easter inspiration - martha stewart

If ever there was a time when we could all use a little inspiration for pulling together a holiday, it's now, when we're confined to our homes and are limited to the resources we have on hand. And if there was ever one to inspire us, it's Martha Stewart. So when I found myself a little lost as to how I was going to make our Easter feel as normal as possible, I turned to my collection of old Living magazines. I pulled all of the April issues out and set them on the coffee table. When I found myself feeling a little down, or needing a little pick me up, I'd make a cup of tea and sit down and flip through an old issue (or three). They never fail to bring me joy. Thankfully I had gathered most of their Easter candy and things the week before we needed to isolate, so I had that covered. I was able to work with the food we had for the most part, save the ham, which I had purchased when I had done groceries the week before. And the table? I pulled together what I had and thankfully, had a little extra time on my hand to make it feel special.

I had prepared these photos days before Easter as so many of you responded to the photos of the old issues when I posted them, and this book, when I had shared it weeks ago. Even though Easter is now past, I'm posting it anyway. If anything, they'll still bring inspiration next year.

These photos are from her book Martha's Entertaining - A Year of Celebrations.

I love colours of these eggs. We died a few this year and I was happy with how they turned out, mainly because of the lack of colour! A few years ago I started hiding a large chocolate in golden foil for each boy. I make it extra challenging and they love hunting for it.

She has a beautiful collection of antique chocolate molds.

A leg of lamb - something I've never made before.

A pretty Easter tree (we made our first this year) and a gorgeous citrus tart.

One of my favourite of the Easter photos - I just love a beautiful buffet.

Her property with an abundance of Daffodil bulbs in bloom.

I'm definitely going to be planting bulbs this fall around of yard.

And this brought the inspiration for having tea on Sunday. 

a classic pumpkin loaf

A staple in the kitchen, once the words pumpkin and spice start popping up everywhere it seems, is a classic pumpkin loaf.

I have tried a few different recipes, but my go-to recipe is from Martha Stewart Living. It's not just that it turns out perfectly every time, or that it makes two perfect loaves (which seem to last just as long as one loaf), but that it's a pretty straightforward recipe that I know by heart, so it's just comfortably familiar.

Pumpkin Bread

from Martha Stewart Living

Preheat oven to 350. Butter two loaf pans.

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of unsalter butter (12 tbsp) and set aside

Set aside 1/2 c. of buttermilk and four eggs.

In a bowl, sift the following:

3 1/4 c. flour

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. allspice

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

In the bowl of stand mixer, mix the following to combine:

1 15 oz can of pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. (*note - In Canada, our common tin of E. D. Smith's pure pumpkin is actually 796 mL, which means you only need a half can for this recipe.)

1 c. of dark brown sugar, packed

1 c. of white sugar

Add butter and the 4 eggs. Scrape down bowl and mix thoroughly.

Alternate dry ingredients with the 1/2 c. of buttermilk, finishing with the remainder of dry ingredients.

Mix just until combined. Scrape down bowl. Divide evenly between two pans. Smooth out tops and bake in middle of top rack for roughly an hour. The recipe calls for 70-80 minutes, but I start checking at 60 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check if loaves are done. Cool 10 minutes and then remove from pan to finish cooling.

The loaves get the perfect, muffin-like top, and are nice and moist. Another reason I love the recipe is because it's so versatile. A slice is perfect with a generous amount of butter, stored in your pocket for a nice walk or as a quick breakfast on the go, or to make it a little more special, some swirled cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of toasted walnuts does the trick. Either way, it won't last long.

It's also the perfect after school snack with a cup of tea.

And if the smell of pumpkin bread baking isn't enough to send you searching for your pile of knitted sweaters and Hunter boots, seeing the garden take on it's fall hues will do the trick.

gingerbread recipe

I spent more time today than I care to admit making Gingerbread. That being said, they're the prettiest Gingerbread I've ever made, so I thought I would share them here.

The recipe I used for the Gingerbread was for Gingerbread Snowflakes by Martha Stewart Living, and I used Jenny Steffens' Royal Icing recipe for the decorating.

