Thai New Year

Tonight I hosted part of the Blessing Family Clan to a Thai New Year's dinner. The original inspiration for the meal was a craving for Pok Pok, an oh-so-tasty Thai restaurant in my hometown of Portland, OR. While I didn't aim to replicate Pok Pok's famed chicken wings, the food was pretty damn good (if I do say so myself). But the highlight of the evening was Dr. Blessing's wise life advice. His prescriptions for healthy living: protect the heart with healthy boundaries. My words, not his, but I'm sticking to them. With hoisin. Everything better with hoisin.

The Menu

Blood Orange Margaritas

Salad Rolls with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

Pork Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Baby Back Ribs with Honey Glaze

Green Curried Shrimp with Red Peppers and Cucumber

Egg Fried Rice with Shitake Mushrooms

Braised Bok Choy and Red Cabbage

Green Papaya Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Green Beans

Treat bar with various Thai cookies, cakes and gummies

Make your own sundae:

Coconut, Tart and Acai Berry Frozen Yogurts

Toppings: sour worms, gummy bears, fruity pebbles, mochi, oreos, vanilla wafers, nerds, sprinkles, coconut, animal crackers and yogurt covered pretzels

Lady and the Tramp

The first romantic meal I ever made was spaghetti with meat sauce and a Ceasar salad. It was the fourth grade and Courtney Sterling and I were determined to set the perfect stage for her single dad and our music teacher, Ms. Madden, to fall in love. My mom took us grocery shopping and taught us how to enhance our jar of Prego with fresh herbs and toss our salad out of a bag, complete with croutons and dressing. Somehow, despite our simple menu, we managed to destroy the kitchen. There were red roses to be arranged. A Barry White cassette tape to be played. We crossed our fingers and hoped for a Lady and the Tramp 'oops we've stumbled upon the same noodle, we should kiss' moment'. Our cupid efforts didn't quite yield our desired results but they did teach me the connection between the heart and stomach. Last night I set a similar stage for my and Greg's romantic double Valentine's date with our friends Amy and David. When I first moved to LA, I lived with Amy and David and to say that I 'third wheeled' is a great, great understatement. That first February I made the three of us Valentine's Day dinner and we all exchanged sweet gifts. To prove my 'third wheeling' to the nth degree, it didn't feel awkward at all. It was nice. Ever since, I try to spend the day with A and D...plus G!

The Menu

Roasted red peppers stuffed with sundried tomato pesto and goat cheese

Grilled 'hearts' of romaine salad with artichoke 'hearts' and Ceasar dressing

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Heart shaped brownies with chocolate covered strawberries and ice cream

Prosecco, Chianti, Limoncello

Happy Valentine's Day

Holidays just aren't holidays in my book without the appropriate sugar cookies. They have become my signature treat, my go-to party favor. It's the hint of almond in the frosting that makes everyone wonder 'why is this the best sugar cookie ever?!' This year I did classic hearts as favors for Valentine's Day shoppers at my friend Amy's store Apartment Number 9. It happens to be my high school sweetheart's mom's recipe and somehow all of my girlfriends around the country make them. It makes me so happy that each holiday, I have a new friend requesting the recipe. Courtney A. made them for the first time this week, impressing her 'Valentine' Meg in NYC and realized cookies truly are the key to the heart.

French Fries

French fries are my favorite food on earth. Fat or skinny, fast food or fancified with truffle oil, sweet potato or russets...I love them all. The only thing I am strict about: I want them fresh and hot. Yes, I've been known to send my french fries back at McDonalds and wait for the 'next batch'. If I'm going to splurge, I want it right. And I love to cook so I should be able to make my favorite, right? Well, despite numerous attempts, I ALWAYS fail. My mom, who taught me how to cook, insists it is soooo easy but whenever I follow her method (and every other recipe I can find) I end up with pale, limp, very sad fries. I optimistically invited friends over for 'fish and chips' and ended up serving fish and fried potato mush (with delicious tartar sauce). So you can imagine my excitement that I have figured out the perfect, fool-proof french fry recipe. You have to fry it two stages...thanks Chefsky!!!!

THE METHOD:

1. Clean and peel russet potatoes...3 for 4 people

2. Cut into your desired shape and size and soak in ice water for around 30 minutes

2. Dry thoroughly with paper towels

3. Get your vegetable oil up to 300' and throw in your fries. As soon as they float remove with a slotted spoon. They will will still be very pale.

4. At this point you can put them on a tray and back into the fridge covered for several hours until guests arrive and you are ready to eat.

5. For serving, bring your oil up to 325-350' and throw in your pre-blanched fries. Remove from oil as they turn golden brown. Throw them into a brown paper bag and toss with salt and you have perfect french fries!

Plain or jazzed up, you cannot beat Heinz...

