Book Housekeeping Martha Stewart

No one knows better how to give a party than Martha Stewart--and as she proves in this comprehensive and visually dazzling handbook, great parties begin with great hors d'oeuvres. Three hundred all-new recipes, each photographed in full color, show why Martha Stewart is still America's style authority and most trusted party host. It was fifteen years ago that Martha Stewart first turned her creativity and talent for teaching to this subject, when she defined the look and flavor of party appetizers for professionals and home cooks in Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres. Since then, America's tastes have evolved and Martha's own approach to food has expanded to encompass flavors from around the world, seasonal ingredients fresh from the garden, and innovative preparations all presented with an unsurpassed eye for beauty. In this book, after laying out the basic foundations and techniques, Martha presents chapters on different hors d'oeuvre categories that are brimming with new ideas--Layered and Stacked; Wrapped, Rolled, Filled, Folded, and Stuffed; and Skewered and Threaded. Whether a classic cocktail party food reinvigorated with her wit and style--chicken salad tea sandwiches turned on their sides and encrusted with sesame seeds, for example--or deliciously decadent dips for crudites and seafood updated with Indian dhal or white beans and mustard greens; tiny toasted breadboxes filled with Welsh rarebit; or savory sips of soups in edible cups, these impeccable jewels are as exciting as anything Martha has ever invited her readers to serve on the buffet or tea table or pass among guests. Reflecting Martha's favorite way to entertain now--informal and relaxed--there is also Bitesand Pieces, a chapter packed with simple recipes for parties that please the guests without undoing the host.

The year was 1982, and Martha Stewart published her first book, Entertaining. This immediate best-seller, based on Martha's experience as a professional caterer, introduced readers to a new style of entertaining and a new style of cookbook - one that was gloriously photographed and filled with a wealth of information on the art of hospitality. In the years following, Martha wrote eight more books on food and entertaining, continuing to inspire a growing legion of fans with beautiful food, simply but elegantly presented. This book is the culmination of those years of publishing. More than 1,600 recipes and variations - all the recipes from Entertaining, Quick Cook, Pies & Tarts, Hors d'Oeuvres, Quick Cook Menus, Gardening, Weddings, Christmas, and Menus for Entertaining - are gathered together in a single volume. Thoroughly revised and updated, The Martha Stewart Cookbook includes a new introduction by Martha, new step-by-step illustrations, new menus, and sidebars and tips on subjects as varied as freezing pastry, selecting the best fruit, and setting the table.