Martha Bakes Nominated for Two Daytime Emmy Awards!

Congratulations are in order! Martha Bakes was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Culinary Program and Outstanding Host for Martha Stewart! The program, which is now in its fourth season, is the most watched cooking program on PBS with an average of 1.2 million viewers a week from around the United States. Martha Bakes is the most visited show on PBS's digital cooking portal, PBS Food, and recipes from the show consistently rank among the top viewed recipes on PBS Food. The series has been viewed in 95% of U.S. television households, according to TRAC Media Services. I believe this is the first time the show has been nominated for an Emmy Award! Congratulations to Martha, PBS and the entire Martha Bakes team!

This is a photograph I took of Martha Stewart's Emmy Awards when I was on her program in 2010. They were all arranged in the green room on a console table from the Martha Stewart Signature furniture line. Only seven of the 18 Emmys she has won over years are shown here.

Martha's Next Book: Appetizers

On September 8th, Martha Stewart's 88th book will be released, and it's all about appetizers. The hardcover book will be 256 pages featuring more than 200 recipes for tasty dips, pre-dinner bites, substantial small plates, special occasion finger foods and quick snacks to enjoy with drinks. The book also promises to offer 30 cocktail recipes! Below is an image of the cover, as shown on Amazon and several other online book retailers. Stay tuned for more news about the book as it becomes available and pre-order it here!

Golden Egg Mini Vases

I wanted to share a bit of Easter inspiration on the blog and remembered this wonderful craft that I saw at the Seventy Nine Ideas blog a couple years ago. It's such an easy project and the effect is really beautiful. If you didn't want to use the eggs as mini vases, as shown in these photographs by Radostina Bosseva, you could use these golden eggs as a centerpiece by grouping many of them in a bowl, varying the luster on the eggs by using bronze and gold spray paint, or keeping them entirely one metallic shade. To make them, begin first by blowing out the eggs. (You can watch the how-to process by clicking here.) Once the eggs have been blown from the shells, gently wash them under lukewarm water and let them completely dry. Lay the shells down on newsprint in a well-ventilated area. Spray the egg shells and allow them to dry completely: at least two hours. If desired, crack the tops off some of the egg shells, fill the shells with a small amount of water and place sprigs of lily-of-the-valley (or any small, delicate flower) inside. Arrange the eggs in an egg carton so that they stand upright when displayed. These egg shells can be carefully stored in an empty egg carton placed in a container lined with bubble wrap or Styrofoam peanuts.

A very nice way of presenting eggs of any sort is this ceramic egg crate, which holds six eggs. It is available at Anthropologie and comes in three colours: blue, white and chartreuse.

Remembering: Martha Stewart Everyday 'Magazines'

Many of us longtime Martha fans remember those wonderful days when the Martha Stewart Everyday line of merchandise was still filling the shelves at Kmart stores. Even today, more than ten years after the line phased out and Martha's contract with Kmart expired, fans of the brand still pine for those beautifully-designed products for the home; the kitchen, bedroom, bath and garden products were excellent quality and very affordable. While the Martha Stewart Collection at Macy's is an excellent substitute, there was something about the timelessness of the Everyday line that still endures today.

To help promote the line in the early 2000s, Martha Stewart produced two in-house magazines that were distributed exclusively at Kmart stores. They were ostensibly promotional catalogs featuring many of the MSE products sold in store, but were designed to have the look and feel of magazines. They were free and were stacked on news racks at the checkout lines at select Kmart stores. They are quite rare today and very collectible. They can occasionally be found on eBay. Below are images from these 'magazines.' Special thanks to my friend Kenn for scanning these pages.

The first one to be issued was the "Martha Stewart Everyday Garden Magazine," published in the spring of 2001. The magazine was 100 pages and featured Martha Stewart Everyday products for the garden, mixed and matched with editorial how-to content about planting and gardening. As well as being available in store, this magazine was also mailed out to homes. The table of contents included these subjects: Gardening 101, No Fuss Roses, Pots and Planters for Nonstop Color, The Best Backyard Barbecue, Easy Perennials for Sun and Shade, The Perfect Tomato.

The second promotional magazine released in Kmart stores to promote the Everyday line came in 2003. It was devoted to summer, with subjects ranging from summer crafts for kids, blueberry treats, growing hydrangeas and decorating outdoors for a festive summer evening party. The contents included: Questions and Answers, Fun Ideas, Hydrangeas, Ready, Set, Summer!, Blue-sky Parties, Easy Annuals for Nonstop Color, Very Berry Treats, Rooms in Bloom, Bright Nights, How to Make it, How to Do it, Where to Find it. 

