‘Martha Stewart’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Food and Drink Christmas Tree {2012}

December 19, 2012 · Narrative

We have a handful of Christmas traditions, and our kitchen food-and-drink-themed Christmas tree is surely one of my favorites. We have added enough ornaments to it over the last few years, that last year I set off to find a new and bigger tree. All throughout the season, and even after, I looked and couldn’t find anything that would work. Too big. Too small. Too fat. Or too expensive. Just not right.

So this season, the hunt started again. In earnest. K-Mart. Target. The Christmas Tree Shop. Michael’s. I thought I had actually scored when Michael’s four foot $50 tree went on sale for half-price. Until I carted it home and Nick put it together (thank goodness for him!) and then I realized … it actually wasn’t that much bigger than what we already had. Maybe a foot? And so it went back.

I had all but given up…

Until on a visit to Wal-Mart last week, I spied one that would work. And that they were, of course, sold out of. Luckily they agreed to sell me the floor model (fyi, those stinkers at Target wouldn’t when I found a sold-out one there), so a 6 foot tall skinny tree now sits in our kitchen.

And again, Nick put it together. Obviously with only a few pieces, this is not a hard endeavor. My problem is that I spend so much time trying to track it down, and then lugging it home, my energy and motivation for such things is depleted. And as luck would have it, that’s exactly when his kicks in.

We’re a good team for sure.

So … new additions this year!

Beyond the tree, of course.

There have been some pretty awesome finds.

*my friend Beth found this one for me at Lord & Taylor – love it!

*this Oreo with one bite missing we found last week at a local garden center

*this one is from Target – and it’s huge! I wish they had a matching ketchup bottle – maybe that’s next year!

*this sweet little mini gingerbread man was also at the local garden center and a steal at $1.49

*also from Beth and Lord & Taylor – it’s a beaut!

*this one Nick found last weekend while out with friends

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Girls Night In + Inspiration {craft}

December 1, 2012 · Ad-Free

What started out as a one-off girls’ night in has become a quarterly tradition that I kind of love.

Taking inspiration from Pinterest, I host a group of girlfriends every couple of months as we make a craft together and eat and drink wine and have a total girl gab fest.

We make sure the craft is super simple.

Mainly because of the aforementioned wine and eating and gabbing.

Because that’s what it’s really all about. Coming together. Laughing. Supporting. Sharing. And, um, in the case of our last two get-togethers, perhaps oversharing, but in the very best possible way.

Our winter get-together was two weeks ago, and we set our sights on this super simple wreath. There are a bunch of tutorials, and even You Tube videos, for how to do this. We first spied it on Eddie Ross’ web site. He of Martha Stewart, Food Network, and Bravo’s Top Design fame.

All you need is a wire coat hanger, ornaments, and a bow. (We skipped the glue gun step)

As you’re putting the ornaments onto the wire hanger, they naturally fall into a beautiful 3D arrangement. It seriously doesn’t get easier than this.

All our ornaments came from the same three or four stores, yet out of 8 wreaths made, none were identical.

Not even close.

Mine was the all silver one up at the top.

With the holiday season only just getting underway, you have plenty of time to make one of these fun and festive wreaths for your very own front door. Or as a gift for a neighbor. Or your kids’ bus driver. A co-worker made a few as hostess gifts, which is another fabulous idea.

*The ornaments on the silver wreath and the multi-colored wreath come from The Christmas Tree Shop. The ornaments on the gold and green wreath came from Wal-Mart.

When it comes to inspiration, there is no shortage of it, especially this time of year. Although Pinterest is one of my favorite go-to sources, there are plenty of other online sites to browse through. The folks at Minted (home to wonderful holiday cards) just had an inspiration challenge, where readers put together their own inspiration boards. The boards contain everything from holiday cards and decorations to table settings and stocking ideas. Sometimes there is nothing more inspiring than getting a peek at how others get their holiday on. I love this slightly Beatles-esque card with the gingerbread house-covered Christmas tree. Are you kidding me with this cuteness? And this blingy one is totally up my alley (especially as I still continue the hunt for the sparkly bag I spied this weekend).

Hungry for more?
At another Pinterest-inspired party we had, we made semi-simple nest necklaces. Love them.

