This week, the world’s largest candy shop, founded by Dylan Lauren, celebrated its milestone birthday with the unveiling of more than 20 one-of-a-kind candy mosaics crafted by various celebrities and artists. The pieces were revealed during the “Sweet 16” party at Dylan’s flagship store in New York City. I was thrilled to participate! We were all asked to create mosaics using nothing but candy - just Jelly Beans, Gummy Bears, M&Ms and other tasty bonbons. These mosaics are being auctioned off with all proceeds from the sales going to various charities - mine is The Martha Stewart Center For Living at Mount Sinai. The auction runs now through November 10th, and you can bid on your favorite at dylanscandybar.com/sweet16 or Charitybuzz.com.
Here are some photos of my candy mosaic, how it was made, and some of the others on display at Dylan’s Candy Bar - enjoy.
Here is the actual photo of the poppies on a silver platter that inspired my mosaic. It is one of my favorite flower photographs – all of them grown in the gardens of my Bedford, New York farm.
Designers, Hosanna Houser and Tiffany Fung, from our offices, helped me create our candy mosaic. We used lots of different types of candy, including Gummy Bears, licorice, and Orange Slices.
We also used lots of M&Ms and lots of jelly beans.
And, for the silver tray, we used foil candy wrappers.
Every poppy bloom is so realistic – look at the wonderful details. Hosanna and Tiffany used Goop glue and hot glue guns to create the flowers and affix them to the tray.
Gummy Bears covered with chocolate Kiss candy foil wrappers were used to create the intricate trim and handles.
Gummy Worms were also used to create some of the flower petals. The entire tray of candy poppies took a few days to complete. Wait until you see my finished mosaic at the end of this gallery – you’ll love it.
Here is the candy bar at Dylan’s flagship store where guests could taste all sorts of sweet treats during the birthday event. All the candy mosaics were showcased around the space.
Decorated pails were distributed, so guests could also take home candies from the bar.
Costumed women on stilts greeted guests at the entrance.
There was even a donut wall – colorful hand made donuts, and lots of cookies.
This candy mosaic, made entirely from M&Ms, is from model, Lily Aldridge.
This is Julianne Moore’s candy mosaic.
Here are Dylan Lauren and Michael Strahan standing next to Jessica Biel’s “Sweet 16” candy creation.
Marisol and Rob Thomas made this candy mosaic. It is the logo for their charity, Sidewalk Angels – a not-for-profit foundation focused on animal advocacy.
This whimsical candy mosaic was submitted by Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka.
This candy mosaic from Andy Cohen was made using jelly beans, M&Ms, Gummy Teeth and Sixlets.
Katie Couric submitted this candy mosaic.
And actress Uzo Aduba submitted this bumble bee mosaic.
This is Michael Strahan’s jelly bean and M&Ms candy mosaic.
And you know who this is – Whoopi Goldberg, by Whoopie Goldberg.
This popcorn candy mosaic came from pop artist Burton Morris.
Fashion designer, Vera Wang, stopped by to admire all the candy art work.
Bobby Flay’s “Crunchburger” candy mosaic looks so real.
Artist and food photographer, Henry Hargreaves, submitted this mosaic of Pink Floyd’s album cover “The Dark Side of the Moon.”
This candy mosaic is by neo-pop artist, Romero Britto. It was made using M&Ms, jelly beans, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, Gummy Bears, Pearls, and Hot Tamales.
Actor and comedian, Eric Stonestreet, submitted this clown mosaic.
Stacey Bendet Wiener – CEO of Alice + Olivia, a New York City contemporary clothing company, made a self portrait candy mosaic out of jelly beans, licorice wheels and candy sunflower seeds.
Jessica Alba’s colorful candy mosaic was made using jelly beans and Gummy Bears.
This is Dylan’s candy mosaic – made using candy sunflower seeds, Sixlets, jelly beans, Gummy Bears, lemon drops, M&Ms, Tic Tacs, Jordan almonds, Cry Babies, Hot Tamales, gum balls, and Chicklets.
And here is Dylan joined by her parents, Ricky and Ralph Lauren, and Romero Britto, standing next to Ricky and Ralph’s candy mosaic of their dog.
And this is my candy creation! It is so lifelike. I was so excited with the outcome! My contribution benefits The Martha Stewart Center For Living at Mount Sinai. Remember, you can vote on your favorite by clicking on the link to Dylan’s Candy Bar above. Happy Birthday Dylan’s Candy Bar! Here’s to many more sweet years ahead.
How do you preserve the great taste of ripe summer homegrown tomatoes?
Earlier this week, my housekeepers, Enma and Sanu, picked the last of the season's cherry tomatoes. We had trays and trays of colorful and delicious fruits! I decided to roast them and store them in airtight containers in the freezer - it's an easy way to preserve warm-weather produce, so it can be enjoyed year-round. And preparing cherry tomatoes for roasting is so easy to do - just clean them, drizzle them with olive oil, add salt, pepper, and my "secret" ingredient, and then let them cook in the oven at low heat for several hours.
Such a beautiful bounty of tomatoes. We separated them according to color and put them on large stainless steel trays – red, orange, yellow and green.
I ran the trays under cold water to clean them.
Sanu removed all the stems and placed them back on the towel covered trays to dry.
I just love how they look in the morning sunlight.
This is a closer look at the tomatoes – all washed and free of stems. Do you know… according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most Americans eat between 22 and 24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year? This amount includes tomatoes in sauces – that’s a lot of tomatoes!
