Delighting in chard with history, love and recipes.
Texas State prof James E. McWilliams discusses the flaws of locavore living in his new book, "Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly."
New York chef Tom Valenti, diabetes and his new book, "You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook."
One more tome to ponder: Martha Stewart's new book, "Cupcakes."
Food Matters in Austin: the Hot Sauce Festival, new restaurants on the horizon, Hudson's Sausage Co., outdoor movies, wine and food fests, free kids' meals at IHOP, 24-7 food at Twenty Four, June-Ann Rodil's title as Texas's Top Sommelier and Chisholm Trail Longhorn Beef co-op.
At first, hearing that the doyenne of domesticity has fallen prey to the same late blight that struck thousands of gardens might produce that "it can happen to all of us" smirk -- like when the popular high school cheerleader got a zit.
But to look at this photo gallery is heartbreaking to anyone who has ever gardened (including this journalist) or enjoyed a succulent August tomato. Martha lost 70 percent of her 50 varieties of tomatoes. Beautiful, plump fruits suddenly went leafless in July, and now look horrendous -- like an outtake from an "X-Files" episode.
It's worth surfing through her gallery for tips on how to properly stake plants or simply to see what this unusual blight looks like close-up.
'Everyday Food: Great Food Fast' From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living Clarkson Potter -- 2007 Buy it on Amazon
Launched in 2003, "Everyday Food" was designed for home cooks who didn't have a lot of time on their hands to make elaborate weeknight dinners but did have a desire to make high-quality, satisfying meals.
The diminutive magazine, which was put out by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, gained a devoted following thanks to its practical recipes, approachable ingredient lists and low-fuss food that yielded great flavor.
"Everyday Food," the cookbook, offers these same qualities, with 250 recipes that put both the seasons of the year and multiple variations on favorite foods front and center.
See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
'Martha Stewart's Cupcakes' Recipes from the editors of Martha Stewart Living Photographs by Con Poulos and others Clarkson Potter -- 2009 Buy it on Amazon
If there's one thing in the food blogosphere that provokes as strong a reaction as the words "Martha Stewart," it's "cupcake." So when we heard that Martha was busting out a brand-new book containing 175 of the suckers, we knew we had to get behind the scenes.
Martha's test kitchen cooks are both notoriously talented and fussy about their recipes, so we went straight to the top of the editorial food chain to find out which of the tome's 352 pages contained the best palm-sized cakes. (If you just can't wait, it's after the jump).
As with "Martha Stewart's Cookies," this is a thorough, imaginative and utterly vibrant paean to a beloved member of the baked goods family. The title truly does say it all: there's nothing but cupcakes as far as the eye can see. There's cupcake frosting, cupcake decorations, cupcakes for every season and occasion -- there's even a recipe for "Creepcakes" for, yes, Halloween. It's a candy-colored rebuke to the cupcake haters, those who view the craze as an infantile indulgence or see the diminutive desserts as the cloying, edible equivalent of those tiny dogs who travel around in handbags. Cupcakes, as done by Martha and her team, are a force to be reckoned with. The cover photo says it all: Cupcakes are here and they're not going anywhere, except maybe to your mouth.
See what we tested, what a top test-kitchen toque recommends and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
Never one to let a minor entertaining opportunity slink by un-feted, The Martha has thrown together a list of 55 snack foods for your Academy Award's party this Sunday (you ARE having an Academy Awards party, right?). Highlights include Baked Artichoke Dip with Winter Crudites, Chicken Liver Pate with Sauteed Maple Syrup Apples (mmmm!), Toasted Brioche Rounds with Creme Fraiche and Caviar, Endive Boats with Marinated Vegetables, Mushroom Polenta Diamonds, and Ham and Gruyere Thumbprints.
Valentine's Day, with its endless opportunities for both food AND crafts, is a big deal in Marthaland, where the chocolate strawberries are always hand-dipped and the decorative pink ribbons always cut on the diagonal. Check out Martha's adorable Lovebug cookies, which satisfy both the baker's sweet tooth and the decorator's need to go wild with the gel paste food coloring. The bugs' eyes are silver dragees and the spots are white dragees or white fruit imperial candies. The fuzzy insect heads are acheived with black or brown sanding sugar.
