Dude Martha (my son who just turned 12) is now in middle school. This quarter he is taking Home and Careers. I have fond memories of Home and Careers, or Home Ec as we called it then (which I took at the very same middle school, only then it was junior high!). We baked and cooked lots of things and I still have the recipes for many of them. We also sewed a quilted cover for a bread basket – in the shape of a chicken. My mother still has it, actually.

Home and Careers is a little more varied these days. They make them take career assessments and try to focus on other home related chores outside the kitchen as well, but they do still get to cook and bake and they also have to sew a little pillow this year.

Dude Martha has always had some talent in the kitchen, so this class should be a breeze for him. The teacher is giving them extra credit if they bring in a note from home saying they baked or cooked something themselves. Although the quarter just started a week ago, Dude Martha is all over the chance for extra credit and asked if he could make cookies. We got out the Martha Stewart Cookies book and he chose Old-Fashioned Sugar Cookies. Now, if it had been me, I would have obviously chosen something with chocolate! He went to the kitchen and got to work. I was called in a few times for questions (“it says coarse salt – what do I do?” and “is this butter soft enough?”) but other than he did the whole thing himself.

I did help a little when he was mixing and the dough would not come together. Even though he softened the butter, there were still some hard chunks and the dough was very sandy and not holding together. I performed a magic trick I’ve recently started doing, which I want to share with you. Somehow in this cold winter weather, my butter seems to do this a lot. So I just stick the mixing bowl in the preheating oven for a minute or two. When I pull it out, the butter has softened completely and it all comes together nicely.

These cookies were really, really good. They are crunchy, chewy, and sweet with just a hint of lemon. They are quickly disappearing. Thumbs up on the cookies and for Dude Martha!

Dude Martha (my son who just turned 12) is now in middle school. This quarter he is taking Home and Careers. I have fond memories of Home and Careers, or Home Ec as we called it then (which I took at the very same middle school, only then it was junior high!). We baked and … Read more →

I used to love to send postcards when I was a kid. I always sent them to my grandmother, who stuck them into random pages of her cookbooks. She always said she liked to happen upon them in the future. When she died, we found lots of them in her cookbooks.

This week’s Martha Mondays project, chosen by  Sarah at Mum in Bloom, is to make your own postcards. The project is very simple. Print out the template for the back of the postcard and glue it onto the back of a 4×6 photo. The photo I used is one we took on the shores of Loch Ness this past summer.

Here’s a little secret. You don’t even really need to print out the template. You can simply mail a photo if you write the address on the right hand side and leave a place for the stamp. In fact, you can mail all sorts of weird things. There’s a whole little business surrounding this in Florida, where we go every spring. We have mailed a whole coconut (no packaging, just a label), a flip flop (again, just a label) and a plastic bottle with a note in it (label glued on the outside), all sold in gift shops down there.

My aunt, who was postmaster of her town, used to mail her own photos as postcards often (without any backing glued on) while on vacation.  If you’ve got a printer with you, this is a great way to send personalized postcards for very little cost. I have to say I always do like to look through postcards though wherever we are. I like to see what photos are being used. I have some blank postcards I bought as a child and now have all the ones  I sent my grandmother and they are interesting to look through.

I used to love to send postcards when I was a kid. I always sent them to my grandmother, who stuck them into random pages of her cookbooks. She always said she liked to happen upon them in the future. When she died, we found lots of them in her cookbooks. This week’s Martha Mondays … Read more →

If you’ve been following along, you might remember The Great Garden Debacle of 2009. Martha convinced me I needed to garden. I started seeds inside and planted them and had them all wiped out by frost. Then I bought some plants and had an invasion of creatures and ended up not getting much out of my garden at all. It was a sad Martha attempt. We do not have green thumbs – or maybe we just don’t have the time and patience needed to grow a garden. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to have fresh produce at my fingertips. My dad plants a huge garden and I am always thrilled to bring home what it produces. I’ve also had success in the past with container gardening.

One of things I am determined to grow is my own herbs. Martha has sold me on the value, flavor and necessity of fresh herbs. I do have a small herb garden near our deck, but seem to successfully grow only chives and oregano in it. And that is only useful during about half the year here in Buffalo.

