Oscar themed wedding nibbles for the star in your life

The cuties from Moet & Chandon - 4-pack

Champagne is a perfect drink anytime as far as I’m concerned. One of my favorite brands Moët & Chandon, will be serving the cocktail on the red carpet for the Academy Awards as well as inside of the Governor’s Ball. These adorable mini-bottles were a big hit during fashion week and I’m sure they will go over just as well with Oscar. If you are thinking of having an Oscar-themed party, or how about your engagement party, rehearsal dinner, or celebrating your first dinner party as an engaged couple, these are some quick and easy cocktails and snacks.

Moët’s “Golden Glamour” signature cocktail will be served on the red carpet and inside of the Governor’s Ball. It’s simple and delicious, made with a bit of passion fruit juice, a splash of vanilla liqueur for an exotic flavor, topped with Moët & Chandon Imperial, and finished with a sprig of mint.

Renowned author of “The Comfort Table,” culinary personality and Moët & Chandon’s entertaining ambassador, Katie Lee, is really a sweetheart to share some of her Oscar entertaining ideas with all of you. Thanks Katie. We hope you enjoy them.

Golden Glamour

4 oz. Moët & Chandon Imperial Champagne

0.25 oz. Navan
1.5 oz. Passion Fruit Juice

Combine all ingredients in a champagne coupe. Top with fresh sprig of mint for garnish.

The party pack features four Moët Imperial mini bottles and four mini flutes, which screw directly into the mini bottles, carried in a decorative tribute to cinema ice bucket. This is the perfect starter kit for a home viewing party and five-spice Kettle popcorn.

What goes better with the movies – popcorn. Make this Chinese Five-Spice Kettle Corn to enjoy with cocktails and also package it up in take out boxes for a party favor for your guests.”

¾ cup popcorn
¼ cup canola oil
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Chinese 5 Spice powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat, combine popcorn, oil, sugar, 5 Spice powder, and salt. Shake constantly. When popcorn begins to pop, lower heat to medium-low. Continue to shake until popping begins to slow and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with melted butter.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Katie’s Shrimp Pot-stickers with Ginger Lemon Dipping Sauce

Katie says, “Making homemade pot-stickers is much easier than it sounds and the little extra effort is well worth it in the end. Store-bought wonton wrappers are very easy to work with and once assembled, these pot-stickers can be refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use them. I like to take any uncooked potstickers and drop them in boiling chicken broth combined with the leftover dipping sauce for an instant wonton soup.”

For the pot-stickers

½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
1 large egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
24 to 30 round wonton (or goyza) wrappers
4 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup water

For the dipping sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 scallion, thinly sliced

For the pot-stickers

In a food processor, pulse shrimp until ground. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add scallions, egg, salt, and pepper.

Place 1 level teaspoon shrimp mixture onto each wonton. Brush edge with water and fold into a half moon to seal.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat. Add half of the dumplings seam side up and cook 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup water, cover and let steam 3 to 4 minutes. Cook the dumpling a few minutes longer with the lid off if they are sticking to the pan. Repeat with other half of dumplings.

For the dipping sauce

Whisk soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, barbecue sauce, and sesame oil. Stir in scallion.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes

No matter how you spend your weekend, or who your favorite movie is, I'm sure these quick and really easy recipies will be an Oscar winner. If you are looking for other great drinks that can be used for a variety of your wedding themed events click here and here and here.

And the winner is... YOU!

A starburst of flavor with Carlos Miele

A giant bag of ‘starbursts’ is what the Carlos Miele collection was like. This collection was not only colorful, playful and the colors popped, it had the body-hugging elements that all women like. If you have curves, the will be brilliantly accentuated, if you’re curve ‘challenged’ – no worries, you’ll have them now.

Geometric abstract, photomontages and constructivist architectural engineering inspired the line. What makes this special is that all the remnant pieces of fabric that are usually tossed away, were then turned into ‘fuxicos’ (rosettes) which are his ‘signature’. In other words, Carlos Miele is a friend of the environment.
His cropped fox jackets and swing coats were mixed with 100 percent organic denim trouser from his lower-priced jeans line. Talk about ways to reuse denim.

Gracias Carlos mucho, para amar la curva de una mujer y el medio ambiente por igual.
(Thank you very much Carlos, for loving the curve of a woman and the environment equally).

