Martha Stewart Forty Years Of Influencing

 Yes, there is Joanna Gaines, Meghan Markle and Ina Garten. There are the tradwives with their milkmaid aesthetic However they wouldn't be who they are , influencers with how we eat and decorate our tables without the first and most influential influencer Martha Stewart. She changed the way Americans cooked and threw parties. Forty some od years later she is still a driving force.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this great lady in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday's Food section. . Keep in mind that beofre Ms. Stewart there were only a handful of chefs that America followed. The first was the impactful Julia Child who brought French food to the American kitchen. The second was Marcella Hazan who showed the country the subtleties of Italian regional cooking. Some relied on Fanny Farmer cookbooks along with the famed Joy of Cooking. Yet these omitted important components of throwing a good dinner party. Her message was is that anyone who is organized and determined enough can cook entertain and decorate. There was also lesson on gardening and growing fruits and veggies for dishes. The book that kicked it all off was The 1982 Entertaining which is now being reissued from it's publisher Penguin ,Random House. It originally went out of print in 20201, after the pandemic during which it brought in a million copies.

Entertaining was something of an anomaly at the time. COokbooks by independent authors were an unloved niche of the publishing world.. Color photography was reserved for corporate productions such as the Time-Life Cookbooks and Better Homes And Gardens. The best seller list at the time listed such cookbooks as The Silver Papalte Cookbook, The Moosewood Cookbook and it's sequel The Enchanted Broccoli Express. which represented the culinary and domestic revolution of the Seventies. These showed homey recipes like casseroles and potlucks, perfect for a cozy dinner in but not for a formal gathering at home. Martha Stewart's book was different.It featured lavishly illustrated book of dressy events.There were fancy luaus to even a midnight omelette party with the description terrifying. These showcased antique baskets and spotless white dresses as party wear. Her book and tyle influenced the  great chef Carla Hal. She became obsessed with tiny stuffed tomatoes served on antique silver platters. There were other followers like Katherine Lewin who opened Big Night Store in both Brooklyn and Manhattan She introduced dinner therapy to those who are not adept at it.

Martha Stewart is the original influencer. Even forty years after her book was published her words and actions have an impact. People will always follow her.

Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook Mayo With Everything

Mayonnaise is a Southern must have and Southern cooks must have Duke's Mayo. This Southern staple has now been incorporated into a cookbook that features everything from breakfast to dessert. It can be used in a variety of different dishes from around the globe. It's an amazing ingredient for a wide range of recipes.

The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook : 75 Recipes Celebrating the Perfect Condiment (Grand Central Publishing 2020) celebrates this century old Southern classic. Ashley Strickland Freeman who has also written Southern Living's Ultimate Book Of BBQ  and 28 Days Of Clean Eating.  Chef Strickland Freeman is also a chef who uses the famed mayo in all of her dishes. The mayonnaise has been around since 1917 , invented by North Carolingian Eugenia Thomas Duke, known for her delicious sandwiches  enhanced with her homemade emulsion of eggs and oil.Of course adding mayo to dishes is a Southern thing but Chef Strickland Freeman uses it in such diverse dishes as Chicken Parmesan , Pork Banh Mi and lamb kabobs. What is fun is the input from other chefs such as the famed Nathalie Dupree and TV personality and chef Carla Hall. The book is not as large as other cookbooks. The sections are Breakfast And Brunch, Lunch, Dinner , Sides and Snacks and Desserts. Extra advice is only two pages long and they include lists on what kind of tools to have to create the dishes along with a small group of tips on greasing and flouring pans and how to measure dry and wet ingredients.

