Entertaining | 20something cupcakes

how-to: easy asparagus tart.

March 21, 2012 — 7 Comments

Guys. I’ve got something super-awesome for you today!

And, it’s super-easy. I even made a video to prove it.

This asparagus tart is what I like to call a “back-pocket” recipe. You won’t ever need a recipe again after you’ve made it once – and after watching it on video, you probably won’t even need a recipe on your first shot!

Yep, you can pull this one out of your back-pocket anytime you need it. And when might that be, exactly? Well, to start – Easter. This would make an outstanding choice as an Easter hors d’oeuvre, because Easter happens to fall in the springtime, when asparagus is at its lovely peak. It would be equally perfect for brunch with the girls, or even a simple lunch with your better half and a bottle of your favorite white on a gorgeous spring day.

This tart is so impressive and pretty, and what’s even better than that? It tastes delicious, too. Did I mention it’s easy to make? This is a triple-double-win, peeps.

In Fabulously Simple, Sassy in the Kitchen, Starters asparagus, dijon mustard, easy appetizers, entertaining, gruyère, puff pastry, spring recipes

annual summer brunch menu.

September 8, 2011 — 3 Comments

Two years ago, I hosted a brunch. It was right around the time that I started seriously getting into cooking, and it was probably the first time I entertained for a group of more than 4. I remember making Paula’s French Toast Casserole and Ina’s Smoked Salmon Spread. I also did a beautiful tomato and mozzarella salad, an egg white frittata with mushrooms and spinach, and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. But what made my brunch so infamous was the mimosa bar. I got all sorts of mixers, like peach nectar, orange juice, and pink lemonade – and each guest brought a bottle of champagne. Seven hours later… We were still going, to say the least.

{2nd annual summer brunch crew}

I think that brunch impacted me in a big way – I learned that not only did I love entertaining, I *loved* the process of putting together a great menu. I’m proud to say that my cooking has come a long way, and I’ve really come into my own in terms of what I like and what I’m about in the kitchen. And what I’m about is creating a truly special experience for my friends and loved ones – and even though the food must be nothing-short-of-fabulous, I like for everything else about the day or evening to be super-relaxed.

The following year, I let life get in the way as it has a habit of doing and I missed my opportunity to host a second annual brunch. This year, the end of August rolled around and I was determined not to let that happen again. And so, I hosted my second annual brunch a year late…

In Complete Menus, Weekend Brunch champagne, entertaining, girly time, hostess with the mostess, summer recipes

the most glam housewarming party. ever.

August 20, 2010 — 9 Comments

We all know I love my theme parties by now.

But this – this takes it to another level. What’s the theme you ask? It’s hard to put a name on this one. It’s glamour, meets casual. Black-tie attire, and ping-pong.

We’ll just call it fabulous. That works, doesn’t it?

It’s a housewarming party for a gentleman by the name of Kevin Sharkey, featured in Martha Stewart Living. I found it here, and I fell into a trance. I mean, a shower full of perfect orange Hermès boxes? That’s my kind of decorating. The tub filled with champagne bottles wasn’t too bad of an idea, either. I love how they brought a room to life – the bathroom, no less – that wouldn’t normally be included in the party.

How about a cake made entirely out of Oreo cookies, stacked on top of one another? With sparkler candles shooting out the top, no less. I think it may have been the old-fashioned milk bottles scattered about the table that really sold me here. And we can’t forget about the caviar.

I really don’t think it gets any better than men dressed in tuxedos playing a solid game of table tennis. I’m also a big fan of ladies in fabulous dresses making themselves just a little more comfortable. Shouldn’t we all drink our cocktails and eat our caviar sans shoes, sitting on the kitchen counter? This is living.

Please note how they’re keeping score: lipstick tallies on mirrored walls. But not just any lipstick. A tray of Chanel lipsticks, boys and girls. Does it get any more chic than this?

The woman pictured above and throughout many of the other images is actually the daughter of Martha Stewart. I’m jealous. Can you imagine being the daughter of Martha herself? On one hand, it seems like the most fabulous thing in the world – on the other…well, you know. Those are some big shoes to fill.

Throwing parties like this tells us she’s doing a pretty good job.

So, from my dreams to yours – here it is, dolls. My idea of perhaps the greatest housewarming party ever to exist. Super glamorous, yet still low-key. For me, this is what makes it so grand, so over-the-top special. Anyone can throw a stuffy party with a few {thousand} dollars – but this struck the perfect balance between opulence and good old-fashioned fun.

Understated elegance at its finest, my loves. Happy Friday!

In Fantasy Friday caviar, champagne, entertaining, hostess with the mostess, housewarming, martha stewart, Theme Lover, ultra-glam

Glitz, glamour, and polenta.

Well…it’s really just another excuse to have a theme party.