Fall Color trends for your wedding décor to consider, based on the Carlos Miele Fall 2010 RTW collection: Purple, Red, Fuchsia, Grey, Light Gold, Charcoal, Electric Blue,
Geometric Abstract prints, three-tone colors (to compliment in the same color palate), Appliqué and asymmetric colors/patterns

Naeem Kahn WOWs the Tent Fall 2010 collection

Naeem Khan was the last show I was seeing this fashion season under the tent. I have to say, I was tired, beyond exhausted if truth be told. I met his beautiful and talented in her own right, wife and said to her that I needed to find a new way to say “oh my god” every time I view his collection. She joked with me and said just say “OMG”. As I made my way to my seat, I knew from last year that Naeem was going to be amazing, so I was looking forward to it. As the lights dimmed and as soon as the first beat of music played and the very first model took the runway, the electricity in the room went from zero to 1billion in .2seconds flat. I could go on about the music classic rock and roll, but let me tell you about the clothes.

Glamour with a touch of American classic sports wear and sex appeal mixed with rock and roll edge equaled perfection. As one looking not only at the clothes, but the reaction of my fellow editors and those in the audience, there was deep appreciation not only for the music choice (which matched perfectly), but for the true masterpieces we saw. In the end, a very well deserved 'OMG' standing ovation.

Naeem, if you read this know that viewing your collection was worth all the hours, train rides across town, up and down stairs, being bumped in the head by a wayward camera lens and lack of sleep during fashion week. I want every piece in your collection and some of the editors I was sitting with feel the same. The standing ovation your received was sincere and I truly can’t wait to see what next season brings. Thank you for being such a talented man who obviously loves the power, strength and sensuality of a woman.

Fall Color trends for your wedding décor to consider, based on the Naeem Khan RTW collection: Anything Metallic, Gold, “Metal”, Black. Gold, Silver, “Glass Chenille”, Crystals, beading, fringe, sequins, iridescent colors and feathers.

Just as an aside, the jewelry which were strong statement pieces, earrings and bracelets were created by the talented and extremely beautiful Ranjana Khan, Naeem’s wife.

Vertical Strength prevails with Trias Fall 2010 show

‘Vertical Strength’ gives prominence to rectitude. It is a realistic reflection of the design that Trias achieves with respect and strength, elegance, feminine, modern and timeless style. In other words, you will want every piece of this collection.

This is my second season with Trias and truly love this designer. What’s more, I can see my friends, all shapes and sizes, wearing this line and feeling incredibly comfortable and sexy in them. Proportion and clean lines are important to Jaquin Trias and it shows in this, his second collection. The use of modern shades compliments the fabric textures and truly brings the final design to life. Honestly, it was wonderful to not see ‘black’ in every piece; instead this collection ran the gamut of red, blue, ocher, and shades of lilac. Together they worked harmoniously and gave balance to the entire collection.

The hosiery created a complete picture that was one of those times when I could easily see from the runway, to walking down any office hallway. Personally, I loved the paper-bag pants and the beltswhich at a leather tie and not belted. Also notice in the video that the hair is side-swept with a low ‘messy’ knot. Huge congratulations to Jaquin. You combined innovative fabrics (wool, silks, knits, some textiles including Lycra) to create a line that is modern, yet elegant and timeless. As you say “The attitude of Trias woman, is one with personality and presence.” I completely agree.

Fall Color trends for your wedding décor to consider, based on the Trias RTW collection: Brown, Grey Lilac, Ocre, Red-Titanium and Deep blue.

Trias 2010 Fall Fashion Show NYC Bryant Park - Thanks to Mercedes-Benz on YouTube

Monique Lhuillier Fearless Fall 2010 collection

Monique Lhuillier has given birth not only to her beautiful new daughter, but to a collection that is powerful. For many brides, you may not know that along with her bridal line, she has an large Hollywood following for her RTW and it often graces all the red carpets. This season under the tent, she created Hollywood couture, drawing her inspiration from Chinese warriors and military suits. Did she know that her show would happen during the Chinese New Year, I’m not sure. What I do know is it worked!

Like her bridal wear the lines were clean; but there were strong silhouettes with strong chic edges. She had long sleeves, no sleeves, strong shoulders and mile-high leg slits. Easily any of these pieces could be transferred into bridal, bridesmaids or mother of the bride/groom attire. I sincerely hope you enjoy the photos.

Oh, as an aside, Monique looked amazing having just given birth to a her baby girl only 2 months ago. Amazing that she seems to be the queen of multi-births…soon to have a triplet with her new bridal collection.

Fall Color trends for your wedding décor to consider, based on the Monique Lhuillier RTW collection: Crimson Red, Slate, Dusty Rose, Gold, Navy, Bordeaux, Merlot, Deep Plum, and Black, along with dragon printed jacquards, velvets and liquid lace. All of these or any of these will add luxurious feel to your event.