One of my favorite foods is macaroni and cheese. When I had to go gluten free, finding a gluten free macaroni and cheese recipe was a high priority.  I actually just modified the recipe found in my book Budget Bash and it was great! Here is the recipe.

1 box of gluten free macaroni (about 2 cups, I used quinoa macaroni)

1/4 cup butter

1/2 small onion

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup of gluten free flour

2 cups of milk

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

3/4 cup of cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of Gruyere

1/2 cup of truffle cheese

1/4 cup of Parmesan

Truffle oil and salt and pepper to taste

The first step to this gluten free macaroni and cheese recipe is to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On an oven top, cook the pasta per the instructions on the box.  Drain water and set pasta aside.

In a pan, melt the butter and sautee the onions and garlic. Whisk in the flour to make a roux and cook until mixture is smooth. Whisk in the milk and simmer until mixture is thick (about 15 to 20 minutes). I stirred the mixture as well to ensure it didn’t burn.

Once mixture is thick, then add the cheddar, truffle, Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses along with the mustard and stir until melted. You might want to taste your cheese sauce and add some more cheese if desired. At this point, you can add the truffle oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Once your cheese sauce reaches its desired taste, add the macaroni to the pot and stir until well mixed. Pour the mixture into a 13″ x 9″ glass baking dish and sprinkle extra grated cheddar cheese on top.  Cook the gluten free macaroni and cheese in the oven until brown and crusty on top, at least 30 minutes. Serve hot.

If you wish to modify this gluten free macaroni and cheese recipe, you can substitute the truffle cheese for blue cheese and the Gruyere cheese for Jack cheese and leave out the truffle oil. You can also add a little hot sauce or red chili pepper flakes if desired.

For other gluten free recipes as well as party planning tips and advice, click here.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Having to go gluten-free I have started to look at my gluten free dessert options. One of them is marshmallows and I have to tell you I made the best homemade marshmallows and thought I would share the recipe. They are so easy!

Click here for the recipe. It is from the Barefoot Contessa. Just one note on these homemade marshmallows. I used a glass pan and cut the marshmallows while they were still in the pan.

Some options for this gluten free dessert is to add mint for mint marshmallows or coco powder for chocolate. Be sure if you make chocolate marshmallows to dust them in coco, not powdered sugar.

Another great thing about these homemade marshmallows is that they travel well. I went clear across the country with this gluten free dessert and they arrived perfectly in their individual packages.

Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Being a corporate event planner, I am called upon to produce all types of events.  From private dinners for 10 guests to galas which seat over 1,000 guests, no matter the event, I still need to take the necessary steps to ensure all runs smoothly night-of.

I recently produced a dinner at Mastro’s in Beverly Hills.  A couple of things we did a bit differently for this event.  First, our centerpieces were not all uniform. For the large round tables, our centerpieces were the above design. For the smaller narrow tables, we used the same colored flower but created small square centerpieces using just roses.

As a corporate event planner, I try to infuse as much creativity as possible with the budget. For this event, the restaurant allowed us to bring in our own wines and even with the corkage fee, we were able to help save the client some money.

Finally, first impressions count. Therefore, we always make sure that the venue and its team is ready to go prior to event start time since often guests arrive early.  Valet, servers as well as management were prepped to ensure everyone was on the same page as to the expectations of the evening.

Making sure all runs smoothly the night of the event is just one aspect of being a corporate event planner. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when you have a great support staff and a loyal client helping you as well.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

As a Los Angeles event planner, I know what it takes to put together an event, especially a high-profile sit-down dinner for over a thousand A-List Hollywood guests.  You need to keep a party planning checklist and stick to it. That is what I did for this year’s SAG Awards as well as the previous 13 SAG Awards I have coordinated.

We start the SAG Awards event production in the summer with designing the menu with our chef, Suzanne Goin of Lucques Catering. We work with Suzanne to create a tasty menu that appeals to all palates including vegans and vegetarians.

The next step as a Los Angeles event planner is to discuss the table top decor with our designer Keith Greco. We research different looks and test out different tableware until the perfect look is found and presented to the SAG Awards Committee.

Once the look of the table and the food is selected, then the party planning checklist comes into play. It is important to create a specific timeline for load-in, follow up with vendors to ensure they have the correct equipment coming to the event and then supervise each day’s set-up on site to make sure everything is going to plan.

The party planning checklist extends to every element of the interior of the room such as the amount of chairs set at each table, the quantity of wine, water and champagne poured as well as the tiniest details such as how the napkin is folded!

Other details we have down on our party planning checklist is which guest receives a vegan plate, the number of glassware, dishware and silverware to order for that evening, the amount of flower arrangements on the table, etc. The list is pages long!

At A Wynning Event, we produce all types of events from non-profit to corporate as well as social but as a Los Angeles event planner, the SAG Awards is by the far the most exciting!

Here are some inside pictures from the 18th Annual SAG Awards.

We start production for the SAG Awards a week in advance and by show day, it all comes together for a beautiful night honoring the work of the acting community.

The red carpet at the SAG Awards is opened with a toast from Taittinger Champagne. This year, Vitalie Taittinger stepped out of a life-sized Taittinger bottle to help open the red carpet.

