Good Things by David

Appraising your collection of Martha by Mail cookie cutters can seem like a daunting process.  After my last post, The Martha by Mail Cookie Cutter Index, I received a lot of feedback from collectors wanting to know more about their burgeoning cache of MBM cookie cutters. One avid reader of the blog, who happens to be a superb cookie decorator, baker and an inveterate collector of Martha by Mail cookie cutters, had been looking into having his collection appraised this past year. Numerous emails went back and forth between the both of us discussing this subject. Really and truly, this prompted me to write up that index which is now officially in the books and easily accessible to all Martha by Mail collectors. I asked James if he would be willing to share his experience with us so that we could make informed decisions regarding our collections.  Thankfully he was gracious enough to answer many questions that I had for him. Thank you, James!  This is invaluable ...

I hope that you will agree with me when I say that all of us can use a little green at the start of spring.  For me, the color green represents life,  renewal and positive energy.  Surrounding ourselves with a bit of green in our homes, at least in my opinion, is the equivalent of allowing vitality into our lives.  To my mind green equals happiness, and let's be honest, we can all use some cheer in our lives right now. This is especially true during these unusual and uncertain times all of us are living under.  If you're stuck at home at the moment like so many of us around the world are, it's important for our mental health to engage in activities that will give us a sense of calm and peace. A Spring Table Setting Whether it's reading, cooking, baking, organizing, exercising, learning a new language or whatever you happen to be doing to pass the time right now, don't let our social distancing or imposed quarantines make us throw our table manners ...

It doesn't take much to make whimsical and adorable sugar cookies for Halloween.  With a few cookie cutters, a reliable sugar cookie dough recipe and some tinted royal icing, your Halloween treats will be the talk of the town as soon as neighbors get wind of them.  It's a guarantee that these will fly off the racks and into loot pails in no time. For the people around town, I looked to a variation of a cookie that I made for my niece and nephew last year, and I made another variation of a ghost cookie that my friend Janet created several years ago.  Chubby pumpkins with smiley faces, some trick-o-treater ghosts that are very cute, and a few spiderwebs with creepy spiders, are what I made for my neighbors this year. Take a look at the easy patterns and make some in the next few days for your Halloween party or for the trick-or-treaters in your neighborhood.  Everyone is going to want one or two of these sugar cookies. The royal icing colors are: pumpk...

It seems as if steamed puddings are rather underrated these days.  Most of us have abandoned the tradition of steaming desserts over a burner for hours on end, opting for baking our delicious sweets instead.  I admit that I don't steam puddings too often, but whenever I do, I know that the end results are always unbelievably good. In essence, steamed puddings are nothing more than cakes which have been steamed in bowls, molds or cake pans.  Just about any good butter cake recipe can be made this way if so wish.  However, it's always best to choose those which have deep, spicy flavors.  Pumpkin, persimmon, ginger, chocolate, apple and fig are just some examples of steamed puddings that have the perfect assertive flavors for steaming. An apple spice cake recipe that I make every single year was turned into a set of steamed puddings over the weekend, and the results were well worth the effort. From the eggs, flour, butter, sugar, fruits and spices...

Every year, toward the end of June, I scour the farmers markets for sour cherries.  These incredibly delicious fruits have such a narrow window of opportunity at the market, that I waste no time in buying some whenever I spot them.  My favorite Amish farmstand near my home brings them in during the last two weeks of June.   Sour cherries fresh from the farmstand. In years past, I have made sour cherry pies, galettes and tarts, but I've never had the pleasure of making hand pies out of them.  I remember as a child how much my older brother and I used to love the Hostess hand pies which came in several flavors.  Apple and cherry were our go-to favorites, so I wanted to give my little desserts a bit of that nostalgia from childhood. Tea and a handpie. These are nothing like the very sweet, prepackaged variety found at the supermarket.  Made with a tried-and-true pate brisee crust, and a precooked sour cherry filling (this is key to making ...

I had the most marvelous afternoon this past weekend while visiting my friends' property nearby.  If you remember a short while ago, I promised you that I would visit the chickens that lay those beautiful eggs, which we've been partaking of here at home.  I finally took that much-needed trip to see the "ladies" and visit my friends. When I arrived, I noticed that some of the flowers near the home and around the outbuildings were still in bloom.  The garden planted by my friends, Luke and Alicia, was bursting with vegetables ready for harvesting.  To top it all off, the sky was as clear and blue as the ocean.   Our area of Pennsylvania has been experiencing very warm temperatures of late.  The days have been feeling more like midsummer than early fall, but you won't hear me complaining because I don't mind sunny days and eighty degree temps.  I'll take this weather and whatever the garden has to offer, any day. Years ago, I visited this b...