MSLO Employees Share Their Thanksgiving Photos
Last Wednesday, I sent a general email to Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia employees, extending my very best wishes for a lovely Thanksgiving to all of them and their families. I urged them to take photos of their table settings, their feasts, and their families and to share those photos with me, as I love seeing how others spend the holidays. I was happy that so many responded and I thought it would be nice to share their photos with all of you on this blog.
1 Rebecca Robertson - I was inspired by the April 2008 issue of MSL when I created my moss and mushroom centerpiece!!
2 Rebecca Robertson - A close up
3 Rebecca Robertson - I also used mushrooms for place card holders
4 Lisa Wagner - I was so busy cooking that I only shot the before photos…. it was very nice!!
5 Lisa Wagner - I found these amazing Cybister Amaryllis.
6 Lisa Wagner
7 Lisa Wagner - The buffet table decor
8 Lisa Wagner
9 Lisa Wagner - My husband, Matthew
10 Lisa Wagner
11 Lisa Wagner
12 Blake Ramsey - Every year we go to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - my family loves it. This was the 85th year that Macy’s has held the parade! We arrive early to take photos while the balloons are still on the ground.
13 Blake Ramsey
14 Blake Ramsey
15 Blake Ramsey - After the parade we went to my Aunt and Uncle’s in Brooklyn. We took a walk in Brooklyn Bridge Park before dinner.
16 Blake Ramsey - My Aunt Debbie always cooks incredible turkeys. You can see her dog trying to sneak a taste.
17 Cassie Carothers —Tofurky dinner
18 Christina Deyo - Glazed Sweet Potatoes
19 Christina Deyo's favorite turkey, baby Michael
20 Christina Deyo - Pumpkin Pecan Pie
21 Christina Deyo - Baby Michael
22 Sydney Applegate's Apple Pie
23 Deb Wood - Work Space
24 Deb Wood - Brussel Sprouts
25 Deb Wood - Lil Helper
26 Deb Wood - Butternut squash soup
27 Deb Wood - Tiny Feast
28 Deb Wood - Apple Cranberry Pie
29 Deb Wood - Almost Actual Size
30 Deb Wood - Pup and pie
31 Deb Wood - Banana Grams
32 Carly Birnbaum - Thanksgiving dinner right out of the pages of Everyday Food
33 Carly Birnbaum - My mom created a 'gratitude tree' using branches my dad gathered. Each family member wrote down what they were thankful for and hung it on the tree. A great new family tradition!
34 Cynthia Augustine - Tori, the family dog, safe and warm by the fire. Tori was just diagnosed with cancer.
35 Meesha Haddad - My step-father, Alex Lolis, deep fries the turkey every year.
36 Meesha Haddad - We celebrated at my parent's vacation home in Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania, and we did a 9-mile hike in Tobyhanna State Park on Friday to work off the bird.
37 Evelyn Battaglia - My son Renzo, 6, helped cut out the paté brisee leaves for the top of the apple-blackberry pie, which was inspired by the Fall Leaves Pie from MSL November 2009 (Pie 1-2-3).
38 Stephen Orr - We had 10 people for Thanksgiving but the highlight of the holiday was a group hike we did to a beautiful waterfall on a cliff high above the Delaware River near my upstate house.
39 Stephen Orr - The trail goes to Jensen Ledges and it is famous in the area, though I hadn't been before - Quite a drop over the waterfall down to the river and sweeping views from New York into Pennsylvania!
40 Jodi Levine - I made Jennifer Aaronson's pumpkin muffin recipe from our Family Blog. It yielded so much batter that I baked some in doughnut pans and added a confectioners sugar glaze. Muffins with dinner and the doughnuts after!
41 Jennifer Schulties - For my husband's birthday, I made the apple pie from Pies & Tarts and I've been asked to bake it for any large gathering. On Thanksgiving, I made two. It always turns out beautifully!
42 Jennifer Schulties - More pies
43 Sara Hopper - My brother John took this nice shot of the turkey—my mother and I used Martha's cheesecloth method and it turned out wonderfully brown and delicious.