Our next Pinterest party is planned with a Valentine’s Day theme in mind, and you know by now how much I love the holiday. Between that, our Bloggers Valentine’s Day Feast, and our own family/friends Valentine’s Day Dinner Party, you’d think I would be on Valentine’s Day overload. But you’d be wrong. I can’t wait.

xo Cate

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Recipe: Broccoli Parmesan Fritters

June 22, 2012 · Narrative

Or How to Get Your Kids to Eat Broccoli Without Hiding It.

Last week, when a friend and her son joined us for dinner (and Mystic’s daughter as well), I was on a serious vegetable kick. Truth be told, I’m always on a vegetable kick, but when there is company over, I tend to make more, because I know I’ll have more people to share it with. When it’s just me and the kids, I tend to stick to a handful of vegetables (and fruit and salads) that I know they like. Company coming? All bets are off and I experiment (or pile on the dishes) more.

And it may or may not have had something to do with the fact that the entree wasn’t super, super healthy. It wasn’t terrible, but apparently I had some guilt to reconcile with myself.

Or some such.

So when my friend Cathy e-mailed me a link to Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for Broccoli Parmesan Fritters, I quickly added broccoli to my grocery list. It joined the table alongside a Creamy Cauliflower with Greens Soup from Martha Stewart, and a riff on Spaghetti Carbonara from Jamie Oliver. It was an awesome eating kind of night.

And those Broccoli Parmesan Fritters?

Not one speck leftover.

Not one.

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Recipe: Potato Chip Cookies {Better Homes & Gardens}

June 18, 2012 · Narrative

“Oh man, these are the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

‘Tis very high praise indeed. Especially when it comes from someone who is not even related to me. Although he refers to me as Aunt Cate. “Because you’re more than just a friend. Is that ok if I call you Aunt Cate?”

Of course. Commence heart swelling.

He’s one of Nick’s friends, younger than him by just six months, and is one of my favorites, because he is well-behaved, polite, and a good friend to Nick. A combination that is not always easy to come by. He has a voracious appetite, and I can usually find him in my kitchen, asking for a snack or two or six.

Last year, his mom asked him, “Who’s the best mom you know?” “Nick’s mom!” he answered, taking her by surprise, because she, no doubt, expected a different answer. I have since been downgraded to the number two spot, in favor for his own mom, but these cookies might have edged her out again.

I remember my own mom making potato chip cookies for my sister and I when we were kids. The concept has been around forever, and there are countless varieties, even new fangled riffs that include pretzels and coffee grounds. I’ve made a different version of them before myself too, and it’s a good go-to cookie because it’s easy to make, totally kid-approved, and you likely have all the ingredients on hand to whip up a quick batch whenever the mood strikes.

This version is from the folks at Better Homes & Gardens, and is super light and flaky. Or as Nick’s friend proclaimed last week, they’re “the best cookie.” Or at least until the next batch hits the kitchen counter.

If you missed yesterday’s post, be sure to comment for your chance to win a nice stash from Tori Spelling’s new jewelry line.

Tomorrow? Time for more art.

PS If you’re looking for more recipes for potato chip cookies, Martha Stewart is actually featuring them in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living (as seen in this pin here on my Cookies board on Pinterest).

June 18, 2012 – Bonus Photo

How is it possible that it’s already time for our End-of-School Rainbow Cake Party?

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Recipe: Chocolate S’mores Cookies

February 20, 2012 · Narrative

When we were over my sister’s today to celebrate her birthday, her mother-in-law and I started talking about Pinterest. Oh how I love Pinterest, let me count the ways. And even better to converse with a fellow pinning addict. Over the past week, a lot of my inspiration (and output from my kitchen) came from Pinterest. The Jell-O recipe, Valentine’s Day cards, and a new painting project all started from Pinterest. And tonight’s cookie recipe? Pinterest.

When I first saw the cookie recipe a few weeks back, I made a mental note that it would be perfect for our Bloggers Valentine’s Feast this past weekend. Since Joanne was coming early on Saturday, and has a way with a piping bag that I have no interest (or time or motivation) in having, I convinced her to pipe hearts on the top of the cookies, instead of just frosting the whole top. We She did half the batch with the hearts and half the batch with the full frosting top.

And then the extra frosting got hidden in the freezer.

