Mother’s Day on Access Hollywood LIVE
When it comes to celebrating Mother’s Day, remember that the best present you can give is time together that is well spent. Here are Mark’s entertaining ideas to help you create a memorable event for your Mom. All you need is a delicious meal of her favorite foods, elegant drinks and cocktails and her favorite people around the table to make her smile.
For all of my Mother’s Day recipes and tips, click the links below:
Salmon Three Ways
Grilled Salmon Salad Niciose
Salmon Cakes Eggs Benedict
Salmon Ceviche
Bellini Bar
Mother’s Day “Love Chain” Card and Setting the Table
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Super Bowl XLVI with Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Access Hollywood LIVE
Super Bowl is usually all about pizza, wings and beer, but I have decided to focus on a different Super Bowl fare for my Super Bowl Party. The theme for my Super Bowl XLVI is “Location, Location, Location!” in which I will be focussing on some home town favorites from Indianapolis, Indiana and the two competing teams, New York and New England.
I have decided to incorporate some hometown favorites from Indiana and infuse them with flavors from New York and New England. Three hometown favorites from Indiana are Pork, Popcorn and Pierogies and my guests will wash them all down with the hottest new 2012 bar trend, Beer Cocktails using the BeerTender, made by Krups, which is the perfect addition to any man cave.
Pierogies are celebrated each year with an annual Pierogi festival. Thousands of attendees gather together to taste the different flavors of pierogies topped and prepared with traditional flavors. One of my favorite things is a baked potato bar, so I have decided to create a pierogi bar with spices, sauces, and topping to create your own signature pierogi.
Pork is another hometown favorite in Indiana. I have prepared three different pork recipes all of which include one of my favorite Tabasco sauces; Chipotle Pepper, Green Pepper and Buffalo Style.
Orville Redenbacher invented popcorn in Indianapolis, Indiana. I have concocted six different popcorn recipes infused with hometown flavors from New York and New England.
For recipes please click the links below!
Pork Recipes
Tabasco Buffalo Style Pork Wings
Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches topped with Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce
Beer Cocktails
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Planning a Decades Party
As scene on the October 13th episode of Access Hollywoood LIVE celebrating Billy Bush’s 40th Birthday, I have created great tips and trends for throwing a Decades Party. This is a great theme party to throw for all ages: for birthdays, anniversaries, Halloween, etc.
When creating a decade’s party, you may choose one decade to focus on or encompass the decades of your choice into one event. You can build the event from one segment to the other in even time segments allowing guests to enjoy the eras one by one. You may also set up stations throughout the event with different food, music, games, and entertainment from each decade. Guests will have a chance to roam around the space enjoying the decades at their leisure.
When creating the menu, come up with creative new ways to serve your food. Take an old time classic like meat loaf and mashed potatoes and turn it into a bite sized passed hors d’ourves by altering the recipe to make a bite sized treat. Your guests will really enjoy the bite sized and single serving portion sizes. It will give them the opportunity to mingle around the party while also enjoying the mixture of sweet and savory food items.
To set the mood and tone of the event, encourage people to dress in the appropriate clothing for that decade. Be sure to set the mood with décor from that era as well. For example, if it is a 70s disco party, be sure to have a disco ball and ask the guest to wear bell bottoms, floral shirts, and platforms. Make play lists of your favorite music from that era and play them throughout the party. A great party favor would be to burn a CD with the party playlist and create a fun CD cover for the cases. It will be a great reminder for each guest about what a great time they had during the event.
Be sure when sending an invitation to your guests that you make sure that the invitation reads that it is a theme party. You do not want your guests showing up out of theme attire because they didn’t realize the logistics of the event. Be sure that the invitation fits within the theme and has design elements according to the decade. You can customize, print and send invitations from websites such as zazzle.com.
Create a multi-tier celebratory cake, dedicating each tier to a corresponding decade. The cake from Billy’s 40th Birthday Party was created using Wilton products. Wilton offers excellent products for easy cake decorating such as edible paper, pre-colored fondants, candy molds and melts, and decorative figurines. You may also add toys and small miscellaneous items to create a creative and fun dessert.
For more information on how I designed each decade, click the links below!