44 Jeanne Meyer - I made a turkey that was dry brined.
45 Emily Chard - Thanksgiving buffet
46 Emily Chard - There was a vintage pilgrim candle at each place setting.
47 Lenore Welby - Aunt Laura taking a fireside photo
48 Lenore Welby - Daniel, Penelope, and Charlotte
49 Lenore Welby - Smiling kids
50 Lenore Welby - Happy Charlotte
51 Lenore Welby - Charlotte thinking about marshmallows
52 Lenore Welby - Kids toasting marshmallows with Aunt Laura and Lenore
53 Lenore Welby - Daniel Native American back
54 Lenore Welby - Daniel Native American
55 Emily Rodney - My immediate family spends Thanksgiving in East Hampton at our summer house.
56 Emily Rodney - It’s always nice to go out east during the fall because the feel of town and our little neighborhood is so different than the summer vibe.
57 Emily Rodney - Usually my mom cooks, but this year I made everything but the turkey, and I was inspired by the November EDF and made mostly everything including the brandy pecan pie, which was a favorite of mine!!
58 Britney Peterson - My roommate Julie and I made a small turkey. It's a little blurry but with all the cooking going on, we forgot to take more photos! Everything was wonderful including the cheese ball recipe from Living 2008.
59 Alison Denton - Apple Bavarian torte
60 Alison Denton - Pumpkin pie
61 Rachel Tombes - My whole family gathered around the table after Thanksgiving dinner to sing a song one of my aunts re-wrote the words to - A wacky family tradition :)
62 Rachel Tombes - The most special part of our Thanksgiving every year is actually the day after Thanksgiving, which we call Cookie Day.
63 Rachel Tombes - My 93 year old Nana sets up shop in my Mom’s kitchen and all of the women in the family spend the day making about 200 Italian Christmas Cookies under Nana’s watchful eye, to send to friends and family for the holidays.
64 Rachel Tombes
65 Rachel Tombes
66 Judith Macias - I went upstate to my boyfriend’s house, and together with his family, we cut out leaf shapes to make this gorgeous apple pie!
67 Erin Furey - Thanksgiving breakfast
68 Erin Furey - Colorful grilled veggies
69 Erin Furey - Grilled veges, olives, and cheeses
70 Erin Furey- Homemade bread
71 Erin Furey - Ryan carving
72 Erin Furey - Ryan with a plate of mashed potatoes
73 Erin Furey - Pie in progress
74 Erin Furey - Pumpkin and pecan pies
75 Erin Furey - Leftovers
76 Jill Joyner spent time with family, including her sister's dog, Rayne.
77 Nicolette Bertholet - I also posted this on Martha’s Twitter
78 Nicolette Bertholet - My table setting–yes, complete with a Living recipe for farro salad with roasted grapes
79 Nicolette Bertholet - A somewhat blurry shot of my turkey
80 Agnes Rethy - My 8-year-old, Vivien Lynch, was in charge of the centerpiece (at a relatives house) and decided to make paper flowers out of tissue paper.
81 Agnes Rethy
82 Agnes Rethy
83 Agnes Rethy - I hosted the day after Thanksgiving and my table setting for 12 people, on a glass table, was a bit tight, but cozy. Not using a table cloth helped make it feel roomier.
84 Agnes Rethy - For dessert, I made chocolate parfaits.
85 Rikka Runyon - The dinner table
86 Rikka Runyon - Pies made with a Martha Stewart pie pan, of course!
87 Rikka Runyon with friend, Joseph
88 Michael McCormick - My partner and I celebrated Thanksgiving with some close friends and their family. We did a mixture of standard turkey-day dishes and new favorites—a great lineup when you are blending traditions.
89 Michael McCormick - And, it certainly helps when you are dining with a professional photographer (Ryan Donnell), who can make everything look like it’s right out of the magazine.
90 Michael McCormick - Salted caramel chocolate cake from the November issue of Living. It was my first time doing caramel, and it came out as decadent and delicious as I had hoped.
91 Ashlee Romain - Our dinner table topped with homemade stuffing, broccoli, baked mac-and-cheese, roasted red potatoes, turkey, sliced sweet potatoes, cranberry, filet mignon, and avocado salad
92 Ashley Romain - The dessert table with pecan pie, strawberry cheesecake, bundt cake, and assorted chocolates
93 Nora Singley - My twin niece and nephew, Charlotte and Oliver, in Long Beach, CA. We baked Thomas' Pumpkin Tart with streusel topping. Needless to say, they were pretty excited - an excellent first memory of pumpkin pie!
