Your Oscar Party Lush Or Simple

 The Oscars are this Sunday, March 27th and it's time to celebrate. Will you have a lavish Hollywood type of do or one that without all the drama? Will  it be a party for many or for one and two? either way , you can have a fun night ,full of delicious foods.

Even though prices have gone up, you can still have create a lush spread. Just cut down on the variety. You can have shrimp or lobster but not both. Pick the one you know your guests will enjoy more. Another fun bite are steak sliders.This is just cutting up grilled steak and  placing the cutlets on toasted brioches.What about sides. Stuffed artichokes would be a nice idea or asparagus drizzled with lemon butter.A fun idea for a cold dinner is the classic charcuterie platter.Have boule, those crusty rounds of bread instead of the usual baguettes.Also have a variety of crackers or savory shortbread.This is an easy bake with omitting the sugar in the recipe.Cheese and herbs are added in instead.As for the meat, think prosciutto, thinly sliced ham and dried salame.,You can also include black and green olives along with cornichons. Cheeses can be a richy runny Brie or a tasty Gruyere. Cheddar slices also work here as well.Have wine and champagne for drinks along with mock tails for those who don't drink.

What about when it's just you and another film buff? Think small but tasty.Homemade French bread pizzas are always a fun treat.It is also an easy make.Just split a baguette, hollow out the loaf and add olive oil, sauce and mozzarella cheese.Top with whatever you want. Try veggies like broccoli and peppers or meats like pepperoni, ham or even bacon. You can even do this with bagels or English muffins too.Homemade chili over cornbread is another fun dinner and best of all you can have the leftovers through the week.Another idea is air fryer chicken wings or nuggets. Serve these with ramekins of different sauces like honey mustard and barbecue.Keep in mind that you can also do this with batter dipped cauliflower too.Use your air fryer or toaster oven for making kale chips too.Of course popcorn would also be good too. Think about one popped in olive oil and sprinkled with dried rosemary.Cheddar corn is a tasty treat too. Finely grate a good ,solid cheddar over the cooked popcorn. Add bacon for a kind of a loaded snack. What to drink?Go with what you want. Beer, cider or even an ice cream soda woeks.

Celebrate lavishly or comfortablIty.It s the Oscars . Enjoy them with a good bite.

A,

Gifts For The Cook And Kitchen

 The holidays will be different this year. Yet gift giving will remain the same. Food gifts are always welcome . Home chefs and bakers always appreciate something new and fun to try. 

The New York Times Food section yesterday published a short but excellent guide on what to give. Contributors such as Sam Sifton and Mrgaux laskey give their ideas along with Anna Perling and Marguerite Preston. Food is always a must. It's a fun diversion and perfect for those new at home Zoom Christmas party. A must is a Vermont cheese basket. The Jasper Hill Vermonter basket has not only mouth watering fromage from the Green Mountain State, it also comes with nuts and crackers. Another cheesy gift is from the Plymouth Artisan Cheese Company that's been making raw milk cheddar since 1890. For those who love a dash of fire give a horseradish and ginger spiked hot sauce from  Shaquanda Will Feed You. The company has other flavorful hot sauces such as a seafood green sauce, spiked with both sweet and fiery. A less tongue searing present is a jar from the unique Trade Street Jam Company. This Brooklyn company offers such cool flavors as smoked peach and strawberry chipotle fig. Of course this is the year for beans so why don't  you send Rancho Gordo's heirloom beans from America's West Coast growers in Oregon, Washington and California. Sweet lovers will appreciate Mah-Ze-Dahr's brownies and a gingerbread house making kit.

Home chefs always appreciate a kitchen gift. The Teakhaus Carving Board is perfect for those who do a lot of chopping and slicing  as it stands up to cuts, stains and odors. You may want to pair it with an electric pellet grill from Traegar Pro which can smoke all sorts of meats. It is pricey though at almost eight hundred dollars. For something much less expensive think Kuving EVO juicer which can produce all sorts of delicious juices. Bakers will appreciate the Emile Henry  nine inch pie dish for the perfect dessert.  There are fun gifts too like the Whynter ICM 201S ice cream maker which can make everything from classic ice cream to frozen yogurt. They can mop up the mess with the super cute Cheerful Sponges in fruit  and veggie shapes.Also think about fun reusable straws from OXO. They're made from stainless steel and even come with a brush for cleaning.  For more practical gifts think reusable sandwich bags in bright colors, perfect for lone hikes and walks in the park along with beer glasses which enhance any beer's flavor. A truly lovely gift is a plastic mat for the kitchen floor from France. It may be vinyl but looks and feels like classic linoleum. 

The holidays will be different this year. Gift giving won't be. Pick something fun for the chefs and food lovers in your life.

Eat And Lose Weight

Imagine if you could eat anything, from waffles to pizza  and lose tons of weight . You would think  it's not possible but it is.A new cookbook :shows how you can. have your cake and eat it too, alongside of yummy cupcakes, tacos and other fun foods. Best of all this diet is guaranteed to shed pounds.

Popular blogger Audrey John gives foodies and home chefs the cookbook Lose Weight By Eating (Harper Collins Publishers) a phenomenal and fun cookbook about  making and baking without preservatives , using only fresh and nutritious ingredients. A  few years ago Ms. John was 275 pounds , thanks to a diet of frozen, prepackaged and fast foods. She changed her lifestyle by cooking and baking favorites from scratch. The result was a new chef, 150 lighter and a few dollars richer. She was even able to save money by recreating homemade versions of hamburgers, tacos and cupcakes.It resulted in an instantly popular blog which led to this book. The recipes are easy enough for the most novice of home chefs. and the recipes are divided into really fun chapters like Comfort Foods and Pizza Pizza. What I like about the book is the write in food log that readers can use to write down. what they've eaten as well as calorie count followed by the amount of fat, fiber and carbohydrates.Ms. Johns also includes a guide to the perfect salad as well as sections on exercise along with drinking more water. The book also contains a menu guide to help with planning a week's meals.


The recipes will satisfy anyone, There are giant  breakfast cookies made with applesauce, which Ms.Johns uses as a butter substitute, These are  chock full of oatmeal and brown sugar along with cranberries and almonds. These would be perfect for any pajama party or family brunch. Egg lovers will relish the stuffed breakfast burritos and scrambles.Pizza, usually a dieter's no-no is made healthier thanks to using low calorie turkey sausage and all kinds of fresh veggies. Holiday cooking is included here for  healthier and cheaper dinners.Maple syrup is used instead of sugar and almond milk is preferred to regular milk for lower calorie feasts.It starts with recipes for a perfectly brined and roasted turkey with creamy mashed potatoes. This last is rich in flavor but low in calories thanks to the addition of almond milk and Greek yogurt. There is also a holiday ham glazed with cherry jam and ginger beer..For  weeknight dinners there's the healthy vegetable lasagna and cheddar stuffed turkey burgers.  The chapter on comfort foods has such great dishes as skinny chicken pot pie,manly beer chili and crispy fried pork chops desserts include strawberry shortcake cupcakes, orange creamsicles and chocolate bananas on a stick. Wash these down with Ms. John's  take on homemade blueberry orange sodas, and low calorie lattes.

Yes, you can have your cake and eat it too. You can also have pizza and creamsicles, soda and cookies, thanks to this great new cookbook. Treat yourself to Lose Weight by Eating and enjoy favorite foods and drinks without any guilt