Lucinda Scala Quinn, you are a genius. Lucinda is a host of Everyday Food and a bigwig at MSLO. Whenever I see something from her, I know it’s going to be good.

In the July/Aug issue of Everyday Food, Lucinda appears on page 124 “Everyday Food on TV” with an idea for a quick summer pasta. It’s not even a recipe, just instructions for to throw together. Basically she says to cook angel hair pasta and then toss it with fresh herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice, cream and salt and pepper. This was SO incredibly easy to make and it was delicious – fresh and light tasting. I love ideas like this that are simple and quick but have amazing taste. You can use any herbs you have. I added a little Parmesan cheese (pasta requires cheese!) but not much at all. Give this one a try – you’ll love it!

Lucinda Scala Quinn, you are a genius. Lucinda is a host of Everyday Food and a bigwig at MSLO. Whenever I see something from her, I know it’s going to be good. In the July/Aug issue of Everyday Food, Lucinda appears on page 124 “Everyday Food on TV” with an idea for a quick summer … Read more →

We recently redid our bathroom, which was a nightmare to live through, but I love the end result. I went with a blue and green color scheme – beachy colors.

I bought this piece of art at an art show in FL – it’s a beach scene painting with a tiny starfish, tiny sand dollar (which you can’t really see in this photo due to the flash- sorry), and two tiny shells.  I loved it when I saw it because of the color scheme, the watercolor style and the real shells glued on. I got it home and knew I wanted it to go in the bathroom, but wasn’t sure what to do with it. Eventually I realized I had larger versions of three of the shells that are glued to the painting. So I bought a shadow box, put the painting in it and then stood my three corresponding shells up on the bottom. I’m actually quite proud of this and I love how it turned out. I felt very Martha coming up with and executing this.

We recently redid our bathroom, which was a nightmare to live through, but I love the end result. I went with a blue and green color scheme – beachy colors. I bought this piece of art at an art show in FL – it’s a beach scene painting with a tiny starfish, tiny sand dollar … Read more →

I love roast chicken. The way it smells when it cooks, the way the skin gets crispy, the white meat, and then picking at the remains at the end of dinner. The thing about roast chicken is that you put it on the table and you feel as though you’ve made a real MEAL. Martha has a recipe for what she called Perfect Roast Chicken, in Martha Stewart’s Cooking School cookbook.

You fill the cavity with some lemon slices, garlic and rosemary. You’re supposed to truss the chicken, but I had no twine!! Egad. Martha never runs out of twine.

The interesting thing about this recipe is the oven temp. Martha says to roast

Pan sauce

a 4 lb chicken at 450 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Usually I roast chickens at 350. It seemed really hot, but I have to say that it did work. The chicken got a bit dark on the top, however. It was very crisp and it did cook all the way through. The chicken was really, really moist, so I’m going to use this technique again. I’ve made chickens with lemon and garlic in them before, and as always, it doesn’t seem to flavor the meat at all as far as I can tell. That part is frustrating.

The family approved of this, although we had the usual squabbling about who was getting what type of meat. My son used to be a drumstick guy, but now he and his sister both  insist on white meat, as do I . Mr. MarthaAndMe is the only one who will eat the rest, so I either need to start making two chickens or make an additional chicken breast to go along with it.

Chicken and sauce

Next Martha says to make a pan sauce. You cook the pan drippings with white wine until reduced then add some butter. It was a quick sauce to whip up, but it was so thin and very greasy. I would much rather have gravy. No one was wild about this sauce.

Was this a perfect roast chicken? I wouldn’t call it perfect, but I would say it was darn good.

I love roast chicken. The way it smells when it cooks, the way the skin gets crispy, the white meat, and then picking at the remains at the end of dinner. The thing about roast chicken is that you put it on the table and you feel as though you’ve made a real MEAL. Martha … Read more →

I’m continuing to work through what I call the Grandmother Project, as I seek out ways to use, preserve, and enjoy the special items I inherited when my 99 year old grandmother passed.