Well, halfway during dinner, we dug out the frosting to put more on the cookies.

I’m ridiculously picky about frosting. To the point that I may or may not have expressed my distaste for the canned stuff in the baking aisle at the grocery store. And I may or may not have said how easy and better it was to make your own homemade frosting. And I may or may not have handed my business card to the stranger I was talking to, directing her to the best buttercream frosting ever.

Ok, I totally did all that. And I have no shame about it.

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Recipe: Honey Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

September 27, 2011 · Narrative

When food bloggers come to visit, they invariably bear food gifts. I love that. When Joanne came to “the country” a few weeks ago, she came with a container full of cupcakes. Not that she needed to win my kids over, but cupcakes are a sure-fire way to make them her besties, no doubt.

The original recipe that she used (from Whole Foods Market) was for Honey Walnut Pumpkin Bread. Dropping the walnuts, subbing olive oil, adding a cream cheese frosting, and making them cupcakes turned them into Honey Pumpkin Cupcakes and little bites of deliciousness. They are utterly and ridiculously moist, and absolutely worth making. And heck, given most of the ingredients, they’re a sweet treat you can feel good about. I can’t say I’m upset that she left a few behind when she headed back to NYC. Now it’s my turn to fill up the container for our next meet-up in October.

*Original recipe is here.

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Food and Drink Christmas Tree {2010}

December 14, 2010 · Narrative

Last year, regular readers may remember I started a Christmas tree for our kitchen, bearing only food and drink-related ornaments. I do believe it has become my new favorite holiday decoration. I like that it’s a bit hard to find ornaments for the tree; if they were everywhere, it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

A Sweetnicks reader mentioned that K-Mart had cupcake ornaments for sale. I must have breezed right past them on Black Friday without noticing (must have been the 4:30 am time!), but when the kids and I were there recently to return something, I gave it a second look, and they do! Thanks so much for the heads up! I picked up one, but here are a few more that they have available. You know, in case you want to start your very own food and drink Christmas tree in YOUR kitchen. I know you want to. Most of the ornaments below that they had were $3.99 or $4.99 each, and were 33% off. Martha Stewart used to have a line of ornaments at K-Mart, but it was conspicuously absent this year.

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New York Crumb Cake and Recipe Failures

November 11, 2010 · Narrative

When it comes to Martha Stewart recipes, I have, quite honestly, had a mixed bag of results. Years ago, there was an Upside Down Cranberry Cake that graced the cover of her Everyday Food magazine. It was gorgeous and I made plans for it to be the star of a Thanksgiving meal, but luckily I took it for a test run first. I made the recipe … twice … and both times were epic failures. It was then that I started to tread lightly with her recipes.

So earlier this week, when Beth recommended Martha Stewart’s New York Crumb Cake, I made it because I trust Beth in the kitchen. Not because Martha’s name was attached to it. I made it in spite of that. Beth had recently made FOUR of those cakes to take to her very lucky office, and it fit the bill for a catering need I had. A lot of Martha’s recipes, particularly the baking ones, tend to be exhaustively long and very detail-oriented. This is awesome if you don’t have a bustling household full of activity and you have some quiet time to concentrate on not mucking it up. That doesn’t happen to be the case very often here. So imagine my surprise when I saw how easy this Crumb Cake recipe was.

Simple. Fail-safe. And downright delicious. I don’t happen to like crumb cake, but those that do, loved it. I find it’s much safer to make sweets I don’t like. Less temptation. I made one of my favorite cookies this week too, and I just sent the last of them next door because if they sit here any longer, I might eat more than the three I had. While I indulge a sweet tooth every now and again, I don’t want to undo my hard work.

So, here we are. A great recipe for you to make if you like Crumb Cake. Or if you know someone who does. Gift it. Share it. And keep this one for the upcoming holiday season. You’ll be glad you did.

Project 365
November 11, 2010, Photos #212, 213 and 214

Objects in this picture may be pinker than they appear. Madeline got her winter coat today (as did Nick). I tried really hard to convince her to get a different one. Something that wasn’t so, um, Pepto Bismol pink. But she was having none of it. Not the deep chocolate brown one with the bright pink lining. Not the darker pink one with the fur hood. Not the purple plaid one. She did, for a brief moment, toy with getting the faux leopard-spotted one, but thank goodness they didn’t have her size. Folks, we have reached a crossroads. The point in time where my daughter will no longer let me choose her clothing. I expected this. Really I did. Just not before she hit three years old.

