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make cake-stand skirt cut lengths of seam binding in
3 colors. Each length should be long enough to hang over both sides of the cake stand. Apply double-sided tape around
edge of cake stand. Drape seam binding across cake stand, pressing onto tape. Alternate colors, overlapping pieces at center. tip: Cut ends of seam binding
at an angle to prevent fraying.
johnny miller
entertaining
add some trim
Inexpensive seam binding—normally used to conceal the seams inside tailored garments—is all you need to dress up a Mother’s Day brunch table. Use coordinating colors of the multipurpose trim to make flirty skirts for a pair of stacked cake stands, and then continue the theme with a free-flowing seam-binding “chandelier” (for the how-to, turn the page). martha s te wart.com
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crafts
mother’s day gift Tailor-made teas to suit every taste Put a pretty, personalized spin on a gift of assorted teas. Make sachets to fill with a mix of favorite loose teas (or create custom blends from dried herbs and edible flowers, such as mint and hibiscus). Add tags, and place in a gift box. make the seam-binding chandelier
make the tea bags
wrap seam binding around
choose loose teas, and create desired blends. Place 2 tablespoons toward top edge of a cheesecloth square.
a 14-inch wreath form to cover the surface of the form, and knot to secure. Repeat with more seam binding until the form is completely covered.
roll Up cheesecloth. Gather ends of bundle to create a pouch, and tie closed with cotton string. Repeat to create more tea bags.
Cut lengths of seam binding (about 20 inches each) in 3 colors.
make a tag for each flavor using craft punches and card stock. Punch a hole in the center of each tag. Thread tea-bag strings through each tag, and knot.
tie pieces around the wreath
form at their midpoints. to hang: Cut 4 lengths (about 15 inches each) of seam binding. Tie at 4 points around wreath form, and knot at top. Hang the decoration from the knot.
sources: Craft punches and screw punch available from Martha Stewart Crafts at michaels.com; see the Guide.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Loose tea Cheesecloth, cut into 8-inch squares Cotton string Scissors Craft punches in different shapes Hole punch or screw punch Gift box Craft glue make the gift box Cut 2 rectangles from card stock
to fit inside top and bottom of gift box. Snip corners to create flaps. Glue bottom rectangle inside box. use craft punches and card stock to cut out more tags. Glue tags to top card-stock rectangle, and label. Glue to inside lid of box.
46 | martha s te wart.com
f r o m l e f t : j o h n n y m i l l e r ( 2 ) , r ay m o n d h o m
Card stock, plain or patterned
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drinks
more fruit Create a new kind of pink lemonade. Enlist raspberries—those on the verge of being overripe are perfect—to sweeten lemonade and turn it a pleasing shade of pink. Pounding the lemon slices releases oil from the rinds, rounding out the flavor.
raspberry lemonade serves 8
Combine 10 sliced lemons, 2 cups raspberries, and 1½ cups sugar in a large pot.
Stir in 6 cups water. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl. Press the solids until all juice is extracted. Discard the solids. Serve over Ice. Makes 9 cups cocktail version
Stir 2¼ cups tequila blanco into 9 cups raspberry lemonade. Serve over Ice, and garnish with Mint.
48 | martha s te wart.com
f r o m l e f t : j o h n n y m i l l e r , r ay m o n d h o m
Pound the mixture firmly with the end of a straight rolling pin (or a large wooden spoon), extracting as much juice as possible, about 10 minutes.
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10
(more) things a fork can do 1. Reaming
Insert the tines into halved citrus fruits to extract juice. 2. Pricking
Make holes in piecrusts or potatoes before baking. 3. Crimping
Decorate a raw piecrust by pressing tines along the edge. 4. Whisking
LILAC DISPLAY Spring flowers stand tall in an easy, two-tier centerpiece.
Crush berries for a sauce or bananas for banana bread.
You can boost the height and visual drama of any arrangement with the help of a serving bowl from the kitchen or china cabinet. Set a vase inside the bowl, and then fill both vessels with billowing flowers.
Make a crosshatch pattern on cookies or sides of a cake.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
make the arrangement
Serving bowl
line bowl with plastic wrap.
Plastic wrap
place floral adhesive on under-
Tall vase
side of vase. Set vase in bowl.
Floral adhesive
fill bowl with soaked floral foam. Arrange lilac stems in foam.
Blocks of floral foam, cut to fit bowl and soaked in water for 20 to 30 minutes Lilacs (or other flowers) Sources: Floral adhesive and foam available from Dorothy Biddle Service, dbsretail.com.
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add water to vase, and fill with
more lilacs. Tips: Floral adhesive will hold
the vase securely in place but is easy to remove. Hammer the tips of the lilac stems until frayed. This will help them absorb water.
5. Mashing
6. Decorating
7. Dipping
Lower nuts, fruits, or cookies into melted chocolate. 8. Scraping
Carve out spaghetti squash. Make granita. 9. Spearing
Lift pickles from a jar and waffles from the waffle iron. Hold meat when slicing. 10. testing
Check if boiled potatoes are cooked through.
f r o m l e f t : e l l i e m i l l e r , r ay m o n d h o m
entertaining
Whip eggs for omelets and other dishes.
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baking
bouquets by the batch These pastel-colored blooms are a sweet stand-in for real flowers. Simple sugar cookies spring to life (and become a nice gift for Mother’s Day or any other occasion) when baked on skewers and arranged in a “meadow”— actually a flat of wheatgrass. Use royal icing and any sugar-cookie dough, or visit marthastewart.com/cookie-meadow for recipes. make the cookies cut shapes from rolled-out cookie
dough. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, placing each cookie on the tip of a wooden skewer. Gently press down. (Cookies will adhere to skewers as they bake.) Bake cookies, and let cool completely. Pipe a border of royal icing onto each baked cookie, using a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip. Make a large dot at the center of the flower if desired, or add several polka dots to mushroom. cover remaining surface of cookie immediately with icing in a contrasting color. (If desired, let stand 10 minutes, and add smaller dots to center of each flower.) Let icing dry overnight.
f r o m t o p : r ay m o n d h o m , j o h n n y m i l l e r ; t e x t b y j e s s i c a c u m b e r b at c h
Sources: Daisy cookie cutter available at kitchengifts.com; mushroom cookie cutter at countrykitchensa.com.