Be sure to tune-in to QVC today at 10am ET and 7pm ET to shop my newest collections - I'll be showcasing my mechanical and hand gardening tools! You're going to love them.
Several samples from my QVC Collections were displayed last weekend at the Detroit Free Press Food & Wine Experience. More than 1500 visitors attended the interactive food event at downtown Detroit's popular Campus Martius. The day's activities included exciting panel discussions, delicious tastings, and celebrity "Meet & Greet" opportunities. Those that signed up for "Meet Martha" sat-in for my special cooking demo and book signing, promoting my newest publication, "Slow Cooker". Visitors also got to walk through the Martha Stewart Experience Pavilion where they saw items from all my retail collections, learned about my Martha & Marley Spoon meal-kits and joined in on a Martha Stewart Crafts project at the Michael's Paint House. It was a wonderful day in Detroit - enjoy some of our photos.
The first thing visitors saw when they entered our Martha Stewart Experience Pavilion was the Wall of Martha featuring all of our partnering brands, including Macy’s, The Home Depot, QVC, Martha Stewart Wine Co., Martha & Marley Spoon, and more.
The event took place at the well-known Campus Martius, a one-acre re-established urban park in downtown Detroit.
I participated in several great events including a cooking demo, a panel discussion and a wine tasting.
Inside the Martha Stewart Experience Pavilion, guests could join in on craft projects at the Michael’s paint house. http://www.michaels.com/crafts-and-hobbies/martha-stewart-crafts/938473843
Lots of volunteers were on-hand to help visitors with stenciled projects using Martha Stewart Craft Paints. (Photo by Christian Lathers)
In the center of the Pavilion was a table dressed with pieces from my “Harvest” Collection at Macy’s. (Photo by Christian Lathers) https://www.macys.com/shop/product/martha-stewart-collection-harvest-collection?ID=722549
Above the table – a Macy’s gadget chandelier made with handy supplies from my collection exclusively at Macy’s.
There was also a display featuring items from my new QVC collections. Be sure to tune-in to QVC today at 10am ET and 7pm ET to buy some of my great gardening tools.
On another side of the Pavilion, we set-up a table where guests could purchase copies of my newest book, “Martha Stewart’s Slow Cooker” – it’s never too early to start thinking of your holiday gift giving list.
We also displayed some of my other popular books, including “Appetizers”, “Vegetables”, and “A New Way to Bake”. (Photo by Christian Lathers)
Here is a sample from my vanity collection at The Home Depot. I am so proud of our vanity and organizational drawer options. We have three premium bath series that include coordinated vanities and accessories in various sizes and styles. http://www.homedepot.com/b/Bath-Bathroom-Vanities/Martha-Stewart-Living/N-5yc1vZcfv3Z4tg
Here is a volunteer working at our Martha Stewart Wine Co. station. https://marthastewartwine.com
And this is our Martha & Marley Spoon display. Sayan, who oversees our meal kit order business was there to answer everyone’s questions. https://martha.marleyspoon.com/
Outside, there were many other wonderful vendors, including this one from the Detroit gourmet shop, Eatori. Market.http://www.eatori.com
We also stopped at The Farmer’s Hand – another specialty locally focused artisanal grocery and cafe. https://www.thefarmershand.com
In the afternoon, I conducted a food demo sharing dishes from my “Slow Cooker” book. It was so nice to see such a lively crowd. Of course, all of our pots and cooking supplies are from my collection at Macy’s.
Everyone loved our demo set-up provided by The Home Depot and MasterBrand Cabinets. http://www.masterbrand.com
I loved speaking to the audience and answering questions. Thomas Joseph, host of our own “Kitchen Conundrums” joined me for the demo. Thomas will be at The D&C Digital Food & Wine Experience on Saturday, September 23rd. (Photo by Christian Lathers) FoodandWine.DemocratandChronicle.com
I also moderated a panel discussion on young Detroit entrepreneurs and the surge in new food-related businesses in the area.
Later in the day, I hosted a book signing for “Slow Cooker”. I always enjoy thee events because I get to meet so many different people – many who share great stories of how I’ve inspired them to live well over the years. http://www.parcdetroit.com (Photo by Christian Lathers)
Here are some of the members of my team who joined me in Detroit – Kim Miller, SVP Video Development and Programming, Karen Murray, CEO of Sequential Brands Group, Chad Wagenheim, EVP Strategic Development and Operations, Stella Cicarone, VP Marketing, and Carolyn D’Angelo, our Home Division President.