Other Martha-approved Valentine's treats include chocolate truffles, pink-on-pink strawberry cupcakes, heart-shaped raspberry Napoleons, mini heart-shaped cakes, heart-shaped merengues and massive chocolate cupcakes.
Leave it to The Martha to have not 10, not 20, not 50, but SEVENTY-FIVE separate recipes to keep your guests happy no matter who wins Super Bowl 43. Her Super Bowl Party foodstuffs are helpfully categorized as "Dips, Wings, Nachos," "Pizza, Chili, Sandwiches, Tacos, Ribs and Burgers," or "Brownies, Sundaes, Cheesecake and Cookies." I reckon that should about cover it.
Highlights, which seem equally suited to a gallery opening or a wedding reception as a Super Bowl party, include a tarted-up Chex mix with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, herbed shrimp dip, panko-crusted chicken bites with apricot-mustard sauce, beef tacos with radish and avocado salsa, espresso double-chocolate chunk cookies, and ice cream with homemade butterscotch sauce. There's also a special section on game day ideas and make-ahead menus. All recipes come with yummy photos, of course.
This week on "The Martha Stewart Show" (11 a.m., syndicated), "domestic diva" Martha tours some of her new favorite restaurants, all located on East 10th Street in the East Village of Manhattan. The restaurant tour seems appropriate since it falls during Restaurant Week, when many high-end restaurants, such as Mario Batali's Del Posto, offer reduced fixed price menus.
The New York Post explains that Martha's fascination for E 10th st. began this summer at Graffiti Food and Wine Bar, a tiny four table restaurant. In fact, the tour kicks off tomorrow with a tasting of 15 small dishes from Graffiti's chef Jehangir Mehta. The tour then goes to the ramen noodle counter at Rai Rai Ken, ChikaLicious dessert bar, and of course the hip and trendy Momofuku Milk Bar.
These restaurants offer a refreshing diversion from many of the larger restaurant establishments that will be offering discounted meals for Restaurant Week. In fact, the prices at some of these East Village restaurants are just as inexpensive. Check out Martha' website to find out more about the restaurant tour and to view some of chef Mehta's recipes.
That's right! You're looking at a pasta mosaic of Rachael Ray created by artist Jason Mecier. Last Wednesday, the blog Entertainmentwise posted a story about the artist's most recent mosaics, including one of Mariah Carey made using "only beauty essentials like lipstick and eyeliner." We're so used to seeing food sculptures, like those cheese ones from last year. But, an actual portrait...
Pasta is not the only material Mecier uses in his mosaics. The gallery on his website reveals candy mosaics of celebrities, such as Dolly Parton and the Spice Girls. Then, there's the unforgettable portrait of Martha Stewart made with veggies! Check out his wacky gallery and let us know which ones are your favorites.
Won't mid-week lunches pack so much more panache if a star chef like Alice Waters, Grant Achatz, Tom Colicchio or Mario Batali has a hand in 'em? You'll still have to make your own PB&J, but now you can tote it along in celeb-stamped style with a one-of-a-kind lunchbox decorated by your favorite chef.
"The Lunchbox Auction presented by Gourmet which benefits hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa, kicks off live on the World Wide Web at www.thelunchboxauction.org on Thursday, December 11th at midnight and continues through Thursday, December 18th at noon. Almost 100 celebrities from film, television, fashion, art, music and the culinary world have united to remind us that food matters and that hunger is an on-going problem.
Each lunchbox reflects the personal style and individual flair of the person designing the box and no two lunchboxes are alike. Collectors will find that each box is signed and numbered, and some will even contain hidden surprises inside. The collectible lunchboxes make a great gift for the holidays!"