{Have I told you how much I LOVE theme parties?}

To be honest, I don’t care much for the actual awards. I usually haven’t seen most of the movies who are up, so who am I to judge? I’m much more concerned with the red carpet. Who’s wearing what, best-dressed, worst-dressed, I love it all. This year, my best-dressed vote goes to SJP in Chanel Haute Couture. Yes, a lot of people are hating on it, but I think it’s absolutely stunning. As much as I love all the ruffles and architectural details going on right now – this dress was different, and I found it to be a refreshing change. Also loved Cameron Diaz (as always), and Sandra Bullock looked F-A-B as well. On another note – did anyone notice the strange hair trend going on Sunday night? Yes, messy can be sexy, but some of the looks last night were just plain nest-like. Not a fan!

Since all the fun is really before the awards even begin, we started the festivities at 6pm. This gave us plenty of time to *eat, drink, and be merry* before the pre-show began.

I wanted to create a menu of appetizers that struck a balance between fun and elegant. Some of them were just tried-and-true recipes that popped into my head (the pigs in a blanket, roasted shrimp cocktail), and for the others I was mostly inspired by Oscar party ideas I found on Food Network, Epicurious, etc. A specialty cocktail for the evening was clearly also in order, and after deliberation between “ava-tinis” and “oscar-tinis,” the latter won, as I decided it worked better with the champagne topper – a necessary component. What would the Oscars be without some bubby?

The Menu:

Oscar-tinis

Oscar-tinis = a happy crowd. I didn’t use a recipe here, I just came up with an idea and eyeballed it. I used a pitcher to make life easier (yes, a cocktail shaker makes better drinks, but when you’re serving a crowd it’s so much easier to make big batches).

3 parts vodka
1 part pomegranate juice
Splash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice (or Cointreau if you have on hand)
Champagne
Sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a pitcher with plenty of ice. Pour some sugar onto a small plate. Take a cut lemon and rub it along the rim of the glass (this makes the sugar stick). Then flip the glass and press it into the sugar. Pour the mixture from the pitcher into your glass, leaving a bit of room to top with champagne.

Popcorn with Candied Bacon

This popcorn was the easiest thing I made, and it may have been the most popular. Earlier in the day, make the candied bacon. Set your oven to 400 degrees and place 12-16 slices of bacon (or however many fit) on a rack in a baking pan. Sprinkle liberally with brown sugar (you can also use maple syrup) and bake for 12-15 minutes. That way later you can just pop up a couple bags of popcorn and add the chopped up bacon to it, along with salt and smoked paprika.

Pigs in a Blanket with 3 Dipping Sauces

These are just a classic and I will find any excuse to make them. Do yourself a favor and buy them frozen. They are just as good that way, and will save you time. I made mine using Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and Hebrew’s National Cocktail Wieners. These little dogs were pretty tiny, so they sort of made mini pigs in a blanket. The rolls come 8 in a package, so do your math accordingly. Since my dogs were so small, I was able to cut each piece into about little triangles to roll them up into. I bought 2 packages of the dogs with 30 in each, so a total of 60, and I used a little over 2 packages of the rolls to have enough. They are simple to make; you just roll each little dog into a piece of the dough, wrap it up, and place it on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (directions come on the package for the Crescent Rolls).

The key here is the dipping sauces. I used honey mustard (if you don’t have you can make your own with honey and whole grain mustard), barbeque ranch (just bbq sauce mixed with ranch dressing), and I also made a cheese sauce. I made the cheese sauce similar to this recipe, and also added some beer in.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Here is a classic with a different twist. Everyone loves shrimp cocktail, and this recipe from Ina just makes it even more special. I didn’t even end up making this on Sunday night; everyone who came brought something so we ended up with plenty of food. I just made it the following night and Daniel and I ate it for dinner, along with a green salad drizzled in lemon juice and olive oil, and a few leftover pieces of polenta.

Pan-Fried Rosemary Polenta Cakes

Another amazing recipe from Ina. I saw this as I was watching Barefoot Contessa the other day, and I thought it would be perfect for this party. It was. Everyone LOVED it, asked for seconds, and it’s also a great trick to have in your back pocket for vegetarians. (Note: I did have a heavy hand when adding the rosemary and the crushed red pepper, which kicked it up a notch.)

“Red Carpet” Cupcakes

I have made different variations of red velvet before (layer cake, whoopie pies), but I think this was my first time doing cupcakes. This recipe on Epicurious actually comes from Magnolia Bakery in NYC. The cupcakes were A-MAZING. A lot of people associate red velvet with cream cheese frosting, and that is what I have always done in the past. But traditionally, they say you use a white cooked icing with red velvet cake. Yes, you actually cook flour in milk for a while and then let it cool to room temperature before whipping it with the butter and sugar. The end result is a brighter, creamier, and fluffier frosting than I had ever dreamed of. A little messy to work with but worth it. The key is that you can’t refrigerate the cupcakes afterwards or the icing will harden. I then went on to add a little gold star (with a yellow icing pen, no time for the real thing) on each of the cupcakes to truly make them red-carpet worthy, just like they do every year at Sprinkles.

What do you think, lovelies? Will you give it a try next year?