Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a very safe, healthy, and joyful holiday. Enjoy this weekend with close family and friends. Here is an encore post from November 2016.
Thanksgiving is among my favorite occasions, and this year, I enjoyed a quiet holiday with my family up at Skylands, my home in Maine.
We shared a lovely meal, complete with a traditional turkey, which came from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York. We also had many favorite side dishes, including those from our new Martha & Marley Spoon Thanksgiving meal kit - roasted Brussels sprouts with pomegranate salad, my classic stuffing with herbs and dried cherries, and of course, my mother’s delicious mashed potatoes.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
This is one of a pair of giant urns I had transferred to Maine from my Bedford, New York farm this summer. The two now flank the front entrance of Skylands. Each weighs several hundred pounds. For the holiday season, we filled them with festive evergreen branches and red winterberries.
We all went for a good walk around Little Long Pond before our feast. Here are Jude and Truman with my French Bulldog puppies, Creme Brûlée and Bete Noir – the children love their visits to Maine. This serene pond sits just outside Acadia National Park, on the south side of the island close to Seal Harbor.
Truman is a very athletic four and a half year old. He loves to run and explore. Bete Noir keeps up with him pretty well.
We set our table first with brass chargers and candlesticks, and faux bois candles. The winter hybrid butternut squash in the center came from my Bedford garden.
Kevin gave me this handsome taxidermy Bourbon Red turkey for my birthday one year. The Bourbon Red is named for its unique reddish plumage. The bird originated in Kentucky and Pennsylvania in the late 19th century, and was created by crossing Buff, Standard Bronze, and White Holland turkeys. It was first recognized as a turkey variety by the American Poultry Association in 1909.
Our finished table set for six looks so beautiful all lit up in front of the leaded window.
Here is a view from above – it’s a perfect setting for our feast.
The taxidermy Bourbon Red turkey looks so stately guarding our Thanksgiving table.
Truman made this paper headdress during a Mandarin class – complete with its own feathers, and the words “I’m thankful” in Mandarin.
This is a very special eight-piece hostess serving set. It was designed around the same time Skylands was, and the beautiful tray underneath was a gift from my dear friends Memrie Lewis and Charlotte Beers some years ago.
Both my grandchildren are great helpers in the kitchen. Truman loved to help taste test dishes as they were prepared.
Here is our heritage turkey from Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, New York. I get turkeys from Stone Barns every year. These heritage birds have less fat, and are prized for their rich flavor. Choosing heritage birds helps to protect the cultural legacy of the old breeds and to preserve genetic diversity for the future.
We prepared many of our sides from the Martha & Marley Spoon Thanksgiving meal kit. Here is our Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pomegranate Salad. This recipe calls for both roasted and raw Brussels for a mix of texture and taste.
Here is my Classic Stuffing with Herbs and Dried Cherries that we also included in the Martha & Marley Spoon Thanksgiving meal box this season – it’s filled with onion, celery, sage, and dried cherries.
I also prepared delicious stuffed butternut squash.
And, everyone always loves potatoes.
Here is a bowl of classic cranberry sauce – another big favorite, especially with the turkey leftovers.
This is the finished turkey – roasted to perfection and golden brown, served on a bed of herbs.
This is a cranberry curd tart my daughter, Alexis, made for our dessert. I love its rich red color. These beautiful orange Fitzhugh-patterned dessert plates were perfect for our tart.
Here is a pretty top view of the cranberry curd tart – it was so delicious.
A scrumptious Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings. The mashed potatoes were made using my mother’s recipe, which incorporates cream cheese for a rich and delicious taste. It’s the same recipe in our Martha & Marley Spoon Thanksgiving meal kit.
Here is my first plate – everyone had more than one. We enjoyed a most wonderful dinner.
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my family and close friends, especially my daughter, Alexis, and her beautiful children, Jude and Truman. I hope you all had a warm and memorable holiday with your loved ones.
If you're looking for unique and delectable cookies to give as gifts this holiday season, please consider ordering some from Southport Cookie Company - I assure you, you'll want some for yourself too.
Southport Cookie Company launched last month and is owned by Pastry Chef Robert Twardzik - a master baker and cookie decorator. Robert, who makes some of the most stunning treats I have ever seen, now offers a new line of cookies - his renditions of the great American classics - cookies such as Derbydoodles, Lemon Chiffon Creams, Chocolate Chip Creams, Butter Crunch Cookies, Gingerbread, and more. Each cookie is made by hand, individually packaged, and then shipped or personally delivered within three to five business days. Yesterday, we visited his working kitchen in nearby Southport, Connecticut where he shared some of his baking techniques and decorating tips.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here is Robert in his working kitchen. It is a small space, so he remained masked for safety. Robert worked as successful business professional before he pursued his passion for baking. He trained at the renowned Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School, now The institute of Culinary Education, and was mentored by notable chocolatier Jacques Torres. He’s also been on my television show, “Martha Bakes ,” and he’s joined me in my own kitchen for a special baking Facebook LIVE.
