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Mary Helen
Austin, TX
I can Haas Avocado?
Interests: Cooking, The Four Major Food Groups, The Thousands of Minor Ones, Avocados, Ice Cream Cones, Pickles, Sushi, Fried Scorpions, Omelette Making, New York Hard Rolls, Grilled Pizza, Mango Lassi, Green Tea, Custard, Lobsters, Cherry Stone Clams, Littlenecks, Native Corn, Seasonal Cooking, Curry, Jerk Chicken, Should I keep going?
Recent Activity
Awesome! I'm so glad you liked it!
Commented 12 hours ago on Spaghetti Squash With Garlic, Wine and Tomato at Mary Makes Dinner
Spaghetti Squash With Garlic, Wine and Tomato
I didn't ever think that a steaming bowl of squash would make me say "mmmmm" and reach for more. I love a good veggie, but seriously, it isn't often that I find a dish of mostly vegetable to be all that alluring. As with most things in life, squash took an intense turn for the better once I put...
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out. Using butternut squash was a great idea.
Commented 3 days ago on Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup at Mary Makes Dinner
Red Curry Sweet Potato Soup
I have a real thing for sweet potatoes. If they weren't so ugly, I'd probably have one tattooed on my body. Speaking of tattoos, I indulged my ink addiction recently at Bijou Studio here in Austin. It's a little over half-way done, with all of the line work, and a touch of color completed. I'll ...
Im glad you enjoyed this piece. I look forward to reading your book!
Commented 3 days ago on To My Favorite Teachers at Mary Makes Pretty
To My Favorite Teachers
This morning I learned (via Facebook) that one of my favorite middle school teachers has passed away. Mr. Buday was a shining light in the darkness that was grades six to eight. The people who know me best know that school was a real nightmare for me. From second grade on I was relentlessly bu...
Giveaway: Austin Food Blogger Alliance Community Cookbook
Posted 3 days ago at Mary Makes Dinner
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Thanks, Emorie!
Commented 4 days ago on Lemongrass Tofu Spring Rolls with Vietnamese Pickles at Mary Makes Dinner
Lemongrass Tofu Spring Rolls with Vietnamese Pickles
Isn't rice amazing? It astounds me how this one grain can take on so many forms. Hearty brown rice, short grain sushi, sticky coconut rice, porridge, mochi... It's the like chameleon of grains. Lately I've been falling hard for rice paper. This bouncy, transparent film has a mild, almost non-exi...
Lemongrass Tofu Spring Rolls with Vietnamese Pickles
Posted 5 days ago at Mary Makes Dinner
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Nice! Thanks for the tip!
Commented 5 days ago on The Best Little Beergaritas in Austin, Texas at Mary Makes Dinner
The Best Little Beergaritas in Austin, Texas
What do you get when a frozen margarita makes sweet, sexy love to a longneck Mexican beer? You get my favorite drink, the beer-garita. When you want to show happy hour who's boss, order up one of these beauties. If you're drinking at the right place, a beergarita translates into at least two ful...
Taming Wild Light: Tips and Gadgets to Bounce, Diffuse, and Reflect Rogue Light
Posted 6 days ago at Mary Makes Pretty
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Thanks, Melissa! I love your blog too. That cauliflower pasta looks great!
Commented 7 days ago on Lemongrass Tofu Recipe at Mary Makes Dinner
Lemongrass Tofu Recipe
Tofu gets such a bad rap. I guess its reputation is due largely to its appearance. No matter how you dress it up, no one looks at a spongy white rectangle and thinks, "Ohhhh yeah". And yes, the texture is kind of weird, and definitely nothing like meat, but lots of tasty things don't resemble...
Yeah! Hope you love it, Yen!
Commented May 3, 2013 on Lemongrass Tofu Recipe at Mary Makes Dinner
Lemongrass Tofu Recipe
Tofu gets such a bad rap. I guess its reputation is due largely to its appearance. No matter how you dress it up, no one looks at a spongy white rectangle and thinks, "Ohhhh yeah". And yes, the texture is kind of weird, and definitely nothing like meat, but lots of tasty things don't resemble...
Lemongrass Tofu Recipe
Posted May 1, 2013 at Mary Makes Dinner
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Hi Jessica! Sure. Youll need a drill with multiple sized drill bits, sand paper, a rope light (or regular twinkle lights), paint, and silver paper. I started out by drilling holes all over the guitar. I used different sized bits to make the stars more realistic. In the back of the guitar, I cut a hole large enough to run the lights though. I started with the largest drill bit I had, then carved the hole out larger using sand paper. Next, rub the surface of the guitar with sand paper until it is fairly rough. You want to remove the varnish so that the paint will adhere better. Start with a coat of white paint or primer, then let that dry. Next, paint on a layer or two of blue. I used a sponge, and mottled in different shades of dark and light blue. After that dries, use white, grey, and light blue to paint clouds. I cut a circle of silver glitter paper that was just a little larger than the hole in the guitar, and slid it in between the strings to cover the hole. Thats pretty much it! Good luck with your project. Id love to see a photo when youre done. If you have any more questions, just let me know. XO Mary Helen
Commented May 1, 2013 on Upcycled Guitar Lamp at Mary Makes Pretty
Upcycled Guitar Lamp
I've had this old guitar kicking around my garage for a while now. It belonged to a friend of mine that had asked Scott to check it out and see if there was any chance of salvaging it. Unfortunately, the neck was warped beyond repair, so I asked her if she'd mind my using it for an art project. ...
