Academy Awards Viewing

While sipping on champagne and skinny margaritas and noshing on all sorts of delish apps, I spent the evening dishing on the best and the worst of everything from frocks to facial hair on Hollywood’s most glamorous night.  (Speaking of the worst, what was that strange thing Angelina was doing with her toothpick leg???)

Printable ballots here

The gals came bearing a bevvy of delectable eats – gourmet pretzels with a raspberry mustard sauce, OK Café cheese coins (to.die.for.), mushroom flatbread, my big fat Greek appetizer plate (LOL), cheesecake stuffed strawberries, caprese salad – and I made two of my go-to hors d’oeuvres for the affair.  Add these to your coffers, ladies, because they never disappoint and both can be prepared well in advance!

Salted Caramel Pecan Dark Chocolate Bars
1 c. chopped pecans
box of graham crackers
1c. brown sugar
3/4c. butter
2 T. whipping cream
1 t. vanilla
dark chocolate chips
coarse sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 10 to 12 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.
2. Line a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with aluminum foil; lightly grease foil. Arrange graham crackers in a single layer in prepared pan, slightly overlapping edges.
3. Combine sugar, butter, and cream in a medium-size heavy saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla and pecans. Pour butter mixture over crackers, spreading to coat.
4. Bake at 350° for 10 to 11 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.
5. Top warm bars with dark chocolate chips.  Let stand 3 minutes and spread chocolate over bars.
6. Immediately sprinkle with salt, and slide foil from pan onto a wire rack. Cool completely (about 30 minutes). Chill and break into bars.


Ham & Swissers
Bestie C’s sweet mother gave me this recipe from the Cherokee Entertains cookbook and I’ve made it more times than I can count.

Two packages mini Hawaiian Rolls (12 count each), sliced
1 lb. honey ham, coarsely chopped
8 oz. swiss cheese, shredded
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 T. worchestershire sauce
1 cup butter, softened
2 T.  poppy seeds
4 T. prepared mustard
- On bottom halves of rolls, evenly top with ham and cheese.
- Soften butter and mix well with onion, worchestershire sauce, poppy seeds and mustard.  Spread mixture on top halves of split rolls.
- Place sandwiches on baking pan and cover tightly with foil.  Refrigerate. These are great to make a day in advance! 
- Before serving, preheat oven to 250.  Bake sandwiches until heated through – you have a lot of liberty here – I allow at least 30 minutes but have left them in the oven for an hour before a party!

And, while I had hoped to see The Help, Harry Potter, Bridesmaids and Moneyball bring home a few of those coveted statues, it was a much more suitable affair than the way I spent my evening last year (no offense Honey, but you just don’t get it.) 

Thanks, girls, for a lively Sunday eve!!
xoxo