Pancakes are a tradition in our house. When our kids were younger, we used to make them every Sunday. I made them so much, I know the recipe by heart. In recent years, we’ve expanded our Sunday breakfasts and pancakes only happen once every month or every two month. I knew I had to make Martha’s Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes as soon as I turned the page in my May Everyday Food.

This recipe was easy to make, but that being said, I managed to goof it up. You use two cups of rolled oats. One cup you put in the Cuisinart with the other dry ingredients and grind. The other cup you are supposed to leave whole and add to the dough. I didn’t read the recipe carefully enough, so it all went in the Cuisinart. The usual suspects are added to this – milk, egg, oil, sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, as well as cinnamon.

The batter was quite thick and this made a LOT of pancakes. The recipe says it serves 4, but I think it would easily feed 6, especially if you have other food with it.

These pancakes were very heavy and filling. They tasted like oatmeal, which was interesting. I think they would be better with some chopped apple in them. I tend to like fruit in my pancakes. I almost always add blueberries to pancakes when I make them. These are tasty, hearty pancakes though and will definitely fill your family up. In the recipe, Martha suggests freezing them and then heating them up for weekday mornings. My kids refuse to eat frozen pancakes, so that’s not an option here.

Pancakes are a tradition in our house. When our kids were younger, we used to make them every Sunday. I made them so much, I know the recipe by heart. In recent years, we’ve expanded our Sunday breakfasts and pancakes only happen once every month or every two month. I knew I had to make … Read more →

I made Martha’s Mexican Shrimp Salad (May Living – the link is not up yet on Martha’s site, I’ll post it once it is) thinking it would make a great, light dinner. This was pretty easy to make. You put lime juice, lime rinds, allspice (no I didn’t have berries so I used ground), pepper, salt, orange juice, orange zest and water in a pot and boil then simmer it. Add your unpeeled shrimp and cook quickly. Dump the shrimp in an ice bath and then peel them. Then you marinate them in tomato paste, orange juice, lime juice, lime zest and red pepper with some tomato and red onion mixed. I served it on lettuce leaves wtih sliced avocado as directed.

My first mouthful was bland. It didn’t taste like anything. My second mouthful was more lime flavor. By the third it tasted quite strong. Now, I was ok eating this, but Mr. MarthaandMe was picking at his eating large quantities of bread. I asked him if he liked it and he said it was too much lime flavor for him and he just didn’t care for it. Sigh. So I ended up saving his portion which I will have for lunch.

Overall I would say this was ok, but not great. It mostly tasted like a mouthful of lime and not much else.  It had avocado though and I will eat almost anything that has avocado since I love it so much, so I was able to eat this.

I made Martha’s Mexican Shrimp Salad (May Living – the link is not up yet on Martha’s site, I’ll post it once it is) thinking it would make a great, light dinner. This was pretty easy to make. You put lime juice, lime rinds, allspice (no I didn’t have berries so I used ground), pepper, … Read more →

I’m still anxiously checking my mailbox for my May issues of Martha’s magazines and I must say I am really sick of the April ones now – I’ve cooked everything I want to cook and crafted everything I am interested in.  So I thought I would tie together a few odds and ends from April while I’m waiting.

I got the book Egg & Nest (page 40 of April Living)  from my library this week, after being on a wait list for it for a few weeks. It really is a gorgeous book. It is amazing how many colors and designs (yes, designs!) eggs come in. The nests in the book are also beautiful. This would be a great coffee table book to put out around Easter. I love the fact that the magazine is now including books that are recommended by the editors.

Beginning on page 25, there is an interesting section about Martha’s trip to Prague. Now, I must admit, Prague is not very high on my travel list, but I found it fun to read. I’m looking forward to Martha’s travels in future issues and hope they feature some places that I want to go to.

I found the section on jackets (page 61) to be really weird and out of place.  I’m not a big fan of fashion magazines (I would rather look at a catalog, so if I see something I like I can actually buy it). And I have to say, since when are jackets big news? Big MarthaandMe has had jackets as part of her essential wardrobe for years and I too find that it is an easy way to create a pulled together look. I didn’t find this section inspiring in any way.

The fact that Martha’s calendar is back in the magazine is big news apparently. Let’s be honest about this. First of all, the magazine has to be ready to go to print months in advance, so there’s no way this is an accurate calendar. Also, if you own your own horses, do you really put riding on your calendar? Don’t you just do it when you happen to have a few free hours and the weather is good? I also do not believe Martha actually performs all the tasks that are on this calendar herself – we all know she has a giant staff. Not to mention that Martha is out at dinners, events, and social gatherings almost every single night. I also wish to point out that Martha said on her show she was hosting an Easter dinner, yet the calendar says it is an Easter brunch. For April 20, Martha says she will be setting out cabbages into the garden, yet on the show she already did this and showed us the little paper hats her gardeners put over them.

