Katie’s way

Martha Stewart -- America's grande dame of domesticity -- was leaving Lifetime Television for CBS. A search was on for a replacement.

Could little-known Katie Brown -- who once ran a catering company from her home and delivered the food in a red Ford Escort -- fill Stewart's shoes?

Frankly, her first thought was no, admits Brown, who, in a series of shows since replacing Stewart on Lifetime, soon will begin her second season as host of "Katie Brown Workshop" on PBS. Her first series, on Lifetime, was "Next Door with Katie Brown." Then it was "Katie Brown" on the Style network, followed by "All Year Round with Katie Brown" on A&E.

"Whenever anybody compares me to her, I am a humble guy," Brown says. "I feel so grateful. I think that without Martha, there would be no 'me.'"

Stewart elevated domestic arts out of the 1950s, she says. "People now can see that there are things other than iceberg lettuce. But she's high-end and a little undoable. I don't want to do what she does."

Brown -- a crafter, gardener, cook, entertainment expert and party planner -- will share her wisdom when she appears at Giant Eagle's two Market District supermarkets on Saturday. Part of her presentation will be an interactive craft with patrons, who will take their project home with them. Outdoor tabletop settings, a couple of quick-and-easy menus and equipment demonstrations will be offered.

Brown describes her artistic style as being between Stewart and somebody who "arranges things out of a Popsicle stick."

"No one was in the middle," she says from her office and home on Long Island, NY.

A native of Petoskey, Mich., and a former member of the U.S. National Ski Team, Brown showed a sense of creativity early in life. She was inspired by her mother, who enjoyed entertaining and who cooked breakfast every morning.

Brown liked to cook and to decorate for parties, but her ambition was to become an actress. She headed to southern California to pursue her dreams, supporting herself by catering. Eventually, she and a friend opened up a cafe and boutique named Goat in West Hollywood. When some cool, hard cash appeared after shooting a television commercial for Saturn cars, Brown opened a second Goat on Mackinac Island, a resort spot in Michigan where much of her family was living.

That's when a man from the local chamber of commerce gave Brown a phone number and told her that Lifetime Television was seeking a "new" Martha Stewart. He had suggested her as a candidate.

She was asked to send photographs of her products, parties and stores. Instead, Brown drove to New York City and showed the Lifetime execs what she was all about.

They liked her simplicity. They hired her. And life's never been the same, she says.

On "Katie Brown Workshop," she shows viewers how to plan and cook a dinner party, work in the garden, redecorate a room on a typical budget and meet the daily needs of a young family. The second season will have 26 half-hour episodes and will start in October.

Brown says her target audience is "myself."

"I am grateful to be part of a generation where women have a lot of choices. I don't have time to spend making a souffle in the kitchen; that's not the way I live."

That philosophy is in the forefront every time she creates an episode, she says.

Brown's life, however, is rapidly gathering speed. She has written three best-selling lifestyle books. The latest is "Katie Brown Weekends" (Bulfinch Press, $30). She has a deal with publishers Little, Brown and Company to write more books -- "Outdoors" will be released next spring -- and will introduce a line of garden and outdoor products about the same time.

She writes a column on cooking, gardening and decorating for the New York Times Syndicate. In July, Mag Rack on-demand television launched a 21-part series, "Katie Brown@Home," with 5- to 10-minute episodes featuring recipes, decorating and crafts.

And because she is spending more time in New York City, Brown -- married, with a toddler daughter -- is renovating a house there to include an office and living quarters so she doesn't have to "visit" each time she goes.

"It's the ugliest house in all five boroughs," she says. "It's going to be great when it's done. I completely gutted it and am putting it all back together. It's an amazing process."

It's stressful, too, particularly when contractors and workers don't show up at an appointed time. Yet, Brown finds herself making dinner for the plumber who has kept her waiting.

"I'm taking notes for a book," Brown says. "I'll call it 'Essays of the Home: You Can Learn Everything You Know About Life From Remodeling a Home.'"