Serve with hamburgers, steaks, roast chicken or all alone with glasses of champagne. On Oprah last week, Michael Pollin (author of Omnivore's Dilemma and Food Rules) said we can enjoy french fries (and all other 'junk food') as long as we make them at home. His theory: if you have to do all of the work yourself, you won't indulge more than once or twice a month. But with this new sure fire technique, I'm thinking weekly...

2010 Golden Globes Party Menu

We love a theme party and the Golden Globe menu is one of our favorites to create. We do a course inspired by each of the twenty best film and television nominees. In past years we've assigned a film or show to each of our guests to design a course for and that is also very fun. But this year the control freak in us wanted to do it all. Here's what we came up with...

Nominations and Courses For BEST MOTION PICTURE DRAMA

AVATAR: Blinis with Caviar and Creme Fraiche

For the most expensive movie ever made, we served the quintessential luxury bite: caviar. Since we didn't have James Cameron's budget, we went for domestic caviar-just as tasty as Russian. Blinis were simply dolloped with creme fraiche, dill and a decadent portion of caviar. If you're feeling especially festive, add a little blue food coloring to your creme fraiche as a nod to the blue creatures.

PRECIOUS: A Bucket of Fried Chicken

Stereotype? Nope. It seems to be Precious' favorite food. We sadly watched her devour a ten-piece bucket leaving an ample amount of grease on her face. For a daintier portion, we offered a bucket of popcorn fried chicken. This is the perfect suggestion for the generous friend who is always asking, 'What can I bring?' It saved a last minute trip and the chicken arrived hot. If you've seen the movie, aren't you relieved I didn't serve boiled pig's feet?

UP IN THE AIR: Warm Nuts

George Clooney certainly does spend a lot of time up in the air--ten million miles worth. Luckily, he flies first class. Free booze aside, my favorite part of riding up front, is the warm nuts so generously offered by the flight attendants. You can go traditional though we find the Barefoot Contessa's 'Warm Rosemary Cashews' irresistible. An extra touch: warm towels.

INGLORIOUS BASTARDS: Nazi German Sausage and Pretzel Bites with Stoneground Dijon Mustard

Our favorite film of the year and we figured, you've gotta go German. These bites are a little time consuming but can be made two weeks in advance and frozen. If you are really short on time, a skewer of sausage and soft pretzel will do in a pinch. And to honor the french? Grey Poupon (even if it is made by Kraft-Tarantino loves a little irony).

HURT LOCKER: Falafel Bomb Mezze Plate

Honoring our soldiers in Iraq with a Middle Eastern mezze plate featuring falafel 'bombs'. Guests made their own mini falafel sandwiches filling pita triangles with tabouli, tomatoes, pickled red onion and taziki.

Nominations and Courses for BEST MOTION PICTURE COMEDY or MUSICAL

JULIE AND JULIA: Beef Bourguignon Skewers

This was a no-brainer. On a lonely Wednesday night last spring, I read Julie Powel's Julie and Julia. The following day I set out to master five Julia Child recipes. By far the biggest disappointment: aspics. So, even though they are featured in the film, we didn't want to burden our guests with them. Instead, the classic. We prepared Julia's traditional version (can be done two days in advance) and then skewered hunks of beef, carrot, onion and mushroom. Reserved the sauce and served on the side as a dip. Bon Appetit!

IT'S COMPLICATED: Complicated Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Meryl Streep charmed Steve Martin, as well as us, as she prepared chocolate croissants after hours. Our twist: chocolate croissant bread pudding. Our complication: we've added a touch of Grand Marnier. The only thing that could've made it better? Preparing our entire menu in Meryl's restaurant in that to-die-for kitchen.

THE HANGOVER: Mike Tyson's Tiger Prawns with Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce

Zach Galifinakis is my boyfriend. He was at my party. We had so many laughs... One of the best tips from Ina Garten is to roast your shrimp for shrimp cocktail. It is such a simple adjustment but adds so much flavor. And to honor our blacked out buddies, we added a little vodka to our spicy cocktail sauce.

(500) DAYS OF SUMMER: Korean Tacos

This movie was just a touch too indie for us, what with all of the quirky bows, awkward gesturing and meant-to-be-adorable dorking around. To support our opinion, we served the uber-hipster food for the uber-indie film: korean tacos! If you live in Los Angeles, you could stand in line at the Koji Truck, or make a friend do it. Waiting in line on the day of a part isn't our style, so we added some store-bought kimchi to our tofu tacos as well as dashes of soy, sesame oil and chili paste.

NINE: Nine Elements of an Antipasto Platter

When in Rome..do as Daniel Day-Lewis does. We made this course easy with a trip to the Whole Foods deli and olive bar and selected our nine favorite antipasto offerings. We liked: prosciutto, fennel salami, lucque olives, hunks of parm, hard ricotta, roasted tomatoes, caper berries, homemade spicy pickles and fig jam. Nine party game: a vote for sexiest leading lady.

So...We get more excited about the feature film nominations but here are some drink, dessert and nibble ideas to represent the ten best television series nominations. Pick a few to represent your favorite shows...How is Top Chef not nominated?