I’m still anxiously checking my mailbox for my May issues of Martha’s magazines and I must say I am really sick of the April ones now – I’ve cooked everything I want to cook and crafted everything I am interested in.  So I thought I would tie together a few odds and ends from April … Read more →

I’m a sucker for satay, so I made Chicken Satay Skewers from April Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  Some of you might remember the last time I used skewers for a Martha recipe – the skewers burned and fell apart. This time I soaked my skewers for several hours before using them. Aren’t I clever? Well, we’ll see….

I sliced my chicken and marinated it in the soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and red pepper.  I actually let it sit in the fridge a few hours even though the recipe does not say to do so. I made the peanut sauce – peanut butter, salt, pepper, red pepper, rice vinegar and red pepper. This was more of a paste than a dipping sauce. I actually ended up adding a little more water to try to get it to loosen up.

I threaded the chicken onto the skewers and cooked it on the Jenn-Air (outdoor grilling season isn’t here yet!). Even though I soaked the skewers, they still turned black and fell apart. What the heck! That really annoyed me, I must say! Next time I’m just going to cook the chicken strips without skewers.

The chicken was good, but I would have liked it to have a more Asian flavor – maybe some ginger or more soy sauce. The dipping sauce (paste!) was good, but if I made that again I would put some chopped green onion in  it and some soy sauce too.

This was a nice quick weekday dinner that didn’t take a lot of work. I would definitely make it again. Even Mini-Martha liked the chicken (but wouldn’t taste the dipping sauce).

I’m a sucker for satay, so I made Chicken Satay Skewers from April Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  Some of you might remember the last time I used skewers for a Martha recipe – the skewers burned and fell apart. This time I soaked my skewers for several hours before using them. Aren’t I clever? Well, … Read more →

I’m writing a book called Cookie: A Cultural History and I would love to include your cookie memories in it! Do you have fond memories of baking a certain type of cookie with your grandma, sampling a unique cookie on a trip or at someone’s house, decorating cookies in a fun way, eating cookies in a treehouse with your best friend, the smell of cookies when you came home, or any other fond memories that have to do with cookies? If so, I would love to hear about them. Send an email to brette@brettesember.com with COOKIE STORIES in the subject line and include your full name and city/state. If I am able to use your memory, I’ll need you to sign a permissions form the publisher requires. My goal is to include lots of different types of memories to show how varied and important cookies are in our lives.  I hope to hear from you! Please feel free to pass this along to others, as I am trying to collect as many diverse and wonderful stories as I can.

I’m writing a book called Cookie: A Cultural History and I would love to include your cookie memories in it! Do you have fond memories of baking a certain type of cookie with your grandma, sampling a unique cookie on a trip or at someone’s house, decorating cookies in a fun way, eating cookies in … Read more →

Since I am overwhelmed with just too much leftover Easter ham, I made Martha’s Ham and Egg Fried Rice for dinner (April Everyday Food).  I love fried rice, especially when I make it at home, so this sounded good.

The recipe was easy to put together. You cook up some garlic, ginger and the white parts of scallions. Then you add soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice, ham and the green parts of scallions. Once it’s cooked, you put it in a bowl and put a sunny side up egg on top of it.

I made mine all in one bowl instead of individual bowls and we just put it on plates. The fried rice was good and I loved the big pieces of scallions, along with the ginger, garlic, soy and vinegar tastes. I must admit I was not wild about the ham in this. Maybe I’m just tired of ham, but it was too strong a flavor. I usually make my fried rice without any meat.

As for the egg? I have a friend whose kids regularly eat rice with a fried egg and soy sauce so it wasn’t a foreign concept and I do usually incorporated some scrambled eggs into my fried rice.  Even with all of that in my head, I still couldn’t get into the egg. Maybe I’m off eggs since the asparagus quiche episode that made me so sick. Everyone else thought it was ok though. I wouldn’t make this again though since it wasn’t anything to write home about (although apparently it is enough to write on a blog about).

Since I am overwhelmed with just too much leftover Easter ham, I made Martha’s Ham and Egg Fried Rice for dinner (April Everyday Food).  I love fried rice, especially when I make it at home, so this sounded good. The recipe was easy to put together. You cook up some garlic, ginger and the white … Read more →

I gave Martha’s Tortilla Pie with Chicken a try (from April Everyday Food). I have thrown together tortilla pies in the past, but never followed any particular recipe. Usually I layered ground turkey (that I seasoned with taco seasoning), cheese, beans, chopped tomato, salsa, and tortillas and served with sour cream, lettuce, and avocado on the side.