94 Kerry Tucker - LIam making cranberry sauce
95 Kerry Tucker - Scarlett helping with the cranberry
96 Kerry Tucker - Brown Sugar Glazed Turkey from Everyday Food
97 Kerry Tucker - Table
98 Kerry Tucker - Tuckers in front of new tree
99 Kerry Tucker - Tree farm
100 Kerry Tucker - Tree fun
101 Kerry Tucker - Santa and Liam
102 Olivia Schneider - It’s become a tradition for me to choose from my mother’s fine china, linens, and ornate serving platters and decorate the table as beautifully as I can.
103 Olivia Schneider - The China I chose this year was one of my mother’s set of Limoges and one I’m quite fond of.
104 Olivia Schneider - Our feast consisted of turkey; caramelized string beans with dill (my mother’s specialty); yams layered with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and Granny Smith apples; cranberry sauce with orange zest;
105 Olivia Schneider - garlic mashed potatoes; and stuffing with cranberries, chopped Granny Smith apples, chestnuts, white bread, sautéed Vidalia onions and celery, fresh dill, eggs, and poultry seasoning.
106 Jean Cavanagh - Pomegranate seeds graced with Prosecco
107 Jean Cavanagh - Thanksgiving snacks
108 Jean Cavanagh - Jean's perfect blueberry pie
109 Jean Cavanagh
110 Kathy Staib - How funny is this – it reminded me of the classic movie, “A Christmas Story”!! The dogs were circling!
111 Stephen Johnson - We ate at my sister and her husband’s house in Harlem.
112 Stephen Johnson - My mother's roll recipe
113 Stephen Johnson - I made Christine Albano’s mile-high apple pie.
114 Stephen Johnson - my brother-in-law and our friend’s dog Sprout
115 Stephen Johnson - my brother making a turkey (dance)
116 Ken West - My niece shared this photo of Turkey cupcakes that were made with Martha in mind.
117 Eric Pike - Every other year my entire family gets together. This year we had a surprising change of tradition, when my younger sister Amy decided to visit the city with her husband Peter, and two girls Sophia and Serena to see the parade.
118 Eric Pike - Stefan did the majority of the cooking. I took care of the setting.
119 Eric Pike - A close up of the table setting
120 Eric Pike - Perfect Roast Turkey (recipe from Martha Stewart's Cooking School)
121 Eric Pike - Cheddar Biscuits from Everyday Food
122 Eric Pike - Roasted vegetables
123 Eric Pike - Roasted Pear Salad with green beans
124 Eric Pike - Between dinner and dessert we took a walk along the Hudson, up to Perry Street and then meandered back thru the west village. It was lovely to experience the city when it was so peaceful and empty.
125 Jackie Noble - My aunt and uncle's Hawaiin Thanksgiving (Kona). She always does beautiful settings.
126 Jackie Noble - Branch from "Autograph Tree" (Hawaiian Clusia Rosea)...Welcome to a Hawaiian Thanksgiving
127 Jackie Noble - Unveiling the Opakapaka (Hawaiian Pink Snapper) bbq’d in Ti Leaves by Jeff Grim. Seasoned with ginger, olive oil, hoisin sauce, garlic...stuffed with smoked Kailua pork.
128 Jackie Noble - Hawaiian Thanksgiving Centerpiece with Ostrich Plume (Tahitian Red Ginger) and Crinum Asiaticum (Spider Lily) made by Jane Saltvold.
129 Kevin Sharkey - I hosted Thanksgiving at my apartment. Pierre Schaedelin cooked and Martha attended.
130 Kevin Sharkey - It was a beautiful day and the views were amazing.
131 Kevin Sharkey - Pierre made turkey shaped cornbread.
132 Anna Gass - Here are the pies I made: Chocolate Pecan Pie Rhubarb with lattice crust Pumpkin and apple!
133 Kellie Matzen - A picture of my mom from our Thanksgiving! Got to love the product placement!
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
Martha, your employees are so talented, and have such beautiful homes.
I noticed the homes almost more than the food because it is my dream to, someday, live in my old house...before one or both of us fall in.
Now, are you going to show us your pictures of your Thanksgivng?
