Day Two Hundred Thirty-Eight: Candy-Corn Cookies

Today is Halloween and my kids have a Carnival at school.  (They are always doing such fun stuff. When do they go to class?)  I signed up to make a treat for the kids, so yesterday I made Martha's Candy-Corn Sugar Cookies.  I'm not a big fan of candy corn, but the recipe is simple and the cookies look really colorful and cute.

The recipe is simple: take a basic sugar cookie.  Bake it.  Immediately upon taking it out of the oven, smack a candy corn right in the middle.  Let cool and serve to all your goblins and goblin-ettes.

I sent these to school in a little box, just big enough to fit into a backpack...and be hand-delivered by a three-year old.

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Seven: Sweet Bones for Sweet Boys

On Tuesday I was the parent-reader for my son's Kindergarten class, so on Monday I made them a Halloween-themed treat to go along with the Halloween books I read them.  I made Martha's Sweet Bones, which is a simple meringue recipe piped into bone shapes.  There are so many adorable Halloween cookies, but I chose this one because there are several kids with allergies in my son's class.  This recipe is nut- and gluten-free. (I'm so thoughtful, I know.)

These came out super-realistic looking. One of the boys actually asked me where the bones came from....I told them they were the ribs of a small little boy.

I think he knew I was joking.

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Six: Pumpkin Carving for Lazy People

Sunday was pumpkin carving and decorating day.  My kids had a pumpkin decorating contest at school and so we spent days hours cutting, cleaning and decorating pumpkins. When we were finished I chose to try Martha's Funny Face Pumpkins.  Confession:  I chose this pumpkin because it only involves scraping the design into the skin of the pumpkin. You don't have to cut into and clean the inside of the pumpkin. At that point, I was done cleaning pumpkins for the year.

Martha's pumpkin looks satisfactorily goofy.  I copied the template and scraped mine using the sharp end of a vegetable peeler.  Unfortunately mine didn't come out looking goofy...he looks more pained:

Maybe he had too much candy.

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Five: Not Your Mama's Paper Chain

My kids woke up at 6 a.m. on Saturday.  They were unbelievably excited for my son's birthday party that morning. All that energy had to be channeled somewhere, so I had them help me with Martha's Curled Paper Chain that I planned to use for decoration at the party.  "Plan" is probably a misleading word, since I just decided to make it around 6:15 that morning.  Before coffee.

It's basically a regular paper chain you used to make as a kid, but every alternating chain is curled to give it a festive look.  My son cut, I curled and my daughter glued.  It took us about an hour to make forty feet of chain.  I suspended it from a tree that hung over the main table. It moved in the wind and made lots of satisfactory swishy sounds.

So cute and festive.

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Four: Haunted House Cake, Part II

On Thursday I started Martha's Haunted House Cake for my son's 6th birthday party.  It is a time-sonsuming process, so it took me two days.  

Friday, Day Two:

Supports had to be cut and inserted into the first layer of the cake.  It pained me a little to stick these into the cake....I can't take them out if I screw up:

Then the second layer is (gently) put on top:

Pearls are piped around the bases of both cakes to hide the ugly cardboard bases:

But we aren't done yet....

I had to bake the brownies for steps...and place them into the side of the cake with toothpicks:

Action shot:

And then shave the chocolate "grass" for the haunted house lawn:

The final product:

Could someone move that purse, please?  Notice my son's fingers itching to touch that little rubber mouse.

I will note that that adorable little house and tree on top of the cake are supposed to be made out of cookie....a fact I didn't realize until Thursday and after I had already cut the buggers out of cardstock.  I was going to attempt to make the cookie shapes on Friday, until my eldest daughter woke up sick with a stomach bug.  So cardstock had to do...

Even without the cookie house, the cake was delicious (if I do say so myself) and still ridiculously adorable.

