My experience with pound cake has mostly been with the Sara Lee kind you buy from the freezer section of the grocery store. Martha would be horrified. I’ve never made my own. I buy pound cake once a year – to dip in our New Year’s Eve fondue.

The Martha Stewart Living July issue has a huge spread on pound cakes – more than 10 kinds. My son was graduating from 5th grade, so I decided to whip up a few different kinds as a dessert.

I started with the basic pound cake recipe. Since I was rushing around, I failed to read it carefully and notice that it actually makes two loaves.  Once I realized I was going to have two, I decided to make one chocolate chip and one poppy seed. This just meant I needed to add those ingredients last, so I split the batter in half.

Poppy Seed

Let me just say here that this batter was so good that I could have just eaten it plain. I was like a little kid – constantly sneaking taste after taste of it. It was out of this world.

At the same time, I also made a batch of blueberry pound cake, which uses the basic recipe, but has you substitute 1/2 cup of sour cream for one stick of butter and add 2 cups of blueberries that have been tossed with 2 tbsp flour. I ended up with two loaves of this, but am

Blueberry

planning to foist one off on my in-laws. This batter tasted good, but not as good as the original batter.

Into the oven my 4 loaf pans went.  The recipe says to bake for 65 minutes. My poppy seed loaf was done in that time, but the others took about 10 minutes longer.

They all came out of the pans easily, which was a relief. The bad news is that the cake did not taste anywhere as good as the batter and I don’t know why. It wasn’t too dry. It just

Chocolate Chip

tasted bland and boring, even with the poppy seeds, chips, or berries.  Now, it wasn’t horrible by any stretch of the imagination and maybe the batter just inflated my expectations.

The blueberry loaf was the most moist and the blueberries really looked beautiful. The chocolate chip loaf was sweet and good, but I would rather eat a chocolate chip cookie. I felt the poppy seed load needed lemon to give it some flavor.

The family thought the cakes were good, but honestly you would be hard pressed to put cake in front of them and get complaints.

I don’t think I would make these recipes again. Sorry Martha.

My experience with pound cake has mostly been with the Sara Lee kind you buy from the freezer section of the grocery store. Martha would be horrified. I’ve never made my own. I buy pound cake once a year – to dip in our New Year’s Eve fondue. The Martha Stewart Living July issue has … Read more →

Thank you Martha for including so many great salads in July Martha Stewart Living. I’m emphasizing vegetables more and more in our diet and am so happy to have these great ideas.

I made Mediterranean Chickpea Salad (seemingly not on Martha’s site – p. 130 of July Living) for a family dinner with my parents. Martha says to start with dry chickpeas and soak them. I just bought canned and drained them.

This salad was simple. You start by smashing up some garlic and making a dressing with oil and vinegar and oregano with the garlic. I added a little sugar, since Martha and I disagree on how dressing should taste.

You let your chickpeas soak in the dressing for about half an hour. Then you chop up and add cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, scallions  and pepper and some basil and parsley (there is a lot of chopping involved). I tossed mine and let it all sit for an hour or two before we ate and that seemed to improve the flavor.

Everyone liked this salad, even Teen Martha (17 yo daughter) who hates red peppers (she picked them out). It was refreshing, satisfying and really yummy. I ate it for lunch the next day and it was just as good. These are the kinds of things that make me appreciate Martha. I would never have thought this salad up on my own, but it is a nice summer salad that is easy to put together.

Thank you Martha for including so many great salads in July Martha Stewart Living. I’m emphasizing vegetables more and more in our diet and am so happy to have these great ideas. I made Mediterranean Chickpea Salad (seemingly not on Martha’s site – p. 130 of July Living) for a family dinner with my parents. … Read more →

The header is not a comment on all the dads out there! Happy Father’s Day! Today we’re celebrating with my dad. I went totally Martha and printed a bunch of old photos (one is of my mom and dad before they were married – Mom is in shorts and knee socks, Dad is holding a cigarette and they are standing in front of my mom’s convertible!) and framed them for him for a photo wall he is creating. On to the blog—

Since I’ve committed to cooking much less red meat, we’ve been eating lots of chicken and fish. And I do get a little tired of it. So, the idea of grilling a turkey breast sounded like a nice change. Brined Slow-Cooked Turkey Breast (Martha Stewart Everyday Food, July) was a weeknight meal for us. I bought half of a turkey breast. The recipe says to brine it for 6-8 hours in salt, brown sugar and water. I ended up getting this in the brine the night before and I’m afraid it ended up being too long of a brine, but there was just no way I could find time to brine in the morning craziness that happens here.

The recipe says to grill the turkey over indirect heat. We have a gas grill, so this meant turning only one burner on and putting the turkey on the other half of the grill. It took my half turkey breast about an hour and 10 minutes to cook.