I've already been outbid on Grant Achatz's stainless steel and tension wire armature, and Ruth Reichl's epicurean treasure trove, yet still hold out hope for Michel Richard's mustard-gilded, postprandial bonescape. Mostly because I'd have a chance to say "mustard-gilded" all the darned time -- for charity.
If you were feeling uninspired about Thanksgiving, Martha Stewart's got you covered. Check out her Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu, the kind of feast that would be best served at your country home in Connecticut in the company of your fellow Mayflower descendants. The menu starts with a roasted sweet potato soup with curried apples and moves on to roast turkey with herb butter, spicy cornbread stuffing, green beans with caramelized shallots, roasted vegetables, garlic mashed potatoes, baked artichoke hearts, cranberry-ginger jelly, and finishes with apple spice cake and pumpkin pie (Martha's pumpkin pie recipe is top notch, I can vouch).
Sound like too much work? Pare down the side-dishes to four by following Martha's Easy Thanksgiving Menu, also centered around the same roast turkey with herb butter. Or move away from Anglo-centricity with an Italian Flavors menu, which includes sausage stuffing and mashed squash with amaretti, and a pumpkin and ricotta crostata. There's also a Southern-Style feast (deep-fried turkey, hon), a Down Home Menu, a buffet and more, all here.
We're down to Week Two of Martha Stewart's eight-week Halloween countdown, and we've finally gotten to the most important part of the holiday: Treats.
Check out the goodie gallery: Hand-labeled glass candy jars full of mallow pumpkins and yogurt pretzels, an orange and black candy wreath of root beer barrels and butterscotches, cellophane "batty bags" of jelly beans, gingerbread cakes and chocolate brownies stenciled with powdered sugar witches, cats and jack-o-lanterns, orange jack-o-lantens stuffed with sorbet, black and orange truffles, pumpkin goodie bags, creepy monster cupcakes...the list goes on.
What, did you think The Martha would toss a bunch of fun-sized Snickers in a plastic bucket?
Martha Stewart has pages and pages of luscious fall dessert porn up right now, just in case you're looking for inspiration. They're arranged by ingredient, which is helpful. Some of the highlights:
Apples - Apple pie with cheddar crust; vanilla bean-baked apples; cranberry, apple and maple phyllo; apple-cinnamon upside down cake.
Pears - Salt-roasted pears with caramel sauce; pear pavlova; honey cake with spiced pears; saffron-scented pear upside-down cake.
Pumpkin and Sweet Potatoes - Pumpkin-swirl brownies; mini pumpkin whoopie pies; sweet potato pie with pecan topping.
Other - Concord grape sorbet; Concord grape pie; wine maker's grape cake; quince Tart Tatin; spiced cider soup with sweet potato dumplings, quince and dates.
Just so you know, we're already in Week Four of Martha Stewart's eight-week Halloween Party preparation countdown, so if you're not already working on your indoor decorations, it's time to get crackin'! The Martha has a slew of guides to spook-ify your house - papier-mache jack-o-lanterns, candy wreathes, paper mice, and Gothic black paper curtains. She's even provided a helpful weekly shopping list, with price breakdowns. Eight-inch round wire wreath frames and protective gloves: A Good Thing.
Next week Martha will hit outdoor decor; the week after that is all about candy crafts - papier-mache candy globes with jack-o-lantern faces, candy headstones, Halloween crackers, and boiling "candy cauldrons." I'm personally psyched about Week Two, which means licorice-filled "invisible pops." But I won't get ahead of schedule. I have a feeling Martha wouldn't like that.
Martha Stewart. 
Never one to let a minor entertaining opportunity slink by un-feted, The Martha has thrown together a list of 
Valentine's Day, with its endless opportunities for both food AND crafts, is a big deal in Marthaland, where the chocolate strawberries are always hand-dipped and the decorative pink ribbons always cut on the diagonal. Check out 
Leave it to 
If you were feeling uninspired about Thanksgiving, Martha Stewart's got you covered. Check out her 
We're down to Week Two of Martha Stewart's 
Martha Stewart has pages and pages of 
Just so you know, we're already in Week Four of 
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