This special gathering was originally posted on Dec. 22, 2018 - enjoy this encore blog!
The holiday season is among my favorite times to entertain.
Yesterday, I hosted a very special gathering for the entire staff at my Bedford, New York farm. All my employees work so hard during the year - caring for the property and my many pets and gardens and helping me prepare for parties and other events. In particular, I wanted to honor my longtime housekeeper, Laura Acuna, who has worked with me at my homes for 32-years! I planned a festive holiday meal, which was served buffet style in the Winter House kitchen. It included a delicious endive salad, tomahawk steaks, lamb chops, roasted sweet potato, homemade blinis with cottage cheese and my own pink applesauce, macaroni and cheese, stollen and Panettone, and Alexis’s Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies. It was a busy morning of cooking and preparing, but we had a most enjoyable luncheon!
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Here I am with my Bedford staff on the steps to my Winter House. Laura, who is in the first row, is retiring after more than three decades working with me.
My executive assistant, Shqipe Lulanaj, prepared the endive salad – two great big bowls of fresh curled leaves. Endive has a crisp texture and a sweet, nutty flavor with a pleasantly mild bitterness.
I prepared these gorgeous tomahawk steaks given to me by my friend, director of photography, Gary Nardilla.
I decided to serve lunch on brown Transferware platters. This beautiful platter was gifted to me by my friend, Kathy Sloane.
While preparing lunch, John Barricelli, owner of Sono Baking Co., stopped by to bring me Panettone and Stollen.
Here are some of the cookies I baked – just fresh from the oven. They’re Alexis’s popular and crispy Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies.
The recipe is in my original “Entertaining” book, which was published in December 1982.
We also used these fun plaid napkins – a nice complement to the Transferware.
The macaroni and cheese is cooking perfectly – just a few more minutes. Get the recipe from my web site. https://www.marthastewart.com/957243/macaroni-and-cheese
The tomahawks are so big and juicy – here they are cooking on the grill. The tomahawk steak is a long-bone rib steak. The extremely long bone makes it stand out from any other – so impressive.
I took this quick photo of the macaroni and cheese as soon as I took it out of the oven – the top is perfectly browned.
I made two large platters of macaroni and cheese – both went very quickly.
I made a flavorful vinaigrette for the endive salad and it was ready for serving.
This is horseradish that I made from the roots grown right in my garden. It has such a wonderful and lively flavor – perfect on the meats.
More of Alexis’s delectable big brown cookies – I made quite a lot for the hungry crew.
Lunch was scheduled for 1pm sharp – everyone was very punctual. Pete Sherpa and Fernando Ferrari from the outdoor grounds crew came ready to eat, and drink. I also served some wine with our meal.
Here are Helen Peparo and Dolma Sherpa – two of three who take care of my Friesians, Fell pony, and three Sicilian donkeys.
Here’s Chhewang Sherpa from my outdoor ground crew, and my housekeeper, Enma Sandoval.
My sister-in-law, Rita Christiansen, also stopped by to wish Laura well. Rita worked with me for many years as a business manager for me and for my company. Here she is with my longtime driver, Carlos Villamil. Rita is the wife of my late brother, George. We all miss him so dearly.
My champion Chow Chow show dog, Empress Qin, waits patiently for anything that falls to the ground – though she prefers more savory bites than sweet.
Here’s a nice photo of Laura and my driver, Rock Periera. Rock also retired from the New York City Police Department Detective Bureau earlier this year.
Enma, Laura, and Carlos
Here’s Pete and Phurba Sherpa starting off our buffet line, It was so nice to see everyone fill their plates – one, two and sometimes even three times.
I sliced the meat and placed it on the platters as people served themselves – both the steaks and chops went quickly.
All the food looks so excellent. I boiled the sweet potatoes first before I roasted them – they were completely devoured!
This is a great snapshot of my drivers – Rock, Carlos and Andres Velastegui.
Here’s another full plate – I was so happy everyone loved the food.
And here’s Laura, our guest of honor – Rita gave her a beautiful plant as a gift.
Carlos and Laura have become good friends over the years. Carlos has also worked with me for quite some time – more than 15-years.
My housekeeper, Sanu Sherpa, stopped to pose with Laura for this photo – everyone on my staff is very close.
You may recognize my head gardener, Ryan McCallister – here he is with Sanu.
I also planned a fun “grab bag” gift-giving activity – everyone lined up to pick something from the bins.
We lined everyone up according to employment seniority – it was fun to learn how long everyone has been working with me. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, has been here at the farm for nearly 16-years. He’s very happy to be one of the first in line along with Chhewang who’s been here for 12-years and Phurba for 10.