Billy Bush’s Decades Birthday Cake
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1980′s Theme
The 1980′s was a decade of excitement. It was a decade of speaking out and fighting for what you believe in.
It was also an age where people found interest in debates, and solving problems.
During the 1980′s, Billy Bush was going to St George’s Academy in Newport, RI where he played Lacrosse and Hockey for his school. I was inspired to take a few of America’s favorite foods found in the cafeteria of any school and turned them into miniature snack bites with a 80′s inspired signature cocktail from the icon candy, The Astro Pop.
Pac Man and Cheese
Ingredients:
4 cups cooked elbow macaroni, drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup sour cream
4 tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
peanut oil
flour
1 egg
plain bread crumbs
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 35o degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture.
- Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
- Top with additional cheese if desired.
- Chill macaroni and cheese in the refrigerator overnight.
- Cut into pieces using a round cookie cutter.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy duty Dutch over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Dredge each circle in flour then egg, and then coat with bread crumbs.
- Fry for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown.
- Drain on paper towels before serving.
Truffle Tater Tots
Ingredients:
1 large bag frozen tater tots
truffle salt
Directions:
- Follow the instructions on the back of the package to bake the tater tots.
- Sprinkle with truffle salt.
Mini Pizzas
Ingredients:
Frozen Pizzas
Directions:
- Heat the oven to the temperature as instructed on the frozen pizza.
- Using fun shaped cookie cutters, cut the frozen pizza into small pieces.
- Bake as instructed.
Astro Pop Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 oz. Absolut ® Raspberri vodka
1 oz. sweet and sour mix
½ oz. grenadine syrup
½ oz. Blue Curacao liqueur
Directions:
1. Add vodka and sour mix into a tumbler with ice to chill.
2. Shake ingredients and pour in a large shot glass.
3. Use Grenadine and allow to sink to the bottom of the glass (pour slowly
down the inside of the glass)
4. Allow Blue Curacao to sink to the middle of the glass (it will sit on top of the
grenadine if poured slowly down inside of the glass)
5. The finished product will be red, blue, then white from the bottom to top.
1980′s Inspired Playlist
Here is a great playlist to immerse your guests in the 80′s theme.
1. Rick Springfield – Jesse’s Girl
2. The Bangles Walk – Like an Egyptian
3. Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth
4. UB40 – Red Red Wine
5. Starship – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now
6. Daryl Hall – Kiss on My List
7. Steve Winwood – Higher Love
8. Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
9. Kool & the Gang – Celebration
10. Boston – Amanda
11. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
12. David Bowie – Let’s Dance
13. Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me)
14. Escape Club – Wild, Wild West
15. INXS – Need You Tonight
16. Olivia Newton-John – Physical
17. Phil Collins – Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
18. Lionel Richie – Truly
1990′s Theme
The 1990′s is the Decade of Disasters because lots of disasters happened. The Y2K bug, the earthquakes, the Gulf War, etc. This is the Decade of Discovery. Scientists discovered how to clone animals, and they released the Hubble Telescope.
During the 1990′s, Billy Bush was a student at Colby College in Maine. I was inspired to do some New England style foods and a “White Mule” cocktail which is the mascot of Colby College. In 1998, Billy Bush married his lovely wife, Sydney.
Mini Lobster Roll
Ingredients:
hot dog buns
chives
premade deli lobster salad
Directions:
- Cut hot dog buns into thirds.
- Fill hot dog buns with lobster salad.
- Garnish with chopped chives.
Dirty Fries
Ingredients:
1 package frozen crinkles fries
Old Bay Seasoning
Tarter sauce
Directions:
- Sprinkle the fries with Old Bay Seasoning.
- Follow the instructions on the back of the package to bake the fries.
- Serve in paper cones.
- Cut a circle out of paper.
- Fold the circle into quarters.
- Cut one triangle out of the circle.
- Fold the circle, overlapping the edges a bit.
- Tape to close together.
- Serve with a dollop of tarter sauce.
Gazpacho with Guacamole and Crème Fraiche
Gazpacho
Ingredients:
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 purple onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper (or green) seeded and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 cups tomato juice
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients.
- Blend slightly to desired consistency.
- Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.
Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
½ red onion, minced (about ½ cup)
1-2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tbsp. cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp. of fresh lime or lemon juice
½ tsp. coarse salt
a dash of freshly grated black pepper
½ ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Directions:
- Cut avocados in half. Remove pit. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
- Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Chili peppers vary individually in their hotness, add the amount of your choice.
- Keep tomatoes separate until ready to serve.
- Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidations from the air reaching it.
- Refrigerate until ready.
- Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.
To make Gazpacho with Guacamole and Crème Fraiche:
- Fill a votive holder 1/3 of the way.
- Garnish with a dollop of crème fraiche and guacamole.
White Mule Cocktail
Ingredients:
2 oz. vodka
1 oz. crème de cacao
light cream
Directions:
- Pour vodka and crème de cacao over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass.
- Fill with light cream and serve.
1990′s Inspired Playlist
Here is a great playlist to bring your guests to the 1990′s.
- Mr. Jones – Counting Crows
- Hey Jealous – Gin Blossoms
- Sex and Candy – Marcy Playground
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
- Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
- All I want – A Day To Remember
- Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong - Spin Doctors
- Brick – Ben Folds Five
- Everything Falls Apart – Fee
- Lump – The Presidents of the United States of America
- Freshman – The Verve Pipe
- No Rain – Blind Melon
- Pets – Porno for Pyros
- Steal My Sunshine -Len
- Fade Into You – Mazzy Starr
- Mother Mother – Tracey Bonham
- Save Tonight – Eagle Eye Cherry
2000′s Theme
The 2000′s were the age of technology and economic growth lifting millions out of poverty.
During the decade of 2000′s, Billy Bush is all grown up and living and working in LA. During this time, he and his wife, Sydney welcomed their three daughters into the world. Billy was also the host of Lets Make a Deal and Numerous Miss America and Miss Universe pageants during this time. During the 2000′s Billy became the host of Access Hollywood. Billy’s favorite restaurant in NYC is an Italian restaurant and loves to savor red wine.
Creaser Salad on a Skewer
Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Parmesan cheese, cubed
Croutons
Caesar dressing
Directions:
- Using a small skewer, slide on the romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese cube, crouton, and grape tomato.
- Drizzle with Caesar dressing and serve.
Bruschetta
Ingredients:
6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
¼ cup olive oil
Directions:
- Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner and drain.
- Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes and cut the tomatoes, remove the seeds and juice from their centers.
- Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Slice baguette on a diagonal about ½ inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. Toast for 5-6 minutes or until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.
- Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up.
- Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve.
Shrimp Risotto served on an Asian Spoon
Ingredients:
1 cup risotto rice
3 tbsp. butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
8 oz. clam juice or fresh seafood stock
2 cups of the smallest pink shrimp you can find
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest
salt
Directions:
- Add the clam juice to 4 cups of water in a pot, heat until steamy. Do not let it boil.
- In a separate pot (thick-bottomed), heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat, and sauté the minced shallot for 2-3 minutes, until translucent.
- Add the rice to the pot. Stir-fry the rice for 2-3 minutes, until all the grains are well coated in butter and are beginning to toast.
- Increase the heat to high and add the white wine.
- With a wooden spoon, stir the rice vigorously. Once the wine boils, turn the heat down until the wine is just simmering gently. Stir almost constantly. You are doing this to agitate the rice, which releases its starch and creates the creamy sauce you want in a risotto.
- When the wine is almost cooked away – under no circumstances should you let the rice sizzle on the bottom of the pot – pour in two ladles of the hot clam broth-water mixture. Stir well to combine, and add a healthy pinch of salt.
- Stirring almost constantly, let this liquid reduce until it is almost gone, then add another ladle of broth. Continue this until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Take the spoon to see if it needs more salt, if so, add a small pinch.
- Now add in the shrimp, parsley, and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir constantly until this last cup of broth is about half gone: Remember you want this risotto to be loose and creamy.
- Right before you serve, add lemon zest and serve at once. Best served with bowls and spoons rather than plates and forks.
Red Wine
Barbera d‘afti Wine
2000′s Inspired Playlist
Here is a great playlist to allow your guests a taste of the new decade.