Here he is during the 2017 Facebook LIVE broadcast. He showed us how he bakes and decorates his beautiful cookies. Robert and I use different baking techniques, but I was thrilled to learn some of his – he cooks with such artistry. If you want to watch the show, just click on the highlighted link.
Here are some of his elaborately decorated cookies with royal icing and fondant. Robert gave me the one in the middle a couple years ago. It is so beautiful, I saved it.
For this company, Robert wanted to add a modern twist to some American classics. Southport Cookie Company offers the perfect treat to share, gift or simply enjoy. All hand made cookies that are full of rich, natural flavor – pretty enough to look at, but also to eat.
This is Robert’s working kitchen, located just minutes from his Connecticut home. One corner wall is filled with beautiful cookie cutters, pastry supplies, molds and rolling pins.
He showed some of his favorite rolling pins – your collection is almost as big as mine, Robert. A couple of them are also custom made.
Because of its size – 36 inches – this rolling pin was kept hung behind the door. It belonged to Robert’s mother who was an avid baker who taught and inspired Robert from an early age. Robert says, “she’s always with me when I bake.”
When Robert set-up this kitchen, most of the peg board was already in the room so he painted it and added more hooks and holders to store and display his books, tools, and other keepsakes. Hanging them saves time from rummaging through a drawer or bin to find what’s needed.
In the back of the kitchen, shelves of ingredients – pure honeys, syrups, spices, fruit flavored waters, and more.
On another shelf, stacks of almond paste, jams and spreads, and ghee which is clarified butter that originated in ancient India. It is commonly used in Indian cuisine, Middle Eastern cuisine, Southeast Asian cuisine, traditional medicine, and religious rituals.
Southport Cookie Company offers a variety of flavorful hand baked cookies – all baked by Robert. These are Hideaways® – Triple Chocolate Brownie Cakes with a choice of rich chocolate ganache in the center or a creamy coconut center. And, his tip – stick these cookies in the microwave for about six to eight seconds and then serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream.
This is called the Buckeye – a French couverture chocolate and imported black cocoa cookie combined with organic peanut butter cream. Couveture is chocolate made with extra cocoa butter to give it a high gloss. These cookies average about four inches in diameter and are so decadent, one could even be cut in half and shared.
A big favorite is his Lemon Chiffon Cream cookie which incorporates lemon in four separate ways – using zest, juice, oil and extract. It also has lemon cream filling and lemon glaze with mimosa sugar. Robert says his cookies are packed with ingredients – if it’s a lemon cookie, it will have lots of lemon, and if it’s a chocolate cookie, it will include lots of pure and delicious chocolate.
Robert likes to inspire others to explore and use different ingredients. This is the edible sugared mimosa flowers which are part of his Lemon Chiffon Cream cookie recipe. These offer a sweet crunch and mild, momentary floral flavor.
Robert uses only the freshest, purest ingredients he can find. In his chocolate trifecta cookies, he also uses three different types and grades of chocolate.
Here he is cutting an already chilled piece of his Derbydoodle® cookie dough. The Derbydoodle® is Robert’s twist on the traditional Snickerdoodle. It includes cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and a craquelin butter crunch topping.
Robert explains that the important thing to remember when making any rolled cookie is not to over-process the cream and butter, which could aerate the mixture too much and cause the cookies to spread.
Robert never rolls out dough without a metal ruler close at hand. He says he never worries about the dough sticking to the surface – a straight edged metal ruler pulls it up perfectly every time.
Robert likes his cookie dough thicker. He says a lot of his cookies are for special occasions, so he doesn’t want to chance breaking them.
Robert chills his cookies before he bakes them to keep their form – from hours to overnight.
Here he is brushing on a coat of maple syrup, which acts as a glue and an added layer of taste and crunch to the finished cookie.
This is a traditional grated craquelin butter crunch recipe for the topping with added gold leaf powder, so the cookie shimmers. The literal translation of craquelin means cracker, but when referring to French pastries, Craquelin is a cookie topping that offers a distinct sweet and crunchy texture.
Robert always places the cookie cutter back onto the cookie before drizzling with the topping, so the cookie is covered evenly. This also keeps all the topping pieces from splattering.
The cookies are baked until golden brown. Here they are fresh from the oven.
Robert’s cookies do spread a little, so he recuts the cookies with the cutter while they are still warm – this gives them a clean and uniform look. It takes a little longer to do, but it’s these small details that set his cookies apart from all the rest.
For the holidays, Robert will also make festive Butter Crunch Christmas Star cookies.
Robert also personally selected all his packaging supplies. Each cookie is placed into an individual cellophane envelope – this makes it easy to share.