Here are my gorgeous Chow Chows nearby – GK is resting, while Empress Qin and Peluche watch the activity outside the kitchen door.
Once the tomatoes are all cleaned and dried, they are ready to season.
These are the olive oils I used – you don’t need a lot, so feel free to use up any leftover bottles.
And, do you know how to be sure your olive oil is still good to use? Remove the top, cover the open end securely with one hand, gently swirl the bottle and turn it over.
You will have a small amount of olive oil in the palm of your hand. Take a sniff – fresh olive oil has a pungent, fruity smell, while rancid olive oil has little smell at all. And then taste it – rancid oil has a bitter taste with no fruitiness and may feel greasy.
All the olive oil is still good. Here I am drizzling it over these first trays of tomatoes. On this tray, I am using chili olive oil – it will give these tomatoes a little kick.
Here are more trays of tomatoes, with more olive oil drizzled on top.
Next, sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
Here is a closer look at one tray after the salt and pepper were added.
And then sprinkle them with a little sugar. I used less than a half-cup for all the trays, so they don’t need much sugar at all.
And that’s it – the tomatoes are all ready for roasting.
I placed the trays in a convection oven at 225-degrees Fahrenheit. If using a conventional oven, it would be 250-degrees Fahrenheit. Foods cooked in a convection oven cook about 25-percent faster than a conventional oven as the hot air is forced around the food. Foods tend to have less moisture loss and fewer nutrients are destroyed in the cooking process.
And here is another tip – if you need more oven space, place two oven safe Pyrex bowls upside down in the center of the two trays, so you can rest another tray of tomatoes on top.
Here is Empress Qin looking beautiful and ever hopeful for something to fall from the counter.
These tomatoes will roast for about four hours. Half way through, I checked on them and turned them on the tray.
Once they are all done, let them cool and then place them in plastic containers for freezing – they will be ready to enjoy in pasta or in a sandwich any time the craving hits.
For a quick lunch, I added some roasted tomatoes in turkey sandwiches. The turkey is my boneless turkey breast that I sold on QVC this week. Did you order your special turkey and sides? goo.gl/ZUQknS
Nearly one-thousand dedicated supporters gathered together to celebrate the continued growth and revitalization of New York City’s Hudson River Park.
Last week, I attended the 19th annual Hudson River Park Friends Gala held at Chelsea Piers. The Hudson River Park is considered the largest open space project in Manhattan since Central Park. At four miles long, it is the longest waterfront park in the country and attracts millions of visitors each year. I am very proud to be on the Board of Hudson River Park Friends - an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to the completion, care, and enhancement of the space, and the designated fundraising partner of the Hudson River Park Trust.
If you’re ever in the New York City area, I hope you will stop to visit the Hudson River Park - you will see why it is so special. Here are some photos - enjoy.
The evening’s festivities began with cocktails on the Pier, then a sit down dinner, an awards presentation and an auction, followed by dessert and a special musical performance. The New York Fire Department put on a nice water show on the Hudson River for all of us to see.
It was a beautiful, still night for a lovely gathering on the Pier. Several large illuminated balls, such as this one, were strategically placed to keep the area well lit after dark. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
The dinner was held at Pier Sixty – a short walk from the cocktails venue at Pier 62.
Here I am with Sequential Brands Group CEO, Karen Murray, and Sequential FP & A Director, Dana Spitler. Everyone loved Dana’s suit.
Here I am with former New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
And here I am with Michael, and business partners at Youngwoo and Associates, Margerette Lee and Young Woo. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Comedian, writer, and television host, Seth Meyers, and I, posed for this quick photo – it is always fun getting together with Seth. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Our dinner’s first course included this olive oil poached shrimp.
Actor, comedian, and screenwriter, Mike Myers, made some opening remarks to the audience. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
President and CEO of the Hudson River Park Trust, Madelyn Wils, also addressed the guests. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Canadian model, Coco Rocha, helped guide the festive dinner program. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Michael Corbat, CEO of Citi, was among those honored for his devotion to and work for the park. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Board Chair of Hudson River Park Friends, Michael Novogratz, spoke about how the park has become an indelible part of New York City. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Here is Michael with Diana Taylor, Chair of the Hudson River Park Trust Board of Directors. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
An auction was held to raise money for the Hudson River Park. Lydia Fenet served as auctioneer – she is very lively. All proceeds from the auction directly benefit the park’s maintenance, beautification and operational needs. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
I always enjoy attending this event every year. As part of the auction, I donated a visit to Skylands, my home in Maine – complete with a personal tour by me, and a two-night stay at the nearby Asticou Inn. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Seth also donated to the auction – inside access to Late Night with Seth Meyers and a meet and greet with the host. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Actor, producer and director, Robert De Niro, was another Honoree. A park bench was dedicated to the actor. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
As part of the auction, Robert donated two premier passes to the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, which he co-founded in 2002. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
The audience was very fun and energetic. We stood for many of the evening’s speakers. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Michael took to the podium and spoke about the park’s importance to him. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Connie Fishman is the Executive Director of Hudson River Park Friends. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
Here I am joined by Michael and Madelyn. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
After dinner and the program, the evening finished with a musical performance – this year, by American singer, Gloria Gaynor, best known for the disco era hit “I Will Survive”. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
It was a very lovely evening for all. I encourage you to visit New York City’s Hudson River Park. It is a spectacular space. (Photo by 8SP_Simon Luethi)
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