Oscar Party Inspiration

As you already know we (the people at baci) love to throw parties, so why not throw one to watch the Oscars on February 26th! It is being hosted by the amazing Billy Crystal on ABC.

1st Step is to buy a beautiful dress and what better way then to look like Audrey Hepburn, any woman's idol!! This dress is from ModCloth for $52.99.

2nd Step--Send out Invitations. Clearly you would call us for this :) BUT, since baci has never designed an invitation for an Oscar party (but many other parties, ha) this simple, yet elegant invitation would be wonderful for an Oscar party.

3rd step--Prepare Food!!! How delicious do these Oscar cookies look!! And what makes them even better is they have cards with "awards" on them, such as: Best Motion Picture.

4th step--Add a fun factor. Why not make up a ballot for all the people who are up for all of the Oscars and check off who you think will win. And for every one they got right, they get a prize (or just one big prize for the person who wins the most). Maybe an Oscar cookie for that category, bag of popcorn, or a bottle of wine. Your choice--make it fun but elegant!!!

Hope you enjoy the helpful hints to throwing an Oscar party, Enjoy!!  Be sure to send us your photos of your Oscar party - we'd love to see them :o)

New WeddingAces Post: baci's Royal Wedding Viewing Party!!!

The post and all the fun photos of baci's Royal Wedding Viewing Party are finally up on WeddingAces - simply follow this link to see all the happy goodness!! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did hosting the party :o)

baci's baking - Prosciutto Asparagus Spirals

This recipe from the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry box may be one of my all-time favorites - it's pretty easy and so seriously delicious! Enjoy!!

Prosciutto Asparagus Spirals

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1 package (17.3 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed
6 T. garlic and herb spreadable cheese, softened (I use 6 Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb Wedges)
8 slices prosciutto or thinly sliced deli ham
30 medium asparagus spears, trimmed

1) Heat the oven to 400°F. Unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Spread three tablespoons cheese on each pastry sheet. Top each with four slices prosciutto. Cut each into 15 strips crosswise, making 30 in all.
2) Tightly wrap 1 pastry strip around each asparagus spear, prosciutto-side in. Place the pastries seam-side down onto two baking sheets.
3) Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown.

baci's baking - Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes

Ilario and I hosted our Annual New Year's Eve Party this year and, as always, my sister and I made way too much food! We absolutely love it though and it's a great way to try out new recipes on our friends :o) In the next few weeks I'll give you a few of our favorite recipes that were (or have always been) a huge hit!

First off, Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes, a recipe originally from Better Homes and Gardens, were the most requested appetizer for the 2011 party. We made them, well Jami made them, last year for the first time and I was pretty sure she was going to lose her mind. I honestly didn't think I could con her into making them again, so I didn't even bother putting them on the menu for this year. . . until she asked to make them again (because they really are delicious, no matter how much of a pain they are) and then several friends asked if we were making them again. So we made some notes and observations this time around to make this recipe a little more user friendly. . . not too much, but a little :o) Enjoy!

Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes

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30 campari tomatoes or 45 grape or cherry tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pints)

1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut up
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. homemade or purchased basil pesto
1 t. lemon juice

1) With a sharp, serrated knife, cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato. Then cut a thin slice from bottoms of tomatoes so they stand upright.

2) (Here comes the hard part and why we recommend using the slightly larger campari tomatoes.) With a small spoon - we alternated between a 1/4 teaspoon and an espresso spoon - carefully hollow out the tomatoes (you can save the remains to use in a tomato sauce later).

3) Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Invert tomatoes on the towels. Let stand 30 minutes to drain.
4) Meanwhile, for filling, in a food processor bowl (or a bowl you can use a handheld mixer with) combine avocado, cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice. Cover; process until smooth.

5) Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip.
6) Place tomatoes, open sides up, on a serving platter. Pipe filling into the tomato cups.

7) Serve immediately or cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

photo by jamilee

Handpicked - Crate&Barrel Entertaining Accessories

I absolutely love to entertain, so our home is full of items to do just that - wine goblets, champagne glasses, appetizers plates, serveware, china, silver, etc. . . all the fun stuff that makes it a joy when people come to our house. Throughout the past years of entertaining and hosting parties, I've realized there are a few staples each home should have just in case the in-laws stop by or it's your turn to host Book Club. Crate&Barrel has so many wonderful and affordable dining and entertaining accessories that can have multiple uses, so I thought they would be the perfect place to choose these items from!