Coffee Filter Flower Bowls

I'm always a sucker for the re-imagined and the re-purposed. Few do it better than Martha and her team. I came across these coffee filter flower bowls at a child's birthday party I attended several years ago hosted by a friend of mine for her daughter. She had made them using all shades of blue and green and the effect was so striking. She had arranged them as a centerpiece on the table and filled them with candies. While she did not use this exact project as a template, the how-to is nicely articulated here. The reason I chose to blog about it, aside from its obvious springtime reference, is that it's a very easy project for kids to take part in. I always think it's nice to have ideas like this in mind if you have kids in your life. This craft project makes a very cost-effective and entertaining activity for young children, whether it's after school, at a children's event or at a birthday party. If you'd like to do the project yourself for an Easter table, there are no limits to how embellished and fancy you can make these little containers. See below for instructions:

MATERIALS:

Green and yellow food colouring (You could use any colour combination)
Wide shallow bowl or pie plate
Coffee filters
Paintbrush
Paper cups and paper bowls
Scissors
Hot-glue gun
(The paper cups and bowls for this project were ordered here.)

HOW-TO

1. Pour water with a few drops of food colouring into wide, shallow bowls. Dye a few filters completely green. Dip the open end of a larger stack of filters in yellow. Remove, and let dry while stacked upside down. (Note: Coffee filters hold their shape best when dyed in a stack.)

2. Using the paintbrush, paint cups with food colouring mixture. (Do some interiors, some exteriors, some both.)

3.  Separate dyed filters when dry. Fold 1 in half, and snip into fluted part every few inches. Trim snips into rounded petals. Continue to trim all filters this way, varying the type of petal shape: some rounded, some angular. Unfold. Cut green filters into leaf shapes, making sure they are large enough to be seen once fastened to the bottoms of the flowers.

4. If desired, layer several flower-petal filters on top of each other to create a more lush and full flower. Use the glue-gun to attach them.

5. Glue cups to centers of filter flowers. Glue green leaves to underside of filters.

In the photos above, several examples show layers of the flower petal filters have been glued to the insides of the paper bowls to create a varied effect once a group of them are assembled on a table. Fan out the layered petals and paint the centers a deeper shade of yellow. Click here for a variation on the same project: coffee-filter water lilies!

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs! (Yes, it's a thing!)

Don't fret. I have no intentions of making this a food blog. I did make Martha Stewart's chocolate pudding a few weekends ago, however, and since then I have been on a bit of a chocolate confection kick. After buying my first trio of Cadbury Creme Eggs at the grocery store the other day, I randomly decided to see if I could find a recipe that I could use to make these mysterious little Easter treats at home. I was surprised (and delighted) to find many links to food blogs that had exactly what I was looking for! 

The recipe for the cream eggs on each of the blogs I found was basically the same. They all seem to be variations on this one found on instructables.com posted in 2011. I was a bit more fond of this recipe I found on an excellent food blog called Food52. I like the simplicity and quality of the ingredients and the clarity of the method. You can see the recipe below.

Whether or not I attempt to make these remains to be seen, but I did want to share the recipe here in case there are any other Cadbury Creme Egg enthusiasts out there who would like to have it in their repertoire. Thanks to Ashley Rodriguez for this recipe and photos. Visit her wonderful blog, Not Without Salt, for more food inspiration.

Homemade Cadbury Creme Eggs

Makes around 15 eggs, depending on size.

Adapted from instructables.com

½ cup Lyle’s golden syrup
6 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
3 drops orange blossom water (optional)
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cup powdered sugar
¼ to ½ teaspoon yellow food coloring
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (or 1 bag bittersweet chocolate chips)

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment (this can also be done by hand or with a hand mixer). Add the golden syrup, salt, orange blossom water (if using), vanilla seeds, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium-low to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is mixed well. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Place a third of the mixture into a small bowl and add enough yellow food coloring to obtain your desired color. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap and put into the freezer for at least 15 minutes; your mixture must be very cold while you work with it. 

When the sugar mixture is thoroughly chilled, remove from the freezer. Working quickly, take about ½ teaspoon of the yellow “yolk” mixture and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.

Once the yolks are complete, place them on a plate or a sheet tray covered with parchment and then put that back into the freezer.

Now, scoop out a tablespoon of your “whites” and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the white portion of the sugar mixture. If the whites are too soft to work with, place back into the freezer for a few minutes.

