What to Have for Dinner

The Best of Martha Stewart Living

by Martha Stewart

All the recipes from "What to Have for Dinner, " one of the most popular features of Martha Stewart Living Magazine, are collected here in one beautifully illustrated volume. Organized by season, the book gathers 30 simply laid-out menus for four, complete with a preparation schedule. Includes a resource guide for flatware, napkins, plates, and related items. 200 color photos.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

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

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've actually had this one for many, many years; just haven't put it in Goodreads before! Things I love: it's arranged both by season and by complete menu. So you don't have to overthink dinner. Martha give you an entree, a couple sides, and a dessert. Each season has about eight complete menus. I also love the full color photos of every dish. The captions even tell the reader what they're plated on! Over the years I've probably made just one or two complete menus. I've enjoyed it all! It is sometimes more complicated/difficult than I would do on an ordinary night. The subtitle is "32 Easy Menus for Every Night of the Week." Having a full time job outside the house, these are not menus I'd make on a random Thursday. But definitely doable for a dinner gathering here and there! A few of the recipes I've liked so much I have added to our regular rotation:

-Egg Noodles with Lemon and Herbs: I grew up eating buttered egg noodles as a side dish and loving it. But Martha suggested I add just a little lemon and this simple addition really took the noodles up a notch! They were so good I ate a couple bowls of the noodles just by themselves!

-Cheddar Biscuits: the name says it all. Biscuits with cheddar (and a pinch of cayenne!) in them. Delicious. Not greasy.

-Warm Brownie Cups: DELICIOUS. They came out of the oven with firm tops that crack at your spoon, and a warm, gooey inside. Topped with a tad of ice cream.... heavenly!

I am actually going to be retiring this cookbook now that I've copied down a few favorite recipes. I've used it so much over the years that the binding is gone and pages are falling out.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

First let me say, as I was perusing the pages to decide whether or not I'd add it to the Library's collection, I noticed that the descriptions of the photographs also included the description of the plates that the food was being presented on.... So I thought to myself "Oh, that is so very Martha Stewart!" Of course it turns out that this is one of her books! LOL!

I like the presentation of the book: it is large paperback, the pages are thick semi-gloss paper, there are abundant lovely photographs, but the binding is such that it will crack on the inside.

There is more than 1 recipe per page which would be not a bad thing, however, the names of the recipes are in a small plain font as is the list of ingredients while the instructions are a bit larger.

The contents are: Introduction, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, The Guide, Index & Credits. Each of the Seasons contain 7-9 menus each with 4 dishes/recipes. As I am not an ambitious cook, I'm sure that at any given time I would only prepare 1-2 of the dishes per menu, unless I was giving a dinner party. I find that there is just too much work for just myself & 1 guest.

Spring: saffron couscous; Salmon in parchment; Rhubarb raspberry crisp; Cucumber & radish salad; Sesame asparagus (yum); Stir-fry chicken; mango w/ pineapple-ginger sauce; Artichokes w/ olives; Egg noodles w/ lemon; Parmesan herb lamb chops; Almond crumb cookie; Turkey & green chile burrito; and Coffee custard.

Summer: Penne w/ summer vegetable ragout; Peaches w/ creme fraiche; Avocado & jicama salad; Grilled chicken w/ citrus salsa; caramelized apricots; Summer green antipasto; Grilled pork skewers w/ couscous; Cherries w/ kirsch & sorbet; Paella salad; Spanish ham w/ olives & oranges; Clams in rich broth w/ orzo; and Fruit w/ ricotta & plum sauce.

Autumn: Skillet braised fennel; Butternut squash risotto; Lentil & escarole soup; Lamb chops w/ prune chutney; Fish chowder; Blueberry fool; Artichoke & mushroom salad; Mocha shortbread; Pork w/ sour cherry sauce; Cornmeal fried tomatoes; Roasted corn; Eggplant & lamb al forno; Warm pear salad; Mixed chicories; and Penne w/ tomatoes & pancetta.

Winter: Spinach salad; Sea scallops in herb broth; Almond cake; Winter white salad; Peppered steak sandwiches; Herbed spaetzle & spinach; Shell steak w/ shiitake mushrooms; Sauteed broccoli rabe; Sausage w/ stewed red onions; Endive & grainy mustard salad; Potato & greens soup; Pineapple w/ ice cream; Roasted fennel & potatoes; halibut in punttanesca sauce; Oven fires; Tenderloins w/ mustard sauce; Roasted barley pilaf; and Citrus marinated pork chops.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

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