Martha’s recipe was easy because you put 4 tortillas on the bottom, put in your filling, add 4 more tortillas and top with leftover ingredients. Very simple to assemble with only a few layers. I used shredded chicken breast (which I poached) instead of dark meat as the recipe says. I also cheated and used a jar of salsa instead of making my own.

This was terrific. I loved the shredded chicken in it as opposed to the ground turkey I usually use. I served it with some chopped lettuce and sliced avocado and it made a great meal. I will definitely make this one again. It was great as leftovers also.

I gave Martha’s Tortilla Pie with Chicken a try (from April Everyday Food). I have thrown together tortilla pies in the past, but never followed any particular recipe. Usually I layered ground turkey (that I seasoned with taco seasoning), cheese, beans, chopped tomato, salsa, and tortillas and served with sour cream, lettuce, and avocado on … Read more →

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s recipe for brisket, so I was interested in giving Martha’s version a whirl to see how they compared.

Emeril’s recipe requires you to make the brisket a day ahead, refigerate it and then reheat it before serving. Martha’s version is a one day plan. Emeril’s recipe creates this wonderful tomato-y sauce which is really tasty.

I started Martha’s brisket on a weekday afternoon. I knew both kids would be home for dinner and Mr. MarthaandMe too, and I was thinking Teen Martha’s boyfriend might also make an appearance, so I would have a crowd.

Liquid

First I browned the brisket on both side, then I cooked the onion and garlic. Next I added tomato paste, broth and wine and bay leaves, creating the liquid the meat would cook in.

I put the meat in and put it in the oven. The recipe says to cook for 2 hours, then to flip the brisket and cook another half hour. Then you’ve got another hour in which you cook the veggies you’ve added. Then you’re supposed to take it out, cover the beef and let the liquid cool so you can skim off the fat. Then you need 20 minutes to cook the liquid down.

After the meat had been in the oven an hour and a half, our power went off. Praying to the gods of the brisket, I called the power company and found out they would not have it back on for another 2 1/2 hours – 6:30 pm (also known as dinner time). So that was that for my brisket that day. Instead we went out and had hot dogs. The brisket went in the fridge.

The Cooked Brisket

The next day, I planned to continue the cooking process once I returned from an important excursion – prom dress shopping with Teen Martha and Big MarthaandMe. Silly me, I didn’t realize it would take SEVEN HOURS of hard labor to obtain the perfect dress. I got home at 5 pm. Quickly, I shoved the brisket in the oven and put it on convection roast. After an hour, I added the vegetables. I let those cook about 25 minutes (I used baby carrots and had my parsnip cut thin). No time to cool the cooking liquid and skim fat. Instead I boiled the hell

The Veggies

out of it and added flour to make it a gravy.

So there I am with this lovely brisket ready for dinner. Dude Martha announces he doesn’t feel well and doesn’t want to eat. Teen Martha says she’s tired and is going to bed. So there Mr. MarthaandMe are with a giant brisket before us. He unfortunately forgot the adage about slicing against the grain, so our slices were not very nice looking. We each had a few slices. I thought it was quite good, but I still like Emeril’s recipe better. The sauce/gravy was good. The veggies were good. I enjoyed it,but am going to

The Plate

stick to my usual recipe. Sorry Martha!

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s … Read more →

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s recipe for brisket, so I was interested in giving Martha’s version a whirl to see how they compared.

Emeril’s recipe requires you to make the brisket a day ahead, refigerate it and then reheat it before serving. Martha’s version is a one day plan. Emeril’s recipe creates this wonderful tomato-y sauce which is really tasty.

I started Martha’s brisket on a weekday afternoon. I knew both kids would be home for dinner and Mr. MarthaandMe too, and I was thinking Teen Martha’s boyfriend might also make an appearance, so I would have a crowd.

Liquid

First I browned the brisket on both side, then I cooked the onion and garlic. Next I added tomato paste, broth and wine and bay leaves, creating the liquid the meat would cook in.

I put the meat in and put it in the oven. The recipe says to cook for 2 hours, then to flip the brisket and cook another half hour. Then you’ve got another hour in which you cook the veggies you’ve added. Then you’re supposed to take it out, cover the beef and let the liquid cool so you can skim off the fat. Then you need 20 minutes to cook the liquid down.

After the meat had been in the oven an hour and a half, our power went off. Praying to the gods of the brisket, I called the power company and found out they would not have it back on for another 2 1/2 hours – 6:30 pm (also known as dinner time). So that was that for my brisket that day. Instead we went out and had hot dogs. The brisket went in the fridge.

