Magazine Monday, Nov. 1 - Martha Stewart Living



Martha Stewart you say? 

I like Martha Stewart for the very reasons a lot of people dislike Martha Stewart.  The woman has the uncanny ability to make a mountain out of a molehill.  :)

No joke.

Instead of going to the store and buying a paper bag, the woman will go into her backyard, chop down a tree, have it processed in her mini paper mill she keeps in her 100 year old shed, and wallah, she has a paper bag that looks just like the one I bought in the store for 25 cents. 

Martha doesn't ever try to tell you this is how you should do it though; Martha is a self admitted control freak and OCD person.
If Martha wants to make a paper bag instead of going to buy one, she does.

You go, Martha.

I've been a Martha fan since I bought this book

Remember this?

Me and Martha, we go way back. :)

The magazine continues some of the tradition started in her original books...along with some newer sections as well.
One of my favorite newer sections of Martha Stewart Living is her photography section.
Oy.

Of course Martha has her own little studio...filled with several computers for various and asundry purposes...

particular photo editing programs and online services that she likes to use...as well as a big screen HDtv for previewing photos.

Did I already say Oy?

And heavens to Betsy...please don't forget all the top of the line photography equipment...

I was drooling at this point.

After I finished updating my "Dream On, Sister" wishlist, Martha brought me back to reality...

pears decorated using simple but delicious smelling cloves to welcome guests...

Now, I was kidding about Martha bringing me back down to Earth from the stratosphere of camera equipment....

this is the stuff I really like about Martha.

Whenever possible, Martha uses natural ingredients and decorates using traditionally inspired ideas.

I'm giving these pears a try this year...they're just so warm, unpretentious and inviting.

Don't you think??

How 'bout this pomegrante door hanger as the photo introducing her "Good Things" section??

If you know anything at all about Martha, you know there will be some very "good things."

 

More good things...

this time for the kids...

 

Martha can get really get elaborate with entertaining, but she seems to try and be realistic about it as well. 

Take this breakfast planned for when a hostess may have a large crew in the house...most people have their own routines, likes and dislikes, etc. 

This kind of breakfast would satisfy most...and doesn't mean the hostess has to spend hours and hours in the kitchen preparing each and every meal

My brother says people who stay at my house are on their own.

He stayed at my house once, and I didn't make him breakfast.

Now, he'll never let me forget it.

Little brothers are just that way ;)

 

Martha always includes things from her own home as well as ideas and photographs from the homes of other real people...not celebrities.

 

I love that this table has a bench with it :)

The table my parents had in our dining room while I was growing up had a bench :):)

And, I absolutely adore the pumpkins and long candles as centerpieces.

 

Oh my!!

Aren't these seasonal desserts fabulous!!!!

And, of course, Martha will talk you through wine selection...frugality is always considered but with the understanding that you should always buy the best wine you can...and by all means, depending on the occasion, you may, in fact, have to splurge.  The choice is up to you.

 Besides entertaining, there's also a section for weeknight cooking...this pasta shells recipe is a family favorite and can even be prepared and frozen on the weekend to be taken out some busy night and still provide a hot nutritious supper for a hungry bunch of kids and husband. 

Martha provides the original recipe as well as some options for fillers depending on an individual's family's personal likes and dislikes.

 Now, this is the kind of mountain out of a molehill that I think Martha does very well. 
While she is certainly ahead of the game with the newest and most sparkly techno gadgets, she also honors timeless traditions such as letter writing, invitations, and thank-you notes. 

There is nothing like a handwritten note...yes, email is quicker and can be shot out in a heartbeat...but a handwritten note sends a message just with the note itself...no matter what it says inside...that the writer thought enough of you to go the extra mile...to put in a little extra effort...to send you a message.

Now, here's where Martha overwhelms me and even makes me feel guilty.  The section on housekeeping kills me. 

She has a housekeeping agenda.

Daily, weekly, monthly, bi-annually and yearly.

Oy.

My housekeeping agenda is.....

get it done when you can, when you think about it, and/or when somebody runs out of underwear :)

This month's housekeeping includes how to make room in your home for guests...closets, drawers, etc.

A final recipe for each month usually goes along with the season of the magazine issue.