Here’s Chhewang looking through the bins trying to decide what to “grab”. There are so many fun items from which to choose.
Here are Carlos and Fernando – colleagues and good friends. Fernando has been working with me for 21-years – first at our River Bend space in Stamford, Connecticut, then at the Westport, Connecticut studio, then the New York City studio and then here at the farm.
It was a wonderful luncheon and gathering. I, along with my entire staff, wish you all a safe and joyous holiday!
Here's a blog that was originally posted on January 22, 2022. It includes photos from my trip to the Dominican Republic, enjoy.
Here in the Northeast, it's bitter cold. Temperatures are expected to hit 30-degrees Fahrenheit at my Bedford, New York farm today - very different from the weather on the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic, where I recently spent a glorious week with friends.
If you follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, you may remember my trip to the Dominican Republic over the holidays. Most of our time was spent in La Romana, at the beautiful resort complex of Casa de Campo, about 70-miles from the historic city of Santo Domingo. We went fishing, enjoyed delicious meals, and relaxed on the most pristine beaches. We also visited the village of Altos de Chavon, home to the Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation, a non-profit educational and cultural entity dedicated to maintaining an arts community within the Dominican Republic. It was a fantastic trip with perfect weather every day.
Enjoy my photos.
My friend, Dominique Bluhdorn, owns the most gorgeous home called La Favorita. Look at the breathtaking views.
Dominique’s house has many seating arrangements in many different scenic locations such as this covered loggia, which is a covered space running along the length of a structure similar to a porch, but with columns or arches on the open side.
This is the formal living room — where we did not sit once.
And here is her swimming pool – also with such delightful views.
These are the steps to the beach and to the swimming pavillion at the end of the pier.
And these are the sitting arrangements on the way to the hot tub, where I went every single day at 7am.
This is the swimming pavilion, with its thatched roof – it’s definitely a favorite place to sit and relax. Dominique’s home is within the boundaries of Casa de Campo Resort and Villas – a seven-thousand acre hotel, resort, and residential community on the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. The exclusive retreat was built by Dominique’s father, industrialist, Charles Bluhdorn.
Here is one of the dinner dishes we enjoyed – cooked wahoo fish with butter, capers, herbs, and lime. Wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas – it’s in the same family as mackarel and tuna.
Here is my plate along with rice, avocado, and traditional Dominican Republic empanaditas, or bite-sized empanadas.
And of course… Martha’s Chard, my new wine from 19 Crimes. It was unanimously everyone’s favorite wine at dinner. Look out for it – it will be in stores near you very soon.
For breakfast the next morning, we had house eggs poached with broiled tomato, potato balls, cauliflower, onions, and herbs.
Here are two poached eggs with scallions – perfectly cooked.
The sunrises and sunsets were absolutely amazing. This photo was taken at 7:25am.
We saw some beautiful marine animals. This is a star fish, or sea star. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They also all have spines covering their upper surfaces…
… And soft undersides. When looking at the underside of a live sea star, one can see its tube feet wiggling.
For another meal, we shared a platter of grilled meats and chicken. Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle-Eastern, and African influences. And the largest, most important meal of the day is lunch.
Here is a platter of lobster, grilled to perfection.
And here are the Island tamales, known in the Dominican Republic as pasteles en hoja – often stuffed with meats.
We had salads with every meal – fresh, ripe tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, pickled onions, and more.
Here’s my first helping – it may, or may not have been, my last. Everything was so flavorful.
On another day, I went to Puntacana and visited its Ecological Foundation, a project of the Puna Cana Resort and Club. I learned about their composting process. The garden is completely farmed using organic waste and soil from a worm-composting shed. The processed compost at the bottom is then sent back to the resort’s kitchens as well as other local restaurants, and a weekly local farmers’ market.
Here I am with Jake Kheel – sustainability innovator and Vice President of Grupo Puntacana Foundation.
The beaches stretched for miles and miles.
Here I am on the fishing boat – I wonder what we’ll catch.
I learned some great techniques from fishing with Kevin Fox.
And look, we caught a nice sized wahoo.
Casa de Campo is also home to Altos de Chavón a one-of-a-kind 16th century replica Mediterranean village. This project was conceived by Bluhdorn and the Italian architect, Roberto Copa. Dominique is the current president of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation.
The entire village is located atop the Chavón River. The project began in 1976 when the construction of a nearby road and bridge crossing the river was blasted through a mountain of stone. The stones were used to create the village and celebrates the artisans of the Dominican Republic.
Much of Altos de Chavon is made from coral block and terra cotta. This giant fish sculpture is part of a fountain – it looks like it has been here for centuries.
