Mary Berg celebrates her TV family with the perfect taco fiesta in her own backyard! Pork Carnitas make a tender and juicy taco filling with classic Mexican spices, beer for braising and fresh citrus. Then, Mary keeps it fresh with homemade Pico de Gallo and all the Taco Party Fixings, including flavorful guacamole and tortillas with a crispy cheese shell. Tacos Dorados de Papa combines tacos and potatoes with cotija cheese and chipotle sour cream for dipping. Finally, Mary proposes a toast with a bubbly Pineapple Spritz.
Mary Berg is celebrating summer's seasonal fruits and veggies. With her limited-edition bounty of peppers, Mary makes a sweet and spicy appetizer, Baked Goat Cheese with Jalapeno Cherry Jam. Her Creamy Zucchini Risotto is like summer on a plate, with parsley, mint and even those cute little zucchini blossoms. Mary has also got the perfect dish to highlight tomatoes aplenty: Tomato Butter Chicken. Don't forget the cocktails! Mary's Strawberry Cucumber Mojito is packed with garden-fresh goodness all muddled together in delight.
Mary Berg shares three recipes that are easy on the grocery bill without sacrificing flavor. Lower-priced cuts of meat are now the star of the table with her Pork Chops au Poivre, served with a deliciously creamy peppercorn and brandy sauce. Then, Mary's mom, Myra, enters the kitchen to demonstrate one of her family favorites, Grilled Flank Steak. Plus, an economically massive turkey breast goes a long way in Mary's crispy and juicy Turkey Schnitzel with pickle-y slaw.
A cast-iron pan is at the top of Mary Berg's must-have items list, but it can be intimidating, even for experienced cooks. Mary channels her inner cowboy with a hearty Vegetarian Chili Cobbler with Cornbread Dumplings, and she keeps down the number of dishes with her One-Pan Breadcrumb Chicken Thighs with orzo and greens. Then, Mary gets sweet with Peach and Berry Crisp, and her husband, Aaron, shares all the secrets to caring for cast iron.
Mary Berg elevates classic party recipes to easily turn out a tray of handy hors d'oeuvres. She kicks up the standard shrimp ring with her Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, served with three dunkable dips for the spicy cocktail sauce fan, the milder herb aioli enthusiast and a crowd-pleasing mix of both. Mary pairs it with her bubbly cocktail, the Grown-Up Float, featuring frozen sorbet and sparkling wine. Rounding out the party platter is a couple of grab 'n go's made for mingling, including a Sausage Roll Wreath with homemade pork and pancetta and Charcuterie Board Popovers that turn a cheese board into pleasant parcels stuffed with meats and cornichons.
Whether you're a newbie baker or a pro who wants to take it easy, Mary Berg has recipe hacks to raise your baking game. Mary's Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes feature a sneaky surprise center thanks to a roll of cookie dough from the refrigerator aisle, and store-bought pie crust is the perfect texture for Blondie Pie with apricot jam filling. Hummingbird Cake is an impressive dessert that tastes as if carrot cake and banana bread had a baby. Mary jazzes it up with canned pineapple, cream cheese peanut butter frosting and crunchy Peanut Butter Feuilletine-like topping made from breakfast cereal.
Mary Berg fills up the freezer with batch-made meals for her and her friends. Her Go-To Tomato Sauce freezes beautifully, making it a must-have store 'n serve solution to throw together a meal, like Veggie Cabbage Rolls! These have a mushroom and rice filling with walnuts and fresh herbs. Speaking of rolls, Lasagna Roll Ups are pre-proportioned pasta perfection, made with pesto, spinach and ricotta filling and ground beef. Nothing brings comfort like chili, and Mary's Green Chili brings a new smoky spin on a freezer staple, using ground turkey, charred peppers and green salsa. Everything is ready to heat and serve in a jiff!
Some may go to the pub for a pint, but Mary Berg is drawn in by the cheesy fried bar bites. She makes her faves at home, like Antojitos with cheesy pepper filling rolled up in fried tortilla, Beer Battered Cheese Curds with a maple-y twist, and Baked Chipotle Jalapeño Popper Dip with a crunchy toasted topping and served up with fried pita chips. It can't be a pub night without wings, and Mary's got Crispy Baked Chicken Wings flavored in honey garlic or chipotle citrus.
Mary Berg would live on bread if she could, and these straightforward recipes make it pretty darn close. Any Flavor Drop Biscuits can be custom-made to taste, and Mary goes with lemon-blueberry-white-chocolate and cheddar-chive. For a classic crusty sandwich loaf, Mary makes Honey Oat Bread and tops it with Honey Roasted Peanut Butter. Then, she skips the fuss with No-Knead Focaccia Pizza before her breads takes a chocolatey turn with Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns.
Preparing a big holiday feast can be overwhelming, but Mary Berg has recipes to reduce stress and free up more time for family. She starts with Cinnamon Roll Bread and, for the main event, makes Stuffed Turkey Roulade, Holiday Veg and Cranberry Sauce.