For November, it was a Pumpkin Cream Pie

Gingersnaps for the crust!!!!

I'm makin' this for our Thanksgiving this year!

Even after all that baking, decorating and entertaining, Martha is not done yet because she is also a collector...where in the world she puts all of her stuff, I'll never know.  But, there is always a section on a particular collectible, how to tell authentic from copy, and lots of gorgeous pictures of the various forms, kinds, labels, designs, etc.

With all her organization, cleanliness and attention to detail, it may surprise some to know that Martha is a pet lover.  She actually has numerous cats and dogs living inside her house and quite a few other animals as well living outside. 

In last month's issue Martha showed how her renovated kitchen was organized (she had, of course, planned out every inch) including a "pet station"...each of the animal's food bowl and containers of food were, of course, divided and had their own little individual station...

Uh-Oh asked why he did not have his own pet station.

I told him to quit reading my magazines. :)

On the flip side of this month's issue is an actual section on pets.

Martha has always had Chows and Himalyan cats...another of the reasons I like her...most of her publications include pictures of her animals sitting in chairs, on couches, etc. where they obviously are comfortable being.

I don't read every section of Martha Stewart Living because there are some sections that don't appeal to me at all...the crafting section (this month was knitting)...yes, Martha sews...why are you surprised???

 and the gardening is a little over my head...

but I still look at the fantastic pictures :)

Keep it comin', Martha!

Magazine Monday - Southern Lady

Southern Lady magazine has been a favorite of my mom's for several years.

The last couple of years of my life have been pretty hectic so I've been drawn to quicker, grab and go meals than some of the recipes and ideas for decorating and entertaining that you'll find in this wonderful magazine with its vivid photography and colors throughout. 

But, I've found myself drawn to Southern Lady just recently.

I'm a fall lover.

Period.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, leaves changing colors, pumpkins, gourds, mums...

Oh my.

I just love it.

Southern Lady is published every 2 months so this issue is the September/October issue.

Even though I don't entertain all that often, what I think I love about Southern Lady is the attention to using natural and classic types of table settings and decorations rather than chintzy, fake looking stuff.

Can you tell I'm not an interior decorator?

;)

I absolutely love this table runner with its initial so proudly displayed...I want one of these for my Thanksgiving table...of course mine would be an S...Tee Hee :)

My husband is not a hunter but I was drawn to the section called "Cabin Chic."

Especially the outside pictures...nature all around...and my favorite mums and natural lighting...oh my, can I move here please?  I would never be able to leave my house I'm afraid if I could look out my window and see this view.

Southern Lady always has a section on historic sites...homes and places to travel...this month the focus is on Richmond, VA.  If you have any inkling of interest in the South, you will love these sections.  Again, the photography is some of the best I've seen...it's not just the photographs though; it's as if the person taking the pictures knows art when he/she sees it...no matter what he/she is looking at.  Gorgeous.

Again, more natural decorating ideas...

I just melt in candlelight (no pun intended) :)

Of course, there are food sections in Southern Lady...but there's always a theme...this magazine doesn't just gloss over the theme either...it goes all the way with the food, the decorations, the venue, the dishes, etc. (by the way, I'd like to own that serving dish on the left, please...thanks). 

Look at the boots as vases!!

Oh my, I just saw the plates to the left of the boots.

Yikes!

For this dinner party the barn has actually been turned into the dining room.

Can you see the horse sticking out his head in the top left photo?  He wants barbeque too!!

And, of course recipes...I will be giving those Cowboy Cornmeal Rolls a try!

Other recipes from this section include Apple Slaw with Chive Dressing, Barnyard Baked Beans, Barbecue Beef Brisket, and Chocolate Chess Pie.

More dinner ideas...another gorgeous and natural venue...the yard!

With such an incredible view in the front yard why would someone eat anywhere else??

How bout that centerpiece on the right??

Recipes in this section include Fall Salad with Molasses Vinaigrette, Beef Tournedos with Sweet and Spicy Corn Relish, Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Lemony Sauteed Spinach, and Apple Galette with Ginger Crust and Five-Spice Cream.

The pictures are mouth watering!!

This photo is from a section called "Cinnamon Swirl" which includes recipes and photos of delectible Cinnamon Rolls, Snickerdoodles and this Cinnamon Cafe Latte.

