Want all your friends to think you’re a real “insider” at your Oscar party this year? Create a Hollywood-style Craft Services Table! It looks impressive, but is so easy to set up. I’ll show you how.

First, if you don’t know what a Craft Services Table is, it’s essentially a snack table. It’s set up to allow all the hard working movie and TV types to nosh (that’s Hollywood for snack).

It’s a great way to set up a party table — whether it’s strictly a snack table or more like a traditional buffet, it gets the food organized, keeps trash to a minimum and allows everyone to serve themselves. Party Perfect!

Now, if we were really going to be on a TV or movie shoot, there are real protocols for who eats what and when. The etiquette on a film set is stricter than anything the State Department could come up with for visiting dignitaries. But we’re just entertaining our friends (hopefully) so we’re going to concentrate on having an array of delish food and letting everyone have a great time.

Plan your food according to the type of party you’re having. Casual? Go with finger food and packaged goodies like candy and chips. Are you having a elegant affair for an A-List crowd? Go Old Hollywood with an omelet station, crepes and champagne.

It doesn’t really matter what you’re serving, the Craft Services Table is all about letting the guests at your party serve themselves and eat what they like throughout the evening.

Here are a few tips and ideas—

All you need to get started is a long table. That could be your dining table or a folding table or even an old door on top of a few saw horses. You can even set up two tables, one for hot items and one for cold items. This works especially well if you have a lot of food items or a lot of guests. If you do use two tables, set them up in different areas of your house (maybe one in the dining room and one on the patio). This keeps “food service congestion” to a minimum. A good thing when you’re trying to serve a number of guests.

Next, cover your table. You don’t need to be fancy, although you can use a nice tablecloth if you like. I usually use a few yards of inexpensive fabric that matches my party decor or theme.

Now, gather your food items and serving pieces, as well as cups, drinks, etc., to set up your table. You want to arrange your Craft Services Table in a logical progression.

Set it up in the order listed below, beginning at one end and moving in a logical progression:

Plates

Heavy foods like Potato Skins, Meatballs, casseroles, sandwiches, pasta

Salads, rice, etc.

Dips, Hummus, cheese tray or veggies and fruit trays, other small nibble items

Popcorn, bagged chips (I put a scoop in the popcorn and set out cups or bags to hold popcorn)

Desserts, candy bars, granola bars, bagged candy like M&Ms, etc. (I set out small dessert plates near dessert items. People usually make a second trip for candy and desserts)

napkins, silverware

I like to put a large ice chest on the floor by the end of the Craft Services Table that contains bottled waters, opened wine or champagne, beer (with a bottle opener on a string tied to the cooler), and a variety of sodas. I put drink cups inside the cooler.

Last, I place a large trash can and a recycling bin, both clearly marked, at the end of the line. It saves so much clean up time later!

Organizing in this way means you can quickly see when items need to be replenished, and lets you keep everything neat and tidy as the evening progresses. Keeping food together and organized also lets you do a good bit ahead of time and makes clean up a breeze. A blessing after a long Oscar evening!

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is at its base an epic feast day before Lent kicks off- and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious apple beignets? (Okay, perhaps a trip to New Orleans would be slightly better, but these beignets are a close second!) Whether you are able to make it to Louisiana, are hosting a party of your own, or just like to share delicious tasty pastries with your friends, this recipe makes an abundance of goodness.

Ingredients:

• 4 tsps. Unsalted butter
• 3 cups gluten free flour
• 1 cup coconut flour
• ½ cup raw cane sugar
• 3 tsps. Ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. cardamom
• 1 tsp. ground bourbon vanilla powder
• 1 ½ tsps. Sea salt, crushed
• ½ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened and unsulphured
• 4 eggs
• 4 apples (I chose 3 pink lady and 1 granny smith)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 ½ tsps. Bourbon vanilla extract
• 1-2 cups canola or pecan oil
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Ideal tools: 1 small bowl, two medium to large mixing bowls, a cookie tray, a kitchen thermometer one small saucepan and one large solid pot.

First up: place your butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, until it turns brown (not burnt! Just browned). When ready, remove from heat; pour into a small bowl, and let cool.

Next, wash and peel your apples, then core and dice them. You want to create small cubes, about an inch around. Set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, add a few inches of vegetable oil, and leave to heat. Don’t go too far- and do not cover! A grease-smoke filled kitchen is no fun. Next, set out a cookie sheet and cover with a couple of paper towels.  You will be transferring finished beignets to the tray to cool/drain excess oil, and may want to keep them warm in the oven if you are waiting to serve- 200° will do the trick.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients- the gluten free and coconut flours, raw cane sugar, ground cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla powder, salt and coconut flakes.