Nominations and Courses for BEST TELEVISION SERIES DRAMA

DEXTER: Blood Orange Mojitos

A nod to the blood oranges featured in the opening credits, as well as the shows locale, Miami.

BIG LOVE: 'Clean-Cut' Crudites with Three Dips

Bill Henrickson has three wives so we had three dips...Assembled a green and white crudite platter with Cilantro Cumin Dip , Roasted Garlic White Bean Dip and a Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Dip.

MAD MEN: Manhattans

Have you seen the show? These boys (and girls) know how to throw back. Enjoy a classic.

TRUE BLOOD: Mini Red Velvet Cupcakes

We admit that cupcakes get a bit too much attention these days, but they are a crowd pleaser, especially the Red Velvets. Plus, they represent the South, as well as the blood. If you completely oppose supporting the cupcake craze, serve True Bloody Marys.

HOUSE: Vicodin

The guys's a pill popper...the real stuff is too valuable to share so we opted for altoids.

Nominations and Courses for BEST TELEVISION SERIES COMEDY

30 ROCK: 'Liz Lemon' Bars

Just enough sweet and tart humor...Now we don't like to admit such 'cheats' to our guests, but we found a dozen lemon bar bites at Trader Joe's in the freezer section for less than the butter and lemons in my basket. So, we put our ingredients back and took the help. Shhhhh....

ENTOURAGE: Spicy Tuna Rolls

Johnny Drama, 'I only go to the valley for sushi row, bro.' We bought sushi-grade tuna and combined with mayo, lemon zest, soy sauce and wasabi paste. To avoid all of the angst involved with rolling our own sushi, we dolloped spicy tuna onto cucumber rounds. Purchasing pre-made sushi would've been even easier.

GLEE: 'Short Bus' Bake Sale Cookie Platter

Glee's group held a bake sale this season to raise money for their schools' short bus. Honoring their efforts, we put out a platter of chocolate chip cookies. The classic Tollhouse recipe is our favorite.

THE OFFICE: Supermarket Birthday Cake Bites

The classic 'office party' go-to treat...we found the biggest slice of cake ever at Pavillion's for $1.50. Our feelings were only a little hurt when it seemed to be sweet-lover David Jone's favorite dessert of the evening...

MODERN FAMILY: Potstickers

Not the most politically correct appetizer but it's Jay's (aka Al Bundy) term of endearment for his newly adopted Vietnamese granddaughter.

No viewing party is complete without a little competition so we always print ballots, create a pool, swap ballots, score and winner takes all.

The Menu

Manhattans - blood orange mojitos

warm rosemary cashews - crudites with three dips

roasted shrimp cocktail with bloody mary sauce

blinis with caviar and creme fraiche - spicy tuna rolls - antipasto platter

falafel - korean tacos - potstickers - sausage pretzel bites

popcorn fried chicken - beef bourguignon skewers

lemon bars - red velvet cupcakes - chocolate chip cookies - cake bites

chocolate croissant bread pudding - vicodin

easter 2009

We had 70! people to Easter Brunch. All of the planning, baking, crafting and making was as much fun as the actual party. Wishing every weekend had a holiday...

We blew eggs and Amy wrapped them with fabrics from her men's store Apartment Number 9

LA's downtown flower district is a heaven...painted grass on blown eggs

No bartender needed. Make your own bellini, mimosa, screwdriver, greyhound, bloody mary or virgin cocktail bar. The freshest twist: farmers market strawberry and peach purees

Crostinis with artichoke spread, radish and micro greens salad

Devilled eggs three ways: basil pesto, curried and spicy paprika

Sweet strawberries with creme fraiche and brown sugar for dipping

We almost decided to have children after having so much fun making our younger guests' Easter baskets and hiding the eggs for their hunt

We went a little nuts with Easter candies, cookies and chocolates. We offered a range of treats: from classic drugstore Peeps, chocolate eggs and jellybeans to Mary See's petit fours and truffles to our homemade sugar cookies. It was the ultimate dessert bar.

Our favors: mini Easter baskets with homemade sugar cookies and candy to go

The Menu

H'ors deuvres

Devilled eggs three ways: basil, curried and spicy paprkia

Crostini with artichoke spread, radish and micro greens

Shot glasses of carrot ginger and curried minted pea chilled soups

Buffett

Honey Baked Ham with assorted mustards and chutneys

Twice Baked Potato Casserole with greek yogurt

Mushroom, Leek, Ricotta Tarts

Grilled Asparagus with parmesan, olive oil and lemon zest

Mixed Greens with champagne tarragon vinaigrette and honeyed pine nuts

Mini Muffin Basket: rosemary corn, blueberry and carrot cake

Citrus platter with navel oranges, grapefruit, kiwi and ginger syrup

Fresh strawberries with brown sugar and creme fraiche

David Jones' famous sticky buns

Lemon bundt cake

Dessert Bar

Assorted candies, chocolates, petit-fours and cookies

Coffee and tea bar