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Three: Haunted House Cake, Part I

Saturday we had a party for my son's 6th birthday.  Because it was so close to Halloween, we decided on a Halloween-themed party where the kids got to dress in costume.  It was a big hit with everyone, including the parents who were happy to see the kids wear his/her costume twice.  Since my son has a rather large class and all his classmates have siblings, we ended up having about 100 people at the party....Yes, about fifty kids and fifty adults.

Thank goodness it wasn't at my house.

At any rate, such a large party meant I needed a Big Cake.  I decided on Martha's Haunted-House Cake.  I'll post a photo here just because it's so awesome.

Seriously.  How cool is this cake?

Because the cake is so big (it's five layers) and each cake had to chill before the next step, it took me two days to make.  Thus:  Haunted House Cake, Part I.

This is the base of the cake.  It's twelve inches in diameter and is baked as three separate cakes with a layer of chocolate buttercream in between each layer.  (This chocolate buttercream is to. die. for.)

Three layers with crumb coat:

This is the top layer.  It consists of two nine-inch cakes with a layer of chocolate buttercream in between.

Each separate cake had to be chilled before putting the final coat of frosting and assembling the cake, which was done the next day.

Confession:  I was so, so, so nervous.  If I screwed this up, after singing "Happy Birthday", my sweet baby boy and all his guests would be passing around a bag of candy corn. Yikes!

Day Two Hundred Thirty-Two: Secret Recipe Enchiladas

Ever since I had those excellent secret-recipe enchiladas (and accompanying ugly-dip), I've been thinking about making them.  So Wednesday I tried Martha's Chicken Enchiladas.  I chose this recipe in particular because it says in the introduction that most ninjas and fairies will eat these....and my two oldest are dressing up as a ninja and Tinkerbell for Halloween.

It was clearly meant to be.

This is a great recipe.  (Here, Great = Detailed).  You make your own enchilada sauce and everything.  I cheated by using a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking it myself, but I don't think the recipe suffered for the substitution.  It. was. delicious. Gotta say, I might keep this one to myself and start calling it my own "secret recipe".  It will just be between you and me, ok?

Day Two Hundred Thirty-One: Howl-o-ween Costume Inspiration

My friend and neighbor Christine has an annual Halloween party.  A Halloween Bash would probably be a better description:  anytime 100 people in full costume get together it's bound to be a wild time.

Deciding on a costume for my husband and I is always a bit of a conundrum.  What to be?  Being a thirty-something mother of three excludes some of the more common costumes (scantily-clad vampire/pirate/nurse/superhero/etc).  I hoped Martha could provide some inspiration.  And that's how I found this photo of a Carmen Miranda headdress.  Yes, technically this is a pet costume. Bear with me and try not to laugh too hard.

I started out with a bunch of fake fruit and two large black dinner napkins.  Add a whole lot of hot glue and a couple feathers and you have:

Yes, it was heavy, but I managed to keep it on all night long.

Thank you, Martha for the idea....and thank you, Fido for the being such an inspiring model.

Day Two Hundred Thirty: Random-Refrigerator-Content Melts

Monday we came back from a long weekend at the beach.  Since we hadn't been to the grocery in several days, I was left with the most random things in our refrigerator.  There just isn't a lot you can make with broccoli, mushrooms and mayonnaise.  Or is there?  I made Martha's Portobello, Broccoli, and Red-Pepper Melts.   These sandwiches require a fork and knife to eat, and were surprisingly good considering the somewhat random ingredient list.

My husband liked them so much he asked for seconds.  This is further proof that cheese makes everything better.

p.s.  please forgive the somewhat tardy posts...I've been experiencing technical difficulties.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Nine: Miss (Not) Photogenic Cheese Dip 2012

Down at the beach our hosts made their World Famous Chicken Enchiladas.  They were de-lish.  I would share the recipe but I gather it's a passed-down-from-grandma family recipe.  I thought Martha's Spicy Three-Cheese Dip would be great as an appetizer.  I can share that recipe and even show you a photo:

Looks super appetizing doesn't it?  :gag:

This dip was pretty good, but it's not winning any awards for looks.  I blame that for the fact that I was the only one to try any...