Milan Makes Me Hungry
When Scott and I were invited to come and visit my folks in Switzerland we immediately set a goal to travel as far and wide during our trip as possible. Switzerland borders Germany, France, Italy, and Austria, making it a great place to travel from. Neither of us had ever... Continue reading
Posted Apr 27, 2013 at Mary Makes Dinner
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Delicious Switzerland
Bonjour! Bonjourno! Gutentag! I am writing to you from beautiful Switzerland. My parents moved to Suisse about a year and half ago, so I am here visiting them, and exploring the surrounding areas as much as I can. To sum up Switzerland in three words: beautiful, delicious, expensive. Luckily, the... Continue reading
Posted Apr 25, 2013 at Mary Makes Dinner
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Austin Bakes for West
Posted Apr 25, 2013 at Mary Makes Dinner
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Thanks, Kate. It's nice to meet you!
Commented Apr 24, 2013 on How to Become a Really Good Cook: Part One, Just Keep Cooking at Mary Makes Dinner
How to Become a Really Good Cook: Part One, Just Keep Cooking
Before I learned to cook, I looked at the people in my life that could make magic in the kitchen, and I thought it was just that, magic. My sister Sarah, my cousin Connie, the countless chefs that I worked with over the years in restaurants and catering. I just kind of assumed that they were all...
Hee Hee. Glad to be of help!
Commented Apr 24, 2013 on How to Become a Really Good Cook: Part One, Just Keep Cooking at Mary Makes Dinner
How to Become a Really Good Cook: Part One, Just Keep Cooking
Before I learned to cook, I looked at the people in my life that could make magic in the kitchen, and I thought it was just that, magic. My sister Sarah, my cousin Connie, the countless chefs that I worked with over the years in restaurants and catering. I just kind of assumed that they were all...
Mary Helen is now following Pure and Simple
Apr 18, 2013
Visiting Montreaux and Chateau de Chillon
Today was my first full day in Switzerland. I'm here visiting my parents, who moved here just over year and a half ago. They live in a village outside of Geneva, in the most charming little yellow cottage you ever did see. Scott and I came over to see what... Continue reading
Posted Apr 18, 2013 at Mary Makes Pretty
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How to Become a Really Good Cook: Part One, Just Keep Cooking
Before I learned to cook, I looked at the people in my life that could make magic in the kitchen, and I thought it was just that, magic. My sister Sarah, my cousin Connie, the countless chefs that I worked with over the years in restaurants and catering. I just... Continue reading
Posted Apr 18, 2013 at Mary Makes Dinner
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I was not digging them at first, but now I'm a total parsnip convert. They have a tangy, almost lemony kind of flavor once they are cooked up. They taste great considering how weird looking they are!
Commented Apr 15, 2013 on Parsnip & Spring Onion Pierogies at Mary Makes Dinner
Parsnip & Spring Onion Pierogies
Every once in a while I find myself bewildered by an item in my CSA. Last week I was puzzled by parsnips. They are awfully funny looking, like weird white carrots with super long tails. They didn't seem too appealing, so it took me a little while to figure out exactly how to use them. I had hear...
Parsnip & Spring Onion Pierogies
Posted Apr 15, 2013 at Mary Makes Dinner
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Thanks, Natalie! That's awesome to hear!! I'd love to hear how else you use it.
Commented Apr 15, 2013 on Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe at Mary Makes Dinner
Creamy Vegan Broccoli Soup Recipe
A rich, hearty soup made with cashews, vegetable stock, and fresh broccoli. Last month was kind of a crappy month. Some unhappy things happened, but even on the good days there seemed to be a dark cloud hovering. This feeling of gloom happens every year actually, like the post-daylight savin...
Make 'Em Laugh: Mary Goes to Improv Class
Sometimes people don't believe me when I tell them I'm shy. For me, shyness is one of those personality traits that comes and goes. It can be crippling when it rears it's ugly head, so I've spent the last twenty some-odd years of my life learning to cram it down... Continue reading
Posted Apr 13, 2013 at Mary Makes Pretty
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Hi Holly. I actually liked this best with plain old soy sauce. Tamari sauce would work too.
Commented Apr 11, 2013 on Cashew Rangoon Recipe at Mary Makes Dinner
Cashew Rangoon Recipe
One of my all-time favorite Chinese take-out junk foods, Crab Rangoon is basically just a tasty little pocket of molten sin. Cream cheese, salty crab, and scallion wrapped up and deep fried, then soaked in soy sauce or duck sauce. Whoever invented the stuff must have done so shortly after inv...
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