This week, it’s my turn to choose the next Martha Mondays assignment. This posting was delayed because I couldn’t decide! I know many of you prefer the recipe assignments, but I really wanted to do a craft.  So I decided to pick one of each, so those of you who are craft-resistant wouldn’t feel left out. So my main pick is the luminarias in October Living  – pages 78 and 80. I’m going to attempt to make one.  If you need the instructions, let me know.

If you don’t want to try this, let’s do the potstickers from October Everyday Food as the alternate selection. I’ll do both the craft and the recipe and you can pick which you want to do. I’m hoping someone will try the luminarias with me!

This week, it’s my turn to choose the next Martha Mondays assignment. This posting was delayed because I couldn’t decide! I know many of you prefer the recipe assignments, but I really wanted to do a craft.  So I decided to pick one of each, so those of you who are craft-resistant wouldn’t feel left … Read more →

This week’s Martha Mondays recipe is Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding, chosen by SweetLorraineBakeshop. Sticky toffee pudding is a very English dessert, and one we enjoyed on our recent UK trip.  I’m not sure how hard it is make regular sticky toffee pudding, but this was very easy.

The cake batter was pretty basic, except you have to soak some chopped dates in hot water before adding them. Dates are not a very common ingredient in US desserts, except possibly for fruitcake.

the cake

I got the cake in the oven and I should have checked it sooner because it too brown on the bottom. I set the timer for 55 minutes (the recipe says 55-65 minutes) but I would have pulled it out sooner if I had checked it.

While that was in the oven, I started the toffee sauce. This stuff is evil. Brown, sweet and delicious. Oh dear. It reminded me of those hard toffee candies – Werner’s I think is the brand. Just evil.

When the cake comes out, Martha says to cool for 5 minutes, then flip it and put it back in the pan. I totally do not get that step at all.  I used a silicone baking pan so it wasn’t sticking. Maybe it would in a regular pan? I don’t know.

Then Martha says to poke holes in it with a toothpick. This felt very Paula Deen to me – kind of like her poke cakes. I made lots and lots of holes and then

sauce on the cake

poured one cup of the sauce on top. It just sat there. It did not soak in. I let it sit a good hour before we ate it and nothing happened. Maybe some did absorb but I couldn’t see it.

Now for the taste test. We served the cake with additional sauce on it. I thought the cake itself had a nice taste but the sauce was the real winner on this. I could just eat the sauce plain or I could put it on ice cream…. I do have one complaint about the cake. The dates. I just didn’t like them in the cake. You’re eating a nice soft piece of cake and you get a chewy piece of date. I’m not a fan of raisins in baked goods either, so it’s the same objection, I guess. The flavor of the dates was fine, but just not the consistency. We didn’t eat the edges of the cake because it was simply overdone, but the insides were fine.

This week’s Martha Mondays recipe is Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding, chosen by SweetLorraineBakeshop. Sticky toffee pudding is a very English dessert, and one we enjoyed on our recent UK trip.  I’m not sure how hard it is make regular sticky toffee pudding, but this was very easy. The cake batter was pretty basic, except you … Read more →

I took my handy Dinner at Home cookbook (Martha’s newest release) to the kitchen and was all set to make Turkey and Pancetta Meatballs. I had defrosted some ground turkey and was ready to roll. But then I had another Martha-resistance moment. This also happened not too long ago when I bailed on Martha’s beef stew recipe. Apparently I haven’t fully recuperated, because I just could not bring myself to make this meatball recipe. What’s the problem, you’re wondering? The recipe was fairly harmless – onion, garlic, bread crumbs, sage, egg, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Not exactly how I would make them, but not awful. Except for one additional ingredient. Pancetta. Now when I selected this recipe, it sounded like a good flavor combo. The pancetta would liven up the meatballs. But then I read the recipe and I couldn’t do it. You stir in your uncooked pancetta into the turkey. Gag.  All I could imagine was pieces of flabby, fatty, mushy pancetta inside the meatballs. Here’s the thing – I like my bacon and pancetta cooked – really cooked. I cannot eat shrimp or scallops that are wrapped in bacon because while the bacon may not be raw, it is fatty and mushy and just unthinkable to me.

