Tuesday, February 28, 2012

.Oscar Party Details.

Just a few details from our little party.
{i'm afraid you're in for picture overload}
My Hubby doing his version of "Red Carpet" Style
Just popping some bubbly
Hot Dog Bar. My favorite detail of the night. 
I simply love hot dogs. Always have, always will. There is nothing better than a dog with all your favorite toppings, so this had me the most excited to set up and make. It was themed after the movie Moneyball, which played with the baseball stadium idea. For our condiment pickings, we used Ketchup, Yellow Mustard, Dijon, Sauerkraut, hot banana peppers, sauteed onions, srirachi sauce and homemade Chili {thanks Pete!}. We also special ordered some tasty hot dog buns from the Prairie Bistro {enjoy centre} which where a nice touch. Needless to say it was a huge hit.
"Have a bite Petey"
Oscar Cookies. Aren't they just wonderful? Ha. Not quite as pretty as the originals.
I'm taking zero credit for these cookies and was completely inspired with this wonderful idea over at Bakerella. I used their recipe and this royal icing to make my cookies. I should also note that I purchased my lovely little cookie cutter here and I finished these little bad boys off with edible gold spray paint
Note: These cookies are VERY time consuming!


Chocolate Pie Bites. Obviously themed after the movie The Help.
I figured since this wasn't a sit-down-formal-eating style of party, bite sized pieces are the best way to go. So I just made this chocolate filling and poured it into store bought tarts for an easy, pop-in-your-mouth kind of dessert. I omitted the 'special' ingredient, however! I also added some whip cream and edible glitter stars to dress them up a little, and I think it did just the trick!


Big Apple Bites. Another dessert, which was themed after Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.
These simple cake pops where made using one of the most simple tricks ever...Timbits!!! I've tried my hand at cake balls before, and needless to say, that aren't as easy as they look. Then I thought, why not use good ol' Canadian timbits {and for those of you unfamiliar with these, they are basically the middle of a donut! Brilliant right?}, then I iced them to look like 'apples' {although they turned out hot pink and not red} and stuck a stick in the bottom. Easy Cake Pops!
Morgan and Fiona enjoying some apple cake bites
Black and White Cookies. These were 100% my sister. Thank you Kelsey for searching for them, then having to slave over cooking them. I really appreciated it! See, I made my poor sister hunt these down because we needed them to be themed after The Artist. She wasn't allowed to bring anything else, and after looking in store after store without luck, she decided that she would have to just make them from scratch. And well, my sis isn't really a queen of the kitchen, if you know what I mean, so the effort here was extra special.

Hawaiian Pizza Bites. Husband did this one. We had a couple homemade pizza dough's in the freezer that Pete did the other day and they were perfect. He basically made Hawaiian pizza and cut it up into itty-bitty bites. Perfectly themed with The Descendants.


Champagne with Blackberries. My little touch for Midnight in Paris. Something about Paris makes me just want to sip champagne. I think it looked very pretty too. A big thank you to Greg + Morgan for supplying the bubbly. It was a sophisticated touch.


Popcorn Bar. Movies = Popcorn. Simple as that. I popped a big bowl of kernels and left out toppings such as Rosemary infused Salt, White Cheddar sprinkle, Salt N' Vinegar sprinkle, MnM's, and Caramel. I found these pretty popcorn buckets at Homesense and just instructed everyone to get creative with their flavors.

Cheese Platter. For the movie Hugo, I was having a huge issue with what to pair it with. I thought of french fries, since the movie was themed in France, but then remembered that I had some beautiful cheeses in my fridge. So the cheese platter was born.

Carrot Sticks and Veggies. Fresh veggies are always a nice addition to a party buffet since usually most of the table is laced with rich foods and the fresh veg is a refreshing quench for the pallet. Then I thought that since Joey {the horse} from War Horse loved his carrot sticks so much, it would pair perfectly with that movie. Win Win. Oh, and thanks to James + Fiona for bringing that platter. Very sweet of you!

Brie Bites {2 kinds}. My last food pairing of the night. Since this was one of the only movies I didn't get to actually watch before the big day, I didn't know what on earth to match up with The Tree of Life. Then I got to thinking, how about the Brie of Life! Cheesy, yes...but it works! So my brie bites where born. I choose to do 2 kinds to switch things up a little.
One sweet. One spicy.
Sweet: Buy store bought puff pastry tart shells and fill with 1 brie cube, 1/2 tsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp chopped pecans, and a dollop of honey. Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, till the cheese is melted.
Spicy: Buy store bought puff pastry tart shells and fill with 1 brie cube, and 1 tsp jalapeno jelly {I used pomegranate habanero jelly} and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Games: I got everyone to fill out a ballot card as soon as they arrived. I also collected $10 per person for the winner's pot. Then I printed off a bunch of Oscar bingo cards to keep everyone entertained for the duration of the show and in between the breaks. I think it did the trick, as everyone seemed to be trying to catch each space on their cards throughout. Things like a Brad Pitt sighting, a Presenter in a yellow dress, A winner gets teary-eyed, etc. etc. In the end, my sister Kelsey ended up with a Bingo {2 lines was chosen as the Winning Bingo} and won the movie passes, which was the prize for that game. As for the Big Oscar Winner pool, that was a 3 way tie {Way to Go James, Mikael, and Peter!} so we had an immediate 5 question wins-it-all-go-round. My friend Fiona and I choose 5 random oscar questions about the night and had each winner write down there answers on a piece of paper. In the end Mikael was the Victor and took home the big pot-o-cash!
All in all, it was a fun interactive night and I think everyone went home with a smile on their faces.
xx

Monday, February 27, 2012

.2012 Oscar Red Carpet: Fashion.

