Mariel here. Apparently our sweet-teeth weren’t sated last week since both my mom and I opted to post desserts this week. There’s just something about the holidays that screams for more-more-more sugar. But I’d like to think I have an even better reason than that…today we’re celebrating both my husband’s and my step-father-in-law’s birthday. Yesterday[…]
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[…]
Gingersnap Cheesecake
Mariel here. The women in my family are queens of the cheesecake. If you haven’t already given my grandmother’s versions a spin – both the chocolate and the regular – you better hop to. My mom has become a cheesecake pro in her own right and regularly dishes up these treats for her nearest and[…]
Haricots Verts with Roasted Shallots
Mary Anne here. As promised, here’s my second installment to a Rittenhouse “Sunday Dinner.” When my eldest son and I went shopping for our Roast Beef, the produce market was touting thin Haricots Verts for a mere $1.99/pound. Usually when I want to treat myself to this crisp cousin of the fatter green bean, they[…]
Black Bean and Candied Sweet Potato Soup
Mary Anne here. Black beans were on sale at my local grocer and so I decided to take these beauties out for a spin. Most – if not all – of the bean soups I’ve sampled are pretty predictable in a sort of monosyllabic way. But as I considered my seasonal culinary options, visions of[…]
Potato, Leek and Prosciutto Parcels for Secret Recipe Club
Mariel here. Since I spent last week camping out in the Adirondacks, I didn’t get a chance to sample my mom’s amazing-looking Potato, Gruyere and Canadian Bacon Galette. In fact, the description of this tasty creation seemed to burrow itself into my brain and lodge there, so much so that I did the unthinkable on[…]
Orzo with Creamy Brie, Bing Cherries and Fresh Basil
Mariel here. Recently I’ve been feeling like a neglectful bloghost. Where I’d normally stop by the back-end every other hour to tend to Feast‘s stat log and answer any reader questions, now it’s more like every other day. I’m in the throes of several new work projects and they’ve been all but consuming my life….which[…]
Crispy Chicken Sandwich Topped with a Fried Egg, Prosciutto and Spinach-Garlic Aioli
Crispy Chicken Sandwich Topped with a Fried Egg, Prosciutto and Spinach-Garlic Aioli Serves 2 Ingredients for the Aioli (makes about 2/3-cup worth, which is more than you need for this): 3 cloves of garlic – stock Pinch of salt – stock Handful of fresh spinach – $2.50 1 egg yolk at room temp – stock[…]
Broiled Corn on the Cob Rolled in Smoky Chili-Butter and Parmesan
Mariel here. Ahh the simple joy of corn on the cob. This high-summer treat is the stuff of dreams – specifically, my dream of one day living on a farm surrounded by dogs, horses and a small brood of babies. Flash to the present: I’m an indoor kid. A caged city bird perched in a[…]
Sautéed Pork Medallions with a Ginger-Infused Balsamic Reduction
Mary Anne here. This past Sunday was my birthday, and in my family, if your special day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, you’re automatically entitled to a two-day “birthday weekend.” I dove headlong into queen mode, taking full advantage and squeezing every last second out of my 48-hour party. To kick-start the festivities, I[…]
Apple Pie Pancakes a la Mode
Mariel here. This, my friends, is what happens when you start reminiscing on an empty stomach. After waxing geriatric for Father’s Day and drumming up old memories of Bakery Sundays filled with Apple Turnovers, sugared Elephant Ears and crotchety Bran Muffins for the fiber-philes, I couldn’t stop thinking about all the delicious breakfast treats of[…]
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[…]
Orange Curd Puff Pastry Tartlets
Mariel here. This past weekend, one of my bffs from college took the long walk down a short aisle, marrying another friend of mine in one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever attended. Everything was perfect – perfect weather, perfect Lela Rose dress, perfect yachty Montauk backdrop, perfect sunny-and-75 weather, which can be a[…]
Key Lime Pie Pops
Mariel here. We’ve been on a roll recently, snapping up catering gigs left and right. For last week’s job, our clients requested our Key Lime & Blackberry Bites – a refreshing, super summery treat that puts a new twist on the traditional pie beloved by grandmothers and Boca Ratonians alike. The recipe didn’t make enough[…]
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[…]
Memorial Day Recipe Ideas
I took a look at last year’s holiday menu and realized that we’ve added a boatload of family-friendly Memorial Day recipe ideas for this weekend’s start-of-summer feast. While we tend to stick to tradition when it comes to our own Memorial Day “picnic” – Deviled Eggs, Barbeque Spare Ribs, Southern Fried Chicken and Macaroni Salad[…]
Puff Pastry Bites with Stilton, Fig Jam, and Candy-Glazed Walnuts
Mary Anne here. Living in the Northeast, this wickedly wild winter left me wanting to hibernate. And while our spring has certainly had its fair share of dark and dreary days, we’ve also enjoyed intermittent bouts of sunshine and warmth. I am SO ready for real spring weather that I’m determined to dust off the[…]
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[…]
Roasted Tomato Salsa with Fresh Cilantro and Tomatillos
Mariel here. I don’t have to tell you that fresh salsa beats the pants off the jarred stuff, so I won’t get into some long-winded explanation as to why I whipped this up. But I will tell you this: a) I was inspired by a delicious-looking Salsa Verde over at Mommie Cooks! b) this is[…]
Well-Stocked Vegetable Soup
Mary Anne here. Recently I had an abundance of leftover veggies in my crisper – remnants of the Osso Bucco and Corned Beef and Cabbage I made mid-March. I had dutifully saved all scraps from these veggie-heavy feasts, so transorming the odd leek, cluster of carrots, strained tomato juice and fresh horseradish into yet another[…]