Martha Stuart's Better Than You At Entertaining (Tom Connor & Jim Downey) - HarperPerennial - 1996 - 64 pages

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This is the second of three excellent "Martha Stuart" books by Connor & Downey that parody the homemaking empire of the real Martha Stewart.  The cover shows Martha walking on water because she can do anything better than you.  This helpful entertaining guide outlines eight annual events that are ripe for Martha's special touch.  Whenever you have the opportunity to host a "Papal Visit", Martha has the menu for you including loaves & fish, and some cream cheese/caviar artful creations.  What could be better for a garden party than smoked woodchuck and a cake made of compost.  The photographs of Martha's concepts are perfectly blended into this elegant roadmap to successful partydom.  I for one, would be at a loss for what serve for a young male's "Circumcision Day" - cocktail weiners and Swedish meatballs of course.  Only Martha would deem this a day for celebration.  The other yearly happenings in the book are Valentine's Day ("chilled oysters with powdered rhinoceros horn"), Mother's Day ("Jell-O aquarium mold"), Fourth of July ("freshly caught record striped bass with cucumber scale" and "Truman compote"), All Soul's Day ("mortadeli on caskets of toast"), and last but not least - Christmas ("branded & roasted limited-range wild turkey").  Yes, this is your go-to book for those special menus and decorating tips that you never knew you needed.  As the authors noted: "... thanks to the nearly inimitable Martha Stewart, peerless stylist, entrepreneur and (to date) good sport, without whom this parody would not have been conceivable."  [JAM 5/8/2017]

Front Cover - Martha walks on water
9  Easter
17 Labor Day
25 Circumcision Day
37 Mother's Day
43 4th of July
49 All Soul's Day
55 Christmas