The Martha Blog » Miscellaneous

Meredith Vieira and I have a baking contest

Martha Stewart — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:01:21 +0000

With the holidays approaching, I've been all about pies lately. We held a pie contest on my television show on Monday and invited the winner, Marjorie Johnson back to the show on Tuesday to demonstrate her recipe for English Toffee Pecan Pie. Yesterday, on the Today show, co-host Meredith Vieira and I decided to have a little contest of our own baking apple pies. Meredith brought her mother's original recipe in and I came prepared to make one that I call the 'Mile High Apple Pie.' Co-host Matt Lauer was the judge, a position that made him a little nervous, I think.

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1 For my pie, I used Empire and Granny Smith apples. Other good pie choices include Golden Delicious, Macoun, Crispin, Cortland, Winesap, and Rome.

2 The finished pies - Meredith's delicious apple pie of her mother's is behind my mile-high apple pie.

3 Matt was a very cautious judge.

4 Instead of choosing a winner, he tossed up the ribbon - Meredith caught it!

5 After tasting Meredith's pie, I was very impressed with its flavor and texture.

6 Here I am backstage with Kristen Stewart (no relation) star of "Twilight" and the new "New Moon."

7 We had a wonderful conversation.

8 Backstage with Jon Bon Jovi who was on the show promoting 'The Circle,' his new CD and 'When we Were Beautiful,' his new book.

9 Katie Goldberg - my AVP Public Relations - posing for her latest prized photo with Bon Jovi

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Mile High Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS

Pate Brisee

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Mile High Apple Pie

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling

• Deep-Dish Pate Brisee

• 5 1/2 pounds firm tart apples (about 14), such as Empire or Granny Smith

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 1 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

• 1 large egg yolk

DIRECTIONS

Pate Brisee (makes enough for 6 double-crust 4-inch pies):

Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add water in a slow, steady stream until mixture just begins to hold together.

Shape dough into 2 disks. Wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate 1 hour to 2 days (or freeze for up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator before using).

Mile High Apple Pie:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the smaller piece of pate brisee into a 15-inch round about 1/8-inch thick, dusting surface with flour to prevent sticking, as needed. Brush off excess flour. Roll dough around rolling pin, and place over a deep-dish 9-inch pie plate. Line plate with dough, pressing it into the corners. Trim dough to within 1 inch of the pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into an 18-inch round. Transfer round to a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Peel and core apples, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices in a large bowl; sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon; toss with apple slices.

Remove remaining dough from refrigerator; place apple mixture into prepared pie plate, mounding it in a tall pile. Dot filling with butter. Place dough round over the apples. Tuck edge of top dough between edge of bottom dough and rim of pan. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.

Using a paring knife, cut several vents in top of dough to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk with 2 tablespoons water to make a glaze. Brush surface with egg glaze; sprinkle with sugar. Place on a baking sheet; this will catch any juices that may overflow during baking. Bake until crust is golden, about 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool completely before serving.

My tech show is airing today!

Martha Stewart — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:01:08 +0000

On Tuesday of this week, we taped a really fun episode for my television show, which is airing today! The show is all about technology with a strong emphasis on social networking. As you may know, I like staying on top of the latest technological trends and I especially love meeting the great visionaries who have contributed to this new paradigm of social networking. My guests were Biz Stone (@biz) - one of the founders of Twitter, David Pogue (@pogue) - New York Times technology columnist and author of 'The World According to Twitter,' Chris Hughes - the co-founder of Facebook, and Heather Cabot - Yahoo's Web Life Editor. It was fascinating talking to these experts and if you watch the show, I'd love to hear what you think. Leave a comment on my blog or on my Facebook, or just Tweet me!

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1 The colorful Martha banner adorning the studio, located in the Chelsea section of Manhattan

2 Some vintage photos from my modeling days line the walls of this hallway at the studio.

3 Our new shop at the studio - audience members can purchase T-shirts, sweatshirts, books, glitter sets, tote bags, and more.

4 The MARTHA shop is only open for a short time, while the audience is in the holding area.

5 Some of the tote bags offered

6 My wardrobe room this year doubles as a voice-over studio.

7 My new assistant Jessica, busy at work

8 Various staff members, lined up near my office, waiting for the show to begin

9 The big meeting/briefing before the show - a good time to check my emails - oops - no tweeting while meeting!

10 A laptop on stage - I logged into my Twitter account on this computer before the show began. Notice all of the Blackberries, IPhones, and laptops in the audience?

11 Ron Palacio, Rob Maurizi, and Jarrett Garcia - members of the MSLO tech crew - they were very excited to attend.

12 I started off in the control room for this episode.

13 A 'bumper' with the very young Chris Hughes, co-founder of facebook.

14 The show begins!

15 I wheeled out a cart filled with older technology. Did you know that the functions of all 115 pounds of this stuff now fits in a 4.1 ounce Blackberry?