More to come soon on this year’s SAG Awards.

Now this is an ice bar ready for New Year’s Eve!

Happy New Year, 2011, and for any last minute party tips, click here.

Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Just in time for your holiday entertaining, this delicious chocolate cake recipe is a simple chocolate cake and takes no time to make, yet everyone loves it and can never get enough.  Here are the ingredients and instructions.

8-ounces sour cream

½ cup canola or vegetable oil

½ cup water

4 eggs

1 box chocolate cake mix with pudding in the box

1 small box instant chocolate pudding

12-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cocoa powder for dusting the cake pan

Powdered sugar to dust the cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease and flour (use cocoa powder not flour) a bundt pan.

Blend with a mixer the first four ingredients.  Then add the cake mix, then the chips and the pudding last.  Do not over-mix once you put the pudding in.  Then quickly transfer to the bundt pan and bake for 1 hour.  Insert toothpick to check cake is thoroughly baked and remove from the oven and let cool.

When the pan is cool enough, flip out this simple chocolate cake onto a baking rack and continue cooling.  When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve.  This delicious chocolate cake recipe is a no fault recipe and the cake comes out perfect every time.

An alternate idea to this delicious chocolate cake recipe is to substitute mint chips for chocolate chips to give the simple chocolate cake a minty cool taste.

Enjoy the holidays and until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Don’t have much time but still want an elegant holiday centerpiece for your special events this December? Simple flower arrangements such as submerged flowers are easy to make and will dress up any table or buffet.

For this holiday centerpiece, Jennifer McGarigle of Floral Art designed this table decoration using floating candles and ilex berries.  She also wrapped the votive candles with silver ribbon.

Decorative Christmas flowers don’t need to be expensive or lavish.  Especially for those on a budget, simple flower arrangements will light up a room and the components can easily be reused.

Just take a large cylinder glass container and place a couple of ilex berry stems inside and fill the container with water.  Create a cool streamlined design using different size containers.

Other simple flower arrangements for the holidays include using a pink Cymbidium orchid stem with these large containers.  You can either place a little water on the bottom of the container to keep the orchid fresh, or submerge it as well and add a floating candle.  A twist on this idea is to place colored pebbles or glass rocks on the bottom of the glass container.  Add a bit of light using light up cubes in the water.

Another holiday centerpiece idea is to place pomegranates in these large cylinders with either green apples or pine cones.  You can use plain pine cones or buy pine cones painted in gold, or spray paint them in the color you choose.

For more ideas on simple flower arrangements, click here.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Here is a simple grilled swordfish recipe that I recently made.  It took only minutes to prepare and tasted delicious.

Prior to cooking your fish, prepare your salsa.  Use about 4 oz each of fresh and ripe pineapple, mango and papaya. If you decide to use canned fruit for this grilled swordfish recipe, just make sure to drain the juice prior to mixing the fruit together.

Cut the fruit into small squares and stir together with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped mint.  Place the salsa in the refrigerator for about an hour to allow the flavors to meld.  Take the salsa out about 20 minutes prior to serving to ensure it is at room temperature.

For each swordfish serving, consider one 6 to 8 oz swordfish steak per person.

Take your swordfish and brush both sides of the steak with extra virgin olive oil and season it with salt and pepper.  Place the fish on the grill, either stove-top or BBQ,  and grill until opaque, about 8 minutes in total.  It is important for this grilled swordfish recipe to continue checking the fish so that you don’t overcook it.

Once your swordfish is cooked, top it with the salsa and serve.  For added garnish, grill some papaya and place it on the plate as well.

Enjoy this easy-to-make grilled swordfish recipe and for more quick yet impressive recipes, click here.  Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra:  make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!

Just counting down to turkey day and wanted to share this easy-to-make wild rice with cranberries recipe.  As a Los Angeles event planner, I am always on the lookout for anything that will add glamor and flair to an event, even a simple recipe.

The recipe for the wild rice with cranberries is as follows:

1. Cook the wild rice per the package instructions.

2. Once the rice is cooked, add the dried cranberries.

3. Allow the cranberries to plump up and then add a tablespoon or two of orange champagne vinegar.

4. Make sure to sample the rice after each tablespoon pour, you don’t want the rice to be bitter or tart.

Being a Los Angeles event planner, I sometimes look to the obvious then give it a twist. Here is an easy-to-make table decor item that will add some style to your holiday table.

Gourds such as mini-pumpkins and squash can easily be turned into votive candle holders.  Not only do they take no time to make but you can pick them up at the market while food shopping!

Just take the gourd, cut it in half and hallow it out. Then place the candle inside and light!

I’m getting started a bit early on the Thanksgiving cooking.  Today especially, I am craving vegan pumpkin pie. Click here for the recipe.

I hope you enjoy the wild rice with cranberries recipe.  Having been a Los Angeles event planner for over 15 years, I have picked up quite a few party and entertaining tips for the holidays and other special occasions.  Click here to learn more.

Until next time, remember the Budget Bash mantra: make it simple, delicious, stylish, fun & economical to all!