Good Things by David

As you know, my collection of copper cookie cutters, specifically those hand-crafted by Michael Bonne for Martha Stewart and sold through her now defunct Martha by Mail catalog business, has been featured quite a bit here and on my Facebook Page . The fact that I cherish my collection and enjoy using them to create little individual works of cookie-art to share with you, comes as no surprise, I’m sure. However, what may surprise you is that over the past few months I have had the pleasure of getting to know and work with Michael Bonne and his wife and partner in business, Teresa.  American artist, Michael Bonne, has earned the title " world-renowned coppersmith" because his work is exceptionally unique and authentically American.  During their early years as antique collectors and dealers in Indiana, the Bonne’s developed an appreciation for cookie cutters from a bygone era.  Rustic and primitive cutters especially, captured Teresa’s a...

It’s not often that I take my afternoon walks around the trails of our home with a camera, but I thought that today would be a good opportunity to photograph my walk for all of you.  We seem to be experiencing the full effects of summer right about now, with temperatures in the low 90s and the humidity inching toward the end of the scale here in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.   For the first few minutes of my walk I kept having to wipe off the lens & screen of my camera because of condensation.  It’s not unheard of to have to deal with that when one goes from a dry, air-conditioned environment to one that is hot & humid.  You should have seen my sunglasses!  What’s one to do? Depending on my mood or what part of the property I want to see first, I either walk in an easterly direction or towards the west & onto the meadow.  This time I chose east because it was the closest to the bottom of the driveway.  Keep in mind that we have...

Just the other day, for a few minutes, it felt as if I had gone back in time.  The mailman was coming down the driveway to deliver a package from a reader who said that there were some “good things” she wanted to send me.  After signing the slip and getting the box, my eyes immediately zeroed in on the Martha Stewart ~ Catalog for Living logo emblazoned on the side.    The Box Time warp circa 2001.   I couldn’t get into the house fast enough to reach for a box cutter!  Well, when I opened the package I quickly realized that this was no ordinary shipment.  After getting through the bubble wrap and packing peanuts, I found 4 boxes that were carefully wrapped in light-green tissue paper, which, incidentally, was the exact tissue paper that every Martha by Mail order was shipped with.   What were those boxes you ask?  Each contained a set of highly collectible Martha by Mail copper cookie cutters, all in their original boxe...

I'm making these over the weekend, so I thought I'd repost my ultimate chipwich.  Make some! ✺ Chipwiches are just the thing to serve for dessert when you're having a barbecue on any given summertime weekend.  Such a simple thing to make for the busy host, all one needs to assemble these treats is a batch of the best chocolate chip cookies and some of your favorite vanilla ice cream.   You can certainly try different ice creams like chocolate, mint-chocolate chip, cherry, soy, yogurt or any of the varieties your family & friends like.  What I would suggest is baking some chocolate chip cookies the day before your barbecue (they have to be homemade!) and then simply putting the sandwiches together the morning of your feast.  Leave a tray of them in the freezer and watch as they disappear the moment you serve them.  Take a peek at how quickly these can be put together. The Ultimate Chipwich This i...

A very kind reader recently contacted me after seeing the post I did on the little Martha by Mail Cookie Collection Catalog, because she wanted to share with me another little gem that was published by Martha Stewart many years ago.  You can imagine how intrigued I was to get a glimpse of this booklet, so I asked her to send me images in order to share them here.   Thanks to Aurelia, we know have another wonderful set of images to put into the archives of Good Things by David .  The text & images below were published by Martha Stewart Living magazine in its very early years and were used in this informative how-to booklet on Decorating Cookies .  Techniques, tips, recipes and suggestions gave readers in the early 90s new ways to make unique cookies any time of the year. The layout, font & pictures are very much like the early years of Martha’s magazine.  It’s so wonderful that collectors such as Aurelia, have kept these treasured publications ...