Remove the yolks from the freezer. Place a white in the palm of your hand and gently flatten it a bit. Create an indent in the center to rest the yolk in. Place the yolk in the center of the white, then cover it up and roll the white into an egg shape. If at any point the sugar mixture gets too soft, quickly put it back into the freezer.

Continue this process until all your eggs are complete. Return them to the freezer.

While your eggs are chilling, temper your chocolate or microwave it in 30 second intervals, stirring very well in between. If you use the microwave method, add a tablespoon of canola oil to the melted chocolate and stir well; this will give you a little more flexibility with your chocolate. You will not, however, get as nice of a crack as you bite into the egg.

 Working with one egg at a time, remove the egg from the freezer and stick a toothpick in it. Dip the egg into the chocolate and carefully let the excess chocolate drip off. Place the other end of the toothpick into something – like a yam, perhaps – while the chocolate sets.

 Place the chocolate-covered egg into the fridge for 10 minutes while the chocolate sets. Carefully remove the toothpick from the egg and cover up the small hole with a little bit of tempered chocolate.

How To Roast Justin Bieber

By all accounts, Martha Stewart stole the show at the all-star Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber on Saturday night. She not only endured many unprintable put-downs from fellow roasters, including Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg and Jeffrey Ross, but she completely nailed the most memorable roast of the night. From offering tips on how Justin could survive his "inevitable" stint in prison to suggesting she might be the perfect sugar mama for the Canadian superstar, Martha was on point! Click here for a preview of some of Martha's wild remarks and be sure to tune in to Comedy Central on March 30th when the roast will air.

 On her way into the studio, Martha coyly retreated behind a curtain only to reappear in "Heeeere's Johnny" fashion. (Wire Image)

Martha, wearing a dress by Andrew Gn, poses with Justin outside his trailer before the roast. Martha is a big fan of Beiber's and was very excited when he gave her an autographed 8x10 glossy after the show! (Getty Image)

Double Covers for the April Issue

It's been a while since Martha Stewart Living magazine produced two different covers for its flagship magazine. The April 2015 issue has two covers: one for subscribers (shown on the right) and one for the newsstands. The April issue officially hits newsstands on Monday, but many outlets are already displaying it. The cover promises spring-cleaning tips, plenty of Easter ideas for crafts, cooking and entertaining, plus healthy weeknight dinners. Which cover do you prefer?

The Martha Stewart Café Grand Opening!

Yesterday, the Martha Stewart Café officially opened to the public and by all accounts it was a very successful first day! Martha attended the opening and for a while worked behind the counter to meet with customers and help prepare the pastries. You can read all about the opening day at Martha's official blog by clicking here.

 Photo by @julievadnal

I love how the café looks: a very clean design with great branding. The space is just 107 square feet but because of the high ceilings and the natural light, it looks so much larger. The café was designed by architect Walter Chatham. Martha worked with a number of her favourite local suppliers and curated the menu herself. There are treats on hand from some of New York's greatest patisseries: Balthazar Bakery, Baked NYC, Chikalicious and Bien Cuit. Martha called upon her long-time associates at Kobrick Coffee to source her favorite espresso bean as well as her signature “Martha’s Blend” coffee. Her friend Wei Bertram at Arogya Teas became the trusted purveyor of artisanal, loose-leaf teas, which are also on offer. The café is open from Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. It is located on the ground floor of the Starrett-Lehigh building at 601 West 26th Street in New York City. You can bet it will be among my first stops on my next visit to NYC!

 The café sells packaged coffees, as well, to take home and make yourself each morning! Photo by The Martha Blog.

 Martha enjoying the high energy (and the coffee!) on the opening day. Photo by The Martha Blog.

 There are four baristas running the show each day at the café. Martha personally selected everything that is for sale at the café. Photo by The Martha Blog.

The designers did a great job with the packaging and branding.

I am not a big coffee drinker, but I do love my teas! I will be sure to try Martha's Breakfast Blend!

The official website for the café (marthastewartcafe.com) will soon sell many of the products online, including these very special aprons that are worn by the baristas. They were made by Hedley and Bennett of Los Angeles, one of Martha's "American Made" makers. There are three styles: red ties, black ties and white ties.

