Martha Stewart Entertaining Book 1982---Entertaining book since 1982,” says Stewart: The first book really was kind of an entertaining textbook for the homemaker," Stewart tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer. "I couldn't find a good book about entertaining in 1982 and neither could my friend, so I decided to write it."
At the time, Stewart was working as a caterer, so her 1982 book is filled with photos of other people's fabulous parties. Three decades later, Stewart has written a new book filled with photos of her own gatherings. Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations shows off Stewart's superstar hospitality at her home in Bedford, N.Y., her weekend place in East Hampton, N.Y., and her summer house in Maine.
"What I did in this book was try to capture sort of the essence of what we all like to do when we entertain ... make wonderful food from really good recipes, set a pretty table or a beautiful buffet, make flower arrangements cut from our own gardens," Stewart explains.
As always, Stewart sets the bar high. The book is overflowing with artfully arranged food on exquisite china, set beside gorgeous glasses and beautiful flatware. But Stewart insists even the unprofessional homemaker can follow along.
"It's kind of a dreamscape, in a way," she admits, "but there are many, many practical and interesting and inspiring kinds of moments throughout the book that I think will enable people to have a pretty Easter, have a wonderful Fourth of July, have an inspiring Christmas."
Stewart keeps all of her Christmas decorations neatly tucked away in the basement of her Bedford home.
"We have a very organized basement," she says. "You would love it down there. ... It's all organized in those plastic tubs on big, floor-to-ceiling shelves, so we know where everything is. ... I'm always adding to my collections of stuff, and it's a lot of fun."
This year, in honor of her 10-month-old grandchild, Jude, Stewart is planning a "Brown Bear Christmas."
"We made a whole lot of ornaments in the shape of bears this year and they're very cute," she says.
But Martha's Entertaining isn't all cute Christmas and pretty place settings. The opening chapter features a ceramic nativity scene that looks like it's made of light-brown, coffee-colored Wedgwood Drabware — it was made during Stewart's time in prison in 2004 after she was convicted for obstruction of justice in relation to questionable stock sales.
"When I was incarcerated at Alderson in West Virginia for a five-month term, they had a ceramics class," she says. "And in the ceramics class was a storage warehouse room where I found all the molds for an entire large nativity scene."
It took her a long time to find molds for all 15 or so characters — Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the wise men, the camels — everybody. And then she saved up to buy enough clay to create each figurine.
"I was able to purchase enough clay with my monthly stipend," she says. "... I didn't get a lot of other things that I would have liked in that five-month period because I bought clay instead. And I molded the entire nativity scene."
The book gives plenty of examples of perfectly set tables before the guests arrive, but there are also some chapters that show the aftermath of a well-hosted party. When Stewart moved into her summer home in Maine, the previous owners left her the contents of their wine cellar — filled with aging burgundy. A wine expert friend told Stewart that the burgundy would soon be over the hill.
"So we designed a dinner, and we drank and drank and drank bottles of delicious '85s and '82s ... and we served them with short ribs and beautiful fig and apple tarts," Stewart says.
At the time, Stewart was working as a caterer, so her 1982 book is filled with photos of other people's fabulous parties. Three decades later, Stewart has written a new book filled with photos of her own gatherings. Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations shows off Stewart's superstar hospitality at her home in Bedford, N.Y., her weekend place in East Hampton, N.Y., and her summer house in Maine.
"What I did in this book was try to capture sort of the essence of what we all like to do when we entertain ... make wonderful food from really good recipes, set a pretty table or a beautiful buffet, make flower arrangements cut from our own gardens," Stewart explains.
As always, Stewart sets the bar high. The book is overflowing with artfully arranged food on exquisite china, set beside gorgeous glasses and beautiful flatware. But Stewart insists even the unprofessional homemaker can follow along.
"It's kind of a dreamscape, in a way," she admits, "but there are many, many practical and interesting and inspiring kinds of moments throughout the book that I think will enable people to have a pretty Easter, have a wonderful Fourth of July, have an inspiring Christmas."
Stewart keeps all of her Christmas decorations neatly tucked away in the basement of her Bedford home.
"We have a very organized basement," she says. "You would love it down there. ... It's all organized in those plastic tubs on big, floor-to-ceiling shelves, so we know where everything is. ... I'm always adding to my collections of stuff, and it's a lot of fun."
This year, in honor of her 10-month-old grandchild, Jude, Stewart is planning a "Brown Bear Christmas."
"We made a whole lot of ornaments in the shape of bears this year and they're very cute," she says.
But Martha's Entertaining isn't all cute Christmas and pretty place settings. The opening chapter features a ceramic nativity scene that looks like it's made of light-brown, coffee-colored Wedgwood Drabware — it was made during Stewart's time in prison in 2004 after she was convicted for obstruction of justice in relation to questionable stock sales.
"When I was incarcerated at Alderson in West Virginia for a five-month term, they had a ceramics class," she says. "And in the ceramics class was a storage warehouse room where I found all the molds for an entire large nativity scene."
It took her a long time to find molds for all 15 or so characters — Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the wise men, the camels — everybody. And then she saved up to buy enough clay to create each figurine.
"I was able to purchase enough clay with my monthly stipend," she says. "... I didn't get a lot of other things that I would have liked in that five-month period because I bought clay instead. And I molded the entire nativity scene."
The book gives plenty of examples of perfectly set tables before the guests arrive, but there are also some chapters that show the aftermath of a well-hosted party. When Stewart moved into her summer home in Maine, the previous owners left her the contents of their wine cellar — filled with aging burgundy. A wine expert friend told Stewart that the burgundy would soon be over the hill.
"So we designed a dinner, and we drank and drank and drank bottles of delicious '85s and '82s ... and we served them with short ribs and beautiful fig and apple tarts," Stewart says.