*note - I added an extra 1/4 cup of icing sugar to the Royal Icing recipe, just so it was firm enough to hold a nice line, but soft enough to pipe easily.

They were a little time consuming, but actually fairly easy. Just don't skimp out on the chilling!

Happy baking.

Ps. Follow along on Instagram if you aren't already!

@growersdaughter

Thanksgiving Dinner

Do you remember what it was like before Pinterest?

Coming home to find a glossy new issue in the mailbox, and then leaving it on the counter until the day was over, and you could sit down and pour over each page. Keeping each issue stored away for future inspiration. And if you're like me, you might have even kept binders of sheets torn out because of something you especially loved or were inspired by, every page safely tucked into a clear page cover and filed away.

With the changing of each season, a large stack of back issues for that time of year would be placed out under our coffee table, and enjoyed once more, bringing with it an inspiring new arrangement, or room, or bouquet or recipe.

This year, in preparation for the Thanksgiving dinner I was hosting, I pulled out and browsed through many wonderful November issues of Martha Stewart. I followed her instructional guide to classic stuffing. I even used her Thanksgiving Planner as a guideline for preparing dinner and the days leading up to it.

I just draw so much inspiration from them.

And so, after a few evenings, and many cups of tea, I finalized my menu, pulled together a table, and even wrote out my grocery list for this year's Thanksgiving.

It was a lovely evening spent with both of our immediate families, something we are so blessed to be able to do.

(Now, seeing this photo much larger, I've noticed that one of the knives at one of the place settings is crooked. This is what happens when little curious fingers start poking about.)

To see what else inspired me this Thanksgiving, you can view my Pinterest board:

Thanksgiving Dinner

Waiting Out the Rain

[Martha Stewart Living]

This morning we awoke to the sounds of rain, again. It's put a damper on my plans to prepare my raised beds in my vegetable garden. Our patch consists of four 4 x 4 raised plots, an 8 x 8 unraised plot, a few feet of raspberry bushes and a small cluster of rhubarb.

The beds need to be weeded and raked because it's almost time for me to begin planting. But, all this rain is making for some overly muddy soil, not dry enough for prepping.

They are forecasting periods of sun for the middle of the week, so hopefully I will be able to get out there soon!

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If only I had a glass house to work in... Wouldn't it be a lovely way to spend a rainy day?

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It wouldn't even have to be large... This one is the perfect size!

Happy Monday girls.

PS. 50 billionth attempt at making proper French Macarons - - - failed. Again. Why can't I just give up and move on?

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Later that afternoon...

I'm happy to report that the rain momentarily let up this afternoon, so on went the boots, and outside we went! Garden prepping has officially begun.

Every time I got them perfectly leveled, along he came with his rake.

His rubber boots are his favourite. When he was just learning to stand, they came all the way up his thighs, so they helped balance him. It was the cutest thing... they still are.

House Tour - Martha Stewart's Skylands Guest House

In light of Valentines Day being only a few days away, I thought I would send some inspirations with a touch of pink - okay, a lot of pink.

Though this colour palette isn't exactly my first choice, this would be a lovely little guest house to spend Valentines Day weekend in!

Enjoy!

The use of wicker furniture does give it a cozy, cottage feel.

I love the stitching detail on the pillows, and the shade of grey that she's using as an accent. I was inspired by it enough that I painted my guest room set a similar shade - Martha Stewart Cityscape.

A cozy little writing desk - as all guest rooms and houses should have. I bet there's even matching stationary!

The natural subway tile floor really grounds this room.

And, in true Martha fashion, a simple and pretty vanity. I love the look of the exposed pipes - it adds some unexpected contrast to all the pretty, delicate pinks, while still complimenting the space.

Let It Snow

There's a feeling of snow in the air here! It's in the forecast for today and all this weekend and I couldn't be more excited! It's below zero, windy and there are grey snow clouds looming, ready to coat everything in a blanket of white.

What a perfect way to spend the weekend! Cozy on the couch with a fire on, snuggled under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. And of course, if it actually falls, a walk through the freshly fallen snow.

Happy Friday everyone.

And for those of you who are lucky enough to be celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend over the river, have a wonderful weekend full of family and friends and good food!