In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs and milk together, slowly adding your browned butter and vanilla extract.

Combine your wet and dry ingredients, whisking as you go- you want the batter to be smooth but not over mixed. Fold in your apples.

Your oil should be about ready to go; if you have a kitchen thermometer, you are looking to hit 375°. If you don’t, you can test the oil with your batter:

• Drop in a small dollop- if it floats and sizzles, you are good to go. If it sinks, wait a bit longer- and if it scorches, remove from heat and let partially cool before putting back on the element.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up batter and drop (carefully) into the oil; once the dough is golden on one side, use a slotted spoon to turn it over, for a total of 2-3 minutes per side. Depending on the size of your pot, 5-8 beignets make for a manageable batch. When done, remove and transfer to your covered cookie sheet. Repeat until you have used up your batter. Dust with powdered sugar, and serve.

I hope you enjoy this take on the traditional beignet, and that you share them with loved ones- I myself made a shocking amount and ended up doing deliveries around my neighborhood to share the bounty. Not a bad way to spend an evening!

Dig In To Mardi Gras with Wild Oats

We can’t believe Mardi Gras is tomorrow! So today we’re stocking up on our favorite ingredients to make Cajun and Creole inspired dishes for the whole family. That means loading our carts with Wild Oats rice, beans and hot sauces to bring something with a spicy kick to the table.

We’re also planning on grabbing a few organic and natural sweets and snacks to indulge in on this food-focused holiday.

How are you celebrating “Fat Tuesday”? Do you have any great recipes you like to break out this time of year?  Share with us on Facebook or Twitter for a chance to win Wild Oats prize pack.

If you’re playing along on Facebook, simply comment in our Mission Monday post before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to be entered to win!

If you’d like to play along on Twitter, simply tweet us your answer with #wildoatsmission #sweeps by 11:59 p.m. ET today to be entered to win!

Good luck! Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here http://bit.ly/1DoNN9U.

It’s always a perfect season for papayas — especially winter. And with what this amazing fruit offers health-wise, there’s no reason to wait for that Hawaiian vacation to have some.

Maybe that’s why papayas have blossomed in popularity over the past few years. It now trails only pineapples and mangoes in total tropical fruit production, worldwide. Because along with its delicious flavor, papayas are being touted as one of the healthiest of fruits.

According to food fact.com, papaya is a natural remedy for many ailments, including atherosclerosis, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. It also fosters digestive and immune system health.

Papaya also contains the flavonoid beta carotene, proven to help protect against lung and mouth cancers. Other flavonoids in the fruit are lutein, zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthins, all of which have potent antioxidant properties against free radicals – the bane of the human body.

And in the U.S., fresh papaya is now more available than ever.

The two primary varieties of papaya are the Mexican and the Hawaiian. Although they’re the same fruit, there’s a world of difference between the two — most markedly, a size difference.

The Mexican variety is much larger and can be more than 15 inches long and weigh up to 20 pounds. Its flesh is reddish, with a sweet flavor, slightly milder the Hawaii variety. Due to its size, the Mexican variety is most commonly used for juices and dried products.

Hawaiian papayas — the most common variety found in supermarkets and specialty stores — are pear-shaped, yellow-skinned (when ripe) and weigh in at about a pound. The flesh is commonly golden yellow but can also be reddish orange.

When shopping for papayas, the Hawaiian Papaya Industry Association suggests looking for fruit with smooth, unblemished skin; partly or completely yellow in color. Obvious bruises on the outside of papayas often mean a mushy, less-flavorful area of flesh inside.

Ripened papayas should be placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated. They are best eaten in a day or two but can keep for up to a week.

If papayas reach the market with green still showing, they can easily be ripened at home by leaving them in a paper bag at room temperature.

Important: Wash the outside of a papaya before cutting — to prevent any contaminants on the fruits skin from being transferred inside.

If you’re looking for a creative new way to enjoy papayas, try this hot – and cool – papaya treat:

Spicy Papaya Guacamole, courtesy Food Network Kitchen

Directions: Combine 1 diced small papaya and the juice of 1 lime in a bowl. Mash 1/2 chopped seeded habanero chile and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt into a paste with a large knife, then add 1/2 cup cilantro and mince. Add the chile mixture to the bowl along with 2 diced avocados and 1/2 diced red onion, stir until combined and season with salt.