Mr. MarthaAndMe bought me one of those aquaponic growers for Christmas. You fill it with water and nutrients and it will grown a variety of herbs and vegetables under UV lights. To get started, he got me an herb assortment. We set the equipment up right after Christmas and now there are a few things sprouting (although I am getting worried – only some of the 8 things seem to be poking their heads up!). I’m hopeful I’ll get some fresh herbs at least and I’ll be very grateful to have them too, considering how expensive they are to buy in tiny little packets in the produce section. Will our black thumbs extend to basement gardening too? I hope not, but please tune in to find out!

If you’ve been following along, you might remember The Great Garden Debacle of 2009. Martha convinced me I needed to garden. I started seeds inside and planted them and had them all wiped out by frost. Then I bought some plants and had an invasion of creatures and ended up not getting much out of … Read more →

the turkey

I am fooded out after the holidays. I think I could exist solely on salads and fruit for a couple of weeks, however that won’t feed the family. Jan/Feb Everyday Food has lots of light meal ideas, and I am SO appreciating them right now.

Last night I made Stir-Fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps. This reminded me of the lettuce wraps dish you can get at PF Changs. It was pretty simple to throw together. Chop up garlic, shallot and grate some ginger. I used some canned chilis (the recipe says to use a fresh one). Cook it all quickly

the wrap

then add ground turkey. Once it’s almost cooked, add in a mix of soy sauce, fish sauce (which smells so bad I almost hate to use it, but it does work) and sugar. Serve with lettuce leaves (I used Boston) and some sliced scallions and carrots and some lime to squeeze.

Hold on to your hats here, but everyone in the family ate this. I almost fell off my chair. I knew Teen Martha would at least try it, but she really liked it. Dude Martha ate huge quantities of the turkey plain and said he liked it. I thought it was delicious. I loved wrapping it in lettuce (I felt so noble using lettuce instead of tortillas!). It drips a little when you eat it but not too bad. Mr. MarthaAndMe needs some lessons in how to roll up the lettuce, but other than that, he enjoyed it too.

This will be something I make again and again I think – very quick and very healthy and no one will whine.

I am fooded out after the holidays. I think I could exist solely on salads and fruit for a couple of weeks, however that won’t feed the family. Jan/Feb Everyday Food has lots of light meal ideas, and I am SO appreciating them right now. Last night I made Stir-Fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps. This … Read more →

I hope everyone survived the holidays! After a short break, we’re back to Martha Mondays. Today’s recipe was Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes, chosen by Pru at Perfecting Pru. We had these for breakfast on Sunday. It’s Martha’s basic buttermilk pancake recipe (which is almost the same as my recipe, except she uses more buttermilk), but you start by placing thin slices of pear that have been dipped in maple syrup and cinnamon on the griddle and letting them cook for a minute. Then you put the batter over them.

I liked these. The pear is an interesting flavor. It was kind of a sticky mess on the griddle, but they did taste good. It was nice to try something different for breakfast.

If you made this, please post a link to your results or a comment saying what you thought. Visit the other members’ blogs.

I hope everyone survived the holidays! After a short break, we’re back to Martha Mondays. Today’s recipe was Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes, chosen by Pru at Perfecting Pru. We had these for breakfast on Sunday. It’s Martha’s basic buttermilk pancake recipe (which is almost the same as my recipe, except she uses more buttermilk), but … Read more →

Martha has definitely inspired me to take decorating more seriously. For years, I’ve been moaning about how I don’t like some of my Christmas decorations. I’ve finally started to get rid of the ones I don’t like and focus on collecting things I do like.

Last year when I was shopping the after Christmas sales, I picked up three glass tree toppers are bargain basement prices. this year, I added a mercury glass tree topper I found at Target and a smaller pink vintage German topper I bought on eBay. I’ve got them displayed on my mantel in front of the mirror and I’m thrilled with them. I hope to keep adding to this collection.

Martha has definitely inspired me to take decorating more seriously. For years, I’ve been moaning about how I don’t like some of my Christmas decorations. I’ve finally started to get rid of the ones I don’t like and focus on collecting things I do like. Last year when I was shopping the after Christmas sales, … Read more →

Gingerbread cupcakes – what could be a better pick for December? I was so enthusiastic about these, I even bought holiday cupcake papers and little gingerbread toothpick guys to decorate. This recipe is from the Martha Stewart Cupcake book. Visit the MSC Cupcake Club page and other members if you get a chance.

