Red Carpet Celebration

Hosting an Awards Season party?

The Award's Season is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only am I a media professional but personally my weeks are filled with sitcoms, new movies, documentaries and reality shows - it's true. Over the past few years, my friends have started a tradition of getting together to guess the winners of each award and to criticize the fashion. Here are a few of my favorite necessities for red carpet season. Enjoy! Don't forget to look at the nominations (Oscars)

1. I get super cranky when I have cute shoes on but my feet hurt. Dr. Scholls inserts feel luxurious and are frequently my lifesaver.

2. Every party needs an invite to set the mood. Cocodot.com has the most fabulous selection of e-cards and invitations including designer collections for unique occasions.

3. It's always important to show appreciate to your host by bringing a gift including wine, food or my personal favorite, baked goods. My new favorite gifting obsession is BananaAppeal, a little jar filled with all-natural banana infused delicious cakes.

4. A bold necklace can make any simple girl stand out. Check out OpenSky.com for great deals on local designers.

5. Several of my friends swear by a Juice Cleanse to refresh your body from all the toxins you take in during the year. I have never tried one but recently found these Red Carpet Cleanses and could not think of a more perfect excuse to test it out.

6. Chocolate Champagne Corks? Amazing and necessary at every celebration.

7. Baked by Melissa is my favorite cupcake place of all time. Melissa makes tiny little cake bites allowing you to try several flavors including Banana Pie, Oreo, S'mores and Red Velvet.

8. I'm always looking for a lighter, less messy nacho recipe and this Wheat Cracker version at MyRecipes.com is perfect.

9. Award season is a nice excuse to be a little edgy even if you're a kitten on the inside. ShopHale.com is a local San Francisco- Marina designer selling handcrafted, affordable edgy jewelry for your hair. Fun!

Trail Mix Cookies

{Trail Mix & Peanut Butter Cookies}

This weekend I was so excited to travel up to Lake Tahoe to meet some friends from New York. Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite indulgences to soak up in the bay area - skiing, hiking, stunning views, local brews and late night games of Yahtzee...LOVE! This recipe was inspired by my weekend ski trips which are always a mixture of healthy days and indulgent nights with friends...

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar


• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature


• 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter


• 1/2 cup trail mix


• 1 egg


• 1 1/4 cup flour


• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder


• 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1 Beat the butter until creamy, 2 minutes. Add the sugars, beat for 2 more minutes. Mix in the peanut butter and egg. Mix together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the sugar butter mixture. Add the trail mix.

2 Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

3 Preheat oven to 375°F. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with a fork. Bake until light brown, 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets for a minute; transfer to rack to cool completely.

For chewier cookies, bake at 300°F for 15 minutes.

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