That's okay, people.  More for me.  :looks at thighs:

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Eight: Oh My! Pimiento-Cheese Burgers

When you are feeding a crowd, there is almost nothing easier than hamburgers.  Martha's Pimiento-Cheese Burgers are a fun twist on the American classic.  It's basically pimiento-cheese dip on top of your burger.  It's almost too ridiculously good to imagine.  A few diners were exceptionally proud of their creations.  I took photos of a few:

Oh, yes.  They were over-the-top good.  If such a thing as a special-occcassion burger exists, this is it.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Seven: Eggs, Part II

On Friday afternoon I went out of town for a long weekend at the beach.

On Friday morning I realized I needed to complete my Martha chore for the day.

Thus I present to you:  Eggs, Part II.

Really, I'm always looking for an excuse to use my darling egg cups of which the British are so fond.   Martha's Soft-Cooked Eggs present the perfect opportunity.

Soft-cooked eggs are obviously as easy as boiling water...but there's a trick.  Bring water to a boil then gently drop in eggs.  Take off the heat and let set for four to six minutes, depending on whether you want a hard- or soft-boiled egg.  BUT, this only works if your egg is room temperature.  Take it from me, it took me two several tries to get this right. (If anyone had money on four tries, you won.)

These were so good....and who wouldn't enjoy eating out of these egg cups?

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Six: Poached Egg Virgin

The other day someone asked me the trick to poaching eggs and I was a little embarrassed...and it's not because I don't know the trick.  Here's the thing:

I've never poached an egg before.

Determined to rectify the situation, I ran home and found Martha's recipe for Easy Poached Eggs.  This recipe is basically Poached Eggs for Dummies.

After putting the eggs in simmering water and allowing to cook, I was pretty sure I needed some remedial help.  My eggs looked like this:

(There are two eggs hidden under that froth somewhere.)

But when I removed them with a slotted spoon, they looked like this:

I'm pretty sure I'm a poached egg savant or something.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Five: Terrible Shrunken Apple Heads

Did you carve apples to make Shrunken Apple Heads as a kid?  I didn't and apparently I'm the only child in America who didn't have this experience.  On Saturday I made Martha's Shrunken Apple Heads with my kiddos.  They "helped" by dictating what the heads would look like.  I carved.

By the way:  I'm terrible at carving apples....even using my kids as an excuse, my apples look like a chipmunk stole an apple and got bored half way through the meal.

I wanted to blog about it on Saturday but since I'm a shrunken-apple-head newbie, I didn't realize the apples take days to shrink.  One of our apples on carving day:

Another face on carving day.  No, the photo is not out of focus.  That's my wicked carving skills at work:

So now it's five days later and my apples have not really shrunk.  At least they have evenly browned:

Seriously.  These are pathetic.  I want a do-over.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Four: Chocolate-Covered Bananas & Kids

The other day I was looking for an easy dessert for my kids and found Martha's Chocolate-Covered Bananas.  As the name explains, this is simply a banana dipped in chocolate with chopped nuts sprinkled on top.  Had to be one of the easiest dessert ever...especially if you have a nut allergy in the family and skip the last part.

This also happens to be the messiest dessert ever.  I gave these to my kids to enjoy after dinner and walked to the front door to check the mail.  When I returned approximately forty seconds later, there was chocolate everywhere.  Everywhere.  I was like a HazMat team trying to contain the mess.

Them:  Mom!  These bananas are awesome!
Me:  Don't. Touch. Anything.
Them:  Oh, I dropped some chocolate on my lap.
Me:  And on the floor. Don't step in it. You'll track it around the house... And keep your hands out of your hair.

