We spent the 4th with my parents and did chicken on the grill. I made Martha’s classic barbecue sauce, from July/Aug Everyday Food. What’s funny is Martha had another classic BBQ sauce recipe in June Living but I never got around to it. This one was slightly simpler – requiring a 2 hour cook time as opposed to a 3 hour cook time, and fewer ingredients.

I always make my own barbecue sauce, but I always start with ketchup and usually add mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic salt and Worchestershire. Simple and easy and my kids like it.

Martha’s recipe starts with canned tomato sauce and includes onion, garlic, ground mustard, molasses, Worchestershire, vinegar and salt and pepper. It was easy to make and had to simmer for 2 hours. I tasted it after it had cooked and was not happy. There is no sugar in this recipe at all and it really needed some. So I dumped in brown sugar and that helped a bit. It still tasted very spicy to me – I guess from the ground mustard.  I hoped it would mellow a bit as it sat for a few days until the 4th.

On the 4th my dad did the grilling. My parents had their own barbecue sauce and we had Martha’s on organic chicken breasts. The verdict? Thumbs down. The kids did not like it at all and said it tasted too tomato-y. I thought it was just not good in general and I agree it tasted very tomato-y yet somehow a bit bland at the same time. I’ve got a big container of this left and am not sure if I will freeze it or just dump it. It was a disappointment for sure.

I typed this post then went downstairs to get the camera so I could get the photo. I made breakfast while I was there. I opened the fridge to get the eggs, and the big container of Martha’s barbecue sauce fell out and exploded all over the kitchen. What a mess! So I guess that is payback for dissing the sauce!

We spent the 4th with my parents and did chicken on the grill. I made Martha’s classic barbecue sauce, from July/Aug Everyday Food. What’s funny is Martha had another classic BBQ sauce recipe in June Living but I never got around to it. This one was slightly simpler – requiring a 2 hour cook time … Read more →

The in-laws were coming for dinner on a Friday night. When I invited them, I said I would make something simple, so Martha’s Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Bacon (July Martha Stewart Everyday Food) fit the bill. I’m a sucker for chowder and the surprising thing about clam or shrimp chowder is that it doesn’t have to cook long at all, unlike other soups.

To start, I cut the corn off the cobs. I am highly skilled at this, if I do say so myself. I used to freeze dozens and dozens of ears of corn every summer and developed a system. I used to use an old tube pan. I would put the ear of corn on the hole in the middle and it would hold it in place while I cut the corn off, then scraped the cobs with the back of the knife to get all the juice.

This soup was simple – cook some bacon, then cook your green onion whites in the grease. Add the potatoes and cook in a mix of milk and water. The recipe calls for thyme and seafood seasoning and it was the perfect mix. I did add more flour than this calls for because I like my chowder thick. And I added some heavy cream. You add your shrimp in at the end because it cooks quickly. I happened to have some lobster tail that was brought home by Teen Martha from a dinner she was at, so I threw that in too.

The soup was delicious. Very simple to make and very flavorful. Instead of water, I would use some seafood stock (I didn’t have any on hand).  The recipe says this makes 4 servings. I fed 6 people with this and had lots left over. This was the main part of our meal too – I served it with bread and salad.

The in-laws were coming for dinner on a Friday night. When I invited them, I said I would make something simple, so Martha’s Corn and Shrimp Chowder with Bacon (July Martha Stewart Everyday Food) fit the bill. I’m a sucker for chowder and the surprising thing about clam or shrimp chowder is that it doesn’t … Read more →

I love potato salad. My grandmother was the queen of potato salad makers and I learned how to make an awesome one from her. I’m very, very fond of the family recipe and generally will not eat potato salad in restaurants or delis because it does not measure up. Martha had big shoes to fill with her French Potato Salad (July Martha Stewart Everyday Food – not up on the site).

This potato salad was not difficult and it didn’t require any peeling, which gave it bonus points as far as I’m concerned. You use new or fingerling potatoes. Boil them then chop up some red onion. Mix up the dressing – oil, Dijon mustard, vinegar, shallot and herbs. Toss it and you’re done. I let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours which helped the flavors meld.

I liked this, but it’s not as good as my grandmother’s. It is, however, totally different. It’s a nice change and is a great thing to serve on a summer evening. It tastes light and feels very refreshing.

I love potato salad. My grandmother was the queen of potato salad makers and I learned how to make an awesome one from her. I’m very, very fond of the family recipe and generally will not eat potato salad in restaurants or delis because it does not measure up. Martha had big shoes to fill … 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 →

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 →

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’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 →

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’ll admit, I wasn’t really wild about the idea of Salmon Cakes (Martha Stewart Everyday Food, June – again, another recipe that isn’t on the web site). But I love, love, love salmon, so I thought it was worth a try. First I poached my salmon (wild, not farmed!) and then flaked it into pieces. I cooked the onion and mixed it with the salmon, breadcrumbs, egg, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and pepper.

My mixture was pretty dry and I was worried about it holding together. I formed it into cakes and dunked them in the breadcrumbs. This really did not want to hold together! I got them on the griddle and some held together better than others.

It just seemed like it needed more “glue” to hold it together.

While they were cooking, I made the apple yogurt sauce – yogurt, apple, mint, cilantro and lemon juice. I was REALLY not sure I was going to like that. Apple on salmon? Weird.

Despite my trepidation, this was really quite good. The yogurt sauce was interesting. It didn’t taste like apple – more like onion somehow.  The cakes themselves were good – very salmon-y and not too much breading. If I made this again, I would first of all only do it to use up some already cooked salmon. I would not poach a piece of salmon to make it into a salmon cake, but this is a good idea for leftovers. Secondly, I think I would eat it on a roll with some lettuce and tomato and mayo and lemon juice, kind of like a grouper sandwich.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t really wild about the idea of Salmon Cakes (Martha Stewart Everyday Food, June – again, another recipe that isn’t on the web site). But I love, love, love salmon, so I thought it was worth a try. First I poached my salmon (wild, not farmed!) and then flaked it into pieces. … Read more →