These ladies made my Best dressed for last night's Oscars.

Gwyneth Paltrow. Tom Ford dress. Just oozed sexy. Left me breathless. 
The cape, I would have left at home, however. {not shown}

Milla Jovovich. Elie Saab Couture dress. Old Hollywood Glamour.

Natalie Portman. Vintage Doir Haute Couture circa 1954 dress. Made me want to be in this dress. Simple, Clasy, and Gorgeous. And LOVED the polka's!

Octavia Spencer. Tadashi Shoji dress. Wow, she looked just beautiful. That dress was just made for her. Stunning. I'm happy that she won.

Maya Rudolph. Johanna Johnson dress. I personally loved this dress on Maya, though I may get some flack on this. The color was gorgeous, and I loved the little details like the cap sleeves and little belt. And can you believe she JUST had a baby 7 months ago! WOW!
{photo via}
Kelly Ripa. Caroline Herrera. Simple. Stylish. Gorgeous Color {pistachio green}. And I just loved the skinny doubled black belt.

Michelle Willaims. Louis Vuitton dress. Always gorgeous. She looked like a sweet little doll.
And I just loved the little bow brooch. Totally her.
Who was your best dressed?

Also, stay tuned for scene's and details from my very own {and first!} Oscar party!

Friday, February 24, 2012

.Silent.

So last night husband and I watched The Artist. You know that little silent film that is getting all the Oscar buzz these days?
{via}
Yes. It's black and white. It has no talking. And stars a couple newbies {minus John Goodman. He's a classic}.
And YES, I utterly adored it. 
{via}
{via}
It took a minute to actually get into it, and I will admit that I felt like a little something was missing throughout, but really, that's probably because I am so used to the high flying special effects that are in almost every movie these days.
I just can't stop thinking about it. I really, really loved it. The lead actor and actress where spectacular. They had me watching every single minute, and I couldn't wait to see what was coming next. All without words. Incredible.
You should go see it. And I'm not going to promise it will be for you, but just give it a try.
What I can promise though, is that it will make you appreciate the talent in this movie. And it's something totally different, which is very refreshing. Old, but New.
{via}
Also on the fashion front....those incredible dresses. I so wish I lived in that era. The Hand beading. The fur. The fringe. The Sequins. The Class. Just anything Art Deco and I'm in Love. Sigh.
Check out Gucci's Spring 2012 Collection! I'm telling ya....Art Deco is the way to go!
It just all had me drooling. Now to find the 'cheaper' versions.....
Gucci Spring 2012. Sigh. It's incredible.
These shoes leave me drooling. All over myself.
Are you kidding me with these two dresses Gucci? Seriously? WOW! Gucci Spring 2012. 

Thursday, February 23, 2012

.Pudding Chomeur Cakes.

Monday night we hosted a little pizza party at our house with a few family members to celebrate Family Day.
Husband prepared the dough, chopped and marinated the salad, cooked the appetizer, and assembled the pizza. I did the dessert. Ha. Fair trade-off hey? But oh did I ever choose well.  
I tore this recipe from House & Home magazine, and what really caught my eye was that it was a recipe from the famed restaurant, Au Pied De Cochon. The same restaurant that the hubs and I went to on our trip to Montreal last year! Holy Schmoly, it was good.
Sweet and Salty. Soft and Crispy.
This dessert had a total Canadian flare to it, as it was loaded with lots of maple syrup. And this allowed it to bake into a crispy caramelized coating, reminiscent to a creme brulee topping. 
Try this out the next time you have a few friends over. It won't disappoint.
Pudding Chomeur Cakes
{recipe via Au Pied de Cochon restaurant, via house&home magazine}
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup whipping cream (35%)
pinch of salt
vanilla ice cream to serve {optional, but recommended!}
Directions:
one] In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars, and blend until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until completely incorporated. Add flour and baking powder, and stir until dough is well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
two] In a saucepan, bring syrup and cream to a boil, stirring often. As soon as it reaches the boiling point, remove from heat, add salt and let cool until tepid, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
three] Preheat oven to 450F. Place 6 oven safe, 5 oz. ramekins on a foil-lined baking sheet and spoon a couple tablespoons of maple mixture into the bottom of each. Divide dough evenly among ramekins by loosely packed tablespoons. Slowly pour remaining maple mixture over dough {it will sink into the holes}, then bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool several minutes, then serve with ice cream.