Pinched Orange Macaroons, Four Seasons Recipe

"This recipe, one of Martha's favorites, is courtesy of Patrick Lemble, executive pastry chef at the Four Seasons restaurant, in New York City." MSL, December 2009

My take: Not too many ingredients in this delightful treat which is always nice when creating a tasty, nicely textured cookie. Recipe calls for one pound of almond paste. Tubes and cans were not sold in a way to neatly accommodate this measurement. I had to buy three tubes of 7 ounce size Odense Almond Paste and put remaining 5 ounces in a sealed bag in the freezer. I did not wish to do the math to reduce the other ingredients to balance only 14 ounces of Almond paste. The recipe makes a big batch but the Almond Paste alone ($4.99 a tube x three) makes cookie an expensive luxury. I guess it makes sense they serve these at the Four Seasons New York.

Difference between marzipan and almond paste.

Tips: pay close attention to thickness and baking time. Texture - the right chewiness - is very important for the macaroons. Slightly chewy but not tough and binding to gum consistency in the mouth should be the goal of the finished product. Dough is sticky so dust rolling surface with powdered sugar. A dough cutter works better than a nice when dividing into individual cookies.

Christmas Crafts MSL Snowman Treat Boxes

Above: A candle light close-up shows detail of two spun cotton birds alight on the brim and top of the snowman's custom made hat.
Here is a less attractive view as the white glass glitter is washed out by the camera flash.

The Snowman Treat Boxes were featured in the Martha Stewart Living December 2009 issue. I had no time to make them before Christmas so I spent a couple of afternoons making them after the holiday was over. This practice works best for me because a project like this requiring multiple steps and attention to detail would be rushed and the end results would be less stellar.

Some tips from my experience.

1.Take your time making the hats because you will be amazed by the end results. Make the smile a bit one sided for more personality.
2. Paint three coast of white paint over the round boxes used as the base.

3. Do not use white wool felt for the gloves since the color does not pop against the white glittered body.

4. Make at least a couple if you are going through the trouble of all the steps to make one.

5. The final step in assembling all the parts is the most fun.

6.Use good quality supplies like wool felt and glass glitter and your will be enjoying these for many years.

PS: They are too cute to give away. But if you must...only give away to someone who will appreciate all of your efforts .

Glittered Bird Tree Top

The tree themed in golden ornaments is topped with a collection of glittered birds. They surround a nest of eggs. One is is covered in gold glass glitter - the golden egg. Velvety faux oak leaves and acorns encircle the nest.

Dachshund Glass Martha Stewart Ornament

The ornament collection by Martha Stewart available at Macy's is now in its third year. The collection has decreased in scale and size with each subsequent year. Many factors - most notably the crash and burn economy that hit months before last Xmas - have come in to play. Very few Macy's carried them in the North Atlantic region. This was also the first year that none of the collection was available through online purchase. One of the two tree's was themed in Santa and items from his toy bag. For obvious reasons, I was fond of the glass toy dachshund on wheels ornament with a springy tail. The design is a nice mixture of novelty and realism. The other themed tree from here collection I found in New England featured white, wintry woodland creatures and elements.

A Christmas Favorite: "Christmas in Connecticut"

I catch at least a glimpse of this Stanwyck gem around this time each year. After seeing Remember the Night for the first time, I now know this is not her only holiday classic. Stanwyck plays a Martha Stewart type living in New York writing for a ladies magazine all about domestic bliss. The catch is that she knows nothing about cooking, cleaning or marriage. Comedy ensues when she fakes her expertise for her boss and a homesick soldier on her borrowed farm.

Halloween Crepe Paper Curtins

Boo Perfect Paper Curtains

Made of black crepe paper (no longer just for prom and local parade floats), the curtains ad a bit of an ominous touch even to a yellow tinted room. I did these a few years back in the old apartment. They work best with windows with no coverings or with blinds hung inside the frame/molding. The stretchy quality of crepe paper is more forgiving than traditional tissue paper. Use double sided tape to attach them to window frame. Transfer tape would also work. This is a very inexpensive way to add more gloom to your Halloween festivities. I used the edges of different sized plates and saucers to create the scallops. To match the ones on the end, I cut out the first one then traced the outline onto the second one. Folding paper in half will also produce mirror images. If you have ebony hued furniture they create a dramatic mood.

Martha Stewart Witch Silhouette for the Yard

New Martha Stewart Holidays Yard Decor.

Grandin Road's new line of Halloween decor and decorations inspired by ideas and products featured on the pages of Martha Stewart Living is now available. I picked up the witch and cat silhouettes for the yard. They are from October 2005 issue of Living. I had thought about making them but never came back to the idea. However, they look creepy perfect with a hint of sophistication. The witch comes in several pieces and the broom and lantern, which she wields, come in a separate shipper. The cats (three, sold as set) each arrive in two pieces with detachable tails.

The construction is mostly superior. A few pre-drilled screw holes were missing on the back of the witch but I easily took care of the problem. There is a hinged slot that connects to a support on the back to keep the tall witch from blowing over. The hing is not the best quality but is doing the job so far. She has four ground stakes the keep her upright. All screws, blots and a tiny Phillips screw driver are included. I will post photos of her in a few days. Sadie barked at the cats the first couple of times she encountered their arched backs and frightened tails.