And each box of six cookies, is hand-packaged with a decorative ribbon on top.
Such a lovely box of treats – baked to perfection and beautifully wrapped. Congratulations on the new business, Robert – I can’t wait to taste your wonderful cookies! To learn more, go to Southport Cookie Company web site and find Southport Cookie Company on Instagram. Click on the highlighted links.
The big chicken coop project at my Bedford, New York farm is complete.
Yesterday, I shared photos of the work that was done to replace the timeworn fence around my four chicken coops. During the same time, my own outdoor grounds crew worked very hard to make other needed repairs and adjustments - they surrounded the pen with edging stone, leveled the ground and raked the yards, put down fresh gravel, changed any uneven stone steps, installed new platforms for feed bins, and laid down new sod. I am so happy with how it looks - I think the chickens, geese and Guinea fowl like it too.
Enjoy these photos.
Here is our happy wild turkey hen who wandered into the enclosure a few weeks ago and seems to enjoy life with the rest of the flock. I hope you saw all the turkey photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48.
As each section of the fence is completed, the crew places edging stones along the fence line.
I have edging stone around my vegetable garden, my flower garden and in other areas of the farm. It is a great way to give the area a clean and finished appearance, but also to help deter small creatures from digging.
Here is another side all done between the row of hawthorn trees and the back side of the chicken coops.
On the front side, Domi is secures the last edging stone near the first coop and the entrance. Notice, Domi uses a piece of wood in between the stone and the sledge hammer so the pounding does not mar the stone piece itself.
Dawa oversees the care of all the chickens, peacocks, geese, and pigeons. Here he is as he cleans the back area behind one of the coops. All the old hay is removed and the ground is leveled.
The gravel is delivered from a nearby pile to the chicken coops in our Kubota model M7060HD12 tractor – a vehicle that gets used at the farm for a myriad of tasks – pulling or pushing agricultural machinery or trailers, for plowing, tilling, transporting and so much more.
Phurba drops small piles of gravel all around the pen, so it can be spread evenly across each section of yard. Gravel is easy to keep clean, drains well, and looks very pretty.
Using a hard rake, Phurba spreads the gravel on both sides of the chicken coops. The gravel is a natural colored stone. The entire coop section will be covered in just about an inch of gravel.
Here is the front side all complete and level.
Here is my pair of Pomeranians – always en guarde! They are very alert and curious creatures.
The back side looks great. New perches made from felled trees here at the farm are also constructed and placed in areas where the chickens like to roost.
Any wobbly steps are replaced with new, wider natural stone pieces. This one is perfect and looks so natural.
Inside another coop, two Guinea fowl perch on the bar outside the nesting boxes listening and watching all the goings-on.
Unused pieces of pool tile are used to raise the feed bins off the ground, so they don’t rust. I always like to reuse and repurpose whenever possible.
Chhiring adjusts the gravel, so the slabs sit level.
Here are two metal bins on the slab – these bins will last a long time, now that they are raised off the ground.
Here are two of my Chinese geese from Snug Harbor Farm in Kennebunk, Maine. These geese most likely descended from the swan goose in Asia, though over time developed different physical characteristics, such as longer necks and more compact bodies. They always walk together. My chickens are very well-fed. They get fruit and vegetables from the gardens and scraps from my kitchen. They love to peck at the pumpkin smashed on the ground revealing all the delicious flesh.
This is one f the geese hutches, where they like to sleep and lay their eggs. It was moved to another spot in the pen. The chickens seem to like it also.
This buff-brown goose is a Toulouse. On this breed, the bill is stout, the head large and broad, and the moderately long neck is thick and nearly straight. Often suspended from the lower bill and upper neck is a heavy, folded dewlap that increases in size and fullness with age. The body is long, broad and deep, ending in a well-spread tail that points up slightly. They have a rounded breast, and often exhibit a wide keel. The abdomen is double-lobed and often brushes the ground, particularly in females during the early spring.
Here they all are – curious about the pile of sod. One of the Chinese geese stood on top of the pile to get a better view of all the activity.
Here, Chhiring starts putting down the sod. Sod or turf is grass and part of the soil beneath it held together by its roots. This supply is cut very straight. It makes lining up the strips of sod very easy and quick.
The Sebastopol goose is also referred to as a Danubian goose. The name ‘Danubian’ was first used for the breed in 1863 Ireland. Sebastopols are considered medium-sized birds. They are also very affectionate and kind-hearted with others in their group, or gaggle.
This is one of my four coops. These coops are cleaned thoroughly every week – It’s important that all these birds always have access to clean, dry bedding and good, fresh food.
The chicken yard looks terrific. Thanks to Garon Fence Co. and my crew for doing such a great job – the chickens, geese and Guinea fowl are so happy and healthy.
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