- Black Eyed Peas – Let’s Get It Started
- Kylie Minogue – Can’t Get You Out of My Head
- Avril Lavigne – Complicated
- Nickelback – How You Remind Me
- Nelly – Hot In Herre (Clean)
- Sean Paul – Get Busy
- Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc
- Dirty Vegas – Days Go By
- K-Os – Crabbuckit
- David Usher – Black Black Heart 2.0
- Len – Steal My Sunshine
- TLC – No Scrubs
- Snow – Everybody Want To Be Like You (Edit)
- Usher – U Got It Bad
- Coldplay – Yellow
- Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why
Decades Cake: Billy Bush’s 40th Birthday
Create a multi-tier celebratory, dedicating each tier to a corresponding decade. The cake from Billy’s 40th Birthday Party was created using Wilton products. Wilton offers excellent products for easy cake decorating such as edible paper, pre-colored fondants, candy molds and melts, and decorative figurines. You may also add toys and small miscellaneous items to create a creative and fun dessert.
For Billy’s 40th Birthday, I created a multi-layer cake which incorporated all of the monumental experiences that has happened over his 40 years, the things he loves, and the places he has been. He LOVED it!
Here is a step-by-step instruction on how I made this cake.
1. Using either foam cakes or your favorite flavored cake, make multiple cakes all different sizes. For this cake I used a 6″, 10″ and 14″ foam cake so Billy could keep the cake as a memento if he chose to. I covered each layer in white fondant to give it a clean palate for decorating.
2. Next, using colored fondant and edible paper from Wilton, I made city scapes, logos of his schools, banners, figurines of his
favorite things and placed them to harden on parchment paper covered boards.
3. Now comes the fun part, decorating each layer. According to what decade the layer was,
I decorated it with the figurines and edible fondant pieces to highlight the experiences in Billy’s life.
Here is the finished product!
Bloody Mary Recipes
As seen on Access Hollywood Live, Mark’s amazing variations on the Bloody Mary:
Classic Bloody Mary
-2 oz Ketel One Vodka
-4 oz of Bloody Mary Mix
-1 tsp. Horseradish paste
-5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
-2 dashes of Tabasco pepper sauce
-fresh cracked pepper
-a dash of sea salt
-1 fresh lime wedge
Mark’s Signature Spiced Rim: Salt, Garlic Powder, Ground Black Pepper, Dill Seed, Coriander, Red Pepper , Dried Parsley, Paprika
Garnish (anything but celery): Pickled Carrot Stir Stick, Garlic Stuffed Olives, Lime Wheel, Cherry Tomato, Cocktail Onions, Gherkins, etc…
Bloody Maria
-2 oz Espolon Tequila (infused with two fresh green chili peppers)
-4 oz of Bloody Mary Mix
-1 tsp. Horseradish paste
-5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
-2 dashes of Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce
-fresh cracked pepper
-a dash of smoked sea salt
-1 fresh lime wedge
-Chipotle Salt Rim: ¼ ground chipotle pepper, ¾ course sea salt
-Garnish: Green Onion Stir stick, pickled Jalapeno, Tomatillo, Shrimp, Lime Wheel
Bloody Margaret
-2 oz Hendricks Gin (infused with fresh dill)
-4 oz of Bloody Mary Mix
-1 tsp. Horseradish Paste
-5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
-2 dashes of Tabasco Green Pepper sauce
-Fresh Cracked Pepper
-a dash of Sea Salt
-Fresh Chopped Dill
-1 Fresh Lemon Wedge
Dill Salt Rim: ½ dried dill, ½ Fine Sea Salt
Garnish: Cucumber Sticks, Radish, Lemon Wheel, Cherry Tomato, Pickled Green Bean, Cocktail Onion and a sprig of Fresh Dill
Bacon Mary
-2 oz. Home-made Bacon Infused Ketel One Vodka
-1 tsp. Horseradish Paste
-5 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
-2 dashes of Tabasco Sweet & Spicy Sauce
-Fresh Cracked Pepper
-a dash of Smoked Sea Salt
-1 Fresh Lime Wedge
Rim: BBQ Meat Rub
Garnish: Slim Jim, Lime Wheel, Beef Jerky, Cherry Tomato, Green Onion, Jalapeno Stuffed Olive
Bloody Geisha
-3 oz Sake
-3 oz of Tomato Juice
-1/2 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
-5 Dashes of Soy sauce
-1 Dash of Sriracha sauce
-½ oz Yuzu Juice (Japanese citrus or substitute lemon)
Wasabi Salt Rim: ½ Wasabi Powder, ½ Fine Sea Salt
Garnish: Baby Corn, Nori Strips, Shrimp, Shiitake Mushroom, Snow Peas and Sesame Seeds
Bloody Shame (Non-alcoholic)
-6 – 8 oz Bloody Mary Mix
-1 tsp. Horseradish Paste
-5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
-2 dashes of Tabasco Pepper sauce
-Fresh Cracked Pepper
-a dash of Sea Salt
-1 Fresh Lime wedge
Mark’s Signature Spiced Rim (Salt, Garlic Powder, Ground Black Pepper, Dill Seed, Coriander, Red Pepper , Dried Parsley, Paprika)
Garnish with anything but celery: Pickled Carrot Stir Stick, Garlic Stuffed Olives, Lime Wheel, Cherry Tomato, Cocktail Onions, Gherkins, etc…
Bloody Mary Brunch
If brunch had a best friend, it would be the Bloody Mary. In fact, the Bloody Mary is the most popular brunch beverage, even beating out the mimosa and the wine spritzer!