I considered cooking the pancetta first, but the idea of crunchy pieces of pancetta in my meatballs was not appealing either. So I bailed on the pancetta. I whipped up the meatballs the way I usually do – onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, Worchestershire sauce, egg,  Italian herb mix, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Then I got to thinking that maybe I could do something Martha with this recipe. I’ve regretted not trying Chicken and Ricotta Meatballs from Sept Everyday Food, so I dumped in some ricotta.

I always bake my meatballs in the oven. I served this with spaghetti sauce (jarred – sorry Martha) and Dreamfield’s spaghetti. The meatballs were good, but I didn’t notice anything different I could attribute to the ricotta. I have to say I am just not loving ricotta. I used to hate, hate, hate it. Now I’ve learned it is not toxic, but I just find it has no flavor and does nothing for me.

I took my handy Dinner at Home cookbook (Martha’s newest release) to the kitchen and was all set to make Turkey and Pancetta Meatballs. I had defrosted some ground turkey and was ready to roll. But then I had another Martha-resistance moment. This also happened not too long ago when I bailed on Martha’s beef … Read more →

The back page of October Martha Stewart Living is Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint cookies. I like PBJ, but I’ve never really gotten into the idea of the flavor combos as a dessert. Teen Martha needed to bring food into a class party (yes, they’re still having them, senior year in high school!) and so she offered to make these cookies. These are a pretty basic peanut butter cookie, but you make them into balls and press the end of a wooden spoon in the middle to make a hole for the jelly. She got them in the oven and then realized she was late and had to go. Where to? Dance rehearsal. No, Teen Martha doesn’t take dance class.  Today is the pep rally for homecoming and apparently the senior girls “always” (always meaning as long as she’s been there, but it never happened when I went to that school) put on a dance routine in the pep rally.  This dance routine has necessitated hours and hours of rehearsal. It has also required the purchase of a pair of black sweatpants, stencils, and “cute” material to use to cut out the letters SKA (seniors kick a**), which needed to be sewn onto the pants (wonder who was supposed to do that? Me of course. I cheated and showed her how to use that fabric tape you iron between two things which becomes glue).

So, back to the cookies. Teen Martha got them in the oven then realized in a panic she was going to be late to the all important dance rehearsal. At this point, the cookies became my responsibility. They took a little longer to bake than Martha said. Once they’re out and cool, you heat up some jam to thin it a bit, then fill the cookies with it. As you can see, I didn’t have the best aim when I filled them.

The cookies were good, but I would rather have plain PBJ. The dough was to die for. Everyone in the house was sneaking it. The cookies were a hit at school – not even a crumb made it home.

The back page of October Martha Stewart Living is Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint cookies. I like PBJ, but I’ve never really gotten into the idea of the flavor combos as a dessert. Teen Martha needed to bring food into a class party (yes, they’re still having them, senior year in high school!) and so … Read more →

Lorraine at Sweet Lorraine Bakeshop has chosen Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding for Monday October 12. We tasted sticky toffee pudding on our UK trip, so I’m excited to try to make it myself.

Lorraine at Sweet Lorraine Bakeshop has chosen Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding for Monday October 12. We tasted sticky toffee pudding on our UK trip, so I’m excited to try to make it myself.

It’s Martha Monday again and this week’s choice was Warm Vanilla Cider, from October Martha Stewart Living, chosen by Teresa at HomemadeIowaLife.

I have to admit, this is something I never would have made were it not chosen for today’s project. This is really a dessert drink more than anything else.

I cheated a little with this recipe, so please forgive me. You heat cider (6 c) with brown sugar (1/2 c) and 2 whole nutmegs (I used ground nutmeg) and the scraped seeds from a vanilla bean (I used vanilla extract). You simmer for 15 min. You serve it with whipped cream (I made my own – points for me) and honeyed walnuts. I made honeyed pecans instead (very simple – toss them with honey and roast for 15 min – I actually stuck mine in the microwave, which was faster as long as you keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn).

Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to like this, but it turns out I did! It was sweet and creamy and the nuts are to die for. This is something you could make on a cold winter afternoon to enjoy in front of the fire, or for after skiing (I didn’t say “apres ski” since I always find that to sound so pretentious!).

Here’s the funny thing though. Mr. MarthaAndMe, who LOVES vanilla and also really likes cider, did not like this. He didn’t even finish it. He’s weird about hot drinks and says he could not drink it because in his mind cider is not supposed to be hot (this is the same man who cannot fathom cold soups, so I suppose it is not surprising). Teen Martha liked this though. This was something fun and different and I enjoyed it!