Product Details:
Constructed from heavy-duty plywood
Painted with a rich, black, water-resistant finish
Sturdy ground stakes keep each piece secure and steady
Easy to assemble with just a screwdriver (included)

Bye Bye Martha Stewart Blog

I have officially removed Martha's blog from the list of ones that I follow. Perhaps, soon I will recover my interest and visit her again. It is very obvious that her blog is increasingly used only as a tool to increase time on her site to generate advertising dollars. There is noting wrong with Martha trying to rake in the bucks but I have drawn a line in the sand. Originally, the blog featured thumbnail previews of the photos and one could look at them all at once as a gallery and enlarge the ones they choose. The blog, now, requires that you click through each photo without the option of a gallery view. Today's post featured 64 photos. I'm not making the time to click through 64 photos to see what her private helicopter ride was like over the lavender fields of France. Had I not skipped breakfast this morning I would have been asking for an air sickness bag just to survive the pretentiousness of a post like this.

PS: Forget about posting a comment that offers a suggestion or a slight critique of her exploits. The only ones that will post are the ones that unequivocally offer support and undying love. My post regarding the change in photo options did not make it past the moderator. But my post were I used the word "wonderful" five times to describe Martha did. Martha's blog is her castle and she appears to be the Queen of Hearts type. "Off with their posts." Indeed!

Toffee Twist Grass / Four-Season Garden Border

A Toffee Twist "bouffant" emerges from a pot.

Recently I discovered this new grass thanks to Martha's blog entry documenting the planting of her terrace at her Maine estate, Skylands, once owned by Edsel B. Ford. Toffee Twist appears dead but grows in a tight mass with wispy ends that trail in the wind. I think it will make a nice accent when fall approaches as well as a spooky element to planters for Halloween. Unfortunately, in our growing zone, the grass is an annual but will bounce back in zones with warmer winters. Gordon Florist & Greenhouses in Ipswich, MA is a smaller nursery with an eclectic selection of plants. They offer a nice selection of ferns and begonias in their greenhouse. I also found a great selection of plants for rock gardens and for use as ground cover. The nicer aspect of going to a smaller nursery with a great selection is that you do not have to go up and down massive rows of the same plant. They also were the source of a few Curly Wurly plants for my garden and deck.

NY TIMES
In The Garden
A Tapestry of Color, Unfolding All Year
By ANNE RAVER
Published: August 13, 2009
A recent tour of the new four-season border at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx introduced me to coneflowers unlike any I’ve ever seen.

Julia's View of Martha Stewart

Yesterday, I compared the two great ladies (Julia and Martha) of style and cooking and posed the question: "Who would you rather have had a beer with?". Here is an excerpt from a reporter's interview of Julia back in 1997. Julia's true no-nonsense goodness comes through like always. Link to full text follows.

"MR: What do you think of Martha Stewart?

JC: We know her. She's a very special person. And I think she's also a perfectionist. She came to our house when we were doing the baking series. She was very professional and pleasant to be with, and she did a beautiful job.

MR: She has been lampooned and parodied somewhat mercilessly, alas.

JC: Yes, and I don't know why. People are probably jealous of her because she's so good-looking and capable, and anything she sets out to do she can do."

Julia Child, on Marijuana and Martha Stewart by Michael Rowe

Update from the Garden

Warmer weather has come at long last after much fog and rain. The clematis is finally blasting off and adding a dramatic splash of color against the house's buttery exterior.

Plant stand from Martha Stewart's K Mart collection. Neat design but quality is not the best.

Close-up of Juncus effusus 'Curly-wurly'

Strawberry Icebox Pie

We served this cold and berry fantastic desert this past weekend. Recipe is from Everyday Food (I actually made the whole meal using the recent issue - more on that latter). It is a very good pie and does not taste like the fake fillings contained in Hostess Fruit Pies. Of course, I do crave jellied manufactured fruit textures from time to time but not when using pristine in-season strawberries. The recipe recommends letting the pie set-up in the fridge from 4 hours to overnight. I would recommend going the overnight route. If you use a larger pie plate than recipe calls for, be certain to make extra crust and filling. One item that may be hard to find or expensive in the recipe is the unsweetened cranberry juice. I cheated and used the kind only sweetened with apple juice. To justify the expense of the better cranberry juice make Cape Cod cocktails for pre-dinner or pre-guest fun.

Note: Remember not too cook some of the strawberries for added texture.

Meet the Gemini

The Gemini was featured in the June 2009 edition of Martha Stewart Living. The cocktail works well with either brunch or as a before dinner drink. Use 100% grapefruit juice with nothing added for best results. The juice cuts down on the sweetness of the cocktail. Whole Foods sells fresh squeezed juice by the half gallon - unless you wish to squeeze your own. St-Germaine has several additional cocktails listed on their site.

About: St-Germain liqueur is made from the Elderflower, a blossom of the Elder Tree, picked fresh from the Alps.

The drink buys you a ticket - almost - to sophistication. Careful. Using Elderflower and Alps in the same sentence may make you sound pretentious. For now, I will just keep it light, refreshing and call this cocktail satisfactory.

Makes 2

4 ounces fresh grapefruit juice, strained
3 ounces St-Germain liqueur
2 ounces vodka
Ice cubes
Prosecco
2 grapefruit-rind twists

Mix grapefruit juice, St-Germain, vodka, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into 2 chilled glasses. Top with Prosecco.
Serve each with a grapefruit twist.

Perfect Bowls for Summer Entertaining

Macy's has a new set of melamine* bowls available through their Martha Stewart Collection. The Camellia Nesting Bowls come in two different color combinations (shades of blue or shades of pink). I found they set-up nicely for a buffet. I used them for fruit and yogurt when I recently served a brunch buffet. They are only available in Macy's stores and not online. Currently they are 50% off. The sale price is what they are worth. The original price was north of $40.00. However, around $20.00 is a good price for an attractive set of four nesting bowls.

*Melamine should not be used in microwave.