It turned out nicely browned. Unfortunately though, this was so tough we almost could not eat it. I suspect the fact that I brined it for about 20 hours may have been the problem. When I made this, I anticipated there being leftovers I could make sandwiches with the next day, but this was so tough, I had to throw it out. As for flavor, it tasted ok. It wasn’t anything to stand up and shout about. In general I find turkey to be pretty bland and just plain by itself it’s never anything great. It needs seasonings or a gravy or a sauce to make it good. This was a total bust. And it definitely was not worth an entire hour of propane!

The header is not a comment on all the dads out there! Happy Father’s Day! Today we’re celebrating with my dad. I went totally Martha and printed a bunch of old photos (one is of my mom and dad before they were married – Mom is in shorts and knee socks, Dad is holding a … Read more →

I have never heard of a hand pie before, but Tomato Hand Pies (Martha Stewart Living July) sounded quite good.

First, you roast sliced tomatoes and onions. Next you make pie crust (I cheated and used refrigerated pie crust that I bought – shhh – don’t tell Martha!) and place squares of the crust in muffin tins. The recipe says to put feta cheese and oregano at the bottoms of each. I opened my feta cheese and found it was growing a big furry mold colony, so I had a bit of a crisis. I ended up using some smoked mozzarella that I had.

You spoon the tomato/onion mix into the cups and Martha says to add olives, but I hate olives so I skipped that step. Fold in the edges of the crust and then brush it with an egg wash.

This takes about 50 minutes to bake (which really seemed like a long time when I read it, but it did work). They were really, really good. I’m addicted to roasted tomatoes. They are so sweet and good. These were like tiny quiche with no egg. I really liked them and will make them again. I think that with feta it would be very tasty – the mozzarella is so mild I didn’t really taste it. Love this one!

I have never heard of a hand pie before, but Tomato Hand Pies (Martha Stewart Living July) sounded quite good. First, you roast sliced tomatoes and onions. Next you make pie crust (I cheated and used refrigerated pie crust that I bought – shhh – don’t tell Martha!) and place squares of the crust in … Read more →

My grocery store finally has quinoa – hidden in the organic/gluten free/ health food section. I’ve had it before and enjoy having a different kind of grain to use. Martha has a recipe for Quinoa Salad with Cucumber (Martha Stewart Living, July) which I decided to try out. First I cooked the quinoa. Since I was in a hurry, once it was done, I spread it on a baking sheet and stuck it in the freezer to cool it quickly.

The recipe for this salad is very simple. Basically it is just quinoa with cucumber, herbs and a light vinegar/oil dressing. I got it together and it looked and tasted a bit boring. So I decided to add some cherry tomatoes for color and flavor. That helped things a bit. This was an ok side dish, but nothing to get excited about. If you’ve never had quinoa, it tastes like a very light barley and is also similar to tabbouleh. I doubt I will make this again, but it was something different to make and a nice change from a boring lettuce salad.

My grocery store finally has quinoa – hidden in the organic/gluten free/ health food section. I’ve had it before and enjoy having a different kind of grain to use. Martha has a recipe for Quinoa Salad with Cucumber (Martha Stewart Living, July) which I decided to try out. First I cooked the quinoa. Since I … Read more →

I am a fan of the fish sandwich. This wasn’t always the case. There’s a fabulous place we eat at every few years in Florida called Gramma Dot’s and they have a terrific grouper sandwich. Because that is so amazing, I’m now open to other fish sandwiches. Martha has a recipe for Grilled Fish Sandwich with Cabbage Slaw in July Everyday Food (no link on Martha’s site).

I made this recipe, but there was some improvisation involved. The recipe says to use thick sandwich bread. Instead I cut a ciabatta loaf in half lengthwise and made open faced sandwiches. Martha also says to shred cabbage, and let it sit with salt and then drain it. I bought a bag of cole slaw mix and used that.

I used salmon for the fish and just grilled it. I mixed my coleslaw mix with mayo and vinegar. We found that we needed to put some mayo directly on the bread. And I always squeeze some lemon over the fish in the sandwich, which really brightens it up. This sandwich was good. The slaw was good, but I would have been just as happy with lettuce and tomato. I also think grilled the bread might have added some extra flavor, so maybe I’ll try that next time.

I am a fan of the fish sandwich. This wasn’t always the case. There’s a fabulous place we eat at every few years in Florida called Gramma Dot’s and they have a terrific grouper sandwich. Because that is so amazing, I’m now open to other fish sandwiches. Martha has a recipe for Grilled Fish Sandwich … Read more →

I’m tired of the same old salads. I need new and fresh ideas and happily, Martha has come through in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. Beans with Skillet-Toasted Corn and Tomatoes (Hello? Martha? Could your people work on getting these recipes up on the site???) sounded fun and different.

Now it’s confession time. The recipe calls for dried beans which you are supposed to soak. So not happening! I used canned pinto beans.

The first step is to cook the corn until it browns. Add garlic and cook a little longer until it makes popping sounds. It really did! That tickled me pink, I must admit.

