I thought yogurt cheese sounded like some sort of unpleasant byproduct when I first ran across Martha’s recipe for it in Everyday Food (June). But then I got to thinking about it. I like cheese. I like yogurt. And it would be so fun to make my own cheese from yogurt, so why not?

I bought Greek yogurt and cheesecloth and set up my strainer. You put the yogurt in the cheesecloth and put a plate (a glass measuring cup worked for me) and a heavy can on top and let it sit for 48 hours. Mine actually sat for about 12 hours longer than that.

Then you take it apart. Only a little liquid had strained out of my yogurt, which made me worried.

I started to roll it into balls. It did make balls, but they were very soft, and it got all over my hands.  Martha says to eat the yogurt cheese balls plain or you can dress them up with oil and herbs.

Plain: they tasted like yogurt. Nothing magical happened to the yogurt to make it taste like anything else. It was just slightly dry yogurt. It tasted nothing like cheese.

So next I added olive oil and herbs. I let this sit several hours. I tasted it and it tasted like yogurt with olive oil and herbs. It was very difficult to stir or toss it in the oil and herbs. The balls are very soft and sticky and have a tendency to mush.

This one is not a good thing. It was a lot of work for results that were not impressive in the least.

I thought yogurt cheese sounded like some sort of unpleasant byproduct when I first ran across Martha’s recipe for it in Everyday Food (June). But then I got to thinking about it. I like cheese. I like yogurt. And it would be so fun to make my own cheese from yogurt, so why not? I … Read more →

I made Martha’s Crispy Taco Picadillo (Martha Stewart Living, June). I had never heard of picadillo, but when I read the recipe it just sounded like tacos, so I went with it.

This was amazingly easy. I’m used to Living recipes being long and complicated, but this was simple. I substituted ground turkey for ground beef. You cook onions, then add your meat and garlic and add chopped tomato and spices. Simple.  It cooks for about 15 to 20 minutes. Easy as pie.

I liked the idea of making tacos with my own ingredients instead of using some horrible powdered taco mix. Both children viewed this with suspicion because there were chunks of tomato (horrors!). The oldest ate it with trepidation and then declared you couldn’t even tell there were chunks of tomato (shocking!) and tried to convince the younger to try it. He scowled and refused.

Mr. MarthaAndMe thought it was quite good. I would definitely make this again. I like tacos a lot and this is really just as easy and quick as using some godawful mix. Thanks Martha!

I made Martha’s Crispy Taco Picadillo (Martha Stewart Living, June). I had never heard of picadillo, but when I read the recipe it just sounded like tacos, so I went with it. This was amazingly easy. I’m used to Living recipes being long and complicated, but this was simple. I substituted ground turkey for ground … Read more →

Yesterday was our 20th anniversary. I don’t know how 20 years has passed. Because we’re taking a family vacation later this summer, we decided to have a low key celebration. This is distinctly un-Martha, but I ordered Mr. MarthaandMe’s favorite pizza for dinner. We never get pizza from here because it is so far, so it was a special treat for him.

Mr. MarthaandMe had flowers delivered for me. He tried to order Martha’s flowers from 1-800-Flowers. The site said that same day delivery was available, but it would not let him order them for the same day. So Martha apparently did not want to be part of our anniversary. I was a little disappointed – I would have liked to have seen one of her arrangements.

Our wedding cake

My big task of the day was the cake I made. Our wedding cake was a spice cake and it was decorated with flowers. I decided to make a little replica of it.

I used Big Martha’s Spice Cake Recipe with a few small changes. I didn’t have any mace and I used buttermilk instead of milk.

The next question was how to make a tiered cake when I didn’t have the proper pans. I used one regular cake pan, one medium Corning bowl and a ramekin. The sizes actually worked out quite well.

Once I had the cakes made, I needed frosting. I decided to use the Buttercream Frosting recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. First you whisk

The layers

egg whites and sugar in a double boiler then you mix the heck out of it. Finally, you add butter and vanilla. I thought the frosting tasted a lot like butter, but it was ok.

I stacked the cakes first, then frosted them (a cheat, I know). I went outside and snipped flowers to decorate it with. I have

Buttercream frosting

to say, I think it turned out pretty well.

The cake tasted good, but not out of this world good. If I made it again, I would increase the amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I thought it was a tad bland. It was moist though, so the buttermilk did its work.

It was fun to make a cake like this, especially since there was no pressure. It was just for the two of us (and kids) and if it didn’t turn out, then it didn’t matter. I think it’s pretty though and I’m proud of myself for attempting it!

Yesterday was our 20th anniversary. I don’t know how 20 years has passed. Because we’re taking a family vacation later this summer, we decided to have a low key celebration. This is distinctly un-Martha, but I ordered Mr. MarthaandMe’s favorite pizza for dinner. We never get pizza from here because it is so far, so … Read more →

Yesterday was our 20th anniversary. I don’t know how 20 years has passed. Because we’re taking a family vacation later this summer, we decided to have a low key celebration. This is distinctly un-Martha, but I ordered Mr. MarthaandMe’s favorite pizza for dinner. We never get pizza from here because it is so far, so it was a special treat for him.