As always, these cupcakes were a breeze to whip up. There was only one small problem – I didn’t have quite enough ginger. I only had 1 1/2 tbsp and the recipe called for 2 tbsp. Sorry Martha!

This made 22 very small cupcakes. Usually I like to fill my cupcake tins pretty close to the top and have them rise out of the tins. There wasn’t enough to do this and they didn’t rise a lot.

I just made a plain white frosting and decorated with my toothpick guys (as always I am sure I will be embarrassed once I see the other club members’ creativity!).

As for taste, I was not a big fan. I would rather eat real gingerbread. The kids liked them and so did Mr. MarthaAndMe. I sent most of these off to school with Teen Martha who fed them to her Virgil (Latin) class.

Gingerbread cupcakes – what could be a better pick for December? I was so enthusiastic about these, I even bought holiday cupcake papers and little gingerbread toothpick guys to decorate. This recipe is from the Martha Stewart Cupcake book. Visit the MSC Cupcake Club page and other members if you get a chance. As always, … Read more →

The Martha Mondays project for 12/14 is the chocolate caramel cookie bar in the November issue of Living. This pick is courtesy of Megan at Megan’s Cookin’. If you need the recipe, let me know. As always, new members are welcome – just email me or leave a comment if you would like to be added to the blogroll and have a turn making a pick.

The Martha Mondays project for 12/14 is the chocolate caramel cookie bar in the November issue of Living. This pick is courtesy of Megan at Megan’s Cookin’. If you need the recipe, let me know. As always, new members are welcome – just email me or leave a comment if you would like to be … Read more →

This week’s project was picture frame ornaments, chosen by MaryAnn at Stirrin It Up.

This is a really simple craft that would be great to do with kids. You print out the template, trace onto card stock and them glue and glitter them, after punching a hole at the top. Once the glitter dries, you make a cut out in one of them and glue a photo in it and then glue the back on. Very, very easy. Even I could do it.

In full disclosure I used Martha’s glitter glue and glitter that they sent me. I have to say I was quite pleased with the quality of both. The glitter glue has a brush attached inside the lid – just like rubber cement jars and I found that to be very convenient. Martha’s glitter was, as always, very nice.

This week’s project was picture frame ornaments, chosen by MaryAnn at Stirrin It Up. This is a really simple craft that would be great to do with kids. You print out the template, trace onto card stock and them glue and glitter them, after punching a hole at the top. Once the glitter dries, you … Read more →

If your holiday budget is small this year, you might be wondering if there are any handmade gifts you could make, even if you aren’t a gifted crafter. Martha to the rescue! I’ve collected my 10 favorite handmade gift projects that even the most craft-impaired person can make. So while the rest of the world is out fighting the crowds on Black Friday, why not enjoy a quiet day at home and work on some low-cost DIY gifts with Martha?

1. Decal Candles. This craft is ridiculously easy and Martha even provides the templates.

2. Bath Fizzies. Cute and easy to make. What woman wouldn’t enjoy receiving these?

3. Velvet Ribbon Belts. Who wouldn’t love a fab new belt?

4. Map Coasters. I made these and they were actually quite easy. Perfect for a man or a woman, and easy to personalize with maps from their favorite vacation spot, cabin, or even where they honeymooned.

5. Photograph jewelry. Any gift that involves buying something and sticking a photo in it is doable for even the most craft-impaired. You know you can make any mom or grandma misty eyed with this kind of gift.

6. Stenciled Stool. Stenciling is a quick way to dress up a child’s stool, and a stool is a gift a young child will use every day at the bathroom sink.

7. Holiday Drink Mixers. Just mix and give – no crafting required! This is a gift that says “invite me to your next party.”

8. Pecan Clusters. You can’t go wrong with candy and these are classier than homemade fudge any day. Sneak a couple for yourself.

9. Popcorn tins. This all-purpose gift is even less expensive when you make your own at home. There are many yummy options available.

10. Organza Sachets. This is a great project for kids to work on with you or do on their own with a little guidance.

If your holiday budget is small this year, you might be wondering if there are any handmade gifts you could make, even if you aren’t a gifted crafter. Martha to the rescue! I’ve collected my 10 favorite handmade gift projects that even the most craft-impaired person can make. So while the rest of the world … Read more →