In honor of the ebullient Emmys, my best friend (and future celebrity gossip columnist), Meghan Hylton, and I got together to make Gay Gazpacho, complete with Sexy Shrimp and Pita Points. The confidence boost provided by this light meal and our Firefly Tea cocktails gave us some swagger as we critiqued the celebrities on the red carpet. I think we learned, during the Oscar pre-show, that it's hard to sound like an authority on couture while licking grease from your fingers after thoroughly enjoying a Bojangles boxed family dinner.

    We were so confident after perfecting our 'award winning' recipe, that we devised a short list of best and worst dressed celebrities that ended up, in some cases, contradicting the ‘experts’ over at Yahoo News. Heidi Klum somehow scored an A in their report for her Marchesa micro mini, Christian Louboutin stilettos and Lorraine Schwartz necklace. We gave her an F…She might have the body, but she did not have the right occasion for that dress. She also had on too much makeup, bling and spray tan. Of course, as the host of Project Runway, she knows that fashion is all about turning heads; but it seems like she would also know that it’s best attract attention subtly, instead of so obviously crying out for it.

    Another beauty who showed up looking rather desperate was Christina Hendricks, of “Mad Men,” wearing an incredibly tight and low cut, lavender Zac Posen dress. For this particular fashion travesty, Yahoo was on the same page—likening Hendricks’ look to that of a “saloon girl gone bad.”

    Reality star Kim Kardashian turned heads by doing the unpredictable—embracing her curves without strangling them. Generally, at every public appearance Kardashian squeezes into a different version of the same mid-thigh mini dress; at last night’s Emmy’s, she wore a beautiful Marchesa gown with Lorraine Schwartz jewels and a braided updo. She looked more like an Armenian princess than a porn star, and for that she gets an A+++.

    Cheryl Hines of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” looked spectacular in a Zac Posen masterpiece and Chopard jewels. The brave artistry of that dress—with the perfectly placed folds of beautiful silver fabric—paired with the dainty sparkling clutch and jewelry, gave Hines an edgy, but delicate, appearance.

    Nina Dobrev of “Vampire Diaries” looked like an actual star in her Zuhair Murad metallic gown of crushed silk and Chopard diamonds. She managed to travel lightyears away from boredom, and still look down-to-earth and classy.

    But really, Meghan and I care much more about food than we do about fashion. The Emmys were just an excuse to make a delicious meal and have some girl time. So, without further ado, I present to you our recipes:

Gay Gazpacho
with Sexy Shrimp and Pita Points

Gazpacho

Ingredients

1 ½ c. V-8
2 ½ lbs. chopped tomatoes
1 ½ c. chopped English cucumber
1 c. chopped red bell pepper
1 T. chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
1 T. Worcestershire
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 ½ T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. salt
¾ t. ground red pepper
½ t. ground black pepper

2 T. chopped fresh basil for garnish
½ c. Greek plain yogurt for garnish

Directions

Place everything, except the garnishes, in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Transfer half of the mixture to a blender and puree for 30 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with basil and yogurt as garnish.

Sexy Shrimp

Ingredients

Jumbo shrimp with tails (shelled, de-veined)
Olive Oil cooking spray
salt
stovetop grill pan

Directions
Spray grill pan with olive oil and cook shrimp on both sides until just pink.

Pita Points

Ingredients

3 whole wheat pitas
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt
ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut pita-circles in half and split halves along the curve. Brush rough sides of pita halves with olive oil. Cut each pita half into three wedges. Arrange wedges in a single layer on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes, or until browned at edges and crisp.

Firefly Tea

One part Firefly Vodka
One part Peach Schnapps
Three parts Sweet Tea



    This article provided courtesy of our sister site: Beaufort County Now