If you’re gathering with friends and family to watch the "Big Game," I hope you're making some of my favorite game day dishes and drinks. Earlier this week, I shared my ideas on the TODAY Show with hosts Carson Daly, Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker. We had Ginger Scallion Wings, Baked Sriracha Buffalo Wings, Pigs in a Blanket, my favorite Guacamole, and specialty cocktails from my restaurant, The Bedford by Martha Stewart at Paris Las Vegas - and inspired by this year's playing teams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Did you see my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48? It was a star studded morning at the TODAY Show earlier this week. I caught up with Sly Stallone. He was there with his family promoting the second season of his reality series, “The Family Stallone” on Paramount+.
I was there to celebrate this weekend’s Big Game with lots of delicious party ideas. This year’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It’s the first time the football championship game will be played in Sin City. I’ll be there – will you?
During my segment, I shared this delicious recipe for Ginger Scallion Wings with scallions ginger, salt, and oil mixed in a food processor, tossed with the baked wings, and then put into the oven for an additional 10-minutes.
Here’s host Carson Daly helping me toss the sauce with the wings.
I also showed my Baked Sriracha Buffalo Wings – another big favorite served with celery sticks and blue cheese crumble.
Everybody loves Pigs in a Blanket. Here’s my rendition made with sausage. I called them “Brockwursts” after you know who… Brock Purdy, the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. One can use any fully cooked sausages, such as frankfurters, andouille, or chicken sausages – I used my Good Things seal of approval Brats from Schaller and Weber.
Then I made a bowl of my favorite guacamole, which I call “Mahome-a-mole” after Kansas City Chiefs QB, Patrick Mahomes.
It starts with a molcajete that contains avocados, jalapenos, tomatoes, and cilantro. I added lime juice, onion, and hard boiled eggs.
And then serve it with tortilla chips – homemade, of course.
All the dishes were big hits with Craig, Savannah, Hoda, and Al.
And don’t forget my game day inspired cocktails, the San Francisco cocktail and Kansas City Water – specialty drinks from The Bedford by Martha Stewart at Paris Las Vegas.
The San Francisco cocktail is a classic cocktail that first appeared in the “Cafe Royal Cocktail Book” in 1937. Lore has it that American bartenders fled to Britain during the prohibition and developed this drink. It’s a play on a martini, a cocktail with strong ties to San Francisco.
It’s made with gin plus the combination of both sweet and dry vermouth and bitters.
And Kansas City Ice Water is made with gin and tonic and vodka soda.
To make it even more delicious and refreshing, I add limes and lemons.
Cheers everyone! Enjoy whatever you serve for your Big Game party. And may the best team win! And follow this blog on Instagram @marthastewartblog.
It's February - and that means here at my farm it's time to start some of our flowers from seed.
We sow thousands of seeds every year - all those wonderful seeds I enjoy purchasing during my travels, and seeds we order from our favorite sources. Among them - Floret, a family farm and floral design studio specializing in organic, handcrafted arrangements for special events. Located in the Skagit Valley, outside Seattle Washington, owner Erin Benzakein has created a thriving business - in fact, she was one of our American Made Honorees in 2014.
This week, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted a selection of dahlia seeds from Floret.
Here are some photos.
Dahlias are among my favorite summer blooms – those gorgeous, bright, and colorful flowers that open in late June and last all summer until the first autumn frost.
Dahlia is a genus of tuberous plants that are members of the Asteraceae family and are related to the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. Dahlias are named after 18th-century Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. He actually categorized dahlias as a vegetable because of their edible tubers. The tubers are said to taste like a mix between potatoes and radishes.
I always pick many dahlias from the garden to use in arrangements around my home. These flowers give off a stunning show with blooms ranging from small to giant dinner-plate size.
This arrangement in glass is in my Winter House sitting room. Dahlias come in white, shades of pink, red, yellow, orange, shades of purple, and various combinations of these colors – every color but true blue.
Floret works hard to find the very best cut flower varieties – their selections are based on scent, stem length, and overall quality.
This week, my head gardener Ryan McCallister, started four dahlia mixes from Floret – Bee’s Choice, Cancan Girls, Petite Florets, and Shooting Stars.
Dahlia Bee’s Choice includes a wide range of flower shapes, sizes, and colors with open centers that attract pollinators. (Photo from Floret)
Dahlia CanCan Girls features tufted blooms in all shapes and sizes, many with the anemone flower form. The color range includes reds, maroons, pinks, purples, and many bicolors. (Photo from Floret)
Dahlia Petit Florets is a mix of soft pastel tones, including peach, apricot, dusty rose, lavender, sun-bleached raspberry, and buttercream. (Photo from Floret)
And Dahlia Shooting Stars is a mix of star-shaped flowers, including single, collarette, orchette, and orchid types. (Photo from Floret)
When starting from seed, it is helpful to use seed starting trays. These trays provide controlled environments that help ensure moisture levels are consistent, preventing seeds from drying out or becoming waterlogged.