1) Stemless Wine Glasses - Stemless wine glasses are great to keep in your home because they can also be easily used to hold mixed drinks. When stocking up, be sure to purchase at least 12. $2.50 each

2) Stainless Party Bowl - Not only can you use a large tub or bowl like this one for chilling beverages, but it can also double as an ice bucket or a punch or salad bowl. - $59.95

3) 3-piece Rabbit Wine Opener Set - Hands down the best wine opener ever, so simple and easy. - $44.95

4) Set of 12 Buffet White Cocktail Napkins - Great to have on hand and good for the environment, too, simply toss them in the wash and they're ready to go again. - $19.95

5) Set of 12 Appetizer Plates - I own these and use them on a very regular basis, they are the perfect size! - $22.95

6) Charlotte Large Pedestal - A cake stand or pedestal is a definite necessity, you can obviously use it display a beautiful cake, but you can also use it to serve appetizers on. - $39.95

7) Acacia Tray - A nice tray is a simple way to carry items from the kitchen out to your guests. - $32.95

8) 3-piece Oval Bowl Set - You can never have enough simple serveware. I try to purchase most entertaining accessories in white or black so they match one another when displayed on a table. - $19.95

9) Stratton 22 oz. Beer Mug - Keeping at least 6 beer mugs chilled in your freezer is a wonderful idea for a beverage that isn't quiet cold enough. - $11.95

Milk White Cake Stands - My Current Wish List

Each time I throw a party here at our home I realize there are a few things I'd like to have and the baby shower we're hosting tomorrow is no exception :) I want milk white cake stands to display food on my buffet table - I always see so many pretty designs done with these simple, yet gorgeous, stands so I want them. . . all! Here are my four favorites:

1) O.k, so the first one isn't technically a stand, it's actually a bowl, but the Rosanna Decor Bon Bon White Footed Square Bowl is so unique I don't care about the technicalities! 2) Martha never disappoints - Martha Stewart Collection Large 12" Square Cake Stand. 3) The Scalloped Medium Cake Stand from Williams-Sonoma is so girly and pretty! 4) I never shy away from a Pottery Barn product - Great White Cake Stand - and it would match the plates and cereal bowls we already own.

Outside Dreams, My Current Wish List

Since it's been so gorgeous and sunny, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to make our patio dreamy. . . we have the furniture, but no cushions and an incredible galvanized tub, but since we didn't have a great outdoor spot at our last house we really haven't accumulated much more. So here's what I'm hoping for:

1) I always worry about glass breaking on the patio so this Carterer's Outdoor 12-Piece Dinnerware Set from Pottery Barn would be AWESOME and still incredibly classy! 2) Once again on the glass breaking front, we (well, me actually. . .) drink a lot of wine so these pretty green Stacking Acrylic Wine Glasses from Crate & Barrel would be great. 3) Remember how I said we didn't have cushions? Well, I think these Blue Mist Indoor/Outdoor Cushions from Home Decorators Collection are perfect. 4) I love soft light in the outdoors, but white Christmas lights look kind of tacky hanging out all year long, but these Globe String Lights from Pottery Barn would be fabulous.

baci's baking - Cheese Crescent Triangles

Baci took the weekend off ("Handpicked" will resume next Monday), but we're back and ready to bake!

I absolutely love to entertain so I'm always on the lookout for simple and delicious appetizers so I was SO excited when I stumbled across this recipe for Cheese Crescent Triangles on Pillsbury's web site. My recipe is slightly tweaked from their version and they truly are delicious - each time I bake them for a party they're gone almost instantly!

Cheese Crescent Triangles

1 3.5 oz. package Athenos Reduced Fat Tomato & Basil Feta Cheese

1 egg, well beaten

1 package Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls

1 T. Kraft Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Heat oven to 375. In a small bowl, mix cheese and 3 tablespoons of the beaten egg. Separate long dough roll into 2 shorter rolls at center perforation. Unroll 1 short roll until 1 rectangle can be separated. Press diagonal perforations to seal. Cut rectangle into 6 squares. Top each dough square with cheese mixture (about a teaspoon). Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Press edges to seal and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining three dough rectangles and cheese mixture. Brush tops with beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese. Bake 9 - 11 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 24 appetizers.

What's so great about this recipe is that you can substitute the cheese mixture with nearly anything you like. I love switching it out for pesto!

*Image from Pillsbury.com