Good Things by David

As much as I love to bake cookies for friends and family, it's also a lot of fun packaging them up to make the treats extra special for gift giving.  I've always felt that homemade cookies one gives out to loved ones can be some of the best gifts ever, because it makes the recipient feel that a lot of effort and good will went into creating them. Just imagine receiving a cookie or two packaged in a clear cellophane bag that's been tied with a nice ribbon or baker's twine.  Who wouldn't be impressed with that type of gift?  Cellophane bags, ribbons and twine are just some of those 'essentials' that every baker should have at their fingertips, especially if homemade gifts are important to you.  There is no reason to wait for the holidays to be handing out baked cookies.  There are plenty of occasions to do it throughout the year! Over the years and through my baking thousands upon thousands of cookies, I've learned how to streamline the packa...

I'm happy to announce that starting next month I will be collaborating with Williams-Sonoma by giving hands-on master classes for the coming seasons at their Ardmore, Pennsylvania location.  I couldn’t be happier bringing what I already teach on Good Things by David to a live audience, because it will give me the opportunity to explain  in-depth  how I achieve the results that you see on the blog.  To be able to teach one on one in such a public way is going to be fun, exciting and most certainly, a learning experience for all.      My first lesson will be on  September 7th, between 1pm-3pm .  This class will introduce you to my Heirloom Sugar Cookie dough, Heirloom Chocolate Cookie dough (time permitting) and my Best Chocolate Chip Cookie dough, in addition to picture perfect M&M Cookies for kids.   Many tips and in-depth how-to information that you’ve come to trust on Good Things by David , along with an ...

Adorable sugar cookies iced in striking colors are just the thing for a child’s birthday party, and I can’t think of a better way to mark such an event for someone special than with Disney-inspired cookies.  At the request of Teresa Bonne, I created a variety of colorful treats for her adorable granddaughter’s third birthday.  You see, for Elley, it’s all about the movie ‘Tangled’.  The Rapunzel fairy tale recreated by Disney is the theme for her birthday party this year and so, for Teresa, she wanted treats evoking this movie for her guests that were bright, sparkling, magical and extra special.   With this in mind and with a few images, I took the task of baking and icing several dozen cookies for her.  Thankfully I had a little help.  The inspiring baker & blogger, Sugarbelle , had the perfect cookies that she made back in 2012.  Those extraordinary cookies became my templates for Elley’s cookies.  I thank her tremendously for ...

Fridays can only mean one thing at my house.  It's roast chicken night!  Roast chicken is something I really love to eat and it's something I really love to make, because it is comfort food at its best.  The aroma that wafts from the oven as the plump, juicy bird roasts is unlike any other.  This recipe is one that I turn to every single week because my family loves it.  The bird always comes out juicy and succulent, never dry or tough.  One thing I strongly recommend is that you buy a free-range, organic chicken from a reputable butcher or supermarket.  I'm lucky to have several sources, including my local Whole Foods.  However, any good chicken that's humanely raised will undoubtedly make a delicious main course. The great thing about this recipe is that it can be customized to your family's liking.  Add some spices to give it some zip, tuck in some herbs underneath the skin or change the citrus to a lime or orange if you wish....

Dear David:  Are Mosser glass cake stands the same as the ones that were sold through Martha by Mail when the catalog was around?  They look the same to me, but I’m not so sure.  Thanks for your help. ~ Amber S. Dear Amber, I’m glad you brought this up because there seems to be some confusion out there about the Mosser Glass cake stands and those made by L.E. Smith for Martha by Mail.  The differences between both styles of cake stands are very subtle, yet the hallmarked areas along the stem of the pedestal tell you what’s what when you take a closer look at them.  Once you pick up on those differences, it is very simple to determine who made what cake stand.  You will never make the mistake again of confusing both of these styles of cake stands from two of America’s premier glassworks. The jadeite glass, milk glass, pink glass, delphite glass and clear glass, which seem to follow traditional colors from the 1950s, makes it rather probl...

It’s no secret that I love collecting jadeite and that I enjoy using it on a weekly basis.  Although I have gathered several pieces throughout the years, I still consider myself a budding collector of it.  What pieces I do have I cherish immensely for many reasons.  A few of them were gifted to me, while most were lucky finds from antique shops and flea markets, or were purchased from Martha by Mail many years ago.  As much as I pride myself in organizing the spaces in my home, I honestly did not have a dedicated area for my jadeite up until now.   After clearing out some Wedgwood from a cabinet, I decided that the beautiful tones of my vintage and contemporary jadeite would look wonderful against the ‘Peale Green’ cabinets in the kitchen.  This historic color from Benjamin Moore will sometimes be a rich, deep green and at other times will reveal a different shade giving off a lot of gray undertones.  It all depends on the time of day and what...

A superb addition to anyone’s existing collection of cookie cutters, the Nordstrom Bear made for Martha by Mail is worth taking a closer look.  This particular cutter has always baffled me because of the lack of information in the collector's market.   I don’t recall it ever being sold through Martha by Mail, and yet, the decorating card clearly says it is from the catalog.   After contacting the original manufacturer of this adorable teddy bear, we now have the answers to your questions about the limited-edition single cutter. I’ve always loved this copper cookie cutter because of its versatility and its charming silhouette.  It can be used for so many special occasions such as baby showers, a child’s birthday, the winter holidays and even for weddings (think of dapper teddy bears in tuxedos and lady bears in wedding dresses!).   This is what the coppersmith had to say about his creation from 1998. "Nordstrom teddy bears were desig...