Blog upgrade news!

UPDATE: My Mexico pictures and upgrade should be live on September 4 between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m! Please check back for this one -- you will not want to miss it! 

In order to have a blog, you need to enlist a blogging platform, which supplies all the necessary tools for getting your photos and text onto the Internet. As my blog has grown in popularity, we realized we were ready to switch to a platform offering more programming options. After careful research, that new platform will be Wordpress, which we hope to launch tomorrow with an exciting photo gallery from my most recent trip to Mexico. With this new program, you will notice additions, such as a search engine within my blog and more robust photo galleries.

Helping with this transition is Terrance Pitre. T.J., as he likes to be called, is the Webmaster for emeril.com. Native to New Orleans, T.J. is a graduate of Tulane University. After MSLO formed a partnership with Emeril's company, T.J. moved with his wife and two cats to New York City, and began working in our web department while still preforming his emeril.com webmaster job. This blog change is exciting for all involved and T.J. is especially happy moving it forward into another realm. We'd be curious to know what you think, so please continue visiting, reading, and commenting about my blog. 

Behind the scenes of the September MSL Cover Shoot!

Last April, I posted a blog about choosing a cover for Martha Stewart Living magazine and a bit of what's involved in the process. Readers responded so favorably that I decided to show you a little behind-the-scenes of when we shot the September issue, on newsstands now. September, of course, is the decorating edition, and it's filled with fantastic ideas for making your surroundings more beautiful. Hugh Stewart photographed the actual cover, and we invited Patrick Kolts to shoot the behind-the-scenes.

Inspiration for the cover came from the wonderful story about stenciling in that issue and there were at least two different scenarios photographed. Matthew Axe was the art director for the shoot and he and his team worked for several days preparing the set. The day before the shoot, Hugh Stewart came to set up his lighting and to work out the composition with Matthew.  It's always fun to see how things are actually done, so please have a look and enjoy!

A trip to Colorado and my new Martha Stewart/KB Home community

I went to Denver, Colorado, the week before last to celebrate the one-year anniversary of our Martha Stewart/KB Home community in Stapleton. If you haven't visited or seen one of our Martha Stewart/KB Homes, it's well worth the effort to do so. These homes are fantastic and affordable -– and they are modeled after my very own homes in New York State and Maine! In addition to the community in Stapleton, there are other Martha Stewart/KB Home communities in Georgia, North Carolina, California, Florida, and Texas. More information is available here.

Home buyers at the Stapleton community have their choice of five floor plans ranging in size from 1,593 to 2,084 square feet, all with three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and two-car garages. Prices begin in the mid-$300,000s. The community in Stapleton is also Energy Star qualified, so they are engineered to heat and cool efficiently and to use less energy resources.

The interior design details are exquisite and feature wainscoting, picture-frame molding, open shelving, and so much more of what I love. Plus, all of the models were decorated by the Martha Stewart design team. In addition to touring these lovely homes, we hosted approximately 100 guests for a delicious luncheon and a cupcake-decorating contest. Of course, I judged the creations and was very impressed! 

Oh, and don't forget to check out my interview about this with Neil Cavuto! 

Behind the scenes at the "Today" show and beautiful cappuccino!

This past Wednesday on the "Today" show, I demonstrated a number of recipes from the September issue of my Everyday Food magazine. As usual, this digest-sized publication is chock-full of easy, healthy, and really wonderful recipes. After the show, I had a craving for a cappuccino, so we stopped by Bottega del Vino at 7 East 59th Street in New York City. Sammy Lin is a barista who works there and he is also quite an amazing artist. Come and see what I mean.

A chance meeting at Morandi

The other night, I went to dinner with a few friends at Morandi. This is a fun Italian trattoria located on Waverly Place in the West Village in New York City. Morandi is a creation of Keith McNally, the restaurateur who also owns Pastis, Balthazar, and Schiller's Liquor Bar. One of the things I just love about New York is that you never know who you will bump into or who will be passing by. What started out as a dinner for four quickly turned into a lively gathering of six. Come and take a look. 

My figs are ready to be plucked and enjoyed

I'm so excited because my fig trees have been bearing fruit and that fruit is finally ready to be plucked and savored. My figs are planted in pots because it's too cold and windy in this part of the world for the trees to survive the winter. Instead, in late fall, they are wrapped in burlap and placed in a dark, unheated barn.  This provides a safe environment, allowing the plants to spend the necessary dormant period so that they are energized to produce fruit again next spring.

Please continue reading for more interesting facts about figs and to check out more pictures.

Lightning strikes Lily Pond

Recently, I showed you photos of a white pine that was struck by lightning at my farm in Bedford. Well, a couple of weeks ago, a very frightening thunder and lightning storm settled over the Hamptons, out on Long Island, New York, lasting nearly two hours. There was much flooding and widespread damage, and wouldn't you know it –- my home on Lily Pond Lane in East Hampton suffered a blow from a powerful bolt of lightning.

In addition to structural damage, the electronic driveway gate was burned out, the sprinkler system control panel was fried along with my stereo system, and the burglar/fire alarm and cable/internet were also struck. Thank goodness for a comprehensive home insurance policy. And I'm just so grateful that the house didn't catch on fire, which would have caused much more major damage and heartbreak.

Rainstorm in Bedford

We've been having some wild weather this summer in the Northeast. It's been unusually cool and very rainy. I managed to capture some photos during a deluge at my home in Bedford. This storm lasted only a short time before clearing quite suddenly. Come and see.

The Bedford Post, delicious American farmhouse cuisine

Richard Gere, the actor, and his business partner, Russell Hernandez, purchased an 18th-century house and barn on 14 acres in Bedford, New York. Their plan is to keep the historic integrity and to transform it into an eight-suite luxury inn along with a restaurant featuring a farm-to-table dinner menu.

Although that ambitious project is still underway, the adjacent barn has already been restored and turned into a brasserie-cafe that serves delicious and amazing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners on certain nights. Their philosophy is American farmhouse cuisine, rooted in slow food cooking. The chef is Brian Lewis, who has worked in many fine restaurants across the United States and abroad. He gathers his ingredients from small family farms, using only what is in season and only of the highest quality. Simply stated, Brian's creations are fantastic and I certainly enjoy eating there.

Another great thing about Bedford Post is that local horse-riding trails lead to it and it's fun to go there on horseback. Betsy Perreten, my stable manager, and one of her riding buddies met me there for brunch recently. I'm told that there are plans to eventually build a small stable where a rider may leave a horse while visiting the restaurant, but for now, Betsy was prepared and packed a hitching device.  Come and have a look.

Three adorable puppies came to visit me!

I am bumping this post up since it was featured this evening on USA Today's entertainment blog (make sure to "BUZZ" this story upwards!) For the new people just coming to take a look, make sure to check out all of these adorable photos as well as the rest of my blog.

Paw Paw's grandsons came to visit my farm for the first time. I am supposed to choose.
Come have a look!