Doesn’t this stand-up look real? Snoop and I want to remind you to tune-in to VH-1 on October 16th at 10pm for the premiere of “Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”!
I love entertaining at the farm, especially when I can add a special theme to the evening’s menu.
Late last week, I hosted a very special Moroccan-style dinner gathering for a small group of friends. Chef Pierre Schaedelin, from PS Tailored Events, and I, planned a delicious menu for my guests. The first course was Bisteeya, a traditional Moroccan dish, followed by Couscous Royale, made with chicken, lamb, sausage and variety of fresh vegetables from my garden. Our dessert was fresh citrus fruit, and homemade buttermilk sorbet topped with sprigs of bright green mint. It was a wonderful meal.
Enjoy these photos.
My large Brown Room is a great space for entertaining. The long table is set for 17-guests. The white domed dishes are Moroccan tagines. Each one has a low-sided bottom and a conical cover.
Inside the Flower Room kitchen, just a few steps from my Winter House, Chef Pierre Schaedelin, from PS Tailored Events, is busy preparing our delicious meal. http://pstailoredevents.com
One of the first tasks Chef Pierre does when he arrives is prepare all the ingredients, such as cutting up all the vegetables picked from my garden the day before – he says, “mise en place” or “putting in place” and setting up, is extremely important when cooking any special meal.
The eggs we used are all from my wonderful and very productive chickens.
The first course is bisteeya, a traditional Moroccan dish that’s most like an elaborate meat pie combining sweet and savory flavors, and using a phyllo dough encasement. The chicken is simmered in broth with onions, garlic, lemon juice, herbs, cumin, and saffron until it is falling off the bone.
Chef Pierre removes the chicken and places it on a cookie sheet along with the other ingredients. Next, the chicken will be taken off the bone and placed into a large bowl and mixed with herbs.
We used about 30-eggs for our bisteeya. The eggs are scrambled in butter with lemon juice, salt, and pepper until fairly stiff.
Whenever adding multiple eggs to a dish, it never hurts to run them through a strainer to be sure pieces of shell do not go unnoticed. It may take a little longer, but it is definitely worth the effort.
Then the eggs are cooked and then placed in cheesecloth over a bowl to remove the excess liquid.
Ryan picked fresh zucchini from the garden just moments before they were cooked – they look so beautiful and fresh.
Pierre cuts them up and adds them to our mixture of vegetables.
Look at the vibrant colors of all the fresh vegetables. They will be served with the Couscous Royale.
Here are the vegetables as they simmered in broth.
After cooking the vegetables, Pierre strained off the rich broth.
And, here are the meats that were also prepared for the couscous dish – lamb, chicken and Merguez saucisson, a red, spicy sausage from North Africa.
Ground lamb burgers are seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil, spices and mint. All the meats are placed into the refrigerator until it is time to sear them and finish them off in the Winter House oven.
To construct the bisteeya, Chef Pierre carefully places the first buttered sheet in a buttered round pan, draping the excess over the edges.
He layers another buttered sheet of phyllo to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
He adds a generous layer of the chicken mixture.
Next, a layer of the scrambled egg mixture. Bisteeya also calls for almonds tossed with confectioner’s sugar and a bit of ground cinnamon.
Chef Pierre tops it with more chicken and phyllo dough, and another layer of the almond mixture. Here is my bisteeya recipe from season-4 of my show, “Martha Bakes”. http://www.marthastewart.com/1103743/bisteeya
Brushing each sheet of phyllo with butter is important so that it bakes golden, crisp, and flaky.
Then, Chef Pierre folds the excess phyllo up and over the filling before completely covering the bisteeya with more phyllo dough.
Chef Pierre cuts off any excess phyllo dough from the sides of the pans.
And then carefully tucks the overhanging layers down the inside edges of the pan, sealing the bisteeya. A final brush with clarified butter is added to the top so it shines. Here is one of two bisteeyas ready for the oven.
Oranges are also peeled for the special citrus dessert.
On another counter, the sorbet is checked for consistency.
Here are the tomatoes for our confit fresh out of the oven. All these tomatoes were just harvested from my garden – we had so many beautiful cherry tomatoes this season.
Meanwhile, inside my home, finishing touches are done on my Brown Room dining table.
A copy of the evening’s menu is set-down at every place setting.