16 An old black and white tube TV - I still think that black and white televisions have their own charm.

17 One of my earlier computers - I have heard that people now make aquariums out of the monitors - that's a good way of recycling.

18 I still have thousands of slides that need to now be digitized.

19 Who could forget the fun of PONG on ATARI?

20 My first guest, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone

21 Here I am with Biz.

22 Joey Kola, our warm up artist, handing out some giveaways to keep the energy level high during intermissions.

23 Here I am with New York Times technology columnist David Pouge, who is promoting his new book 'The World According to Twitter.'

24 Next was Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook.

25 Here I am with some of my own digital team, Parneet Gosal and Brenda Dargan. Not shown in the photo is Eliad Laskin, who actually took this picture.

26 Logging back into my Twitter account

27 This is Heather Cabot, Yahoo's Web Life Editor. She walked me through the great features of the new Yahoo homepage, search engine and email.

28 We also taped a Q&A session where the audience had a chance to ask me and my guests questions.

29 Biz, David, me, Chris, Heather

30 Rolling on camera 5!

31 Nick Douglas is a technology writer and the founding editor of the humorist Web site valleywag.com. He is the author of the new book Twitter Wit, a very funny compilation of Twitter aphorisms and witticisms.

32 My hair and make up artist Mary Curran is giving the thumbs up for a show well done.

Visiting Montana and Ted Turner at his wonderful ranch

Martha Stewart — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:01:00 +0000

I recently found myself in Montana, visiting Ted Turner at his wonderful ranch there. Ted Turner, as you may already know, is a media mogul and philanthropist. He is the founder of the cable television network CNN and he supports United Nations causes. He is also an environmentalist and generously devotes his assets help protect it. Ted Turner owns more land than any other American - 2.2 million acres! He uses much of that land to re-popularize bison, which is leaner and healthier for you than beef, and he now boasts the largest herd in the world. Ted owns a chain of restaurants called Ted's Montana Grill, where that delicious bison is offered on the menu.

The purpose of the journey, along with my television crew, was to learn from him all about his environmental concerns and his extraordinary efforts in restoring endangered species to the planet. We spent two full days with Ted and he generously gave a real guided tour through some of America's most beautiful places. The cast of characters was:

Ted Turner - our gracious host
Martha Stewart - the host of my TV show
Kevin Sharkey - executive editorial director of decorating at MSLO
Jill and Dan Dienst - friends and Western fanatics
Mary Curran - hair and makeup artist
Betsy Perreten - Bedford stable manager

Please enjoy these photos and be sure to check out tomorrow's blog for more adventures in Montana!

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1 After landing at the airport in Montana, we saw this old single-engine crop duster on the tarmac.

2 Mary Ann VanDerventer - unit manager - field dept. of TV - met us at the airport and chauffeured us to the ranch.

3 We stopped in Dillon, the first little town we came to, for a snack. Dillon may have a population of under 4,000, but it is a happening place.

4 Sweetwater was a very nice coffee, gift, and antiques store.

5 Kevin and Mary tried on vintage glasses and hammed it up a bit.

6 There is gambling in Dillon.

7 Dan Dienst and Kevin Sharkey - leaving the coffee shop in Dillon

8 The big sky we all hear and dream about is present in Montana!

9 And the views are breathtaking.

10 Our very first sighting of bison

11 A hungry red-tailed hawk is perched with its prey - poor little mouse.

12 The red-tailed hawk has left its perch.

13 Here it comes.

14 A small deer watches the hawk.

15 It landed again on a fence post with its prey.

16 Here we are at the ranch.

17 My wireless was not functioning in Montana and I had to dictate on the phone, my entire Martha Stewart Living column for October, which I had written on the plane!

18 Our guest ranch where we all slept for three nights - the telephone was in keeping with the decor.

19 There was lots of taxidermy here and there.

20 Mary Ann loved these long-horned goats.

21 Donna Tate McDonald, owner of the guest ranch, Upper Canyon Outfitters www.ucomontana.com, me, and Val - a school teacher from New Jersey, who works with her husband at the ranch every summer.

22 Laurie Hepburn - TV producer and me, ready for the hiking episode

23 I love this photo of me - bandannas are my thing!

24 Jill Dienst, who joined us for the trip, looked happy and healthy in the mountain air.

25 And Mary Curran, too

26 Upon arrival at 9,000 feet, we were informed that we would be embarking on a brief hike to see the flora of the surrounding area - many wild flowers were still in bloom. Betsy, my stable manager, felt at home in Montana.

27 Gary, Dave, and one of the crew high up the mountain hillside

28 A scabiosa flower topped off with a butterfly

29 We have not yet identified this berry - the plant looks like a bunchberry.

30 lt looks like a moose slept here the night before.

