Category Archives: entertaining

oscar fever

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I love the Oscars. As D says, it’s like my Superbowl.

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BTW, can we stop for a second and talk about how great is Jennifer Lawrence? She just seems so normal. And poor thing, falling again going up to accept her award. Love her. Can’t wait for Catching Fire…. squeeeeee!

(Image courtesy of Tumblr, enthusiasticeffietrinket)

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I also love throwing Oscars parties. Well, let’s be honest, I love any excuse to throw a party.

For this year’s Oscars I tried to be all clever and such with my food choices. Example A: Silver Linings Slutty Brownies. I originally was planning on making them from scratch, a la Gaby Dalkin, but then the weekend got away from me so I went with the original filthy recipe by The Londoner. Chocolate chip cookies + double stuffed oreos + and then an extra thick brownie layer. Major hit.

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Also on the menu? Artichoke go F*#k Yourself Dip. I would normally not be so crude, but if you’ve seen Argo you’ll get where I was going with this one. Super easy – just buy your favorite artichoke dip, mix in greek yogurt, then serve alongside some deliciously crunchy kettle chips.

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D & I picked up some of the most unbelievably creamy buratta from Cowgirl Creamery at the Ferry Building.

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But of course it had to be Oscar themed. Le Mis Poor Man’s Bread & Cheese – yeah, I was pushing it but that’s okay. It was tasty. Just squeeze some lemon juice on top, drizzle with olive oil, and finish with a cracking of salt.

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Last up, Frankenweenies ‘n Blankets – buy mini smoked sausages and wrap in puff pastry. I cut the puff pastry into long triangles (cut into three rectangles first) and wrap up starting with the straight end.

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My friends each brought an appetizer – Jim & Michelle showed up with a huge square of pizza (in 2 boxes) from Golden Boy which was pretty awesome. image_2

I also had everyone bring a bottle of $20 red wine so we could do a little wine tasting contest whilst watching.

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We had Oscar Ballots.

image_6It was very serious business filling these out, I tell you.

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We also had bingo.

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With prizes of course.

(I didn’t win)

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Best Oscar party yet.

Can’t wait for next year’s!

life lately

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amazing sunrises in SFIMG_2799

foggy runs down by the bridge

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birthday boiled eggs with soldiers

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birthday weekend in Healdsburg, starting with a drink at Spoonbar
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dinner at Scopa
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the cutest dog ever at Hawley, SampsonIMG_2915

crazy cool Healdsburg sunset

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we stayed at H2 and they had a super fab breakfast spread each mornIMG_2930

we went olive oil tasting at Dry Creek Olive Oil company

(great wine too!)

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Chalk Hill was wonderful – we brought a picnic and did our tasting outside

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there was a crab feed, and then another one 2 weeks later

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hikes in Marin

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dinner and drinks with friends

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a work trip to NY with multiple stops at Eataly

what, you’ve never been? let me show you!

IMG_3291I’m not even a big bagel fan, but you’ve gotta do it when in NY

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snow!

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cupcakes with my fellow Muses

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I was in dire need of veggies after the many Eataly stops

more boiled eggs at Le Pain Quotidien

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puppies!

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oh yeah, and I joined Vine (follow me! @nikilowry)

Eataly’s pizza rocks

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I helped host a baby shower for my dear friend, Cassie

(and thought my homemade granola bar was pretty darn cute)

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and then later that day threw a superbowl party

(complete w/ Delfina meatball subs and homemade chili queso)

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spring has come early and the cherry blossoms are blooming in SF! IMG_3056

we’ve been making paninis on our snazzy new panini maker

(thanks Susannah & Fred!)

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back to our normal routine of heading to the Ferry B on Saturday morns

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more runs down along Crissy Field and the GG bridgeIMG_3576

I’ve been experimenting with chili recipes

(blog post coming soon)

we had a rosemantical Valentine’s date night at home

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Mum met Nigella Lawson, so jealous

(well, we both met her at a book signing in Dublin in ’05, but I’m still jealous)IMG_3681

D and I had a Berkeley date night – first stop was dinner at Zachary’s PizzaIMG_3684

followed by the Cal – SC game

(Go Bears – we won!)