And it is best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of peat, perlite, and vermiculite.
Here, Ryan is filling the trays with soil, making sure each cell of the tray is filled to the top.
Then, using his fingers, Ryan makes a shallow hole in each cell. The hole needs to be big enough for the seed to be dropped in and then covered with more soil mix.
Small wooden markers identify the specific cultivars, so we can keep track of varieties that grow best in my gardens.
Dahlia flower seeds are brown to black in hue and generally about a half-inch long.
Here, Ryan drops the seeds into the cells by hand – one in each cell. Seeds are usually started about two months before the last frost in the area.
Markers are placed in the trays to indicate what seeds are in each row. Seedlings should start to appear within 10 to 14 days.
Once the entire tray has been seeded, Ryan adds a light layer of soil to cover the seeds.
And then he gently pats the soil down, so there is good contact.
These trays will go into our commercial-sized Urban Cultivator. In several weeks, these young plants will be moved into larger celled trays, and then finally out into the garden come late spring.
And by summer, this garden will be full of colorful dahlia blooms once again. And by the end of the next growing season the dahlia seeds we started will have produced viable dahlia tubers that can be dug up and stored with all our other dahlias. If you haven’t already, maybe this weekend you can start some of your own dahlia seeds indoors. But, if you haven’t ordered any, don’t worry, you still have time.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, no one ever passes the donkey paddock without saying hello to my five fun-loving donkeys - Rufus, Clive, Billie, Jude “JJ” Junior, and Truman “TJ” Junior.
This quintet spends most of the day outdoors in a paddock just down the carriage road from my home. Like many animals, donkeys are happiest when outside where they can roam, roll, and play. These donkeys also bray quite a bit - one can hear them from across the fields. In the afternoon, the five are brought back into the safe and warm stable, where they are groomed and fed.
Enjoy these photos.
One look at my donkeys in the morning puts a smile on anyone’s face. Here are three of my five donkeys, the boys – Clive, Rufus, and Truman “TJ” Junior.
Every day as soon as the sun is up, all the donkeys are let out into their paddock. Ideally, the outdoor space should consist of donkey-safe grazing pasture, and at least half an acre of land – more if possible.
Here are Rufus, Billie, and Jude “JJ” Junior in front of their run-in shelter. When the weather is wet or windy, donkeys need access to a warm and dry shelter.
Do you know… a donkey is capable of hearing another donkey from up to 60-miles away in the proper conditions? They have a great sense of hearing, in part because of their large ears.
Donkeys are herd animals, so they don’t like being separated from other members of their pack. I am very glad all five get along very well. The donkey or ass is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, E. africanus. The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years.
Here comes Clive – always wanting to be where the action is.
Here are my two younger donkeys, Truman “TJ” Junior and Jude “JJ” Junior – affectionately named after my grandchildren. They joined my stable in May 2019 and are doing great. These two are very bonded and are never far apart.
Truman Junior is about eight years old now and a little taller than Jude Junior. Male donkeys are called jacks.
Jude Junior is about six years old. Female donkeys are called jennets or jennies. Jude Junior is the second jenny to join my herd – Billie is also a female donkey.
Here’s a photo of the girls – Jude Junior and Billie.
We repurpose natural elements here at the farm whenever possible. We put tree stumps in the paddock – the donkeys love to nibble at the bark and rub up against the wood and scratch.
On this day, Truman Junior, was being playful – hiding behind the manger of hay. During winter, when the grass is dead, or at other times of year when there’s not enough, we supplement with good quality meadow hay made right here at the farm.
The thing to remember, however, is that donkeys cannot be overfed. Eating too much protein and other nutrient-rich foods can make them sick. They also tend to gain weight very easily. I am very glad these donkeys are in good shape.
By late afternoon, the donkeys are ready to return to their stalls for supper. Here they are waiting to be walked to the stable – they know when it’s time. Donkeys require a diet low in protein, sugar, and starch, but high in fiber.
Donkeys are calm, intelligent, and have a natural inclination to like people. Donkeys show less obvious signs of fear than horses. Rufus and Truman Junior look over their gate eager for their grains.
The donkey’s sense of smell is considered to be similar to the horse. Donkeys greet each other by smelling and blowing in each other’s nose. The smell of breath imparts important information to the donkey. I think Billie is sniffing for a treat.
Although donkeys are very conscious of safety in their surroundings, they are also quite curious.
The girls always want to know what “the boys” are doing. They have this step, so they can see into the stall next door.
The boys are also just as interested to know what their girl friends are up to.
All the donkeys have very different and fun personalities. Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness but this is because of their highly developed sense of self-preservation. It’s difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something that’s contrary to its own best interest or safety, yet they continue to make us laugh with their comical and friendly demeanors.
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