It’s Martha Monday again and this week’s choice was Warm Vanilla Cider, from October Martha Stewart Living, chosen by Teresa at HomemadeIowaLife. I have to admit, this is something I never would have made were it not chosen for today’s project. This is really a dessert drink more than anything else. I cheated a little … Read more →

I meant to make Martha’s Beef Stew with Noodles – a “dinner tonight” suggestion from Everyday Food via one of their daily emails. I really did.  I printed it out and took it to the kitchen. But once I started really reading the recipe, I just could not do it. I could not make a beef stew that I knew would be inadequate.

I’ve been craving beef stew. It’s one of those fall comfort foods that make you feel warm and cozy. Last weekend, I was really craving it, but it was late, I was tired, the kids weren’t home (not many people to enjoy it) and I didn’t have the time or energy to make it. So Mr. MarthaAndMe and I went out. I ordered it at a restaurant and it was bad. It was more like a soup and it only had 3 chunks of beef in it. That did not satisfy the craving. When Martha’s recipe popped up in my mailbox, I decided to make it, but this recipe just did not appeal to me. First of all, it uses chicken stock. Chicken stock? In beef stew? Huh? How about BEEF stock? The only vegetable in this is carrots (and onions). And there is no seasoning. Blech. The recipe also does  not cook the stew long at all – and that means the meat would be tough. I couldn’t do it. Maybe the fact that I am nearing the end of my year of Martha is wearing on me, but I simply could not willingly make a bad stew.

Instead, this is what I did:

Cook 2 pieces of bacon that have been chopped up in a Dutch oven. Remove the bacon when cooked, but keep the grease. Add one chopped onion and cook till translucent. Add 2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into bite size pieces. Brown the beef. Add half to 3/4  of a bag of baby carrots that have been cut into bite size pieces. Add 1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped. Add 1 box of mushrooms, sliced. If you have other hard veggies lying around, you can toss them in – turnips, rutabaga, parsnip. I only add potato if I am serving this on its own – if I’m serving with noodles, I don’t like to add potatoes. Cook this for a couple of minutes, to start softening the veggies.

Add the bacon back in. Next add 1/4 cup flour and stir to coat. Add 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp thyme, lots of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Add 1 cup white wine then add 1 carton of beef broth (or enough to just cover the stew ingredients). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for an hour and a half. Remove the lid and simmer for 30 more min. Check the consistency  – I like mine very thick, so I usually end up adding some Wondra at the end.

I served this over homemade spaetzle. 2 cups flour, 1 cup water, 2 eggs, 4 tsp vegetable oil. Mix it up and drop by heaping tablespoon into boiling water. Wait about 30 seconds then use a spoon to gently loosen them from the bottom of the pan. When they are floating on the top, they’re done (this happens very quickly). It takes several batches. Toss the spaetzle with butter and serve covered with beef stew.

Way better than Martha’s recipe!

I meant to make Martha’s Beef Stew with Noodles – a “dinner tonight” suggestion from Everyday Food via one of their daily emails. I really did.  I printed it out and took it to the kitchen. But once I started really reading the recipe, I just could not do it. I could not make a … Read more →

I’m trying to love Martha’s Dinner at Home cookbook. I’m making an effort here people. So far I’m not wildly excited about it. My latest venture into the book is Roast Salmon and Potatoes with Mustard-Herb Butter (the butter ‘counts’ as a recipe since each of these menus has 4 recipes – I think that’s cheating!).

You slice up some potatoes and roast them, then add in your piece of salmon and roast that. This takes about an hour total. I ended up taking my salmon out and putting the potatoes back in to get them crispier.

When it’s all done, you brush both with your mustard herb butter (one stick of butter with 1/4 cup of herbs you choose and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard). I used oregano, chives and parsley for mine.

The herb butter was nice on the salmon, but I didn’t care for it on the potatoes. They already have some olive oil on them from the roasting and I thought this butter just made them greasy. The butter also does not have a very strong flavor. I gave up and got out some sour cream to dip these potatoes in. Put some garlic in this and maybe it would interest me!

The salmon was nice  – roasting it like this at a high temp keeps it moist. I use only wild salmon. This was crying out for lemon, so I squeezed some on it and it helped.

