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Steph Mackoul

@chefanie22

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#authentic
Heritage: 🇺🇸born/
🇱🇧🇮🇪Family
🕊️ #birdlover
#allergyawareness
#certifiedchef
Volenteer:
#HomeFrontNJ
#IOCC

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Thank you to my Aunt Mary who came to stay with us, (&Uncle Roger) for Thanksgiving from Cinncinati Ohio! They drove 11 hours in one day! (A day before thank goodness)! 😅
My Aunt Mary is super creative, and was an art teacher for over 30 years! She totally gets me when I say Food is Art!
She filmed the process of my fun mushroom dish I created for our Thanksgiving celebration!
Wild Mushroom and Leek Bird Nests!
Using hand formed shredded Phyllo.

Since I winged my speech here about the recipe, I forgot to mention that lions-mane mushrooms are sometimes used by people/vegans to make dishes similar to crab cakes. Since they have the same kind of texture as crab. (Of course and whom ever wants to use /eat/cook with all different kinds of mushrooms)!

I utilized one of my favorite companies mushrooms this year! @tworivermushroom they have the best kind, the best looking and tasting mushrooms around! Plus they were the first USDA mushroom Farm in New Jersey!

#suportsmallbusinesses
#gardenstate #funcookingwithfamily #homecooking #foodisart @tworivermushroom

Ps. I’d like to give a shout out to two of her daughters, my awesome cousins for this awesome apron they gifted me some time ago! It totally came in handy! With my #chefnickname 😘😘😘
#chefanie
@theresaapurcell & @ emily (she must have deleted her Instagram account 😅)

Plus I know @clairefmerriman (their older sister) will love this recipe as her husband, who is vegetarian! (Disclaimer, If you see the beef stock in the background there… that’s what the recipe I was using called for, although I “should” have used only wine or veggie stock instead! For vegetarian use veggie stock, or wine)!

Recipe coming soon… taken in Princeton, New Jersey by @chefanie22

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4 years ago

I was a sophomore in high school when 9/11 happened.

My mom was in Geneva, Switzerland at the time, attending meetings with #IOCC. She remembers a staff member from the World Council of Churches approaching her and another American in her group to tell them what had happened. At first, she thought it was a small plane accident.

The other American knew of an office with a television and went to find out more. When he came back, he was ashen-faced and told everyone that the United States had been attacked.

Of course, the meeting stopped as everyone tried to understand what was happening and what they should do.

Later, journalists from a Geneva television station came to the World Council of Churches Executive Committee meeting hoping to interview the Americans, but neither my mom nor the other Americans knew enough French to conduct an interview.

A colleague from the church invited my mom back to her apartment so she wouldn’t have to watch the coverage alone. Together, they watched CNN International before my mom eventually made her way back to her hotel. With flights disrupted, it was days before she was able to return home.

She still remembers how incredibly relieved and grateful she was to finally see my dad and me.

My own memories are those of a sophomore at The Pennington School, in Pennington, New Jersey, students huddled around a big box television in the student lounge, watching the coverage unfold. I remember so many students saying their parents worked in New York City and the fear and uncertainty of not knowing what was happening or whether their families were safe.

It was daunting. It was terrifying. And it was a day no one will ever forget.

It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since September 11, 2001.

May those who continue to carry the loss of loved ones find comfort, and may the memory of all those who lost their lives be eternal.

Memory eternal. 🇺🇸 by @chefanie22

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a month ago

I received some heartbreaking news this weekend. My mom took Lady Baby to the vet for a nail trim and checkup, and we learned that she has lost more weight and has a mass believed to be kidney cancer. At a healthy weight she should be around 8–9 lbs, and she is now only 6.25 lbs. We’ve been told our time with her may be very short.

I adopted Lady Baby in Brooklyn in 2011. I was told she was only 6 months old, but my vet quickly informed me she was already at least 2. From that moment on, she became my furry child.

Growing up, I was extremely allergic to cats and never thought I’d be able to have one. Then I moved to NYC, realized my roommate’s cat didn’t bother me, and decided to adopt my own, a little black cat with green eyes who was just a little weird, like me. 🖤

Baby has been through so much with me. She waited by the door for me to come home from work, begged at the dinner table, found every tiny square of sunshine coming through the windows, and somehow always knew when I needed her. She even loved my Dad, despite the fact that he never quite warmed up to her, and she made her feelings about that very clear by occasionally peeing on his side of the couch. 😂

Now I find myself wishing I could have back every late night I worked and every night I spent away from home, never imagining there would come a day when I would desperately want more time with her.

That day is here.

I’m heartbroken and, after so much loss, I don’t know how to prepare myself for another goodbye. Pets aren’t “just pets.” They are family. They quietly become part of our routines, our homes, our memories, and our lives.

So if I’m a little less like myself over the next few weeks, this is why. Right now, I just want to give my Baby all the love, sunshine, treats, cuddles, and time I possibly can.