Mr. MarthaandMe had flowers delivered for me. He tried to order Martha’s flowers from 1-800-Flowers. The site said that same day delivery was available, but it would not let him order them for the same day. So Martha apparently did not want to be part of our anniversary. I was a little disappointed – I would have liked to have seen one of her arrangements.

Our wedding cake

My big task of the day was the cake I made. Our wedding cake was a spice cake and it was decorated with flowers. I decided to make a little replica of it.

I used Big Martha’s Spice Cake Recipe with a few small changes. I didn’t have any mace and I used buttermilk instead of milk.

The next question was how to make a tiered cake when I didn’t have the proper pans. I used one regular cake pan, one medium Corning bowl and a ramekin. The sizes actually worked out quite well.

Once I had the cakes made, I needed frosting. I decided to use the Buttercream Frosting recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes. First you whisk

The layers

egg whites and sugar in a double boiler then you mix the heck out of it. Finally, you add butter and vanilla. I thought the frosting tasted a lot like butter, but it was ok.

I stacked the cakes first, then frosted them (a cheat, I know). I went outside and snipped flowers to decorate it with. I have

Buttercream frosting

to say, I think it turned out pretty well.

The cake tasted good, but not out of this world good. If I made it again, I would increase the amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I thought it was a tad bland. It was moist though, so the buttermilk did its work.

It was fun to make a cake like this, especially since there was no pressure. It was just for the two of us (and kids) and if it didn’t turn out, then it didn’t matter. I think it’s pretty though and I’m proud of myself for attempting it!

Yesterday was our 20th anniversary. I don’t know how 20 years has passed. Because we’re taking a family vacation later this summer, we decided to have a low key celebration. This is distinctly un-Martha, but I ordered Mr. MarthaandMe’s favorite pizza for dinner. We never get pizza from here because it is so far, so … Read more →

I’ve developed a love for onion rings, but I am very picky. They can’t be too greasy, too onion-y, or overdone. Would Martha’s Baked Onion Rings make the grade? I was eager to find out.

The breading is breadcrumbs and crushed cornflakes – interesting, I thought. The batter for dipping is egg, buttermilk and flour. It’s nice and thick and sticks to the onions well.

I had a little trouble getting the breading to stick, however, so parts of my onions were a little bare. You preheat your baking sheet with oil so it sizzles when you add the rings. It bakes for 16 minutes – and that time worked perfectly for me.

The result was really terrific. These onion rings were crunchy, not oily, tasty, and flavorful. I really, really loved them. I will definitely make this recipe again. It’s a great alternative to deep fried food without sacrificing any taste.

I’ve developed a love for onion rings, but I am very picky. They can’t be too greasy, too onion-y, or overdone. Would Martha’s Baked Onion Rings make the grade? I was eager to find out. The breading is breadcrumbs and crushed cornflakes – interesting, I thought. The batter for dipping is egg, buttermilk and flour. … Read more →

Everyone in the family loves smoothies and almost everyone (except me) loves blackberries, so I had to make Martha’s Blackberry Yogurt Smoothies (June Martha Stewart Living). This was a very simple recipe – dump blackberries, yogurt, honey, buttermilk and cardamom in the blender and turn it on.

I did that, then had my son (Dude Martha as he wants to be referred to) do a taste test. It got a major thumbs down – not sweet, not cold, just not good. So I went to work doctoring it. I added more honey, ice and orange juice.  He tasted it again. And again, I had to add ice and orange juice. Finally he deemed it ready to drink.

Mr. MarthaAndMe tasted it also. He thought it was ok, but they both said it really needed to be strained to get all those blackberry seeds out.

As smoothies go, this one wasn’t a winner at all. I never would have thought of making a blackberry smoothie though, so it gets points for originality at least.

Everyone in the family loves smoothies and almost everyone (except me) loves blackberries, so I had to make Martha’s Blackberry Yogurt Smoothies (June Martha Stewart Living). This was a very simple recipe – dump blackberries, yogurt, honey, buttermilk and cardamom in the blender and turn it on. I did that, then had my son (Dude … Read more →

I’ve never even considered making my own English muffins. I’ve never even seen a recipe for them. So when I came across Martha’s recipe in June Martha Stewart Living, I thought, “I’ve got to try this!” Multigrain English Muffins have all sorts of great ingredients, like whole wheat flour, rolled oats, wheat germ and flaxseed. I love whole grains.

I mixed up the dough and let it rise. It didn’t rise very much and I don’t know why – my water was the right temp, my yeast was not expired and it did proof well. A complete mystery.

I kneaded it and then cut out the muffins. The recipe says to make them 3 inches. That seemed really small to me, so I went with a bigger size – about 4 1/2 inches.

kneading

Then I let them rise again. Again, there was almost no change with the rising. The interesting thing about this recipe is you don’t bake them. You cook them on a griddle.  That was sort of fun and a really different technique to try. They cooked well and turned lightly brown and looked good, except for the fact that they were really, really thin.

