Let's make pizza I said

Don't get flour, dough and sauce all over...I said
Pizza!!! They heard

Oscars Best Dressed?

I've always been fascinated by Hollywood and as a kid, dreamed of attending the Academy Awards, winning an Oscar and most of all, having designers beat down my door dying to dress me in their fabulous duds!  

As much as I love and appreciate the movies, when I watch the Oscars I watch mostly for the fashion and last night was no different except...Jacob was right by my side excited when movies and songs and actors that he was familiar with were snatching up awards.  

No surprise since the other day he announced that he finally decided that when he grows up, he wants to be a "Directer-slash-Actor and in that order".  An homage to Zoolander in case you didn't catch that!

While he was selecting his best picture, song and actor, I was scouring the red carpet for best dressed and after careful consideration, here are my top picks and...in that order!

Kate Hudson who will probably never win an Oscar of her own sure looked worthy of sharing the red carpet with the nominees in this ivory beaded Atelier Versace gown...

Fabulous from the front and back, Hudson is newly single and looked like she was ready to mingle...Jared Leto anyone?

Next up for me is Charlize Thereon who honestly, can do no wrong and looked statuesque in this black Dior complete with a plunging neckline and beautiful translucent train but...

the straps or, see through panels that cut off midway are weird...still #2 but why the panels???

Bringing a flash of color was 12 Years A Slave Best Supporting Actress Winner Lupita Nyong'o who opted for a custom pastel blue Prada that made her look like she was floating down the red carpet.  I like the dress but hate the headband that everyone oohed and aahed about so that landed her on my #3 spot...

Best Supporting Actress nominee, Jennifer Lawrence’s orange-red Dior gown was stylish yet simple and you can never go wrong with that combination.  I liked the colour but not a fan of peplum on her or anyone else for that matter...

What I AM a fan of is the $2 million Neil Lane necklace that she wore backwards...again!

So, what do my Top 3 have in common?  Plunging necklines of course, flaunt them if you've got them Ladies!  

As for the biggest and best moments of the night?  
In 1 word...Ellen!

From Pitt Popping Pizza...

to this Epic Twitter-crashing Selfie orchestrated by the host generated a record braking 2,972,385 re-tweets and counting!

Ellen ruled the Oscars...Love Her!

From Fashion to Feasting

Last night I made roasted Artichokes and homemade Mushroom and Tomato Pizza and it occurred to me that I almost always use Trader Joe's products!
The Artichokes were really easy to make...here are the directions but want to point that while they wait for your consumption, they also make for very cool looking decor! 

Start with medium to large sized Artichokes, cut them at each end and place a garlic clove in the center of the top...

To prevent them from turning brown, which they do as soon as you cut them, squirt a little lemon juice throughout.  I didn't but I also roasted them almost immediately so they were OK.  
And, I would recommend cutting the garlic clove and spreading it throughout the Artichoke so you get even distribution of the flavor or, place multiple cloves within...live and learn!
Wrap tightly in aluminum foil so that they can't breathe and pop in the oven for about 1 and 1/2 hours...

Serve with a side of olive oil, salt and pepper for dipping and enjoy!

Delicious, nutritious and beautiful!

While the Artichokes were roasting, I started on the Pizza but, walking backwards...

I used TJ's 100% whole wheat dough rolled and covered in fresh garlic cloves...

smothered in Tomato Basil Marinara sauce...will use Pizza sauce next time but this is all I had!

covered one half with TJ's shredded blend of cheddar and mozzarella cheese so that my Vegan half could enjoy it too!

decorated it with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes and popped it in the oven for about 25 minutes...

I'm guessing that the meal was a hit!?

The Weekend We Tried

To Do Nothing...
After a whirlwind or trips, parties and various other activities, we committed to doing nothing ala Seinfeld and Yadda Yadda Yadda, we couldn't pull it off.
It's only Saturday and since last night, we have done everything from bowling and dinner to 3 activities, discovering a new shopping mecca and making homemade pizza and martinis!  
But you tell me, how delicious do these look?

and so simple!
Just take Trader Joes dough and kneed with a bit of flour...

Rub a bit of Olive Oil on both sides and cover top with Tomato Sauce...

Add your favorite toppings like Parmesan cheese, Anchovies (for me & Jacob) or Mushrooms... 

 and bake until golden brown or, about 15 min...

 Let cool and enjoy with...

 a side of...

A wonderFULL day...not that there is anything wrong with that!!