Another criticism I have of dinner this applies to a lot of Martha’s  menus, both in the book and in the “what’s for dinner” section of Living. If I am eating salmon with mustard-herb butter, I do not also want to eat potatoes with mustard-herb butter. I want different flavors on my plate. Recently I made cheese flautas and black-eyed pea salad from this book (it’s also in Oct Living). Both contained cilantro. I just don’t want to eat the same flavor from two things on my plate. I understand that this in some way pulls the dishes together, but honestly I don’t like it.

The menu for this also includes haricots verts with tapenade. I really hate tapenade. I did make haricots verts but steamed with butter, salt and pepper. The fourth component is lemon mousse which I didn’t have any interest in making on a weeknight (particularly since it has to chill for 45 min – I don’t have time for that).

I’m trying to love Martha’s Dinner at Home cookbook. I’m making an effort here people. So far I’m not wildly excited about it. My latest venture into the book is Roast Salmon and Potatoes with Mustard-Herb Butter (the butter ‘counts’ as a recipe since each of these menus has 4 recipes – I think that’s … Read more →

I’m trying to love Martha’s Dinner at Home cookbook. I’m making an effort here people. So far I’m not wildly excited about it. My latest venture into the book is Roast Salmon and Potatoes with Mustard-Herb Butter (the butter ‘counts’ as a recipe since each of these menus has 4 recipes – I think that’s cheating!).

You slice up some potatoes and roast them, then add in your piece of salmon and roast that. This takes about an hour total. I ended up taking my salmon out and putting the potatoes back in to get them crispier.

When it’s all done, you brush both with your mustard herb butter (one stick of butter with 1/4 cup of herbs you choose and 1 tbsp Dijon mustard). I used oregano, chives and parsley for mine.

The herb butter was nice on the salmon, but I didn’t care for it on the potatoes. They already have some olive oil on them from the roasting and I thought this butter just made them greasy. The butter also does not have a very strong flavor. I gave up and got out some sour cream to dip these potatoes in. Put some garlic in this and maybe it would interest me!

The salmon was nice  – roasting it like this at a high temp keeps it moist. I use only wild salmon. This was crying out for lemon, so I squeezed some on it and it helped.

Another criticism I have of dinner this applies to a lot of Martha’s  menus, both in the book and in the “what’s for dinner” section of Living. If I am eating salmon with mustard-herb butter, I do not also want to eat potatoes with mustard-herb butter. I want different flavors on my plate. Recently I made cheese flautas and black-eyed pea salad from this book (it’s also in Oct Living). Both contained cilantro. I just don’t want to eat the same flavor from two things on my plate. I understand that this in some way pulls the dishes together, but honestly I don’t like it.

The menu for this also includes haricots verts with tapenade. I really hate tapenade. I did make haricots verts but steamed with butter, salt and pepper. The fourth component is lemon mousse which I didn’t have any interest in making on a weeknight (particularly since it has to chill for 45 min – I don’t have time for that).

I’m trying to love Martha’s Dinner at Home cookbook. I’m making an effort here people. So far I’m not wildly excited about it. My latest venture into the book is Roast Salmon and Potatoes with Mustard-Herb Butter (the butter ‘counts’ as a recipe since each of these menus has 4 recipes – I think that’s … Read more →

We are big on chocolate chip cookies in this family, so the recipe in October Martha Stewart Everyday Food for Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies was like a gauntlet being thrown.

The recipe isn’t very different from your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe, except for the fact that it includes semisweet and milk chocolate. Nuts are optional according to the recipe. Dude Martha helped me whip these up on a weekend afternoon recently. I substituted whole wheat flour for one cup of the flour. Martha says to make these cookies big – 1/4 cup of dough for each. We made ours a little bit smaller. We made some with nuts and some without.

I was very happy with the cookie itself, but I don’t like the milk chocolate chips. I’ll stick with semisweet in the future. These cookies are very crispy, which wins points with me. If you like your cookies soft, this recipe isn’t for you. Overall it was very good.

We are big on chocolate chip cookies in this family, so the recipe in October Martha Stewart Everyday Food for Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies was like a gauntlet being thrown. The recipe isn’t very different from your typical chocolate chip cookie recipe, except for the fact that it includes semisweet and milk chocolate. Nuts are … Read more →