Before

Two items that came home with me were baskets. The first is a very old two-handled, hinged picnic basket. My mom remembers my grandmother using this for family picnics years ago. It was a really hideous yellow (and I discovered there was a layer of green paint underneath that!). This basket seemed to me like something Martha would have great ideas about using. I posted about this a few weeks ago, asking for suggestions. So many of you sent me great ideas – thank you so much for inspiring me! The first thing I did was clean it. I took a damp cloth and thoroughly wiped it all over. It was dirty!

After

Next, I spray painted it white. It took an entire can of white spray paint and honestly, I probably should have ran out and bought another can to give it one more coat, but I didn’t have a chance.  I put the basket on my front porch, next to my white wicker furniture, with flowers in it. Next year I’m going to buy a nice oblong planter that will completely fill the basket and fill it with flowers that will grow and drape over the side, but for now this geranium brings it to life.

Next up is another picnic basket. This one is from my childhood. This is the basket my grandmother used to take on picnics with me. We often went to the park to have lunch. This is also what I think of as The Kitten Basket. My grandfather and his brother ran a greenhouse. Every spring the mama kitty that lived in the greenhouse had kittens. My grandmother would bring this basket with a towel in it and walk me over to the greenhouse. My grandfather would have already scoped out where the mama kitty was hiding her babies (often it was behind the boiler) and he would climb into wherever it was and get them out for me. We would put them in the basket and carry it back to my grandmother’s house where I would put the kittens out on a blanket in her sunroom and play with them. I can only imagine what the poor mama kitty thought about this!

So, as you can see, this basket has great sentimental value to me. I wanted to find a way to make it a part of my house. I decided to use it as a plant basket. I layered the bottom with plastic to protect it, then I set a plant pot in it. I’m going to carefully water it so that the basket does not get damaged.  It makes me happy every time I look at it.

I’m continuing to work through what I call the Grandmother Project, as I seek out ways to use, preserve, and enjoy the special items I inherited when my 99 year old grandmother passed. Two items that came home with me were baskets. The first is a very old two-handled, hinged picnic basket. My mom remembers … Read more →

As I announced this morning on Martha Stewart Radio Morning Living Live (Sirius XM), I’ve lost 13 pounds on what I’m calling The Martha Diet (and if you heard me on the radio, would you email them and say you enjoyed it? Here’s the link– in the middle of the page over to the right, it says “send email). I’ve tried lots of diets in my life and this is really the easiest weight loss I’ve ever experienced. There’s no gimmick, no crazy restrictions and I’m not even counting calories. I’m not paying anyone (nor is anyone paying me!) and I’m not buying bad food or going to support groups. I’m making delicious, wonderful food and I’m also making and eating desserts. How is this possible?

If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I committed to giving my life a Martha Stewart makeover. I entered into a one year commitment wherein I would do at least one Martha project or Martha-ish project per day – cooking, crafting, decorating, organizing, etc.

The weight loss started without me even really noticing. A few pounds just fell off because I was cooking and eating Martha food. I finally noticed what was up and thought about it. I’m giving my life a Martha makeover, but what about my body? Maybe I should include that in my plan. Martha takes very good care of herself – she makes it a priority to eat well, exercise, and stay healthy. It’s a priority for her and maybe it should be for me too, I thought.

Now if you are a Martha follower, you know that each January she promotes a Body and Soul diet. Frankly, I never quite understood it. I didn’t feel as though I could really find the program anywhere in one concise place (she talked about in Body and Soul Magazine, on her show, and on her site, but it never felt cohesive to me). This is not the Body and Soul diet. In fact, it’s not really a diet at all. I’ve changed how I buy, make, eat and think about food because of Martha.

Here are some of the basic tenets of what I’ve been doing:

– I always ask myself “Would Martha eat this?” if the answer is no, then I don’t either. That means no soda, junk food, prepared foods, etc.