In the spirit of the Oscar’s, I’m whipping up a batch of Gaby Dalkin‘s / The Londoner‘s Slutty Brownies

(Silver Linings Slutty Brownies, to be exact)

I like how Rosie from The Londoner describes these as “filthy”

Also in the Oscar spririt…. “Frankenweenies ‘n Blankets”

and “Artichoke go f*#k yourself” Dip”

(I crack myself up)

I’ll leave you with this Vine #makethesebrowniesnow

happy new year’s eve!

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Need a last minute hostess gift for that New Year’s Eve party you’re headed to tonight? I’ve got the perfect gift that only requires a few simple materials and ingredients to make: DIY Holiday Bark. You provide the ingredients, the instructions, and the cute jar, and your gift recipient will have everything they need to make a delicious chocolate bark… click here for full instructions on The Daily Muse.

Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve everyone!

 

 

slider time

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D & I threw a little election party last week. His sister, Maria, had talked about how she always did burgers & fries on election night, with apple pie for dessert. Love this idea! So we did a variation on this and decided to cook up some sliders.

But not just any slider would do. We enlisted our friend Jim to help us research the perfect slider. I had read this article (which is awesome btw) on the art of the slider, but hadn’t had a chance to test out the method. Jim happily accepted the role of pre-election night slider tester, so on election night we could cook up the most fabulous of sliders.

As he said in a summary email to me…

I want to first emphasize the genius of the method described in the Burger Lab article and quickly summarize the fundamental ideas behind the method:

  1. Thin patty
  2. The onions are crucial for adding flavor and steam
  3. Steam is all important for cooking EVERYTHING (even the bun) and (optional) flavored steam improves flavor (i.e. onion “juice” will be more flavorful than water)

And here are the ingredients for the original, and the order in which they are cooked and stacked in the pan:

  1. a tbsp of onions
  2. 1.5. oz of 80-20 beef
  3. american cheese
  4. 2 pickles
  5. tiny bun

Don’t you just love receiving emails like this?! No? Well, I do. It just about made my week.

Cute printable straw toppers I found online!

Jim also had the genius idea to come up with a few more sliders beyond the classic american style. His creation was a meatball style slider that was to die for. Such a crowd pleaser!

  1. tbsp onions
  2. 1.5 oz beef/pork blend (with a little oregano & red pepper flakes mixed in)
  3. provolone cheese
  4. marinara
  5. tiny bun

I came up with a coca-cola pulled pork slider, served with a healthy dollop of greek yogurt coleslaw on top. The recipe’s on The Daily Muse, if you’re interested. I had heard that coke worked really well with pork, but didn’t believe it till I tasted the result… so delish.

The thing with sliders is that you can do a little preparation ahead of time, but most of the work is done right before eating. Which totally goes against my mantra of prepping as much as possible so I’m the image of calmness when the guests arrive. Election night was anything but calm, but you know what? It was a lot of fun. Trying out a new recipe. Trying out  a new cooking method. Getting to cook w Jim bossing me around. It was a new experience that’s for sure and well worth it!

Some quick slider tips for you…

  1. Buns. We used the Sara Lee brand and they were perfecto. Perfect size. Perfect squishyness. Easy to find. Perfect.
  2. Slider thickness. Jim & I first rolled the meat into a ball, then flattened it into a thin disc using parchment paper (so it doesn’t stick) and the back of a flat plate.
  3. Onions. Chop them up and spread a thin layer in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add a little bit of salt, then after about 8-10 minutes you can add the slider patties to steam.
  4. Technique. Once you’ve added the burgers to the onions, let them cook a little, then add the cheese and a bottom bun. You then place the other half of the bun on top, and let everything steam for a few minutes. Remove the top bun from the pan and set aside, then use a spatula to scoop up the slider, invert, and place the other half on top. Try not to burn yourself w super melty cheese!

(You can find detailed instructions here.)

It was a slider success… classic american, meatball, and pulled pork were the perfect trifecta to serve on election night. I think we’ll be seeing a repeat of this menu in 2016! Well, maybe with a few more new creations added to the mix.