Martha Moments Readers Share Their Thanksgiving Photos

This is becoming something of a tradition at Martha Moments; every year I love to share the Thanksgiving photos submitted by members of the Martha Moments Facebook Group. Martha's influence is always so evident. And, more often than not, Martha's recipes and ideas are used to make these celebrations extra special. This year, because of the pandemic, there were a lot of "Thanksgiving-for-two" submissions. While gathering family and friends is one of the best parts of Thanksgiving, I think there's something to be said for a more intimate setting; it begets a more reflective and thoughtful mood and allows for genuine connections with the people closest to us. Please enjoy these photos! I've divided them into three sections: Table Settings, Turkeys and Treats. I think you'll agree that Martha fans are pretty fabulous - but we already knew that!

TABLE SETTINGS:

Lisa Novakoski-Howard set a simple, modern table for two at her home in Washington DC. 

David Pantoja and his husband in Philadelphia enjoyed dinner for two as well. David used his Martha by Mail fine bone china, mixed with Spode. The place card is one of David's beautifully-decorated cookies.

It was dinner for two for Anthony Picozzi in Massachusetts, as well. He set a festive corner at his large dining table.

Bernie Wong and Dennis Landon in Wisconsin used plenty of their Martha by Mail items for their table, including a Jadeite cake stand, a damask table cloth and runner, candlesticks and dinnerware. They also included Martha's new ruffled cake stand, seen in the background, which is available at QVC. Dennis decided to use his Martha by Mail pumpkin molds to make pumpkin-shape loaves this year: they turned out beautifully! 

Christine set a colourful and festive-looking table.

Betsy Saxe-Verrico also set a vibrant and colourful table that looks extremely welcoming. 

Sharron Van Hooser Thompson let a colour palette of browns and rust tones guide her table setting this year.

Marie Cosgrove began her dinner with individual charcuterie boards - a very nice idea! Her centerpiece is made from foraged grasses and greens. 

Tim Obert and his partner Matt Obey set a table for seven, even though only the two of them were dining in person; they later did a Zoom call with family at the dining room table to make them feel included. Tim used his Spode Tradewinds pattern dinnerware for the occasion - a lovely shade of blue with a ship motif. 

Hayden Regina set a very nice table for his "quarantine crew" in Chicago.

It was an elegant table for two at the home of David Zisa.

Trellis Smith and his partner also enjoyed a quiet but tasteful setting for two.

Paul Collins and his husband in Virginia made a delicious-looking dinner at their table for two.

TURKEYS:

Meredith Ferris's turkey looked beautiful even before it went into the oven!

And here is the finished bird: looks perfect!

Todd Hall's turkey looks so scrumptious and festive on this Martha Stewart platter, decorated with kale, lemons and pomegranates.

John Roberts did a beautiful job with his bird: crispy skin, and tender and juicy on the inside.

TREATS:

Brian Utz made Martha's cranberry tart from the November 2020 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Lauren Walcott also made the cranberry tart but decorated it with sugared cranberries.

Lauren also made Martha's Brown-Butter Pecan Pie from the same November issue.

Steven Bednasz also made one of Martha's pecan-pie recipes.

Todd Hall made Martha's double-crust apple pie from her Entertaining book! 

Ken Puttbach made Martha's Pumpkin-Chocolate Tart from the November, 2003, issue of Martha Stewart Living. (Looks delicious!)

Julio Torrado made Martha's Pumpkin-Spice Snacking Cake from her latest book, Cake Perfection.

And while this dish is savory, it is a treat nonetheless! Maria Newcomer made the beautiful Garlic-Herb Dinner Roll Wreath from the December issue of Martha Stewart Living. It looks spectacular AND delicious! 

I hope you've enjoyed this gallery! I wasn't able to include every single photo that was submitted (there were so many) but I think these photos demonstrate a real commitment to the art of celebration and cookery - two art forms that Martha encourages us all to learn. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Martha's 2021 Calendars

What better way to say GOODBYE to 2020 and hello to new prospects ahead than with a brand new calendar? Fortunately, Martha has provided shoppers with three different options for 2021, each one based on one of her bestselling books. There is a traditional wall calendar, a desk calendar and a journal-size planner. The publisher of the calendars is Andrews McMeel, a US firm founded in 1975. Below is a brief description of each calendar. Hopefully one (or all three!) will be right for you!

The wall calendar is my personal favourite and is the one that will grace one of my kitchen walls beginning New Year's Day. It is based on Martha's popular book, Martha's Flowers, and features photographs from that publication. I can tell you that it is a beautifully produced calendar, quite large, and printed on sturdy, semi-gloss paper. The photographs look wonderful! 

Here is a depiction of the photographs included, month to month. 

The calendar itself is designed with an international buyer in mind, which is very useful and inclusive. Holidays celebrated in many countries and by many different religions are included. There is also an informative description of the flower types shown in the photograph at the bottom of each page. 