– I shop like Martha. I buy fresh ingredients and usually they are for Martha recipes I plan to make.

– I still make dessert! But I think about it like Martha does. Desserts are for sharing. I love to make them and taste them, but Martha does not make a pan of brownies and let it sit on her kitchen counter all week so she can slowly eat her way though it. She makes things, enjoys them, and shares them. So I give away the desserts I make, after I have had a piece to enjoy.

– Throughout the day, I try to think about food like Martha does. She loves fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, whole grains and other healthy things, prepared in ways that are beautiful, elegant and delicious. I find that because I am cooking wonderful food, I no longer crave junky things. I feel fulfilled and satisfied because the food I am eating fills my emotional and physical needs.

– I eat a real breakfast. For years, I had Cheerios for breakfast. Now I eat eggs, fruit or yogurt for breakfast and I feel full longer. One day on her show, Martha showed the audience and viewers a tray containing her breakfast. That really inspired me.

– I eat a fruit and a vegetable with lunch. I also used to eat a lot of leftovers for lunch, but because the foods I make for dinner are so healthy, my leftovers are good for me. On the show, Martha has often exclaimed while cooking that she would be saving a piece or a serving of whatever it was to have for her lunch that day. So now I eat salads, fish, fruit, cheese, and a small amount of carbs for lunch.

– I drink a lot of water throughout the day. If I snack, I do so on fruits, nuts or cheese. I find that they satisfy every craving I have – sweet, salty, or filling.

I feel wonderful and healthy. And of course I am exercising. I’ve been walking 3 miles a day for years, but I’m trying to mix it up with swimming, kayaking, badminton, and other fun things so that I sneak in more exercise while I am having fun.

I’ll keep everyone posted about my progress and share more insights and secrets as I go along! This feels like a big life change for me and I want to share it with you as I move forward.

As I announced this morning on Martha Stewart Radio Morning Living Live (Sirius XM), I’ve lost 13 pounds on what I’m calling The Martha Diet (and if you heard me on the radio, would you email them and say you enjoyed it? Here’s the link– in the middle of the page over to the right, … Read more →

Join me Monday (July 13) on Martha Stewart radio on Sirius XM for Morning Living Live at 7:30 a.m. The gals who host this show are terrific so if you’ve never listened, I know you will enjoy them. Also, I’ll be sharing some exciting news about my Martha project with them.  I hope you can listen!

Join me Monday (July 13) on Martha Stewart radio on Sirius XM for Morning Living Live at 7:30 a.m. The gals who host this show are terrific so if you’ve never listened, I know you will enjoy them. Also, I’ll be sharing some exciting news about my Martha project with them.  I hope you can … Read more →

The dessert of the month in July Martha Stewart Living is Vanilla-Raspberry Sundaes with Spoon-Shaped Cookies. I must admit, I ignored this recipe for weeks. There’s not much baking involved – just some cookies. The rest is assembling a sundae. And I have to confess, I thought the spoon cookies were stupid. So I ignored, but finally I gave in and made it.

The cookie dough was easy to make. After chilling, I rolled it out and tried to cut out the cookies. I cut out the template, but the middle part where it curves in felt like it was too thin, so I wanted to make them a bit bigger. As you can tell, I’m not very talented at cutting things out of dough without a template!

I baked the cookies and then once they were cool, assembled the sundaes. I used strawberry sorbet instead of raspberry. Make sure you let your ice cream and sorbet soften a bit before you scoop it so you can get it to smush together.

The sundaes were really pretty when assembled. I didn’t think I would like this, but I did. I thought the cookie spoons would break and get mushy. They actually did work and I liked the taste of the sundae with the cookie. This was yummy and really a very easy dessert to make.  Nice one, Martha!

