I love having people over for dinner or brunch or any eating activity for that matter. It’s an excuse to clean the house and an excuse to make things I would normally not make for just my honey and myself. But sometimes, if I choose the wrong recipe, the hour before people arrive feels like a psychotic scramble to not burn/singe/curdle/destroy whatever is in front of me.

So here is my trick. Serve things that can be 90 percent prepped ahead of time. Then enjoy magically assembling and garnishing with pre-cut, pre-made ingredients and enjoy your glass of wine, savoring each sip instead of sloshing it back between dashes across the kitchen.

For the Recipe, click here:

Asparagus and Mushroom Flaky Tarts

As promised, some more Oscar ideas to entertain your friends! As a baby blogger, I am realizing that if anyone is going to actually be able to make this stuff, I should probably post a tad bit more in advance, so I apologize if you are frantically running out to the store to purchase Blue Curacao! As for the chickpeas and popcorn, I think most people have these stocked in their pantry, so hopefully they are stress free entertainment options.

A disclaimer… I am cringing at my suggestion to willingly poison yourself with blue food dye, but in the name of fun and whimsy, I suppose an exception can be made. Just hopefully you don’t have an electric blue hue after drinking 3 or 4 Avatargaritas!

For the Recipes, click here:

Some drinks inspired by two of my favorite Oscar Nominees:

The Oran-Julia

The Avatargarita

Some appetizers inspired by the 2010 Oscar Nominees for Best Picture:

Pepper and Mozzarella Ball Balloons

Spiced “Up in the Air” Chickpeas