Here are the tagines, ready to be filled in my kitchen. The base is wide and shallow, and the tall lid fits snuggly inside. As the food cooks, steam rises into the cone, condenses, and then trickles down the sides back into the dish.
The bisteeyas are baked at 425-degrees Fahrenheit until the tops become golden brown.
The finished bisteeya. Here, the tops are sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon – it was everyone’s favorite dish.
Here is Pierre cutting the bisteeya.
Chef Aron carefully dresses each plate with the tomato confit and greens.
To make the dinner even more special, we also served gougerers – A gougère, in French cuisine, is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with cheese.
Each piece of bisteeya is served with a side mix greens and tomato confit.
The Couscous Royale is plated with vegetables, and a piece each of lamb, chicken and then sausage, and placed into the base section of the tagines.
Our dessert is fresh orange section with homemade buttermilk sorbet and sprigs of mint from my garden. A Mailanderli cookie adds a perfect touch on each plate.
We also had a wonderful box of sweet treats for dessert.
Everyone enjoyed the dinner and conversation.
Here, I am joined by all the chefs that were at the dinner – Chef Pierre and his sous chef, Aron, who prepared our feast, Chef Geoffrey Zakaraian and Chef Daniel Boulud.
Our big pergola project here at my Bedford, New York farm is moving along nicely.
Recently, I decided I wanted to make some changes to the garden beds below my long and winding pergola. A few days ago, my outdoor grounds crew removed a strip of sod along the entire length of the beds to expand the area and give it a nice, clean edge. The next step was to remove all the growing catnip to give the space even more room for the new plantings. And finally, the soil was turned and treated with fertilizer. This phase of the process took a couple days to complete, but it was well worth the effort and the time.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
Catnip, Nepeta cataria, is a flowering herbaceous perennial in the mint family. It grows up to nearly 40-inches tall and wide, and blooms from late-spring to autumn.
Catnip thrives in well-drained soil and in full sun to part shade. I’ve been growing it under this pergola for several years, but it was now time to move it to a different location.
Here, Chhiring carefully removes the catnip from the soil. This process must be done with the utmost care as there are many bulbs that are buried amongst the growing catnip plants.
Chhiring digs a circle around the catnip and then cuts under the center of the plant to get the bulk of the root ball.
I decided the best place to replant the catnip was in the lilac bed near my tennis court. I planted this lilac allee about 11-years ago, and it has thrived ever since, growing more beautiful every year. The hedges are already underplanted with some catnip – the additional plants will make it even more splendid and full.
Chhiring starts by carefully pushing aside the top layer of mulch.
Using a shovel, he moves the top two to three inches of matter along the entire length of the bed. The crew is excellent at creating efficient production line processes wherever possible.
Dawa follows by carefully digging and planting each of the catnip plants.
Dawa turns over the soil in an area that is about three to four inches wider than the plant and about eight to 10 inches deep.
Dawa then positions the catnip in the center of the hole and backfills it with the soil before gently tamping it down.
Once the catnip plant is in the ground, Dawa carefully returns the mulch to cover the area.
Whenever planting, it is vital to water. Here, Chhiring waters the transplanted catnip with at least an inch of water. The crew will water the beds often to keep the soil slightly moist until the catnip puts forth new growth and is well-established.
I am positive the catnip will be very happy here.
Back at the pergola garden, all the catnip is now moved, and the next phase can begin.
Chhiring uses a 520 Broadfork from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is a five tine, 20-inch wide fork that works to deeply aerate the soil while preserving the soil structure. This deep-tillage tool was designed long ago in Europe and redeveloped by Eliot Coleman. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/tools-supplies/long-handled-tools/broadforks/johnnys-520-broadfork-9677.html
It uses body weight to insert and maneuver the tool instead of the back and arms. The 48-inch long oiled ashwood handles allow you to cover a lot of ground quickly.
I think this broadfork from Johnny’s is a big favorite here at the farm.
This manual process takes a few hours to complete, but it is an important step to ensure air, nutrients and water can get into the soil where plant roots can gain access to them.
Chhiring continues down the bed – each time stepping onto the broadfork, pressing it into the soil and then moving it backwards towards his body at a 30-degree angle before lifting it out of the dirt.
Chhiring then drags it backwards about six to eight inches and repeats the process.
This area is where the sod was removed last week, so there are no bulbs here; however, care must be taken to not disturb other plant roots.
Next, the area was gently raked and treated with fertilizer.
The beds are now ready for the most exciting step – planting. You will love how it looks when it is all finished.
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