And the Oscar Goes to...

Oscar Sunday has come and gone. Highlights for me this year included, wonderful company, red carpet dazzlers (faves including- Michelle Williams, Bernice Bejo,  Penelope Cruz, Jessica Chastain, Cameron Diaz, and Emma Stone)  red carpet mayhem from Sascha Baron Cohen, and Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrel banging symbols in Brangelina's face. Billy Crystal did a wonderful job presenting and I really enjoyed the format of this year's show, a much better presentation than last year's awkwardness.

This year R and I rolled out the red carpet (literally, we had one outside) for some friends for the show and treated them to an A list experience. We provided elegant eats, a champagne cocktail bar, and some Oscar games to entertain.  Here's a peak at the evening's treats and ritzy deets!

A look at the spread

Sparkly cake pops, "the slutty brownie" and various savory treats

Prosciutto, ricotta, balsamic glaze crostinis

Flatbread with artichoke lemon pesto, mushrooms, sundried tomato and manchego

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with manchego

Smoked deviled eggs

Home made Hummus

Caviar with creme fraiche on blinis

House cured salmon with creme fraiche on pumpernickel points

 

Truffle mouse pate with cornichons and mustard

   

Champagne glasses and their sparkly accessories

Fruit to adorn champagne cocktails- blood oranges and peaches

Champagne and St. Germain with a peach and blood orange

Pomegrante and champagne cocktails all dressed up

Cake truffles and chocolate bark with heath and marshmallows

Popcorn in glitzy "envelope please" bags for watching the show

Did you host or attend an Oscar party? Did you have any favorite red carpet looks or was there a moment of the show that stood out to you? Any winners you were excited about or that disappointed you? Let's hear it!

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Salted Toffee and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

New Years Eve. Such a big night, so much pressure, so many hopes and dreams. This year's New Years Even I really felt the pressure and my hopes and dreams were high! We were headed to one of my best friend's NYE party and in addition to the usual bevies and excellent company, guests were tasked with making cookies for a friendly cookie competition and swap. I knew I needed a stand out cookie that strayed slightly from the beaten path, but would impress. I went with a salted toffee and dark chocolate chunk oatmeal cookie (adapted from this recipe) based off some other cookies I have had,  the coveted Castle Press cookie. This is one of the best cookies I've had and nailing down the recipe is almost impossible. There's something about the texture that I can't quite put my finger on. If you've had these cookies, you know how incredible they are and I thought this would be an excellent style cookie for this party, but I added a bit of a twist with my liberal salting. This is a pretty basic cookie recipe, but adding salt really takes it to the next level. If you're looking for something new, I think you'll be happy with this!

I was feeling good about this cookie, but had no idea what I was up against. I consider myself a decent enough baker, so I felt somewhat confident. The cookie received a positive reception. But, the question is, did I win the cookie contest?  No, I did not! I'm happy to say one of my girls brought home the best all around at one of her first baking attempts and she knocked it out of the park. Killer cookie bar, E! My husband and I made a chocolate chip Rugelach as well which brought home the "best looking" prize. Thank you Ina Garten, for this Rugelach gem, which is pretty easy and has been a reliable crowd pleaser.

How did you ring in the new year? Have you tried any new recipes yet?

Holy Cake Balls Batman!

Who doesn't like a good ball? Meatballs, papas rellenas, arancini, donut holes, fritters,  the list goes on. Cake balls are no exception to the rule of ball deliciousness. They are additive, easy to make, and bite size. My dad is turning 60 this coming Friday and we threw a surprise party for him over the weekend and I brought cake balls dressed as truffles and there were a lot of curious people asking how to make them.

Bake a quick cake and then mix it with frosting- I used a yellow cake with cream cheese frosting

Using a smaller scooper, roll mixture into balls and freeze for at least 2 hours, but not frozen through

Melt chocolate or candy coating over a double boiler

Dip in chocolate using a toothpick or skewer and tap off excess on side of bowl. Chill in refrigerator.

I drizzled chocolate over the chilled cake balls and placed them in candy papers

 I found this method much easier than the "cake pop" method where the balls can be too heavy for the sticks and this was easier to eat as well. Have you made cake balls? Any tricks to share?

Those Three Special Words: I Have Chocolate

When it's that tender time of the month for women, there really is an undeniable pleasure in chocolate. A pleasure that just can't be satiated any other way. Can there really be too much chocolate? I am somewhere between disgust with myself for the amount of chocolate I consumed a few days ago, but yet, I still wanted more. WTF! Is this normal?

It was bosses day and a coworker brought in a spread of treats and naturally these were right outside my humble cube abode. I need to confess my damage: I sampled a scoop of peach crisp, a sliver of lemon bundt cake, a smallish chocolate chip cookie, and a bite of a red velvet cupcake (mine are better, sorry). As if that weren't enough, I added in 2 reeses cups and a fun size pack of peanut butter m&m's. This can't be normal and it's definitely not acceptable. I did follow up that chubfest with a healthy salad for lunch, but unfortunately, I don't think it evens out. I would have preferred cheesy enchiladas, a taco, and beans, but that wasn't in the cards today.

Sign me up!

I shouldn't be writing about this, but let's all agree that talking about your bad habits somehow makes you feel better about them. I admit I have a period related problem. Can I be absolved of my fat kid sins just because my uterus is a bitch and I'm just giving it what it wants? Please? I don't even care about that "a moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips" BS in this situation.  Is it also normal to feel guilty about all this? How do you monitor your necessary period induced indulgences? What are your weaknesses?

Passover dessert dilemma!

What to make for dessert for Passover? This is always an issue! My dad makes a killer flourless chocolate cake that I could make, but that's really one of his signature desserts and a girl needs to come into her own and make her own impressive desserts. With the help of Smitten Kitchen I found another take on flourless chocolate cake that I thought I would try my hand at. I needed something that would wow- and I think this did the trick.

Forgive the mess and the less than stellar photo quality on these! The cake turned out great. The cake was light and chocolatey. I love a good whipped cream frosting and I added some raspberries for color and refreshment. This cake got me the oohs and aahs I was hoping for!

You can get the recipe here.