When the kids were finished eating, I escorted them directly to the shower where I hosed them both down for bed.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Three: Cheese-Wrapped Spinach & Mushrooms (a.k.a. Quesadillas)

Monday I made Martha's Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas.  They were delicious.  They use pepper-jack cheese and are just spicy enough, but not too spicy.  I followed Martha's recipe, but on two quesadillas I added the bell peppers my kids didn't want on their pita pizzas, and the shrimp I had leftover from the mediocre shrimp.

They were delicious.

I usually make quesadillas in a skillet, but Martha makes quesadillas in the oven.  Please note:  the oven-method is the way to make quesadillas if you are guilty of Overfilling Your Quesadillas/ Tacos/ Fajitas.  I'm not going to point fingers.  You know who you are.  :looks towards my husband:

Both quesadillas were really good, and this is what I've learned:  if you have leftover meat/ veggies/ rice, add some cheese and throw it all on a tortilla.  This is a variation of a theme I started on Day One:  all things are better wrapped in cheese.

I'm just pointing out the truth.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-Two: Perfect Pita Pizza

There is one thing my kiddos like more than pizza:  making pizza.  Martha's Pita Pizza is perfect for kids.  The crust is doughy pita bread.  The tomato sauce is delicious, but not too spicy for little kids' taste buds.  My kids each made two six-inch "pizzas" and were tickled with the process.  One caveat:  I didn't include the yellow bell pepper.  When I suggested they sprinkle a few bell pepper slices on the pizzas, there was a little glimmer of revolt in their eyes....

And I was not a confident general.

So we ended up with cheese pizzas.

But my kids loved those cheese pizzas. They were a perfect dinner...and I was able to take advantage of my in-house child labor.

Day Two Hundred Twenty-One: Still Boring Lemon-Rosemary Shrimp

Grilling shrimp has to be one of the easiest dinners ever.  You can throw some shrimp in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper, cook for a few minutes and have a great dinner.  And it would be good.  And healthy.  

And pretty boring...especially after the millionth time.  

Martha's Lemon-Rosemary Grilled Shrimp is just as simple and promises to actually taste interesting.  

It's super easy:  just mix the shrimp with olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and the zest of a lemon.  Season with salt and pepper.  

The dish is light and flavorful, but unfortunately it didn't make grilled shrimp exciting....

:yawn:

At least it was quick and healthy.

Day Two Hundred Twenty: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies for Kids

My kids love to bake.  They are great helpers, even if they often wander off when things aren't so exciting.  They helped me make Martha's Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, but went missing when I started cleaning up.

The cookies were easy to make, but pay attention:  the cookies start out brown so when they start to over-bake, you may not notice....until one of your children smells something burning.

Luckily the second batch was just fine.

We filled ours with whipped cream, mostly because I didn't have all the ingredients to make the mint filling, and Martha uses whipped cream in her Baking Handbook (p. 108).

The final product looks a lot like an over-sized Oreo cookie:

And much like an Oreo cookie, my kids ate the filling before they could be tempted into eating the cookie.  Either way, they were a really fun treat to eat and to make.

Now if I could just get them to clean the kitchen...

Day Two Hundred Nineteen: Everything's Coming Up Roses Tart

Sometimes good things are born from necessity.

Yesterday, as I was performing my daily search of Something-Martha-To-Do, Martha's website was down. :curses:  It forced me to try the old-fashioned method and look in one of her books.  I found her recipe for a gorgeous Nectarine Tart (MS Baking Handbook, p. 256) and couldn't resist the potential train wreck.  I wish I could post her photo as it looks amazing....and amazingly hard.

To begin, make the tart dough, chill, then roll and shape into a tart tin.  Blind bake using beans or handy pie weights like so:

After the crust has baked to a golden brown, let it cool.  While you are waiting, cut a million eight nectarines into thin slices.  Overlapping the pieces, shape each into a rose.   Like so:

No really, those are sliced nectarines.  Amazed yet?  :you are looking at a goddess:

Continue to fill the inside of the tart with roses....

...Until the tart is full:

 It's gorgeous isn't it?  I'm not ashamed to say I was pretty proud of myself at this point.