This desk calendar is based on Martha's bestselling book The Martha Manual and is one I'm thinking about getting for my office. Each day of the year is presented with a list of how-to tips based on a various subject.

It sits very nicely on the desk in its sturdy holder. The pages can be torn out and saved or recycled.

This monthly/weekly planner is based on Martha's book Organizing, which was published earlier this year. It it ring-bound and is quite large in size, measuring 7 inches across when closed and 14 inches across when open. It has reinforced monthly tabs, weekly and monthly planning pages, a large section for notes and reference, and two convenient pockets, at the front and back. 

As with the Flowers calendar, international celebrations and holidays are listed. At the tops of each page are helpful organizing tips. 

These would make great Christmas gifts, or a way for you to get yourself ready for the new year ahead! You can find them at most large bookstores, Staples, Costco and online.

"Martha Bakes" on YouTube

"Martha Bakes" - the acclaimed baking series developed for the Hallmark channel and subsequently made famous by PBS - is now available to stream on Martha's YouTube channel! Viewers will soon be able to watch every single episode from all eleven seasons of the show! I'm hoping, too, that the shows will be added to the Martha Stewart TV app eventually. "Cooking School" episodes - Martha's James Beard Award-winning cooking show for PBS - would also be a nice addition. I'm glad these programs are now being collected and curated for online consumption. Be sure to revisit these informative and inspiring episodes!

A Sweet Classic From "Cake Perfection"

When I picked up a copy of Martha's latest book, Cake Perfection, I promised myself I would make the first one that really caught my fancy. Inexplicably, the one that most spoke to my senses, as well as my desire for a baking challenge, was the Meyer-Lemon Coconut Layer Cake on page 74 of the book. Perhaps it was the name of the cake with its tropical-sounding tartness that got me going, or maybe it was the glossy photograph by Lennart Weibull: four layers separated by coconut-lemon curd and candied citrus slices on top. Whatever the reason, I went grocery shopping armed with my ingredients list and plotted my plan of attack.

I say attack because I have never embarked on a cake recipe quite as complex as this before. I'm used to single or double layers, or loaves. This one required a bit of planning. There was the lemon curd to make, as well as the candied citrus slices, as well as the buttercream frosting as well as the cakes themselves. Some of the techniques were new to me: making a Swiss meringue as the base for the buttercream, slicing the tops off the cakes and then slicing each cake in half to create the layers. Child's play to an experienced baker, but a little more nerve-wracking for a novice. It was scary and so very exciting!

I took my time and followed the instructions very carefully. I came up with my own order of tasks: I began by toasting the coconut flakes, which were used in the curd and on the exterior of the cake as decoration - one cup for each purpose. Once cooled, I refrigerated them until I was ready to use them. I then moved on to the lemon curd, which I determined was delicious on its own after tasting a small spoonful. I let it cool and then refrigerated it as well. I then moved on to the frosting. I had never made a Swiss meringue before so this was new territory for me - and it showed. 

The November Issue

November is always a peculiar month for me. In Canada, there are no holidays this month to speak of, aside from Remembrance Day on November 11th, which is somewhat dour and mournful. All of the leaves on the trees have fallen, leaving bare skeleton branches silhouetted against a perpetually grey sky, which has not yet produced any real amount of snow to make the landscape look at least a little more cheery. It's cold. It's damp. It's ugly. For these reasons, I turn to books and magazines more frequently for inspiration and joy. Now begins the season of fervent page turning as I look for new ideas, new inspirations, new projects and new recipes to try in the kitchen. The November issue of Martha Stewart Living, which is on newsstands now, has always been one of my favourite issues of the year. Even though Canadians have long since enjoyed our Thanksgiving meals (October 12th) I still look forward to seeing the pies, the side dishes, the homey/cozy interiors and the fall craft projects that the editors compile for this issue.

The cover is a bright collection of Thanksgiving pies baked by Martha for her annual Thanksgiving dinner; she actually makes dozens of pies to give to her staff at the farm - lucky recipients! Inside, there are all sorts of ideas and Good Things for the American Thanksgiving holiday, from tinting cloth napkins to ways to use wheat in decorative craft projects for the holiday table. There are tips on how to use up those leftovers in soups and stews, as well as ways to stock your kitchen with American-made goods and utensils. I loved the article by Elyse Moody about how to refresh your home for fall, or as she writes, "simple ways to dust off the last several months." The ideas are simple to achieve but effective antidotes to what has been a challenging year spent largely indoors. 

My favourite Good Thing from this issue is the reworking of this mid-century modern hutch by home editor Lorna Aragon. New seagrass-covered doors add a lightness and the wallpaper backing behind the shelves brings it all to life. I could actually stare at this image for hours! It's so me!