Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home: 52 Quick Meals to Cook for Family and Friends: A Cookbook

by Martha Stewart

Two hundred recipes perfect for dinner when you have a little time—but not all day—to cook. For meals that are meant for sharing with friends and family but created with busy cooks in mind, Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home is a new classic that cooks of all levels will depend on. Whether you're making a Sunday supper or hosting a casual get-together, Martha Stewart has put together 52 diverse menus that make the most of each season's flavors—and the various ways we like to cook as the weather changes.

The menus—featuring starters, main courses, side dishes, and desserts—are cleverly designed with a simple preparation schedule that enables you to plan and cook dinner so that it is on the table in about an hour. Using easy-to-find ingredients from the grocery store or farmers' market (and Martha's helpful tips and shortcut techniques), each meal is fresh and inspiring without demanding too much effort. Examples include:  
•  Watercress-Cauliflower Soup, Roasted Pork with Sage and Garlic, Braised Fennel and White Beans, Pears with Candied Walnuts and Gorgonzola  
•  Asparagus-Parmesan Tart, Shrimp in Saffron Broth, Couscous with Golden Raisins, Apricot-Almond Ice Cream Sandwiches
•  Roast Chicken Breasts in Creamy Tarragon Sauce, Warm Lentils with Spinach, Caramelized Endive, Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce  
•  Avocado and Lemon on Toasted Rustic Bread, Seared Tuna in Tomato-Basil Sauce, Green Beans with Lemon Butter, Peaches in Honey Syrup

Martha has put so much thought into Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home that cooking for family and friends will be something you look forward to doing again and again.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 2009

About the author

Martha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.

Reviews

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

over the past year i accidentally started receiving Martha Stewart Living and in short order learned to trust and then eagerly anticipate the Dinner Tonight menu suggestion at the back of every issue. this cookbook offers the same genius, with menus organized by season, allowing the avid home cook to benefit from the best that CSAs, farmers' markets, and grocery stores have to offer.

the menus suggest interesting flavor pairings that i wouldn't have thought of myself, enough courses and side dishes to round out nutrition and keep both the cook's and the diners' interest, and very filling but healthful-sized portions and don't require advanced technique or too much more than an hour for complete start-to-finish prep.

i'm quite impressed and have completely unintentionally begun to drink the Tiffany-blue Martha kool-aid.

*** UPDATED 1/15 ***

this is probably my go-to book for tiny (read: fourish-person) dinner parties: lovely, thoughtful, doable menus that provide recognizable, tasty favorites prepared with imagination. this book was a game-changer for me.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Martha Stewart cookbook that I purchased was her "The Martha Stewart Cookbook." Awfully good, but not for the everyday cook in his/her kitchen. The second of her cookbooks, "Martha Stewart's Cooking School," was more accessible (at least to me). I have enjoyed a number of recipes from this book. My third acquisition, "Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home," has an interesting twist--(Page 9): "Arranged seasonally to take advantage of what's in the market, these meals are accessible, but they also satisfy our desire for an even broader range of foodstuffs."

For each season, there is a set of meals (52 in all, one for each week).

Spring: Here is an example (and one that I aim to try out in the near future--except for the rhubarb!). Baby lamb chops with lemon strips; asparagus with aioli; Quinoa, pea, and mint salad; vanilla-poached rhubarb. The lamb chops are very simply made. The asparagus dish is also quite doable. I have never used quinoa before, but have seen a number of recipes that use it, so this dish intrigues me (again, looks pretty straightforward to make). The rhubarb? I'll let that go, since I'm not a fan!

Summer: "The markets are overflowing with local fruits and vegetables at their peak, yet the long, sunny days cut short any thoughts of spending hours in the kitchen (Page 73)." One example. Avocado and lemon on toasted rustic bread; Seared tuna in tomato-basil sauce; green beans with lemon butter; Peaches in honey syrup. The tuna dish uses readily available ingredients, so would be pretty easy to make for the home cook.

Fall: As Stewart puts it, a season with plentiful produce lending itself to heartier preparations. The example? Pork chops with sautéed apples and onion (I have made a similar dish, but this recipe promises to be more delicious still); Shaved fennel-celery salad; mustard mashed potatoes; maple custards.

Winter: Here is the example that I especially like. Roast chicken breasts in creamy tarragon sauce (I haven’t used tarragon as much as I should have over time, given that it adds an interesting taste to dishes); warm lentils with spinach; caramelized endive; poached pears with chocolate sauce.

All in all, a fun, accessible set of recipes. I look at this as a fine addition to my kitchen library.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is subtitled "52 quick meals for family and friends" and it lives up to that. It's divided into the four seasons, again, a helpful distinction - and each meal includes many recipes for soup, main dish, salad or side, and quick dessert. A supper might start with watercress/cauliflower soup, then roast pork with sage and garlic and braised fennel with white beans, then ending with Maple custard. This is a mix from the Fall menu. I borrowed this from the library, but it definitely belongs on my cookbook shelves.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looks delicious!

[Laura Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got only 2 or 3 usuable recipes out of the book.

[LMTZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice cookbook. For me, wouldn't be quick to make meals.

[Darby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it, I have thing for books that are divided into seasons and menus. Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home does both. It has 13 menus for each season so 52 meals - one for each week. It is arranged seasonally so that you can take advantage of what produce is in season. These recipes aren't your typical all-American meat and potatoes type of menu. They go go beyond but not so much that it is out of reach. Ingredients used are fairly simple and a person should be able to pick up at the grocery store. Although I do think these recipe aren't exactly everyday meals for the average American family but I think it does give ideas and starting points to maybe think out of the box for your next weeknight meal. I also don't believe them to be all that quick even though the title says "Quick Meals..." Quick always makes me think of Rachel Ray and 30-minute Meals (many that don't look like they could be done well in 30 minutes either) but anyway what I am saying is quick means 30 minutes or less to me. These will take at least an hour - sometimes a little more with prep. These recipes would be good to serve to friends and family that you are having over for dinner or some would be good just to mix up your usual menu.

This book has beautiful photographs and good print on quality paper. It gives you sidebar extra info for each menu along with a preparation schedule. At the end of the of the book, Stewart includes some basics of cooking such as soup stock recipes and hints on cleaning and prep of some foods. The menus are also broken down into categories instead of seasons - so starters, main dish, sides and desserts. But overall I love how the table of contents is set up - because of the seasonal menus. I would go that direction first because being able to find in season produce would be the best.
Sample of menus in the book...

Spring

Spring Salad with Fresh Mozzarella
Turkey and Pancetta Meatballs
Pasta with Mint Pesto and Fava
Coffee Ice Cream Affogato

Strip Steak with Chimichurri
Roasted Potato Wedges
Sauteed Spinach with Vidalia Onions
Torrijas

Fontina and Herb Flatbread
Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Cutlets
Wilted Escarole
Amaretti-Ricotta Sandwiches

Summer

Pancetta Cheeseburgers
Balsamic Mushrooms
Tomato, Basil and White Bean Salad
Coconut-Topped Cupcakes

Salmon with Creamy Leeks
Dilled Rice Salad
Sugar Snap Peas with Toasted Almonds
Raspberry Mint Gelatin Cups

Cantaloupe Wedges with Feta Cheese
Honey-Glazed Chicken Skewers
Summer Squash and Olive Phyllo Tart
Espresso Cream Crunch


Fall

Warm Swiss Chard and Bacon Dip
Braised Chicken Marsala
Sage Polenta
Sauteed Pears in Honey Syrup

Skillet Rib-Eye Steaks
Broiled Peppers with Melted Cheese
Broccoli with Garlic and Anchovies
Molten Chocolate-Espresso Cakes

Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Onion
Shaved Fennel-Celery Salad
Mustard Mashed Potatoes
Maple Custards

Winter

Roast Chicken Breasts in Creamy Tarragon Sauce
Warm Lentils with Spinach
Caramelized Endive
Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

Broiled Red Snapper
Citrus- Soy Sweet Potatoes
Sesame Spinach Rolls
Rice Pudding with Candied Kumquats

Butter Lettuce with Brie and Pears
Curried Vegetable Potpie
Spiced Lemon Cookies


It is my suggestion to always check cookbooks out from the library and cook a few recipes before buying.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite cookbook! Every dish is incorporated into a menu, and the menus are seasonal! Seasonal! There are 13 menus per season, one for each week. All of the recipes make good use of produce that is currently in season; Each menu is bursting with a variety of fruits and veggies. I love how healthy everything is without actually being a "healthy eating" cookbook. There are still a bunch of indulgent recipes included as well! I prefer not to diet and to just make mostly healthy choices, with a few treats when I feel like it. I don't believe in depriving myself, so this is perfect for my lifestyle. The combinations of flavors and textures martha puts together in this book are so exquisite. Probably not what you'll be cooking for a 3 year old on a weeknight, but as a young adult, I love the "fancy" factor. Many of the recipes are very simple, with only a few ingredients, which makes it easier to put together a beautiful meal without spending all day in the kitchen. Martha also lists the order in which to prep and cook the meal, which is so helpful because I usually have to try and figure it out on my own. I wouldn't recommend this book for absolute beginners, but once you get your kitchen flow going, I would recommend this book if you want full meals with complimenting sides and desserts, elegant but simple recipes, and new flavor combinations.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting -- I got a few good recipes out of here. However, the subtitle says this book is for family ... I cannot see children of a certain age eating most of the food in this book.

Book is arranged by seasons beginning with spring and working its way through winter.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

These elegant meals and seasonal recipes would best benefit those planning meals for a group or a special occasion. Making side dishes and desserts for weekday meals is quite ambitious even for those who enjoy cooking.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found some new good receipes, including a pork kebab marinage that is great!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really great menu plans in here. Lots of new recipes to try.

[Ginnie Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

seemed a little overcomplicated for what sold itself as quick and simple meals. I'm an advanced cook but A novice would be overwhelmed and I didn't care for the wording style.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well set up, but less interesting to me than I'd hoped.

[Marylou · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry Martha. It's not a fit for our family and friends.