Fill the tart with a sugar-brandy-egg mixture and cook for about forty minutes.  In the end, you have this:  

This is such a gorgeous tart....and super-good.  I've been passing this tart up for years, thinking I could never get the roses to look like Martha's.   Truthfully, it wasn't hard. I made it after dinner and didn't have to stay up all night to finish.  All it took was a little patience...and a sweet husband who is handy with a knife.  (Love you, honey.)

Day Two Hundred Eighteen: Royally Good Parchment Salmon

My husband and I had a somewhat rare "adults-only" dinner last night.  We frequently eat dinner after the kids are in bed, but dinner is often interrupted with one of our three kids needing some last-minute cuddles or a monster-under-the-bed check.  Last night we managed to eat uninterrupted.

For our peaceful dinner, I made Martha's Salmon and Zucchini Baked in Parchment. I've never made anything baked in parchment and was somewhat intrigued by a rumor that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge made Prince William fish baked in parchment for their first anniversary.  (The traditional first anniversary gift is paper.  Parchment = paper.  Kate's a clever girl.)   I figured, if it's good enough for Kate and Will, it's good enough for me.

I'm not high-maintenance, really.

This dinner is fun to make. And ridiculously easy.  Just cut up the zucchini and shallots and pile them on a sheet of parchment.  Lay the salmon on top with a dab of butter and some dill:

Then fold up the ends like little fishy Christmas presents:

Cook for about fifteen minutes and you have this:

This was really delicious and (besides the tablespoon of butter) really healthy.  It was easy to make, but felt festive.  I served the whole packets on a plate, and opening them was like a little present.

Some might say it was like an anniversary present.

Day Two Hundred Seventeen: Surprise Cookies

I saw Martha's Surprise Cookies on Tuesday and had to make them. (These are appropriately named because I gave some to a friend and she was delighted with the "marshmallow surprise".  Her words, not mine.)

It's essentially a rich, chocolate cookie with a marshmallow "surprise" on top, covered in icing.  The cookie texture is a cross between a brownie and a cupcake.  It's unexpected...and really nice.  These are mine out of the oven, waiting to be iced:

These flew so quickly off the plate that I somehow forgot to take a photo of the finished product.  So, here is Martha's photo:

Mine totally looked that good.  Maybe even better.

Day Two Hundred Sixteen: Devilish Artichoke Angel Hair Pasta

I don't eat pasta often, but I've been eyeing Martha's recipe for Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair.  The reason is this:  I'm a fan of the artichoke.  We don't use artichokes often enough in cuisine, so it's hard for me to pass up a good recipe featuring said vegetable.  (This is also my rationale for eating three days worth of carbs in one sitting.) 

This was a very easy dish and could easily be doubled for a crowd.  Don't be fooled: the recipe is heavy on the chicken; the pasta is more of a side dish.  This is a good thing for those of us who may be worried about all those carbohydrates....

My dinner:

Despite all the carbs, this is a pretty light (tasting) and flavorful dish.  It's by no means low-cal, but we can't be angels all the time, now can we?  

Day Two Hundred Fifteen: Easiest-Cookies-In-The-World: Palmiers

I had some leftover puff pastry from Martha's Chicken Pot Pies the other day, so I decided to use it to make Martha's Palmiers.  I had never made Palmiers before, but they are basically just puff pastry, sprinkled with sugar, then rolled into a cute little shape. They have only two ingredients:  sugar and pastry.

It's true.  These are probably the easiest cookies in the world.

These are Martha's:

These are mine: 

I had to show you Martha's photo, because my photo was a little anti-climatic.  :sad:

These Palmiers were fun to make.  (It's also fun to say.  Use your best French accent:  Palmiers!)  My kids went a little crazy sprinkling the sugar over the pastry, and I had to intervene and roll the pasty into a neat roll.  They were good to eat....I wouldn't buy or make puff pastry expressly for this purpose, but how often can you use dinner leftovers to make cookies?  That makes it a winner in my book.