Nicely browned

Cutting these in half to toast them was a challenge. It was almost impossible to slice them, but I did manage. There were not really any nooks and crannies to speak of once it was opened. They toasted well and tasted pretty good.  I don’t think I’ll be making these again – I’m pretty happy with Thomas’s multigrain English muffins! Much less work with a better final product.

toasted and buttered

I’ve never even considered making my own English muffins. I’ve never even seen a recipe for them. So when I came across Martha’s recipe in June Martha Stewart Living, I thought, “I’ve got to try this!” Multigrain English Muffins have all sorts of great ingredients, like whole wheat flour, rolled oats, wheat germ and flaxseed. … Read more →

Are you a gnocchi fan? I love them. I did attempt to make my own once and they were pretty much a pain in the neck, so I just buy them frozen at the grocery store.

I loved the idea of gnocchi with summer vegetables (Martha Stewart Everyday Food). Usually I make gnocchi with some green onions, olive oil, and lots of Parmesan cheese. Amazingly, everyone in the family eats this (there are so few dishes that everyone will eat). I’m now at the point where I have to buy two bags for one meal.

I was excited to give Martha’s recipe a try – more veggies is always a good thing. This recipe was super duper simple. Boil your gnocchi and separately cook up some garlic, zucchini and cherry tomatoes. Add a little of the water from the gnocchi to make it into a sauce, add your gnocchi and serve with cheese. I added some spinach to this recipe to beef up the veggie content even more. It was great! I loved it. I did have to make some gnocchi separate for the kids, but I thought this was delicious and I will definitely be making it again. Thanks Martha!

Are you a gnocchi fan? I love them. I did attempt to make my own once and they were pretty much a pain in the neck, so I just buy them frozen at the grocery store. I loved the idea of gnocchi with summer vegetables (Martha Stewart Everyday Food). Usually I make gnocchi with some … Read more →

I’ve begun working through Martha’s new cupcake book. I made a list of things I want to make and decided to start off with the Streusel Cupcakes (p. 62). I admit they appealed to me because there is no frosting to make and decorate with (so it should be quick and easy). It also sounded to me more like a breakfast food, so I wouldn’t have to feel TOO guilty about having one.

The cupcake/muffin part of this is simple and easy. Nothing complicated. I like that it has sour cream in the dough – the dough tasted SO good. It was kind of hard to get this in the muffin tins since the batter is super heavy and thick. It did not sit nicely in the cups.

Next I made the streusel topping. I make streusel when I make blueberry muffins and I’ve found the easiest way is to make it in the Cuisinart, so that’s what I did. I wasn’t thrilled with this streusel recipe – too much flour, not enough cinnamon. But I went with it.

The recipe says to put half on the muffins/cupcakes and smoosh it down. This actually helped the cupcakes take a better shape. Then you sprinkle the rest of the topping on and bake.

These took longer to bake than the recipe said, but I always have that problem with Martha recipes. I needed another 7 minutes.

Now for the taste test. Good, but not amazing in my book. I have to say they really look scrumptious with all that streusel topping crumbled all over it. I wish the cupcake/muffin part had something in it though – it needs a ribbon of cinnamon or some nuts or something because it is just plain. The topping is good, but not great. I like to make my streusel topping with equal parts brown sugar and flour and lots of cinnamon. I found this to be a bit floury.

That being said, this is a cute way to make something for a brunch or a big gathering since it’s easy to serve.

What cupcake recipes from the book do YOU think I should make? Post and tell me and I’ll try to make them!

I’ve begun working through Martha’s new cupcake book. I made a list of things I want to make and decided to start off with the Streusel Cupcakes (p. 62). I admit they appealed to me because there is no frosting to make and decorate with (so it should be quick and easy). It also sounded … Read more →

Thank you Martha, for getting me to try Swiss chard. I remember my parents growing it and eating it when I was a kid, but I don’t recall ever tasting it myself. As a kid, I wasn’t big on greens. But now I’m finding that I really do like many greens.

I made Martha’s Swiss Chard Frittata (June Martha Stewart Living). This was super easy. It’s essentially a quiche, but with no crust. I used cottage cheese instead of ricotta. I love that this is almost all egg whites with only one whole egg. It’s very light, but is also delicious and filling.

I love the color of Swiss chard – bright green and magenta. It’s just gorgeous.  I cooked some of the Swiss chard up on another night and basically just wilted it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and I loved it. I am mad about spinach and this is very similar.  If you’re a bit iffy on greens, try this fritatta. You don’t really notice the chard in it very much.

I ate the leftover frittata for lunch the next day and confess I melted a little Swiss cheese on it, which made it taste even better I thought.

Thank you Martha, for getting me to try Swiss chard. I remember my parents growing it and eating it when I was a kid, but I don’t recall ever tasting it myself. As a kid, I wasn’t big on greens. But now I’m finding that I really do like many greens. I made Martha’s Swiss … Read more →