Oscar Party!

 I love throwing a party for so many reasons!  First, I get to cook for the people I love.  Second, I get to be creative in the kitchen.  Third, I get to be crafty!  For the Oscars, I prepped for about three days and then I was cooking for two.  Okay, I admit. I go a little over board.

When there is a bit of competition involved, there has to be prizes.  These mini bottles of champagne with a straw is the perfect adult party favor.  They are super easy to make too!  Just tie a straw and some confetti with some kitchen twine that are in the same colors as the the decor of the party.

Before I start cooking on the day of the party, I get the table set up so I know what is going to be where.  I label all of the platters and bowls, so there is no confusion. 

So many people say they HATE Brussels Sprouts.  Well, roasting them in a 400 degree oven with some grape seed oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic powder for 1 hour, you will change your mind!  I promise!  But, to make prep easier, cut the Brussels Sprouts the day before, but put them in a bowl of water with 1-2 lemons squeezed in the water.  They won't oxidise and they will be ready for you to dry off and roast when you are ready.  Easy!

My boys love a wedge salad.  I mean, it has bacon on it!  So, to keep it classy, I made mini-bite sized wedge salads.  I cooked the bacon the day before, made sure it was completely dried off and I kept it in the fridge until I was ready to use it.  I found these great bamboo skewers at the party supply store that were long enough to go through a tomato and the lettuce.  I also found these little plastic plates, I'm all about easy clean up.  

So, to assemble: I cut the iceberg lettuce into thick slices, about 1 inch thick and then I cut the slices into cubes, 1 inch by 1 inch.  I skewered one tomato and one cube of lettuce.  I put a bit of the blue cheese dressing onto the plate, placed the skewer and drizzled a bit more dressing onto the salad, to give the bacon something to stick to.  Super easy, great presentation, not for every occasion, but great for this party.

Along with roasting the Brussels Sprouts, I roasted potatoes.  Here is a huge tip:FOR CRISPY POTATOES, CUT AND SOAK YOUR POTATOES IN WATER FOR AT LEAST 4 HOURS.  Seriously, it works!

After they soak for at least 4 hours, roast them on a baking sheet with a bit of grape seed oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and they will be better than any french fry!  

These little babies.  So rich, quite decadent, one is certainly enough!  These are Gorgonzola, Cream Cheese, Bacon Truffles.  Dude!  They are so amazing!  Here's how I made them (recipe courtesy of Giada DeLorentis):

4 oz crumbled Gorgonzola room temperature

4 oz cream cheese that is at room temperature

2 shallots minced

4 slices of Apple wood Smoked Bacon finely chopped

2 cups of pretzels that have been crushed

1 tbsp chives minced

Cook down the bacon and just before the bacon is totally crisp, add the shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes.  Remove the bacon and shallots from the fat and drain on a paper towel.  In a bowl, combine the cheeses, half of the chives and the bacon with the shallots.  Make sure everything is combined thoroughly. At this time, you can put in the fridge to make at a later time.  When you are ready to make these babies, remove from the fridge and let set out for about 15 minutes.  Add the rest of the chives to the crushed pretzels.  Take a small ice cream scoop or a small spoon and scoop out some of the cheese mixture.  Put the scoop of cheese into your hand and roll it into a ball, roll the ball in the pretzels.  I put the finished product in mini cupcake wrappers, again, easy cleanup. 

I feel that there should be some fresh veggie at a party or gathering, but I'm not too fond of everyone touching the carrots that I'm going to be eating, so I purchased these shot-glass-type-things and I scooped some Hummus (you could also do Ranch or any other dip that you like) and I put in some organic veggies (I used carrots, celery and snap peas), super simple, again, easy clean up and they look pretty classy (and no one is touching my carrots, ha!).  

And finally, for the main course we had Braised Short Ribs.  Holy Smokes!  They were good!  Marinated in red wine for 24 hours and cooked down with red wine, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, fresh rosemary, carrots, onion, garlic and loads of salt and pepper.  I cooked it down for 8 hours and wow!  

I hope these recipe ideas help you for your next get together.  Just because it takes a little bit of prep doesn't mean it's difficult.  It also makes your guests feel a bit more special.  Let me know if you use any of my recipes!  Cheers!