Martha's Chocolate Pudding

On the weekend, I was inspired to make something decadent, something rich and chocolatey and creamy. I knew immediately where to turn for inspiration: page 46 and page 47 of the January, 2003, issue of Martha Stewart Living where my favourite recipe for chocolate pudding resides: "Chocolate Pudding 101." I had made this recipe when the magazine was first issued for a dinner party that my parents hosted for their anniversary and it was a big success. To me, it is the best recipe for chocolate pudding I have ever found because it is basically fail-safe and relatively easy to make without skimping on taste or good ingredients. The pudding reminds me of the custards and caramels my grandmother used to make, but chocolate pudding was rarely on offer at her house. I was very pleased by how the pudding turned out. It tasted wonderful and was just the hit of sweet decadence I was craving. Thanks, Martha! The recipe is below.

The pudding is rich, smooth, decadent and lustrous. The recipe suggests to serve it with a dollop of whipped cream and chocolate shavings, so that's what I did.

I served it in pretty glasses that I purchased at Anthropologie several years ago. The glass has a slightly purple-green luster to it that is really pretty.

The "Chocolate Pudding 101" from the January, 2003, issue of Martha Stewart Living is idiot-proof (trust me) and tastes so delicious!

CHOCOLATE PUDDING 101

1/2 cup plus one tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
A pinch of salt
1 cup of sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Chocolate shavings for garnish (optional)

1. Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Stir in sugar.
2. Add egg yolks to the dry mixture and pour in 1/2 cup of milk; whisk until well combined.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat remaining 2 cups of milk and the heavy cream over medium heat until mixture just comes to a boil. Slowly mix the hot milk into the cocoa mixture, whisking slowly to combine.
4. Rinse out the saucepan but do not dry it, to prevent scorching. Return the custard mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Stir in vanilla.
5. While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until custard has thickened slightly and is the consistency of mayonnaise - approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Do not worry if lumps form.
6. Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, discarding any solids.
7. Add chopped chocolate in two batches to the warm mixture, stirring until the chocolate has melted.
8. Divide the pudding among six serving dishes, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least four hours or up to overnight before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings if desired.

Martha Stewart Café is Open for Business!

The Martha Stewart Café, located on the first floor of the Starett-Lehigh building in Manhattan, is open for business today - at least for staff! (The grand opening takes place on Thursday, when the café opens to the public.) Images of the 150 square-foot space at the Martha Stewart headquarters have already begun to pop up on Instagram. The café looks to be in keeping with the Martha Stewart design aesthetic: spare, utilitarian and unfussy with lots of stainless steel. In the photos below you can see some of the very nice branding on the paper cups and napkins! I'll have to visit next time I'm in NYC! Follow the Martha Stewart Cafe on Instagram (@marthastewartcafe) or at marthastewartcafe.com.

 Photo by @martha_weddings

Photo by @thejooyoung

 Photo by @rebekah_lowin

 Photo by @erikaraeowen

A screen shot of the main page at marthastewartcafe.com seems to indicate that packaged teas and coffees will be for sale, including "Martha's Blend" and "Espresso."

MSLO Earnings Conference Call Details & Highlights

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia posted its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings yesterday. While the company saw financial gains in several divisions in 2014, exceeding Wall St. expectations of the company's growth, MSLO posted an overall loss in revenue. Earnings fell to $41.4 million from $47.4 million the previous year. The company's stock rose as a result of the better-than-expected results. Dan Dienst, the Chief Executive Officer of MSLO, says that the company is moving forward with a series of "strategic and purposeful partnerships" in the coming year. 

My friend Kenn, who co-moderates the Martha Moments Facebook Group with me, is an MSLO investor and took some notes for us about where the company is headed in the coming year. There are some very interesting points to note. Here are some of Kenn's observations:

THE MARTHA STEWART COLLECTION COMING TO CANADA:

One of the best bits of news from the conference call was the announcement that the company is working closely with Macy's to bring the Martha Stewart Collection brand of merchandise (kitchen, bedding, bath) to Canada. CEO Dan Dienst says the products will launch in Canada at Home Outfitters locations across Canada in the spring of 2016. Home Outfitters is a division of the Husdson's Bay Company, so some of the Hudson's Bay department stores may also carry the product line. (This is very exciting for me, as a Canadian!)

GLOBAL RETAIL EXPANSION:

Dan Dienst reiterated Martha Stewart's recent assertions that the company's recognition factor and brand awareness is extremely high in burgeoning markets overseas, especially in Asia. The company intends to launch new product lines in Asian markets, as well as in Latin-American countries and in Australia. While it was not noted in the conference call, the company has registered the name "Bright Ideas for Living" for a new line of merchandise. It could be that this will be the name of the Martha Stewart brand that will launch overseas.