31 A gorgeous view of the mountains to the north.

32 Donna and I descended the mountain before the others. She knows a lot about the area having lived and guided there for many years.

33 I was so happy to get a bottle of water! When hiking or walking at high altitudes it is imperative to drink a lot of water!

34 Kevin and Mary were always posing for photos. Mary had packed all my makeup and hair supplies in a new backpack.

35 A great photo of Kevin

36 Kevin and Jill dressed for our first dinner with Ted Turner

More Guy Wolff pottery as seen in the September MSL

Martha Stewart — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:01:29 +0000

When you receive your September issue of Martha Stewart Living, you will find that it's filled with many wonderful decorating ideas. You'll also find a fascinating story about Wolff Pottery and my visit with master potters Guy Wolff and his son Ben. I first encountered Guy when I was traversing Litchfield County in Connecticut in search of antiques, plants, and ideas for the magazine. Ensconced in a small wooden building, Guy was busy making flowerpots for gardeners like me. He explained that inspiration came from history, paintings, and his own artistic imagination. I was quite taken by his pots and became a 'regular' customer.

Son Ben grew up watching his father throw pots and it was only natural for him to develop his own beautiful designs, tools, methods, clays, colors, and embellishments. When choosing pots for my greenhouses in Bedford, I went for the more historical shapes Guy made, but asked Ben to design the unique darkish-gray wash on light clay - so remarkable! Please enjoy this blog. These photos were taken behind-the-scenes at the magazine shoot.

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1 Posing with Ben and Guy

2 This charming wagon is at the entrance to Guy's driveway.

3 This is Guy's newly finished pottery shop. The front is a restored 1740 post and beam structure, which houses his showroom. Guy added onto the back to create his work room. You can see photographer Frédéric Lagrange with his camera in the doorway.

4 A collection of white pots

5 The master at work

6 Ben also displays his pots in Guy's shop. Ben is known for using a wide selection of clays, glazes, and finishes to achieve his signature look.

7 Here I am admiring some of Guy's 'One of a Kind' collection. These pots are spectacular.

8 The old wide boards and beams are a lovely backdrop for the pottery.

9 This print is of a Rembrandt Peale painting of his brother Rubens, who was a botanist. He is holding a potted geranium, reputed to be the first specimen of this exotic plant ever grown in the New World. Guy, of course, studied and reproduced this original pot.

10 Guy keeps his personal collection above the showroom. This is old English stoneware.

11 Many of these pieces are historical New England pieces.

12 These sake jars are historic Tamba Ware from Kyoto.

13 Even pottery shards provide Guy with inspiration.

14 An old stamp set for imprinting in clay

15 Guy is hoping to find homes for these fine vases of his creation in museums.

16 I love these orchid pots.

17 These pots are stamped G.Wolff Pottery, which indicates that they were made by someone visiting his pottery under his personal teaching. The pots were fired in Guy's kilns and are sold in his shop.

18 More of his creations

19 These pots have beautifully ornate rims.

20 These pots are give-aways for anyone visiting the pottery.

21 Guy is teaching me how to make a decorative edge on this pot using a coggle tool or roulette.

22 All the while, Frédéric is clicking away.

23 These are the automatic kilns manufactured by Skutt.

24 The insides are lined with electric coils, providing the high temperatures necessary for firing pottery.

25 While we were busy in the pottery, Kevin found a comfortable place for his business calls.

26 An accomplished musician, Guy also sells his music CD's in the shop.

27 Guy is helping me throw my very own pot.

28 I think I did a fine job!

29 Some tools of the trade

30 Wheels for making decorative edges

31 More coggle tools

32 This is a mound of terracotta clay scraps, which will be reconstituted and reused.

33 Guy has these copper drip pans made in India.

34 MOVE TO AFTER HER MAKING THIS POT - Look how nicely my pot turned out and it hasn't even been fired yet.

35 I like the way my apron looks with the red of the building.

36 Guy made these fabulous lights many years ago out of olive oil tins.

37 The designs were made by punching holes in the metal.

38 Guys father, Robert Jay Wolff, was an Abstract Expressionist and Guy has a lot of his art. He would like to find an appropriate home for it.

Hailstorm on the Parkway

Martha Stewart — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:01:39 +0000

Recently, during this month of July, I was on my way from Bedford early one morning to attend meetings in New York City. Driving along the Sawmill River Parkway, I was astonished to see piles of snow and ice along the sides of the highway! I asked my driver to pull off and stop so that I could take in this odd phenomenon. I had heard reports of violent weather passing through the region during the evening hours and I could only be grateful that we didn't receive a pelting, such as this one, at the farm. Do you have any hail stories you'd like to share?

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Picture 1 of 7: It's so odd to see so much snow and ice upon such verdant grass.