We love you so much, Lady Baby. 🖤 @ladybabymeow by @chefanie22

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2 months ago

The Peony
Beginning of summer in my hometown of Princeton, New Jersey
is my favorite time of year,
outside the first soft awakening of Spring,
because my mother’s garden begins to sing again,
in peonies.

So many kinds,
Sunshine yellows, pinkish white, shades of pomegranate,
heavy-headed blooms bowing toward the earth
like they just finished performing the lead role in natures broadway play.

Their petals feel impossibly delicate,
like layers of vintage tissue paper
saved inside a cherished hat box,
Gathered together softly by the hands of mother nature herself.
One rainstorm and they shimmer,
one breeze and they scatter perfume into the air,
like whispered love notes.

And that scent,
oh, that scent, an instant dopamine rush to the soul. Sweet, nostalgic, almost magical, ✨
the kind of fragrance that stops you mid-thought and reminds you what happiness feels like before you even realize you needed it.

Pompoms of Mother Nature’s presents
fill our house with memories of happiness once again,
resting in crystal vases on tables and windowsills,
turning ordinary rooms into something sacred.
Every doorway carries their perfume,
every bouquet feels like abundance,
like tenderness blooming loudly
without needing to ask permission.

The peonies arrive,
and suddenly summer feels possible again.
The birds stay out later, the crickets and tree frogs sing once more,
the golden light softens the evenings,
and for a little while,
the world feels gentler,
wrapped in petals, perfume, and home.

Poem of thought by Stephanie Mackoul
Summer 2026
All rights reserved. by @chefanie22

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5 months ago

Dear Dad,
You would have been 86 today, May 22,2026.
I love you to the moon and back and now I love you to the moon, the stars, heaven and back!

I miss you so much every day, but especially on your Birthday! We shared the birthday number of #22.
In your honor today, I will hit 22 balls @ the driving range. ❤️🤗⛳️
I know you are playing golf today with Uncle Bobby, your Dad, and friends in heaven. ⛳️🏌🏻‍♀️ by @chefanie22

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5 months ago

Celebrating Greg Mackoul’s 50th the most Epic way possible! Only the best for my cuz! Love you! @greggymack
#50 #birthday #club #nyc #underground

*shoutout @alexpereverzeva for this videography 😘 taken in VIRGO New York by @chefanie22

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5 months ago

Such a beautiful sunset at the Pole Farm @ Mercer Meadows, Princeton NJ … one of my favorite places to reflect and think and watch birds, animals and the light. Take a breath and be present in the moment with yourself. taken in Mercer Meadows by @chefanie22

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6 months ago

Good Friday 4/10/2026

#Nature #goldenhourphotography #polefarmatmercermeadows #2026 #reflection by @chefanie22

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6 months ago

“MY HEART IS BREAKING FOR LEBANON,
BUT ALONGSIDE THE GRIEF, THERE IS A DEEP.
GROWING ANGER!!
HOW IS THE WORLD WATCHING THIS UNFOLD AND STILL REMAINING SILENT?
HOW ARE WE WITNESSING SO MUCH DEVASTATION, SO MUCH LOSS, AND THE WORLD IS RESPONDING WITH SO LITTLE URGENCY, SO LITTLE HUMANITY?
LIVES ARE BEING SHATTERED IN AN INSTANT. FAMILIES ARE GRIEVING, COMMUNITIES ARE TORN APART!
WILL SOMEONE STOP THIS MADNESS ??”
@unitednations

“Whose war is it?
Why is Lebanon paying the price?
Who is deciding on their behalf?

In solidarity with all the innocent victims in 🇱🇧!”

Photo & some “words” shared by my family friend, @lina.moukheiber 💔🇱🇧🕊️

“WORDS” shared by @livelovebeirut 💔🇱🇧🕊️

Originally shared “WORDS” by @guide.lb 🙏🕊️ by @chefanie22

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6 months ago

“There is a life-force within your soul, seek that life. There is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that mine. O traveler, if you are in search of that, don’t look outside, look inside yourself and seek That.” -RUMI

April 1st 2026 Move forward into thy light. Out from the darkness, shed my skin, what no longer serves me left behind, shine my light once again. Feed my soul, travel the path, find my purpose. Leave thy ego behind, unleash my strength, gallup forward, move into the suns rays. Oh full moon, light my path, free and wash my soul, shine thy light, read my mind, prayer, forgiveness, may peace rise up and save us all. -S.Mackoul by @chefanie22

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6 months ago

This bowl, is homemade pottery, by me! My very first piece. 🤍

There’s something really special about shaping clay with your hands and watching it slowly come to life. I’m so grateful to be learning from my incredibly talented, kind, and fun teacher Patricia @crescentaveceramics … Your patience, guidance, and artistry make every class inspiring!

I can’t wait to keep learning and creating more pieces with you.

🙏

And a heartfelt shoutout to @nicoleciullo for introducing me to this beautiful creative journey. ✨ by @chefanie22

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7 months ago

by @chefanie22

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7 months ago