This past Thursday I attended the taping of the Martha Stewart show. I discovered how ahead of the curve Daily Prandium is with the mini cookie monster series. Martha is publishing a new book on cookies and is promoting it as part of cookie week which begins March 10th. The episode I attended features a lime melt drop cookie.

Scanning the other recipes of my free copy and–the typically stunning as all things Martha are–illustrations is making me rethink my baking phobia. I’m debating between the Italian pollenta and glazed Madeiline recipes. Maybe this turns out to be one of those life changing events.

Though the real reason I was at the taping was to see Michael Pollan who was one of the guests. A group of folks from my graduate program were invited to attend as the foodie contingent in the audience, and as guests to the folks from our program who work for Martha. We were all thrilled about this and the hope it gives us of the opportunities available, especially considering the dogless sums of money and time we’re sinking into the program.

Martha and Michael baked salmon wrapped in fig leafs, toasted kale, and chatted about his new book In Defense of Food. Save for the salmon, which was wild Atlantic, all of the ingredients they used came from Martha’s new greenhouse and from local growers. Since I don’t have my own green house or fig tree, I’ll wait until spring to steal a leaf from a particular tree in Brooklyn I’m planning a heist from. Shh..

After the taping they let the audience ask Michael questions about his new book, and nutrition in general. I asked Michael’s advice and considerations about vitamins and supplements, and whether or not he takes them. He does. And he recommends them for folks over fifty. Folks under fifty who eat real food, unless there’s a health issue shouldn’t really need to take them. I followed up his response to ask if he’s managed to find a vitamin made without corn. Ascorbic acid, aka vitamin c is typically made from industrial corn. He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled as he admitted he hasn’t read the label of his vitamin bottle. The folks from my graduate program were thrilled that I ‘stumped Michael Pollan’. That wasn’t what I aimed for. I was referring to his last book, Pollan’s Dilemma where he mentions this. I cleared it up outside when he signed my copy of his new book while a colleague snapped a few pics of me with Michael. I enjoyed quite an afternoon; you’d think I was meeting Brad Pitt again. But Michael Pollan is a huge hero to my Daily Prandium pursuits.

The episode is scheduled to air March 11th. Check your local listings for air time and channel.

Obey the cookie–resistance is futile..