Martha Stewart’s 4 Golden Rules of Holiday Hosting (You’ll Want to Take Notes)

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If I asked you to deliberation astir nan eventual location cooking and decorating icon, nan likelihood are precocious that Martha Stewart would instantly travel to mind. The 82-year-old (yes, she’s 82 — and don’t hide she was nan cover prima of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit conscionable past year) multi-hyphenate has done it each successful nan location and room for her fans, from school america how to trim onions without crying to giving america ingenious hands-free cooking hacks. An author, business woman, TV personality, and commerce queen — is location thing Martha can’t do?

Ahead of nan holidays, we sat down pinch Stewart to get nan scoop connected each nan musts and decor inspo you’ll request for nan upcoming hosting season, positive whether aliases not her beloved friend Snoop Dogg will beryllium astatine nan festivities this year, acknowledgment to Pure Leaf and their “Don’t Do It Yourself” iced-tea brewing partnership. (Enter here for a chance to get your ain Martha-approved Don’t Do It Yourself kit!)

Burning Kitchn Questions pinch Martha Stewart

What are immoderate smart autumn hosting and decorating tips and tricks you aliases your friends committedness by? 

I person 1 friend who makes judge that everybody meets everybody astatine nan meal statement earlier they beryllium down astatine nan table, and I deliberation that’s a bully thing. To return attraction of nan seating scheme is different point to salary attraction to — don’t put 2 archenemies adjacent to each different aliases crossed from 1 another. So that’s my main thing, and to service bully food. You don’t person to service arsenic overmuch nutrient arsenic immoderate group do (sometimes group overdo it). Just service really bully food. 

I effort to beryllium an innovator, but I mightiness get a really bully thought for a array decoration aliases mounting aliases thing — I don’t cognize really to do everything. We conscionable had a large statement and I deliberation our array was really beautiful. It was a very agelong array for 76 people, and we did a beautiful centerpiece down nan full array of our breadstuff baskets interspersed pinch each kinds of autumnal squashes and pumpkins and leaves. It was conscionable gorgeous. I deliberation it’s conscionable really nice, if you’re going to entertain, to effort to do arsenic overmuch arsenic you tin to make your guests consciousness wanted, to consciousness included and to beryllium happy erstwhile they leave. 

Any large hosting aliases decorating hacks you’re astir proud of?

You know, I was astonished to spot astatine a statement past twelvemonth a large food mound. You know, it’s a large point now to mound up arsenic galore pounds of food arsenic you perchance tin truthful you tin conscionable put pieces of breadstuff successful it. And I laughed to myself because successful 1982 — you tin look it up — I can’t retrieve nan page number, but successful my first book, there’s this mound of butter, truthful they must person gotten them someplace. 

So what’s going to beryllium connected your Thanksgiving array this year?

Well, I person rather a postulation of turkeys. I person taxidermy turkeys and I person solid turkeys and I person pottery turkeys. And astir apt a batch of those will beryllium put connected my agelong array that seats 18 successful my eating room, and past I person different tables successful a smaller eating room and I person a structure now that we tin eat in. I utilized to deliberation kids wanted to beryllium by themselves, for illustration connected nan porch, but they don’t want to beryllium by themselves. They want to beryllium successful wherever nan action is, which is nice, and I was pleased to spot that. I haven’t finalized nan impermanent list, but it’ll beryllium fun. 

I person to ask: Is Snoop connected nan impermanent list?

Oh, Snoop is ever welcome, but I don’t deliberation I tin accommodate his gigantic family. There’s an atrocious batch of them and he’s astir apt either successful Hawaii aliases Los Angeles for Thanksgiving.

So nary Snoop but a plethora of turkeys. Is that ever your go-to for decorating for Thanksgiving? How galore do you deliberation you have?

I utilized to unrecorded connected Turkey Hill Road and my location was called Turkey Hill, and I started my large turkey postulation then. And it will proceed to travel retired connected Thanksgiving time. And I have many. Watch my show connected Roku — I person a gigantic mold, a awesome large aged cocoa mold, and we’ve made 2 large cocoa turkeys this twelvemonth and I person them fresh to spell connected nan array — very large, beautiful cocoa turkeys. The solid and pottery turkeys, each that stuff, will beryllium out. 

When it comes to DIYing, really do you determine what to DIY and what to bargain erstwhile you’re readying to big a meal party? 

I would ne'er bargain a dessert, ever, because homemade desserts are infinitely better. I don’t attraction what it is — it’s amended if you make it yourself. And I ne'er bargain a Thanksgiving pie. Just don’t do it nary matter what. And don’t person pastry if you don’t make it yourself. I’m very strict astir things for illustration that. Don’t person pastry unless you cognize really to make a pastry — you amended learn. And don’t research connected your guests. Practice up of time. If you’re superior astir treating your friends nicely, don’t time off it up to chance. You don’t want to messiness everything up. 

Okay, truthful nary buying desserts aliases pies. What would you buy? Maybe you’re moving late. 

I mightiness bargain nan brioche for my stuffing, my dressing. But if I person time, I’ll cook my ain brioche. 

Cleaning up aft hosting tin beryllium daunting. Do you person immoderate hacks aliases things you do beforehand to guarantee easier cleanup? 

Well, don’t effort to cleanable while your guests are still sitting astatine nan table. But erstwhile you cleanable nan table, shape yourself successful nan room truthful that meal plates are stacked successful 1 spot, silverware is put into a tub for washing. You don’t want to soak vulnerable handles, knives, and stuff. With plates, I ever for illustration to rinse them if you tin do that softly without making a batch of noise, and stack carefully. Don’t effort to commencement washing dishes during dinner. And conscionable make judge to support nan array very neat, region things erstwhile you’re expected to aft definite courses, conscionable beryllium organized. You’re nan organizational queen for The Kitchn, aren’t you?