EXPANSION OF THE PETSMART LINE:

Watch for a new line of high-end pet accessories at PetSmart called "Best in Show" from the Martha Stewart Pets line.

EXPANSION OF THE HOME DEPOT/HOME DECORATORS LINE:

MSLO has been challenged to focus on the lines that do the best at Home Depot, such as their kitchen and holiday lines. Expect to see a major expansion of a higher end holiday line in stores this year (perhaps something that isn't plastic?) and an expansion of the product offerings in Martha Stewart's kitchen designs. Martha Stewart will have an even larger brand footprint with the Home Decorators collection (a division of Home Depot) with new kitchen islands, expansion of craft/home office furniture lines as well as Halloween and Holiday products. Home Depot has dropped rights to the patio line and paint, so expect to see a re-launch of those lines with another retail partner in the near future. Given that Better Homes and Garden brand is owned by Meredith and sold at Walmart it's possible there could be a further agreement with Meredith for those two product categories at Walmart stores.

THE RELAUNCH OF THE HOME OFFICE LINE:

While there was no announcement regarding the relaunch of the Martha Stewart Home Office line, it was said that the company is "aggressively" looking for new partners to bring the line of office and organization goods back to consumers by the end of the year. Martha Stewart's partnership with Avery expired at the end of the last quarter.

THE MARTHA CAFÉ OPENS NEXT WEEK:

A new Martha-Stewart branded café will open at the MSLO headquarters in Chelsea next week. Dan Dienst says the signage and logo will be repurposed company logos but made in red, which Martha chose since it is the Chinese color traditionally associated with good fortune. Not much was said about the café during the conference call except that Martha personally selected the coffee brands and sourced all of the partners for the pastries and bakery items. Dienst did say that while there is a business model behind the concept, with the possibility for expansion of the Martha Café around the world (particularly in Asian markets) that it is currently a small-scale project designed to host patrons in the immediate area, with no current plans to expand beyond this one location.

RECENT BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS:

• In February 2015, MSLO and Macy's announced the launch of Whim Martha Stewart Collection™, an exclusive bedding collection from Martha Stewart available only at Macy's. The new line includes comforter sets, sheets and quilts in playful prints and colors, and is available on macys.com, and in select Macy's stores starting in March.
• The fourth season of Martha Bakes, which premiered on PBS stations nationwide in January 2015 has been the most successful season to date with an average of over 1.2 million viewers tuning in each week.
• In January 2015, the American Society of Magazine Editors recognized Martha Stewart Living as a finalist for a National Magazine Award in the General Excellence category for Service and Lifestyle magazines. 
• Martha's 84th book, Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide, went on-sale in January 2015 and quickly became #17 on The New York Times Best Seller List.
• Martha Stewart Pets launched a new line of all-natural, American-made pet snacks called Treat Shop available at PetSmart stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Click here for a full financial breakdown of the quarter. Click here for a full transcript of the call.

The Plant Recipe Book

One of my favourite books is called The Plant Recipe Book, by Baylor Chapman. Since winter is still holding on for dear life, I really wanted to put a bit of green on the blog and inspire you (and myself) to start thinking about plants and flowering bulbs. The premise of the book is simple: choose your favourite vessel (a copper pot, a serving bowl, a wooden crate), fill it with earth and plant it with bulbs and small houseplants to create a living arrangement for the indoors. The book contains 100 examples of these creations with instructions and tips on how to choose your plants, how to arrange them and how to keep them living for as long as possible.

"I think that people are surprised by how much you can fit into one bowl," she told the LA Times. "They are leery about adding too much to it. You can jam stuff in there like a floral arrangement. Succulents don’t mind being crowded. People tend to give them a lot of space. It’s not like a garden outside. The plants are not going to grow that much."

Like flower arrangements, however, these living arrangements are ephemeral. Do not expect your plant concoctions to last a lifetime. Chapman's remedy for this dilemma is simple: reuse and recycle. "Sometimes you can take succulents out of an arrangement and plant them outside," she says. "Or separate them and plant one in a single container. An asparagus fern looks lovely by itself. Often you can make another arrangement from the plants." Below are some examples of Chapman's arrangements from the book. Using herbs, ferns, flowering bulbs, hellebores, succulents and wild flora, Chapman creates unique, long-lasting arrangements that will enliven any space in your home.

ALSO AVAILABLE: The Flower Recipe Book and the Wreath Recipe Book.