The Cooked Brisket

The next day, I planned to continue the cooking process once I returned from an important excursion – prom dress shopping with Teen Martha and Big MarthaandMe. Silly me, I didn’t realize it would take SEVEN HOURS of hard labor to obtain the perfect dress. I got home at 5 pm. Quickly, I shoved the brisket in the oven and put it on convection roast. After an hour, I added the vegetables. I let those cook about 25 minutes (I used baby carrots and had my parsnip cut thin). No time to cool the cooking liquid and skim fat. Instead I boiled the hell

The Veggies

out of it and added flour to make it a gravy.

So there I am with this lovely brisket ready for dinner. Dude Martha announces he doesn’t feel well and doesn’t want to eat. Teen Martha says she’s tired and is going to bed. So there Mr. MarthaandMe are with a giant brisket before us. He unfortunately forgot the adage about slicing against the grain, so our slices were not very nice looking. We each had a few slices. I thought it was quite good, but I still like Emeril’s recipe better. The sauce/gravy was good. The veggies were good. I enjoyed it,but am going to

The Plate

stick to my usual recipe. Sorry Martha!

I am a big fan of brisket, even though I only started making it a few years ago. I had never had brisket before then – except for corned beef brisket. Martha has a recipe for braised brisket  with carrots, parsnips and garlic in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. I usually use Emeril’s … Read more →

For Easter, I decided to make Martha’s Pineapple Mustard Glazed Ham (April Martha Stewart Living). I don’t generally make a ham for Easter. In fact, until last year, we usually were away over Easter and didn’t really celebrate at all. But this year we were home and I thought I would Martha-ify our Easter.

I often make a ham around Christmas and I usually baste it with Coke or pineapple juice and then make a glaze with brown sugar, mustard, and pineapple juice.

Martha’s recipe is more complicated (of course). She directs you to buy whole pineapples and peel, core and slice them (however, she does not give any instruction about how to do that). Fortunately, last summer in Hawaii we saw a demonstration of this at the Dole Plantation. Mr. MarthaandMe went to work with the pineapple. He used an apple corer to get the core out.

Once the pineapple is ready, Martha says to cook it with water and sugar for an hour to an hour and 20 minutes, until it is translucent. I did this and ended up with only half the juice the recipe says you will have. Sigh. So I dumped in some canned pineapple juice and cooked it down to the right consistency. Once that cooled, I mixed in mustard Note that at no point does this recipe say to remove the pineapple slices and reserve them, but I did take them out.

Next it was time to prepare the ham. Martha says to trim excess skin and fat and leave about 1/4 inch of fat. It has never occurred to me to remove the skin from the ham, but it struck me as a brilliant idea. I don’t like the skin or the fat and you make this wonderful glaze and it sits on the skin and doesn’t soak into the meat at all and you never taste it. So, Mr. MarthaandMe trimmed the ham. Next, I scored it and inserted cloves.

I brushed on half the glaze, covered it with parchment and foil and baked as directed. I then removed the covering, poured on the rest of the glaze and finished baking.  Martha makes reference to pan drippings, but everything in my pan burned to a crisp. In fact, I had to turn the oven temp down. Martha said to cook at 425 with the ham uncovered. My ham started to burn and smoke at that temp.

The recipe says to let the ham rest, and then to serve with the pineapple and the pan drippings  (of which I had none). Here’s where my biggest complaint comes in with this recipe. In the photo next to the recipe in the magazine, you see a big beautiful ham with pineapple rings attached to it. The recipe does not say to attach the pineapple to the ham at all.  I have never attached pineapple rings to a ham and was looking forward to that beautiful presentation. In fact, I have no idea how you attach them. Toothpicks?

The ham tasted good and it was particularly good when eaten with the pineapple slices which were practically candy. The family verdict was that my usual method is better. In the future, I will make my own glaze, but I am going to trim the skin and fat off, so that is my take away lesson from this.

I had planned to make an entire Martha meal and so I consulted the Cooking School book. I am sad to report I couldn’t find the kinds of recipes in there that I wanted. I wanted to make some cheesy potatoes and there wasn’t a single recipe that even resembled that. In fact, there are very few potato recipes in that book at all. I had artichokes and checked the book for some interesting recipes for that and all Martha has is how to boil them. So I abandoned that and went with some roasted asparagus, my grandmother’s cheesy potato recipe and some artichokes with butter for dipping.

For Easter, I decided to make Martha’s Pineapple Mustard Glazed Ham (April Martha Stewart Living). I don’t generally make a ham for Easter. In fact, until last year, we usually were away over Easter and didn’t really celebrate at all. But this year we were home and I thought I would Martha-ify our Easter. I … Read more →