"martha stewart living" news and stories

World, meet Martha.

The queen of refined living is taking a few of her most recognizable brands and extending them into the U.K. and the Middle East this fall. As reported by the Independent, Stewart has a television show and four magazines in the works for the United Kingdom, including her flagship publication Martha Stewart Living.

Also scheduled for sometime later this year, is the launch of Everyday Food and Martha Stewart Weddings in Dubai, with distribution slated for several other Middle Eastern countries. "By October, we will have a total of eight international editions of our magazines in circulation in more than a dozen countries," said Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's chairman Charles Koppelman in a conference call (via Seeking Alpha). "These developments are not in an [and] of themselves game changing, but they signal our commitment to the international market place and the opportunity we see here for our company. As we often say, media lease and merchandising follows."

Emeril Lagasse, who became one of the first stars on the fledgling Food Network and introduced "Bam!" to the popular lexicon, nearly went broke a few years ago. His unlikely knight-in-shining-armor was none other than domestic diva, Martha Stewart.

Hurricane Katrina was the culprit. Lagasse has three New Orleans restaurants and lost at least one million dollars, with profits dropping by a third. Also, his 17-year run on Food Network was over. Adding insult to injury: his Mississippi home was destroyed. It was precipitous times for the celebrity chef who opened his first restaurant over twenty years ago. But in 2008 Martha swept off her white horse (with a perfectly braided mane) and purchased the rights to Lagasse's empire of cookbooks, televisions shows and kitchen products for $45 million in cash and $5 million in stock.

"Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys"
By Lucinda Scala Quinn
Artisan - 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Many cookbooks rely on a theme. Sometimes, it's an over-arching concept, like all of French cuisine. Other times, it's a little more niche, like, say, cupcakes or bacon. But Lucinda Scala Quinn went a totally new direction for her latest cookbook, "Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys." More than just a theme, she introduces us to a way of life, one where feeding a ravenous family -- without picking up the phone for takeout -- can be quick, fun and delicious.

As the Executive Director of Food for Martha Stewart, Quinn knows how to deliver impressive meals. But her recipes here come across completely differently than the fussy pages of "Martha Stewart Living." Steps are stripped down; flavors are dialed up. This approach makes for a revolutionary and yet straightforward approach to not just getting dinner on the table, but truly serving something that meets the demands of big appetites with more than just hefty portions.

When new bloggers join the Slashfood team, we like to make sure they get a proper introduction to our readers. Meet the latest addition to our team, blog editor Alex Van Buren.

Do you have a personal blog?

Yes. It's where I post recent articles and scribble about various New York City food discoveries.

What is your day job, or rather, what do you do when you're not food blogging?

I am a full-time food nerd. I'm the new editor of Slashfood, have written for Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, In Style and Time Out New York and am the co-author of "Clean Plates NYC: The Healthiest, Tastiest Restaurants in Manhattan," which published last week.

How long have you been blogging with Slashfood and what's your favorite post?
Here are my faves from each of our great writers during the month I've been editing here: Cheese. Beer. Julia. Egg creams. Cheap wine. Chickens. Croque monsieur. Ostrich eggs. Greek cuisine. Starter cookbooks. Bread pudding ice cream. And let's not forget the flaming bacon lance of death.

As for me, I loved eating dinner in bubble almost as much I enjoyed seeing more than 700 of our readers defend their favorite "bad" beers.

Here's a cookie recipe to get you in the mood for Halloween (side note: isn't it interesting how, in the past 10 years or so, Halloween has become a massive holiday for adults?). They're Dulce De Leche Bat Cookies, from Martha Stewart Living.

The recipe calls for an aspic cutter to make the bat shape. I've never used an aspic cutter before, but if Martha says you have to...

Conveniently, even if it isn't Halloween, these cookies would be good for your next Batman-themed party.