Gloria G!!
Posted by: Gloria | November 30th, 2011 at 1:28 am
Thank you for sharing these beautiful Thanksgiving photos of MSLO employees with us. Looks like Everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. Best wishes to all. xo
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | November 30th, 2011 at 1:53 am
Wonderful
Posted by: ann | November 30th, 2011 at 4:25 am
Eric Pike has such an amazing home. I remember it from the magazine a few years ago. The colours are perfection.
Posted by: darrell white | November 30th, 2011 at 8:53 am
How wonderful to share in your MSLO's family Thanksgiving pictures! All the food looked mouth watering not to mention the beuatiful table settings. To Cynthia Augustine, I'm sending a special hug and kiss for Tori.
Posted by: Cindy F | November 30th, 2011 at 8:59 am
nicccccceeee. thanks for listening to my comment (even if you didn't, i'm making believe you did)
Posted by: chris | November 30th, 2011 at 9:14 am
Martha, thanks for sharing your employees photos! How exciting the festivities of the holiday! The pets are so cute!
Posted by: KLBrown | November 30th, 2011 at 10:28 am
Hi Martha, For some reason, those 143 beautiful photos from your delightful crew members at MSLO wouldn't show up. Thank goodness they finally did appear after having to wait about 15 to 20 minutes-four extras were added from late last night! Everyone of these photos is delicious looking with all of the yummy foods prepared and the outstanding table decoratings for their Thanksgiving dinners!! Everyone of your wonderful friends certainly had a fabulous time with their families and friends! How great that you asked them to send you these photos and thanks for sharing them with all of us! I'm hoping to see your wonderful photos of your Thanksgiving for the first time with beautiful Jude! Off to check out the information from Franny and Sharkey about the bald cypress trees at your farm! Have a great day! Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | November 30th, 2011 at 10:45 am
What a treat for your readers, your employees had a great teacher.
Posted by: ga447 | November 30th, 2011 at 11:08 am
Loved seeing everyone's Thanksgiving table and food. I already have some new ideas for Thanksgiving and next year's holiday season. Thank you all for sharing !
Posted by: Bea Trainer | November 30th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Hi Martha,
I think your talented employees have paid you the highest compliment with their fabulous presentations. It is a good thing to see a festive table look like it came from a page in Martha Stewart Living magazine. Of course many of them helped make those pages which prove the great minds of MSLO think alike and beauty is definitely a major component. Picture #125 with the dogs circling is my favorite. We’ve had a German shepherd eat an entire ham and another time our niece’s dog made a big dent in a turkey that was resting on the stove. We settled for chicken from the freezer and really late meals both times! Thanks for sharing. Trish
Posted by: Trish | November 30th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Oh, these were lovely! Thank you for sharing!
Posted by: Andrew Ritchie | November 30th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
I am grateful for the talent of the MSLO family. This is an example of American tradition at its finest and simplest.
Posted by: Teresa Touey | November 30th, 2011 at 2:42 pm
I appreciate all at MSLO. These pictures show the beauty of our American tradition at its finest and simplest.
Posted by: Teresa Touey | November 30th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Hi Martha,
I loved seeing the photos which gave me some new ideas. The table settings were fabulous. What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing.
Joan
Hilton New York
Posted by: joan vogt | November 30th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
want the recipe for Erin's bread. looks amazingly good.
Posted by: m | November 30th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
thank you darrell white!
Posted by: cindy augustine | November 30th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Blake Ramsey: "...You can see her dog trying to sneak a taste."
He's not the only one. Your Aunt Debbie can turn out one toothsome-looking bird! I would deconstruct that starboard drumstick with one snap of my jaws.
Posted by: r. steven page | November 30th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
One question. Is Stephen Johnson brother in law single?
Posted by: Thomas | November 30th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Martha, It is beautiful to see how you have inspired all of your employees and how that inspiration reaches out to their families and friends... That inspiration is something that I will always be thankful for! Xo Dani
Posted by: Dani Fiori | November 30th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
I loved seeing these photos. The mismatched chairs at the table as we try to make room for everyone and a dog keeping watch on the turkey are what Thanksgiving is all about.
Posted by: Nancy Sudeikis | November 30th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
One of the all time great posts!