The dessert of the month in July Martha Stewart Living is Vanilla-Raspberry Sundaes with Spoon-Shaped Cookies. I must admit, I ignored this recipe for weeks. There’s not much baking involved – just some cookies. The rest is assembling a sundae. And I have to confess, I thought the spoon cookies were stupid. So I ignored, … Read more →

Although local corn is not yet available here, we do have a lot of decent corn in the stores that is brought in from God knows where. August is corn season here, so I was happy to see all the great ideas for corn in July/August Martha Stewart Everyday Food. I tend to just cook corn on the cob or grill it. I don’t usually do much else with it. I had a few ears of corn hanging around, so I decided to whip up Corn and Zucchini Saute with Basil.

This was a quick dish to make. You slice zucchini and saute with garlic briefly. Then you cut the corn off the cob and add that. Add in some basil and some vinegar at the end and you’re done. I enjoyed this. I think it would be a great thing to whip up with some leftover corn. I’m not sure I would rush out to buy the ingredients just to make this dish, but as a way to use leftovers, I highly recommend it.

Although local corn is not yet available here, we do have a lot of decent corn in the stores that is brought in from God knows where. August is corn season here, so I was happy to see all the great ideas for corn in July/August Martha Stewart Everyday Food. I tend to just cook … Read more →

You know how some families have holiday meal favorites like green bean casserole or candied sweet potatoes? In my family we have gougere. My parents were galloping 70s gourmets, so it’s no surprise that a treasured family recipe would be a French pastry hors d’oevre.

Martha has a recipe for Gougeres with Parmesan and Black Pepper in July Martha Stewart Living. A new twist on an old family favorite? I was excited. In my family, gougere is served as an hors d’oevre, but I whipped this up one night to have instead of bread with dinner (and here I must comment on the overall Martha project – never in a million years would I have seen myself casually whipping up Gougere for a week night dinner. This is what Martha has done to me!)

Gougere might seem a little imposing to make if you’ve never done it, but actually it’s really easy. Martha has included this in the magazine as part of the French cooking lesson and the instructions involve a mixer. Bah. I do it by hand and it’s very fast. First you boil butter, water, sugar and salt. Stir in flour until it pulls away from the sides and makes a film on the bottom of the pan. Then you stir in eggs until it becomes glossy and smooth. This all happens very, very quickly.

Martha’s instructions say to use a pastry bag. Bah. I just use a spoon. My mom often makes a ring of gougere which is very pretty. Martha says to brush them with egg wash and sprinkle salt and pepper and parmesan cheese on them. Then you bake them. This is essentially a cream puff dough, so it puffs up when it bakes very nicely.

As for taste? This is not a winner in my book, simply because it cannot compete with the family recipe. If you make this, I suggest you put the cheese IN the puffs, not on top where you can’t taste it. I didn’t care for the pepper on it either. Other than that though, these puffed up nicely and were very pretty.

Because I believe it is far superior, I am going to share the family gougere recipe, which I think is head and shoulders over Martha’s:

Big MarthaAndMe’s Gougere

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

4 3ggs

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

Preheat the oven to 450. Combine water and butter and bring to a rolling boil over medium high heat. Add the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball. Add eggs one at a time and beat with spoon until smooth and shiny. Add the rest of the ingredients.  Form clumps on baking sheet into a ring, so they touch each other. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 and bake until puffy and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

You know how some families have holiday meal favorites like green bean casserole or candied sweet potatoes? In my family we have gougere. My parents were galloping 70s gourmets, so it’s no surprise that a treasured family recipe would be a French pastry hors d’oevre. Martha has a recipe for Gougeres with Parmesan and Black … Read more →

I’ll be on Martha Stewart Radio Morning Living Live (Sirius XM) on Monday morning at 7:40 a.m.  Please join me! I’ll be talking about a very exciting and life-changing result of my blog.

I’ll be on Martha Stewart Radio Morning Living Live (Sirius XM) on Monday morning at 7:40 a.m.  Please join me! I’ll be talking about a very exciting and life-changing result of my blog.