The recipes are truly varied. For those who though mayo was just reserved for lunch  time sandwiches think again. Also Duke's is the recommended mayo but you can use any kind or brand.Mayo is a great sub for butter and it makes for crispy grilled cheese sandwiches in Chef Strickland Freeman's recipe. For a creamier scrambled egg , try her scrambled egg recipe that calls for  a quarter cup of Duke's. Adding it to any batter, makes for a much tender crumb. Biscuit enthusiasts will love the recipe for buttermilk biscuits and Earl Grey scones. It also does wonders to cake mixes as seen in the dessert recipes strawberry rhubarb layer cake and scratch ones such as plum upside down cake and peppermint brownies. The condiment is perfect in locking in moisture for meat which makes it excellent for marinating. Try the herb roasted chicken recipe which promises tender, juicy meat or the rosemary-Dijon pork chops. Of course there are salad and dressing recipes along with the Southern classic - deviled eggs. This comes with three variations that include pesto and bacon.  There is German potato salad that has two kinds of mustard as well and different types of aioli. The tomato one goes with the grilled okra but it would be perfect with the rosemary fries. For a cool treat make up the seafood pasta salad that combines calamari and shrimp. Want hearty? Then whip up the  steak salad with the buttermilk herb dressing. It 's also great in hush puppies too if you want a tasty snack.

The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook : 75 Recipes Celebrating The Perfect Condiment is the must have cookbook for Duke's Mayonnaise lovers. They can create all sorts of recipes for brunch and dinner, lunch and snacks along with desserts. It's a taste of the South that you can use everywhere.

Duke's Mayonnaise can be bought on Amazon if you can't find it in your local grocery.

Lou Ana Coconut Oil - Go Coconuts For It

One of the most trending food and beauty items right now is coconut oil. It is everywhere with both home and professional chefs clamoring for it. They should buy LouAna's Coconut Oil. It's is a kitchen necessity, with uses for everything, from cooking to beauty maintenance.

The century old Lou Ana Company has jumped on this trendy bandwagon.The 122 year old company has been producing a variety of oils for Southern California kitchens and most of the US. Generations of home chefs have been using it for their family's fried chicken recipes as well as for the recently popular  holiday fried turkeys. The company started out selling  the usual every day  oils, safflower, peanut and vegetable. All  are fat free and rid of transfat. Their latest foray , coconut oil, is no different.It is non-hydrogenated, worth 0 percent transfat, ideal for frying and sauteing. It can be used for baking too. It makes for a better and relatively healthier buttercream frosting than the ones made with butter or margarine. Using it will definitely improve one's health.Coconut oils aids in heart health, being high in lauric acid which helps prevent high blood pressure and high cholesterol.It's great for those on diet because it speeds up metabolism, and helps to burn calories. Everyone knows about its' beauty benefits.It's excellent in softening rough skin and works better than fancy skin cremes in diminishing fine lines. This all purpose oil gives hair an amazing shine and is an excellent cuticle cream. (especially if you use those nail stickers  that dry out the nail bed.) LouAna has the regular coconut oil but also sells an organic kind They have just come out with a non stick spray for grills and griddles. This last can also be sprayed on poultry too, before roasting to give the bird a nice evenly browned skin.

Lou Ana has teamed with chef and The Chew host, Carla Hall for recipes. Chef Hall is a huge fan of coconut oil.It's highlighted in every one of her  dishes from main meal to dessert Her famed hot fried chicken is fried in it.  Hers is a healthier recipe than the traditional fried chicken, because she sautes the breaded pieces in the oil, rather than deep fries them. As I've found out  coconut oil gets hot very quickly and can also smoke too. Be cautious when using it,.She also uses it for crisping up her Dijon tarragon salmon and  braised short ribs. It's also in her eggplant casserole  as well as in her pear cranberry pot pie  Chef Hall even makes yummy walnut cinnamon cookies with it. I liked working with the oil however I used a bit too much the first time - not a good idea. There was a heavy oily aftertaste thanks to an over enthusiastic home chef. Some home chefs are put off by coconut oil, fearing their main dishes will taste like Mounds Bars. Not the case. The oil is tasteless and odorless having been distilled from the kernel or meat of the mature drupe, eliminating the distinct, tropical flavor. The purified oil is   then emulsified to produce the solid form. It melts at 76 F so keep in a cool place come summer.

Try Lou Ana's new line of coconut oils and coconut oil sprays.It's healthy and good , despite being trendy. Use it for delicious dishes and better baked treats.