Each stone was hand cut, each wooden door frame was handcrafted, and each wrought-iron detail hand-forged. The village was finally completed and inaugurated in 1982.
Another attraction in Altos de Chavon is this five-thousand seat amphitheater. It is mainly used for music concerts and other performances. The amphitheater is so beautiful and carved all from stone. The term “amphitheater” derives from the ancient Greek words meaning “on both sides” or “around” and “place for viewing”.
It was a such a wonderful get-away. I hope to return again sometime soon.
If you're busy baking cookies and other treats, here's another fun holiday memory. This was originally posted on Dec. 23, 2020.
I hope you are all enjoying these last couple of days before Christmas despite pandemic guidelines to keep parties and other gatherings small and intimate.
This year, I wasn't able to have my annual holiday party at my Bedford, New York farm. I usually invite more than 200-guests for an open house through three buildings, each with a different and festive theme. Some of last year's party photos are in the December 2020 issue of my magazine "Martha Stewart Living" - I hope you have your copy; it's on newsstands now. Among the main features at the event - my elaborate gingerbread village and the thousands of cookies we baked and decorated for my guests.
Here are photos, enjoy.
Preparations for my annual holiday party start weeks in advance. During the week leading up to the party, I make two or three cookie doughs every night after work and then store them in the refrigerator. I made all the sugar cookie and gingerbread cookie doughs.
Last year, I gifted myself with this wonderful prepline countertop dough sheeter from Kitchenall. It is a commercial size machine, so it took up almost the entire counter, but it saved us so much time. The dough is placed on the conveyer belt and then passed through the machine – no rolling needed. It’s so amazing. And when it is done, it is flattened to a pre-programmed thickness.
Longtime “Living” contributor and author of the new book, “Fruit Cake: Recipes for the Curious Baker,” Jason Schreiber, helped me create a beautiful gingerbread village for the party. My Winter House kitchen was bustling with activity.
Jason pre-made all the templates using cardboard and labeled each piece with the structure name and building part.
Royal icing was used to secure all the pieces together. This is the back of a chimney ready to be placed onto a house.
Here is the inside of two walls – all carefully connected with delicious royal icing. Finished houses dry in the background.
T-Pins are used to hold the pieces together until they dry.
Then more icing is applied to support the roof.
Here I am using silver-leaf foil to decorate the the top of this roof. We worked late into the night, but it was so much fun.
Meanwhile, Jason tends to the piping details on this wall to the clock tower.
Down at my Maple Avenue House, Molly Wenk @moll_doll23 and Jessie Damuck @jessdamuck prepared the long list of cookies to make. Being very organized is crucial when making so many cookies.
Molly and Jessie spent four days baking and decorating cookies with me. I am fortunate to have several kitchen at the farm where we could use all the ovens to make stacks and stacks of cookies.
These cookies were just decorated and are ready to be displayed. In the center, crushed freeze-dried raspberries and pink peppercorns on icing-filled sugar cookies.
On the day of the party, guests were told not to miss the “Cookie House” – Alexis’s little Tenant House was filled with sweet treats. We made about 2500-cookies in all. Many of the recipes are from my books and my web site at MarthaStewart.com. In this house, they were surrounded by whimsical woodland animals and miniature cookie figurines – the children loved this house the best.
I made these gorgeous palmiers, also known as pig’s ears, palm hearts, or elephant ears. These are French pastries made in a palm leaf shape or a butterfly shape. My guests loved these so much, they were gone before I got to even taste one myself.
I love to incorporate natural elements whenever possible. Here in the woodland Christmas themed Tenant House, cut tree stumps hold stacks and stacks of cookies – Alexis’s brown-sugar chocolate chip cookies, four-ingedient sables bretons, bourbojn-spiked Noel nut balls, raspberry and apricot jam filled pecan linzers, and sugar cookie mushrooms.
We decorated sugar cookies in different colors – these in white, gold and silver.
Green royal icing and sanding sugar were applied in sections to add texture to these gingerbread trees.
And these sugar cookie wreaths were embellished with ground Sicilian pistachios and silver and gold dragees.
Some cookies were as small as coins while others spanned seven inches across – there was something for everyone. And guests were encouraged to take a bag home with them to enjoy later.
And then back in my Winter House Brown Room – the finished gingerbread village.
Small lights were used to illuminate every house.
The entire village scene includes outdoor elements as well – gingerbread boxwood and trees covered in snow.
The village filled an entire table. It was such a beautiful centerpiece – everyone loved it. I hope you are baking lots of beautiful cookies this holiday. No matter how small, every Christmas gathering can be special. See more photos from last year’s gathering in this December 2019 blog. Happy holidays.
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