Mariel here. Many moons ago, my husband and I spent an incredible year living in Hong Kong. We were in our mid-20s, unmarried and unmoored from all those wonderful anchors of adulthood. Feeling restless and in search of adventure, we both decided to part with our jobs and experience life away from the east coast,[…]
Black Bean, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers
Veggie Burgers with Black Beans, Sweet Potatoes, and Quinoa Makes 8 Inspired by The Foodie Physician Ingredients: ½ cup raw quinoa – $3.29 (for a full box) 1 Tablespoon olive oil – stock small Bermuda (red) onion (about ¾ cup), finely diced – $0.84 1 small Jalapeno, minced – $0.22 4 cloves garlic, minced –[…]
Welsh Rarebit
Mary Anne here. This recipe brings me back to my own childhood in the ’50’s and 60’s when counting calories was unheard of and comforting cheese sauces topped everything from bread to veggies! This antiquated treasure is the base for the king of all cold comfort foods – mac ‘n cheese – and I assure[…]
Toasted Cashew Chicken with Scallions & Fresh Cilantro
Mariel here. For the past two months, my kitchen has been under construction. When we moved into this house last spring, we knew we had several projects that needed to be addressed…with the kitchen and bathrooms being at the top of the list. “Oh, it’ll be so fun to make our home exactly like we[…]
Vegetarian “Franks” and Beans
Mary Anne here. This concoction began percolating while on the cross-trainer at my local gym. As I sweated to Dr. Oz, a commercial for kidney beans appeared, the voiceover singing the virtues of these protein-packed legumes. Somehow the junk-food-obsessed devil in my brain translated this ad to a craving for hot dogs and maple syrup-sloshed[…]
Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Prosciutto
Mariel here. This past Saturday, my husband and I traipsed on up to The Country with another friends-with-kids couple to go pumpkin picking. Somehow, despite the fact that our child is more petite than your average gourd and would rather swat at the stuffed birds in his “activity gym” than ogle real ones, we were[…]
Cool Green Bean Salad with Smoked Gouda and Crisp Apples
Mary Anne here. As I write this post, my most beautiful and cherished grandson is exactly 5 weeks old today, and I am The.Happiest. Nana. Ever. As a doting Nana, these past weeks have blown by in a whirl of cooking, cleaning, soothing, and savoring every delicious moment whilst tending to my exhausted daughter as[…]
Sparkling Cilantro-Mint Watermelonade
Mariel here. It’s been about nine months since I had my last cocktail. I was planning on “breaking the seal” at my best friend’s wedding a few weekends ago and indulging in one solitary glass of wine – my buddy’s husband knows LOTS about nice wines, so I figured if there was any time to[…]
S’more Brownies
Mariel here. Very rarely do I let photographs do all the talking, but I think it’s safe to say you get the gist of this recipe. Campires, porch swings and four o’clock cocktail hours…it’s official friends, summer is just 54 days away. Since it’d be a little premature to ignite a beachside bonfire and roast[…]
Rich’s Light New York Cheesecake
Mary Anne here. Or should I say, Rich Doscher here! Rich is a registered dietician at the hospital where I work. Together with a physical therapist, the three of us give seminars at local senior centers and churches, instructing folks on keeping one’s joints healthy. For such a young “kid,” Rich has an amazing grasp[…]
Asparagus Galette with Gruyere Cheese
Mary Anne here. A galette is a term used to describe various types of flat, round or free-form breads and cakes. In this recipe, it’s used to describe more of a tart-like dish, while my Potato and Canadian Bacon Galette serves as a tart but actually bakes en casserole. Now that I’ve cleared that up…[…]
Meyer Lemon Pasta with Fresh Herbs, Shallots and Toasted Walnuts
Mariel here. I’m a creature of habit. I wake up at the same time everyday – 7:45 – whether it’s a weekend or a weekday; I always kick-start the morning with a big bowl of berries and cereal; and the Today Show eases me into my routine before hitting the road for a run with[…]
Caribbean-Style Yuca Salad with Crispy Bacon, Sweet Onion and Celery
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[…]
Five-Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mary Anne here. This past Friday the hospital where I work “went red” for Women’s Health Day, a campaign initiated by the American Heart Association that’s designed to raise awareness for women’s cardiovascular wellness. Our radiology department, led by an MD well-versed in heart disease, shared valuable info on new, non-invasive tests that assess the[…]
Chile Con Queso aka Tex-Mex Style Nacho Cheese Dip
Mary Anne here. Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, and this year I may actually watch the game as my New York Giants tackle the New England Patriots! Usually it’s all about the grub…and the commercials. My cheering section of the Ellicott-Rittenhouse team plans to keep up our spirits no matter what happens on the[…]
The Ultimate Egg Salad Sandwich
Mariel here. Egg salad once occupied the same reviled space as Bloody Marys, tomato soup and green olives. My mom has always been a fan, but for the life of me, I could not figure out how or why people would toss together hardboiled eggs and mayo and slap it between two slices of bread.[…]
Simply Scampi
Mary Anne here. As I write this, the wind is positively roaring outside my window; the thermometer has plummeted into the single digits and the windchill factor boasts a cool minus 8. It’s this time of year when my body – revolting against well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions – craves all things butter. And what better[…]
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Crostini
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Crostini Makes about 20 crostini Ingredients: 3 medium beefsteak, jersey or vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered and seeded – $3.98 3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced 1 teaspoon sugar – stock ¼ teaspoon salt – stock Freshly ground black pepper – stock 2 Tablespoons olive oil – stock 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar –[…]
Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese with Smoked Mozzarella
Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese with Smoked Mozzarella Tip: You can prepare this up to 2 days before. Bring the tomato mixture back to room temperature before serving. Store the toasted baguette rounds in a sealed plastic container. Serves 10 Ingredients: 4 ozs. sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil – $2.49 2 cloves garlic, minced – stock 1[…]
Old-Fashioned Hermit Cookies
Mary Anne here. Hermit cookies are hands-down my ex-husband’s favorite treat. Tim is very conscientious about his diet, but when it comes to eating these chewy gems, all thoughts of eschewing sugar are cast aside. When a certain baking company stopped mass-producing the bars a few years back, I swear he was bereft. He needn’t[…]