Next you cook the tomatoes. I used cherry tomatoes, but Martha says to use plum. Cook them until they are slightly charred. The dressing is easy – oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. I added a little sugar, which I always do to my dressings and Martha never does – a major point of contention between us.

You serve the salad warm, over lettuce leaves with some smoked cheese grated over it. I could not get it enough of this! It was delish! The corn had this wonderful sweet, roasted flavor and so did the tomatoes. The dressing gave it some added flavor.  I cut up the lettuce leaves and ate them with the salad. This was a perfect lunch and it was good cold the next day too. I know that this salad sounds so simple – it is simple to make, but it really has a wonderful complex flavor to it. You must try it!

I’m tired of the same old salads. I need new and fresh ideas and happily, Martha has come through in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. Beans with Skillet-Toasted Corn and Tomatoes (Hello? Martha? Could your people work on getting these recipes up on the site???) sounded fun and different. Now it’s confession time. … Read more →

I’ve had some pork chops in the freezer for a while and I decided it was time to make them. I have cut way back on meat in my cooking and have not made pork in months, so it was a welcome change. Martha has a recipe for grilled pork chops with spice paste (Martha Stewart Everyday Food, July). I’ve found that pork chops always need something to wake them up. Just grilled by themselves, they are dry and boring. I have a great recipe where I marinate them in buttermilk and herbs overnight, but that takes advance planning! This was a night for something I could make with little notice.

This recipe was very easy. You chop up some garlic and mix it with oil, paprika, brown sugar and pepper. Slather that on the chops and then cover them with plastic wrap and let it sit for an hour. Grill it and you’re ready.

Results? Terrific. I would not have expected such a simple rub to create such wonderful flavor but it really did. This is going in my ‘quick and easy’ file. Thumbs up!

I’ve had some pork chops in the freezer for a while and I decided it was time to make them. I have cut way back on meat in my cooking and have not made pork in months, so it was a welcome change. Martha has a recipe for grilled pork chops with spice paste (Martha … Read more →

Dude Martha (11 yr old son) was in the mood to make some cookies, so he made Martha’s S’more Cookies (Martha Stewart July Everyday Food – the recipe is not on her site). Here is his guest blog:

In the morning I was bored so I decided to make S’more Cookies. First I made the dough and put the chocolate on. Then after 7 minutes in the oven put the marshmallows on then and baked them for 7 more minutes. All in all they tasted like a s’more, but it might have worked better if you were to cook the dough for 7 minutes then put the chocolate and marshmallows on. Also the marshmallows were not melted enough after 7 minutes.

Thanks Dude Martha. I apologize for the cruddy appearance of this entry, but it literally took me 20 tries to get the photos to show up. WordPress is being stupid. My comments on the cookies. The cookie is made of whole wheat flour and some oats which you pulse in the food processor. We think this would work better if you first baked the cookie partway, then added the chocolate and then at the end put on the marshmallow and broiled it to get it brown. There were some doneness issues with the cookie.

Dude Martha liked this. Teen Martha did not. Mr. MarthaandMe liked it. I recused myself since I do not like S’mores, but I did taste the cookie and chocolate sans marshmallow. It was pretty good, but nothing great.  All in all, just make regular smores if that’s what you want!

Dude Martha (11 yr old son) was in the mood to make some cookies, so he made Martha’s S’more Cookies (Martha Stewart July Everyday Food – the recipe is not on her site). Here is his guest blog: In the morning I was bored so I decided to make S’more Cookies. First I made the … Read more →

Dude Martha (11 yr old son) was in the mood to make some cookies, so he made Martha’s S’more Cookies (Martha Stewart July Everyday Food – the recipe is not on her site). Here is his guest blog:

In the morning I was bored so I decided to make S’more Cookies. First I made the dough and put the chocolate on. Then after 7 minutes in the oven put the marshmallows on then and baked them for 7 more minutes. All in all they tasted like a s’more, but it might have worked better if you were to cook the dough for 7 minutes then put the chocolate and marshmallows on. Also the marshmallows were not melted enough after 7 minutes.

Thanks Dude Martha. I apologize for the cruddy appearance of this entry, but it literally took me 20 tries to get the photos to show up. WordPress is being stupid. My comments on the cookies. The cookie is made of whole wheat flour and some oats which you pulse in the food processor. We think this would work better if you first baked the cookie partway, then added the chocolate and then at the end put on the marshmallow and broiled it to get it brown. There were some doneness issues with the cookie.

Dude Martha liked this. Teen Martha did not. Mr. MarthaandMe liked it. I recused myself since I do not like S’mores, but I did taste the cookie and chocolate sans marshmallow. It was pretty good, but nothing great.  All in all, just make regular smores if that’s what you want!

Dude Martha (11 yr old son) was in the mood to make some cookies, so he made Martha’s S’more Cookies (Martha Stewart July Everyday Food – the recipe is not on her site). Here is his guest blog: In the morning I was bored so I decided to make S’more Cookies. First I made the … Read more →