Decorator, crafter, cooking expert and television personality Katie Brown shared these recipes from two of her books.

Tabbouleh Katie's Way

This cool summery salad is from "Katie Brown Entertains" (HarperCollins Publishers, $21.95 paperback). Follow the directions on its package for making couscous because recipes vary with brands.

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 cups water
• Salt
• 10 ounces quick-cooking couscous
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch-thick circles
• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, sliced in 1/4-inch-thick circles
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice and 1/3 cup olive oil. Set aside.

Bring the water, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a shallow pot. Add the couscous, stir and cover. Remove the pot immediately from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Place the couscous in a bowl and let cool.

To the couscous, add the mint, red onion, cucumbers, tomatoes and garlic. Toss in the dressing and season with salt and pepper.

Gazpacho

• 2 medium-size cucumbers
• 2 sweet red peppers, seeded and quartered
• 1 sweet yellow pepper, seeded and quartered
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 6 roma (plum) tomatoes, quartered
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 medium-size lime
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

One at a time, place the cucumbers, red pepper, yellow pepper and red onion in a food processor and pulse until chopped but not minced. You can chop the sweet peppers together at the same time, if you wish.

Place the chopped vegetables in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir; refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Savory Scallion and Cayenne Scones

These quick breads are perfect to tote to a picnic or serve with a summertime lunch of gazpacho, grilled corn or a main-dish salad.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, more for rolling dough
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4} teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) thinly sliced scallions (green onions), divided
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a large bowl or standing mixer, whisk 2 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, salt and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Blend in the heavy cream and sour cream until a dough forms and it is evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Stir in 2 tablespoons green onions.

Gather the dough into a ball and knead gently for 4 or 5 times. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a round that is 3/4-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 8 rounds.

Transfer the scones to a baking sheet and brush with the melted butter. Sprinkle the scones with the remaining cayenne and green onions. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 8 scones.

Stuffed Flank Steak

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• 1 zucchini, cut into lengthwise strips
• 3 ounces (about 9) button mushrooms, sliced
• Olive oil
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 jar (7 ounces) roasted red peppers, drained, cut into strips
• Kitchen string
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Prepare a grill for direct (medium-high) heat cooking.

Trim any excess fat off the beef. Carefully butterfly the steak so it opens up like a book.

Coat the zucchini strips and mushroom slices with a little olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Cook the vegetables in a grill pan for a couple of minutes on each side.

With the steak opened up, layer the zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper strips inside. Close up the steak and secure it with kitchen string.

Rub the steak with olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley, thyme and more salt and pepper. Grill on each side for 5-7 minutes or until done to your liking. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Cinnamon Bread

Katie Brown says this recipe is rumored to come from her aunt Ruth, but "others have tried to claim it as their own." "It was the thing I most loved waking up to," writes Brown in "Katie Brown's Weekends" (Bulfinch Press, $30). "It was the thing I delivered to the new neighbors." Some of Brown's family members weren't too happy when she offered this recipe in the book, published last fall, Brown admits.

The batter can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for as long as 10 days.

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups buttermilk

For the cinnamon mixture:

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, more to taste
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two large loaf pans or 4 smaller ones.

Cream 2 cups sugar and the vegetable shortening. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Set aside. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.

Alternately add the buttermilk and flour mixture to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the buttermilk.

To prepare the cinnamon mixture : Mix the cinnamon with 1/2 cup granulated sugar.

Divide half of the batter between the prepared pans. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon mixture. Layer the other half of the batter on top and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon mixture. Using a knife, cut through the batter to swirl in the cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the loaf pans, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean,

Makes 2 or 4 loaves.

Additional Information:

Katie Brown

Admission: Free

When and where:

• 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Giant Eagle Market District, 7000 Oxford Drive, Village Square, Bethel Park. 412-831-1480.

• 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Giant Eagle Market District, 4612 Centre Ave., Shadyside. 412-682-5526.