I’m down with different Oreos. Seriously. I have no problem with it. I like the chocolate-filled ones actually better than the regular ones. I like the mint-filled ones and purposely don’t buy them because of that. But these red-filled ones for Winter? Really? I’m certain a line has been crossed somewhere.

It does not take much to make this child happy. As soon as we are near Target, the earnest requests for Icees begin. She gets that from her brother. Along with the apparent need to mix the pink and blue flavors together. Ick.

And before you leave me for the weekend, one programming note… I did a review on Pop-Tarts over on The Voice of Mom and one lucky reader has the chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of the fine folks at BlogHer. Go on, check it out and comment. Good luck!…

Braised Pork Shoulder and Porchetta Sandwiches

October 14, 2010 · Narrative

Pork shoulder recipes are a funny thing. At least the past few that I have made. Most of the recipes I’ve used recently call for a few hours in the oven, and during more than half of that time I’m convinced that the recipe is going to be a massive fail. The Succulent Braised Pork from Melissa D’Arabian a few weeks back is an excellent example, as is the recipe I made this past Sunday.

But I’ve noticed something magical happens in the last hour of cooking the pork.

It all comes together beautifully. In a way that almost takes your breath away.

The recipe I made Sunday was from the October issue of Martha Stewart Living (and as an aside, their recipe search box leaves a lot to be desired. After twenty minutes, I gave up searching for these two recipes and retyped them below. It shouldn’t be that difficult to find recipes from the current issue. Just sayin’). I made this particular recipe for two reasons. One, I like a “cook all afternoon” recipe for a not-really-but-should-have-been-lazy Sunday afternoon, and two, the article also featured recipes to use up the leftovers, recipes that didn’t resemble the original dish. Love that.

Company was due at 6 pm, and by 5:15, I was seriously second-guessing my decision to try this recipe, particularly a new one, when we had guests coming. Any good hostess worth her salt will tell you that it’s good to have a few tried-and-trues and not have your main course be something you’ve never made or served before. I never was one to follow the rules.

Towards the end of the cooking time, when hope was quickly fading, I decided that I could always fall back on a quick pasta dish or call out for pizza. But then something magical happened. As it always does with pork shoulder or pork butt.

It all came together.

And thank goodness it did.

It was tender. Succulent. And fall-off-the-bone good. And for something that literally took minutes of prep work.

Paired with root vegetables that I bought from the farmers’ market that very morning, and roasted, it was the perfect Fall meal.

And the recreation of the leftovers the next day? Open-Faced Porchetta Sandwiches with Caramelized Apples. Holy mother of pork, THAT recipe is reason enough to make the first recipe. Like, seriously, OMG good. The second recipe blows the first one out of the water. Treat yourself, and your family, and make it. I swear you’ll be hooked on it too.

P.S. As an update to the story I shared about the wonderful kids on the football team yesterday, after a conversation today with a few parents, I learned even more… The team I told you about was the JV team. When the Varsity team got wind of what they were doing, they wanted to do something too, and at their next game, each of their football helmets sported a pink sticker to show their support, and the cheerleaders, not to be outdone, added pink extensions to their hair. A hairdresser charged the girls $5 to add a pink extension to their hair, and then donated the money to breast cancer research. Such heartwarming gestures from all.

Project 365
October 14, 2010, Photo #179

Caught

This weekend brought about a few firsts for me. One, I’ll share. I used the mens’ restroom for the first time ever. Surprisingly it was spotless, especially as compared to the womens’ restroom. Color me shocked. I think there might actually be a contraband picture of me coming out of the mens’ restroom, but what happens on Girls Night Out … stays there.

