. Simply cut a square large enough to accommodate the pickling spices and mustard seed. Place the spices and seeds in the middle of the square, and gathering up the sides, tie with a piece of butcher’s twine. The[…]
Home Goodies Giveaway!
Alright friends, it’s time to see just how friendly you are with Lady Luck. As we teased last week, CSN Stores is offering one lucky Feast on the Cheaper a $60 gift code redeemable for anything your greedy little heart desires from their MASSIVE stock of home goods and kitchenwares. To enter, simply leave a[…]
Upcoming Home Goodies Giveaway!
Mariel here. Hosting the fragrance giveaway at On the Glam was just so much darn fun, we thought we’d offer Feast‘s readers a similar thrill. So scrape yourselves off your La-Z-Boys, step away from your sectional sofas, and get ready to get greedy, ’cause this time, we’re taking it to the kitchen. CSN Stores, which[…]
Video: How to Chop an Onion Like a Pro
Ready to put your onion chopping skills to the test? Check out these recipes: Mango Salsa Garden Guacamole Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Wild Rice, Sweet Onions and Figs Caramelized Onion Tartlets Tomato Salad with Brie and Bermuda Onion Sweet Potato and Red Onion Salad Winter Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Turnips, Carrots and Onions
Gourmet to Go: A Tribute in Recipes
The news of Gourmet Magazine‘s untimely demise has left me feeling unexpectedly downtrodden – bereft almost – as though I have lost a beloved friend. The reality is that I, along with all of Gourmet‘s readers, will now trudge on without an invaluable resource in the great wide world of culinary education, edification and enjoyment.[…]
Farfalle with Fontina, Prosciutto and Crispy Leeks
Mary Anne here. Last summer was one for the record books – and not in a good way. During June alone, it rained 26 out of the 30 days – I signed up for New York, not Seattle. Given the lack of sunshine, I found myself constantly craving comfort food, something to take the edge[…]
Bloomingdale’s Cooking Demo Recap, Part 2
Mariel here. Initially, when my mom and I started this blog together, I demurred from being a vocal participant. I’ve gotten somewhat camera-shy in my old age and the thought of putting myself “out there” didn’t sit well. However, after our first Bloomingdale’s cooking demo, when my mom had a senior moment in front of[…]
Bean Salad with Summer Corn and Cilantro
Mariel here. This past weekend my fiance and I moved apartments. We migrated from the West Village all the way up to the Upper West Side, a transition that kinda feels a bit like moving to the ‘burbs. It’s different up here. Since I’m still in a state of flux – there’s hardly any furniture,[…]
Summer Ratatouille
Mary Anne here. As the Memorial Day weekend drew to a close, Mariel and I were hankering for lighter fare after feasting on Fried Chicken and Macaroni Salad. In the spirit of celebrating summer, we decided to prepare Ratatouille, another staple of my catering business. Mariel had never made this dish before, and it was[…]
Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini
Mariel here. It’s taken me a little longer than I’d like to cobble together my first Feast-worthy recipe, but I found one that’s up to snuff. I present (healthy!) Risotto with Shrimp and Zucchini. I found the original recipe while cruising SELF ‘s website. I have to say, they do a fantastic job creating healthy[…]
Top 12 Time & Money-Saving Kitchen Tips
Mary Anne here. The Bloomingdale’s demo yesterday was fantastic – exhilarating, exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but more to come on that tomorrow. Yesterday, at the demo, I shared my Top 10 Kitchen Tips for saving time, saving money and saving food. There are hundreds of tips and I’ll keep sharing, but these are a[…]
Before Good Food Goes Bad
I was inspired by an article I read in the Hartford Courant about how to use up common kitchen foods before they expire. As an addendum to their list of handy dandy suggestions, I thought I’d share my own ideas for putting food to work before it goes to waste. The thing about leftovers is[…]
Happy Meals
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[…]
Ode to the Egg: Cooking Tips
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[…]
Ode to the Egg
Well…the calendar says today is the first day of spring, but here in New York it’s snowing. Perfect. So, maybe the weather won’t cooperate today – I was hoping for sun, birds, bees, all that good stuff – but I’ve decided to salute spring with an Ode to the Egg. In the next few posts[…]
Afternoon Tea for Twenty
Mary Anne here. I find this menu is perfect for bridal showers…in fact, I served all of these treats at Mariel’s shower this summer. Throughout my years of catering, I found that afternoon tea parties became incredibly popular in the village where I live. As a result, I’ve spent countless hours slicing cucumbers, baking miniature[…]
The Great Recession
My mother, Liz, is a remarkable woman. At 84 years old, she still works five days a week, manages a house, drives, cooks, never forgets a birthday and shops with the best of them. As a younger woman, she also managed to raise six children on a very inconsistent budget. Growing up, sometimes we were[…]
Well-Stocked
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
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.