I'm not a fan of Marie and selling the car she begged for was simply ungrateful and immoral. It would be desirable for her to turn away from floristry - saves many plants the painful death and us a lot of misery.
Whether cooking is the better option remains to be seen, but she is much more passionate about it than botany.
All in all, I find her tedious, not very likeable, chaotic and without a plan for her life and future.
But lately I've been feeling sorry for her more and more. She at least tries to maintain the original spiritof the Chateau Diaries and wants to put on a good show. But all she gets in return is feigned affection. She organizes the food for the holidays, does the shopping and cooking. And instead of getting a big thank you from Steph, Maria should come back for next Christmas. And on top of that, an engagement when we know that Marie is lonely and wants a partner. I think now is the right time for Marie to start her cooking class, otherwise she would probably fall into depression again and not get out of bed until the start of the B&B season.
But all in all Marie is a hopeless case, she will always come back because it is so much easier to stage an illusory life in smoke and mirrors than to face reality and real life.