A little info about our Gourmet Group:  We are 4 couples who enjoy cooking, entertaining, and most of all, each other’s company. 

We take turns hosting in our homes.  The hosts decide on the menu (theme) from appetizers to dessert for the evening.  The hosts cook most of the meal, but give at least one course (along with all the recipes) to the other couples to prepare.  We love trying new recipes and ideas.  So most of the time the recipes are ones we haven’t cooked before, but they don’t have to be.

The night before the Oscars this year, another couple in our Gourmet Group hosted our group that evening.  Here’s a look back at the fabulous dinner party they created.

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ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET…

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We were requested to wear “Black Tie” or, at a minimum, “Cocktail Attire”.  The fun began at their front door – walking “The Red Carpet”…

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A bowl of sunglasses for our photo ops throughout the evening…

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COCKTAIL HOUR & APPETIZERS

~ All in the Details ~

Plates and Napkins

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Oscar stands guard over the appetizers…

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Cocktail Table with Appetizers

A cinematic popcorn-filled table…

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The Menu

Appetizers

“The Revenant” Cheese and Sausage Assortment

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“Room” for Mini Crab Cakes

Just like the movie – the minis were a hit!  These crab cakes were cooked with panko instead of bread crumbs and included the zest of both an orange and a lemon.

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“Madd Max Fury Road” Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers

My husband and I were responsible for cooking the poppers – here are a couple of photos from the preparation of them:

12 Jalapenos washed…

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Jalapenos sliced in half, seeds removed and ready to be stuffed with cheddar and cream cheeses

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Wrapped in bacon and ready to be baked

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They were quite tasty…

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

~ All in the Details ~

Drama:  our hostess hung a metallic gold fringe curtain to the entrance of the dining room

The bottom of the curtain reflected the color of the Red Carpet….

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Mini lights under a dome in the corner of the dining room

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Her Tablescape

Lots of glitter and gold…

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Oscar stand guards…

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Oscarette came to the party too…

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“Take 1” Place Setting

The napkin cleverly inserted into the directors board…

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DINNER IS SERVED

The “Burnt” Salad had about 15 ingredients in it.  It was de~li~cious and worth the extra effort.

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“Brooklyn” Beef Wellington,

Twice Baked “Martian” Potatoes, and

“The Big Short” Sautéed Carrots

Individual Beef Wellingtons – Need I say more?!!

The twice baked potatoes were stuffed with both russet and sweet potatoes – very flavorful

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“Bridge of Spies” Cheesecake Pie

Very chocolaty cheesecake with ganache topping and bourbon cherries

OTHER DETAILS

“Burn – Baby – Burn”

Love candles….

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She (like me) has several Sid Dickens tiles.  The Key is from the 2015 collection.

Beautiful tile & inscription