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June 2010 Recipe Round-Up

July 19, 2010 · Narrative

Earlier this month, I debated if I could continue doing the new recipe round-up, because with the way we’ve been eating over the past month or so, there hasn’t been a lot of new-recipe-making-from-cookbooks. Or from any other place, for that matter. Our meals were quickly consisting of heavy rotations of stir-fries, grilled proteins and vegetables, salads, things on the fly with no recipe. But then the tides turned and I started finding more and more recipes that fit in with our eating lifestyle (four new recipes tonight alone!), so even though the June round-up is a tad tardy, I think we’ll be able to keep up with it. As long as the lack of chocolate (for now) doesn’t keep you away. ;)

Turnip Green Soup – Paula Deen magazine. A decent hearty soup that isn’t so thick you can’t have it in the summertime. Reviewed here.
Lemon Chicken with Potatoes – WW magazine, May/June 2009. Simple and easy, but not exceptional.
Lindsay’s Chocolate Cafe Chocolate Chip Cookies – voted a “best of.” They were good, but didn’t wow us.
Cheesy Rice Fritters – Food Network magazine. Very good, review coming.
Zucchini Fritters – Michael Symon. Love these. Review coming.
Open Chef Salad Sandwich – Cheeky Kitchen. Good quick meal that you can feel good about serving and eating. Reviewed here.
Best Ever Banana Bread – I Am Baker. Good, but still like Nigella Lawson’s better.
Mushroom Ramen – Food Network magazine, January/February 2010. Think it might be worth writing about, slightly on the fence.
Beer Battered Fish and Chips – Cooking Light magazine, November 2009. Had such high hopes for this one, but nothing special and not repeatable.
Veggie Quesadillas – Weight Watchers magazine, May/June 2010. Your average quesadilla, nuthin’ special.
Gemelli with Spicy Sausage and Spinach – Woman’s Day magazine, May 2010. Not bad, nothing to write home about.
Cucumber-Feta Toasts – Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food, July/August 2010. Love these. Made for the first time and reviewed here, and enjoyed several times since. Favorite of the month.

Project 365
July 19, 2010, Photo #129

After dinner, we were outside in the backyard for awhile and all the sudden, I noticed the kitchen go dark. And the ceiling light come back on, but only faintly so. We rarely lose power here (maybe three times over the past nine years or so) and when we do, it comes right back on. This time it didn’t. My bet was a brown-out. Wonderful. Jamie had just gotten home and finished dinner, so we quickly got to work digging for matches and candles before we lost complete light. I remembered we had a bunch of those glowsticks, leftover from Halloween, in our seasonal drawer, and they were perfect. The kids had fun with them, and I used a bunch to light up the stairs for them, and added more in their room. In the meantime, we took ourselves back to the days of Laura Ingalls and Little House on the Prairie… no ac, no tv, no computer, no ice machine. Lots of talking, a little bit of laughter and a slight panic from the kids as they slowly realized just how much we use electricity on a regular basis. But two hours later, the power was back on and a peace fell over the land.

Recipe: Cucumber-Feta Toasts from Martha Stewart

June 29, 2010 · Narrative

Cucumber-Feta Toasts

With the type of eating I’ve been doing lately, there is little room for exploring new recipes and new cookbooks the way I used to. It’s very “clean” eating, using ingredients as close to their “naked” start as possible. It completely takes the focus off of food, something that takes a little getting used to for this food writer. It is very reminiscent of how and what I ate when I worked out with a personal trainer years ago. There was nothing with “ingredients.” The food was grilled, roasted, steamed or stir-fried, but was as close to nature intended as it could get.

So when I’m looking for recipes now, I’m focusing on fruits, vegetables, salads, or some combination of all of those. There are huge benefits to eating this way for sure. The prep time to get a meal on the table is minimal because the less you do to a food item, the quicker it’s ready. Nothing is any more labor intensive than a little bit of chopping or peeling. The meals itself are a snap to get used to. For me, the challenge is more in changing the mindset. I mean, you’re talking about someone who loves to plan dinner parties, menus, meals weeks on out. That’s all gone. Food is no longer the focus. But I can’t argue with what it’s done to me and my body. It’s simple, takes no thought and doesn’t get much healthier than this.

That being said, it takes me a little longer to find a new recipe I want to make because the criteria is changing. My parents came over for dinner tonight, and usually that would mean the opportunity to try out three or four new recipes, including something sinfully delicious for dessert. Not now. Dinner was grilled chicken and sausages, along with roasted asparagus and a vegetable stir-fry. I did, however, manage to find a new appetizer to try out that kept largely to some of the rules I’ve placed on myself.

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