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Woo-hoo! Not only is this weekend a three day weekend, but it's also my big Memorial Day/start of summer BBQ. Yesterday I made a flyer invitation and emailed it to everyone I know. Today I'm putting together an edible outdoor feast for a crowd. Instead of choosing one culinary theme and sticking with it, I'm taking elements from a variety of cuisines to create a cohesive summer inspired menu. The seafood skewer appetizers have Asian influences, while the Caprese style pasta salad has Mediterranean flavors. The barbecued ribs are all American and the grilled eggplant (for the vegetarians) has a Greek feel. On the side - a simple fresh fruit salad. Doesn't all this talk about bbq food make you hungry?? Let me tempt you more with the recipes, just read more

Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday and I'm excitedly gearing up to celebrate in true style: with a huge barbeque for 300 of my sister's closest friends. I'm hosting this event for my sister and the lovely ladies of the UCSD chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma. It's going to be a fabulous day-long fiesta that involves a charity soccer tournament and some delicious grilled Mexican food. Guests can munch on chips, guacamole, and salsa while they watch the games and wait for the main course. There are a lot of people coming, so food that can be prepped at least a day in advance is what will complete the menu. The invite displays a vibrant, colorful, Mexican fiesta theme that I hope to carry over into the menu. To see what delicious options (one meat and one veggie) I'll be masterfully grilling, read more

Guess who's about to celebrate her birthday and start her golden year all on the same day?! KatieSugar! My mom always said that the year your age and birth-date coincided is considered your golden year. Since Katie (no that's not her pictured) is turning 1 on the first of June, this will be her golden year so she deserves a super special celebration worthy of any celebrity baby. Hand crafted pink invitations have set the girlie tone of the event, and to emphasize the focus on Katie, all of the food will be miniature. The appetizers include mini crab cakes and three-bite buffalo chicken wings, but for the mini, all-American main course recipes, read more

Friday is my half birthday and Saturday is St. Patrick's Day, so I am celebrating 2-parties-in-1 with a pre going out dinner on Saturday night. I've invited my friends to join me for an Irish inspired meal before we head out to the bars for a wee bit of St. Patrick's Day shenanigans (I said that in my best Irish accent). Since the evening will most likely involve a lot of beer drinking, I'm serving up generously filling dishes. I'll have a corned beef and swiss appetizer just out of the oven for when my friends arrive. To see what we'll all be sitting down to eat together, read more

This week I am hosting a special little event for myself. Yes you read it correctly, I'm throwing myself a party that has nothing to do with my birthday and everything to do with pampering myself! I've canceled my Friday night plans, told my parents to go out to dinner (my treat) and will turn off my cell phone for a little solo time celebrating the most important person in my world: me. I plan on enjoying a luxurious dinner, followed by a little home spa action, a movie and a magazine. Today I am assembling a dinner menu that will start with a crunchy sweet treat and will be followed by a main course of one of my all time favorite dishes (Crab Cakes With Herb Salad) paired with an experimental recipe I've been wanting to make for weeks now (Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle). The whole idea of this party is to choose a menu that suits you. So make your favorite dishes or those recipes you've been dying to try. For the recipes to my meal, read more

In case you haven't noticed, this week's obsession revolves around the Oscars. I'm planning a big viewing party where we will discuss the stars, the movies, and most importantly the dresses(!). Yesterday I made golden, elegant invitations and today I'm figuring out what I will be serving. Since Wolfgang Puck caters the Oscars after party every year I am making a meal that consists of real dishes that the stars will be eating (think about it: Leo and I could both be popping garlic aioli bruschetta in our mouths at the exact same moment!). This is the second installment of this menu, for the delectable dessert that you certainly do not want to miss come back later this afternoon. To see what I'm cooking up as the main dish (yes it does involve caviar!) for the dinner, read more