What is the perfect recipe for a Bloody Mary? The truth is, there isn’t just one… there are countless varieties and combinations of ingredients. Check out a couple of my own variations here. So then, which one do you serve at your brunch?
How about all of them?
My signature Make Your Own Bloody Mary Bar lets your guests express themselves as the masters of their own taste!
The four elements of the Bloody Mary are the base, the liquor, the rim flavor, and the garnish, and they can all be substituted or added to for more complexity and variety in your Bloody Mary.
Start with my Bloody Mary Recipe, and create an array of spices and tastes, borrowing from different cultures.
Get creative! Here are some ideas:
Liquors:
- Ketel One Vodka = Classic Bloody Mary
- Espolon Tequila = Bloody Maria
- Hendricks Gin = Bloody Margaret
- Home-made Bacon Infused Ketel One Vodka = Bacon Mary
- Sake = Bloody Geisha
- Non-alcoholic = Bloody Shame
Bases: Tomato Juice, Bloody Mary Mix, Clamato, V8 Juice
Spices: Steak Rub, Sesame Seeds, Wasabi, Herbs de Provence, Curry, Crack Pepper, Salts, Horseradish, Worcestershire, Lime Juice, Hot Sauce, Sweet Vermouth, Sriracha, Fish Sauce
Garnishes: Pickled Shrimp, Pickled Carrots, Hot Peppers, Jalapenos, Cherry Tomatoes, Cocktail Onions, Olives, Baby Corn, Bamboo Shoots, Beef Jerky, Slim Jims, Green Peppers, Carrot Sticks, Asparagus, Green Onions
Eggs and Chocolate are Easter staples, but this year, they’ll be as exciting and diverse as your Bloody Mary Bar. By starting with something simple and dressing it up, you get a huge variety of tastes and cultures with minimal work!
Egg Bar
Start with simple Egg Bars and allow your guests to dress them up to match their drink.
Download the Egg Bar Recipe Card Here!
Some Ideas:
Asian Egg – Tuna, Baby Corn, Ponzu Sauce (Soy, Rice Vinegar, and Lemon Juice), Shiitake Mushrooms, and Sesame Seeds.
English Egg – Asparagus, Crème Friache, Salmon roe, and Dill
Southwestern Egg - Crumbled Bacon, Pickled Shrimp, Roasted tomatoes, Onions
Mexican Egg – Sour Cream, Salsa, Hot sauce, Black Olives, Chopped Scallions, Cheddar Cheese
Italian Egg – Roasted Tomatoes, Chopped Basil, Roasted Peppers, Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese
Play around with as many toppings as you like – guests will create surprising and delicious combinations!
Chocolate
Now that you’ve given your guests a taste for variety, spice up your chocolate too, with Vosges Haut Chocolat. Unique flavors like curry powder, paprika, and wasabi make an exotic compliment to your culturally savvy affair. And they are delectable paired with your spicy and flavorful drinks!
Visit the Vosges Haut Chocolat website!
I recommend Vosges Exotic Truffle Collection, Vosges Dark Truffle Collection, and Vosges Bacon and Eggs.