Posted by: Brenda | November 30th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed looking at all of the Thanksgiving photos, Martha. My jaw dropped with envy at some of those homes let alone the place settings. Gorgeous! p.s. I have every issue published of MSLiving -- I'll need a larger house soon if I'm to keep all of them
) Thank you for sharing all these wonderful photos.
Posted by: trish dillon | December 1st, 2011 at 1:14 am
Ooooh...the food looks so scrumptous! It all looks worthy enough to be featured in your magazine. The homes and table settings, though varied, show elegance and style. Hmmmmm...working for you...where do they pick up their talents?
Your lessons have definitely rubbed off on them! And, they are very talented in their own right. Lovely photos, Martha. Thank you for sharing. Now I'm really hungry!
Posted by: Judy | December 1st, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Nice holiday arrangements, very creative. Happy holidays to all
Posted by: Tami Coverdale | December 1st, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Hi, Martha,
Thank you for sharing MSLO employees' Thanksgiving celebrations. Such wonderful variety! Everything looked beautiful and yummy!
Posted by: Bobbie in Oregon | December 1st, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Loved the GrAttitude tree (#34, I think...) - what a great idea!
Posted by: Hazel Peartree | December 1st, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Your mushroom centerpiece is terrific! Love it. I had fun today with mushrooms too, on table name cards. (I would love to tour the Hallmark complex.)
Posted by: Candylei | December 1st, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Martha's programs are shown in Australia and I watch every morning, but we cannot buy the products shown on the program here.
I want to purchase the paper lined tin foil and the gift cake tins. I can't even find them on the MS website to see if someone will ship overseas. Very disappointing.
Posted by: Valerie Bray | December 2nd, 2011 at 6:54 am
Martha, This was a fantastic idea for the blog and so enjoyable for us to be allowed a glimpse into your employees' unique Thanksgiving traditions. Thanks to everyone who shared. You've inspired us! I loved seeing all of the scrumptious looking food, the beautiful homes and creative decor, along with the fun and frivolity of each family's holiday celebration. Maybe you will consider doing this again from time to time for other holidays. It was wonderful!
Posted by: John | December 2nd, 2011 at 8:32 am
Ditto to all of the above. Thanks for sharing, Martha. LOVE your blog! It's at the top of my list of "favorites" and I read it (almost) every day. There is something about the character of your work that provides inspiration rather than envy. I've never been able to put my finger on just what it is that creates that distinction, but whatever it is, YOU've got IT! Thanks for providing so much inspiration all these years. You're an American treasure. Happy Holidays to you and all at MSLO.
Posted by: Burndett Andres | December 2nd, 2011 at 10:13 am
Martha's method of roasting a turkey covered with a cheesecloth soaked in butter and white wine is the best was to ensure a perfect bird.
We always use this method for roasting turkeys.
Posted by: RedOwl | December 3rd, 2011 at 7:13 pm
i just love watching your show,and love the recipes you all cook up.i feel i am right there with you all in the kitchen with all of you. when you are cooking i can only imagine how wonderful it smells,thank you for your most wonderful show . louisa
Posted by: louisa leeds | December 6th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Dear Martha,
It was wonderful seeing all the beautiful photos of the talented employees of yours. I was especially happy that you were able to see a photo of my mother, who is, in her own right, the most amazing homemaker ever...she sewed all of our clothes as we were growing up, cooked amazing meals,is the most amazing interior designer, and has always been a very creative lady. Looking forward to seeing Christmas photos as well! Thanks for the wonderful Blog! Angela Liscio Scott
Posted by: Mrs. Angela Liscio Scott | December 7th, 2011 at 12:38 am
Dear Martha,
In your holiday 2000 Living Magazine you did a craft spread for the twelve days of Christmas. My girlfriend and I made the sugared fruit wreath. We started in 2000, but due to work and family obligigations we crafted away in my basement over the next four years before completing. My husband assembled our wreath and I have been enjoying it for the past 7 years. Cannot tell you the dozens of compliments I've received on it. I just love it. I have a picture, but not sure how to attach here. I adore your show and now that I am retired watch it as much as I can. Your magazines and books are such a pleasure. Thanks to you and your terrific staff.
Posted by: Debbie Welsh | December 19th, 2011 at 3:59 pm