Please add those mugs to my shopping list....thank you and Amen.

Ok, be honest, who doesn't love Snickerdoodles???

One of the last sections is called "Cookbook Worth Collecting" and this issue features a cookbook called The Blackberry Farm Cookbook. 

I don't have this one, but my mom does. It is as incredible as it sounds.

There are stories of family, more incredible photography, regional information and cultural highlights of cooking in Appalachia...and of course, recipes.

I'm a southern girl and always will be so I realize I may be a little biased...but this magazine is now one of my favorites.  The South is portrayed by taking advantage of its special features and beauty...including a love for people and home.

I love this one.

Or, could you already tell that?

:)

Happy Monday!

Magazine Monday - "Everyday with Rachael Ray"

"Everyday with Rachael Ray" is obviously a magazine from the Food Network star Rachael Ray who is usually on the cover of every issue (actually I can't think of an issue that she wasn't on the cover of).

Please excuse the rip on the cover of my October issue...I pulled off the sticky address tab and it left a mess. 

:(

I like to watch Rachael on t.v. when I can catch the show...which is not very often.

But, I like to watch her skills and processes more than the actual dishes she makes most of the time. 

Her skills are not those of someone who has been trained at Culinary School...because she wasn't.

She is a self-trained cook, which makes her show a little more enticing to someone (most of us) who've also never been to Culinary School.
Rachael grew up working in her family's restaurant/grocery store business, and everything she knows came from those experiences.

I've learned from Rachael to use a garbage bowl of some kind...or simply just throw things away as I go.  Rachael will even slow down and show you how to chop something...over and over and over again.
And, who has never heard of EVOO?

I own a couple of her cookbooks; there are not enough pictures in them for my taste.
That's probably why I like her magazine best of all. 

Rachael starts out each issue with a "letter from the editor" style intro.
This intro is written in Rachael's own words, her personality very obviously embedded in the intro.
I like this because it shows me that Rachael obviously still has a lot to do with her magazine.

One of my favorite sections of the magazine is called Take 5...Rachael and her creative team make recipes each month with only 5 ingredients. That's definitely something this busy mom can get into.

In the October issue, Rachael even had the first special section on Take 5's...including breakfast, lunch and supper (Can you tell where I'm from?)

Another fun section is the Taste Test section...Rachael takes 5-6 of the most well known products for the same kind of dish and compares them...not just her opinion of course.  But, the opinions are very specific in their reasons and the group of testers chooses a winner in the end.

Sign me up for the next ice cream treat tasting!

Anyone who watches Rachael knows that she's a pet lover...especially dogs. 

Now, I'm a cat lover, but I also have a soft spot for just about any animal out there. 

(Remember I'm the well educated woman who has a baby squirrel living in my house).

Rachael has a section called Pet Friendly where she discusses interesting pet snacks and meals that are also healthy for your dogs as well as pretty easy to make. 

Honestly, I've never made one of these recipes, but I love reading about them and seeing all the pictures of the various kinds of dogs featured each month.

Of course there are the 30 minute meals...
Duh, right?

and each month Rachael takes the dishes prepared for the magazine and organizes them into meals for a week, including grocery list, prices, etc.

Whether or not you are going to make the recipes in magazine, you can still find something in this section on organizing and making the most with your groceries and for the best money.



My most favorite section of the magazine, however, is the celebrity refrigerator.
Ahem.
I really can't explain to you why I love this...it's so silly to want to peek inside someone's refrigerator!!
The celebrity is pictured standing beside his/her refrigerator and Rachael interviews him/her on the right side of the page.
She asks about specific items that catch her attention in the refrigerator as well as other questions about the person's eating/cooking habits.

 October's celebrity is Brooke Burke.
Holy Moly!
Brooke has a HUGE refrigerator!
She has 4 kids so there are some Hot Pockets in there as well as the adult stuff...I think that's neat :)

But...

my favorite refrigerator so far...

Drumroll please....

Oh, be still my heart, last month's fridge belonged to none other than Stephen Moyer!

Bill!

True Blood!!

This is actually the refrigerator in his on the set trailer....but still...

French's mustard and CANDY bars!

DELISH!