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Planting the Skylands Vegetable Garden

Martha Stewart — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:01:25 +0000

Last weekend, I sent a small crew from my Bedford farm up to Skylands, my home in Maine.Â The purpose of the journey was so that they could help the Skylands crew plant the vegetable garden.Â That part of Maine is very far north and consequently, their growing season is a good deal later than Bedford.Â Because I always like a visual report on progress, I sent a camera along with instructions to take thorough pictures and I placed Gyurme in charge of that task.Â I think the crew did a wonderful job with the planting and Gyurme did a terrific job documenting.Â Please enjoy his photos taken with a Canon G10.

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Picture 1 of 25: This is Alfredo making furrows to plant vegetable seeds.

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A tour of my property

Martha Stewart — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:01:04 +0000

I always thought it would be fun for my television crew to film a garden tour at my farm in Bedford. I looked on my calendar and noticed that The Royal Oak Foundation was scheduled to pay a visit in early June. This is a very interesting organization and it just so happened that I was free on that day, as well. Founded in 1973, the Royal Oak Foundation is the American affiliate of The National Trust of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The foundation supports the preservation and conservation of extraordinary natural spaces, historic properties and monuments, and homes and gardens in Britain. Membership to the Royal Oak is open to the public and includes free admission to more than 350 historic sites throughout Great Britain.

The group came last Thursday and the weather reports were not promising, calling for heavy rain and clouds throughout the day. But it isn't nice to rain on a garden tour and, as if on cue, the sun started to shine and the sky turned blue, giving way to a very pleasant morning. You'll be able to see this segment during the next season of my television show.

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Picture 1 of 23: There I am in the orange jacket leading the tour. Gary Nardilla is very fit walking backwards with the camera perched on his shoulder.

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Photos By Martha Stewart and Eliad Laskin

A celebration for the new High Line

Martha Stewart — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:01:10 +0000

On Monday, June 1st, I attended a dinner held on the High Line in New York City. This dinner was hosted by media mogul, Barry Diller and his wife, the fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. It was in honor of the many supporters of the High Line. The High Line is an elevated rail viaduct that runs for 1.45 miles, from West 34^th Street down nearly 30 blocks, along the edge of the Hudson River. Prior to its construction in the 1930â€™s, 10^th Avenue was referred to as â€œDeath Avenue.â€ It was a neighborhood of very busy freight warehouses and shipping terminals. And with freight trains running at the same level as cars, pedestrians, and horse-drawn carts, many serious accidents occurred. Things became a whole lot safer when the High Line was built. It was a solution that raised the rails, allowing other traffic to move beneath the trains.

Of course, at that time, no one knew that eventually air travel and trucking would bring a decline in ocean and rail traffic. Or, that this major infrastructure for ships and trains in Manhattan would one day be abandoned. For many years there was disagreement about what should become of the High Line. There were those who wanted it demolished. Fortunately, a non-profit group called Friends of the Highline was formed, and they worked steadfastly to preserve the structure. Their dream to turn it into a grand, public promenade for residents and visitors to enjoy has come to fruition and later this month, the first section will open to the public.

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Picture 1 of 22: Here I am with actress Candice Bergen, her husband Marshall Rose, and Sandy Gallin.

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Celebrity chefs and more at the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards

Martha Stewart — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:01:31 +0000

I was looking through my photo files and realized that I never posted these pictures from the James Beard Foundation Awards, held on May 4th at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. My Martha Stewart's Cooking School book was nominated in the General Cooking Book Awards category, but sadly, we did not win. The evening was great fun, just the same, and it was a star-studded event. Please enjoy these photos taken with my Canon G10.

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Picture 1 of 22: Here I am at the James Beard Foundation Awards.

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The Spring 2009 Dia Beacon Benefit

Martha Stewart — Wed, 20 May 2009 04:01:02 +0000

Last Sunday I attended a benefit for Dia:Beacon up on the banks of the majestic Hudson River in Beacon, NY. Dia:Beacon is a fantastic museum housed in the former National Biscuit Carton Making and Printing Plant. Dia obtained the building in 1999 with the intention of using this massive space to house its renowned but seldom seen permanent collection of art from the 1960s to present day. With 240,000 square feet of exhibition space illuminated by natural light, this building is a phenomenal place to visit and view works by Andy Warhol, Robert Irwin, Gerhard Richter, and Louise Bourgeois, just to name a few. The benefit was so much fun and it was a wonderful treat to have the Merce Cunningham Dance Company perform for us at the culmination of their two-year residency at Dia:Beacon. I urge anyone visiting this area to stop and spend some time at this museum. My good friend and genius photographer Todd Eberle was at this event and you can view his coverage at Vanity Fair . Also, my dogs Francesca and Sharkey covered the event on their blog, The Daily Wag.

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Picture 1 of 17: Matthew Barney - artist, me, and Philippe Vergne - Dia director PHOTO BY TODD EBERLE

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