For me, the Oscars are a great excuse for getting together with my girlfriends and host a fun night at my apartment. If you are anything like my girlfriends and I, we typically opt out of preparing a full meal, and gravitate towards champagne/wine, cheese and crackers, and anything chocolaty. There really is no better combination in my book. When Toffifay asked me to partner with them on sharing a few tips and tricks on how to throw a get together for the Oscar’s I couldn’t wait to jump on board.

My favorite type of candy is any combination of chocolate and caramel. It is like peanut butter and jelly or salt and pepper, they bring out the best and compliment each other perfectly. If you haven’t heard of or tried Toffifay candy just yet, it’s a chewy caramel cup filled with a crunchy hazelnut, smooth chocolatey filling and a drop of rich chocolate on top. My favorite part about serving Toffifay when entertaining, is that each candy piece is bite size and easy to grab, pop in your mouth, and continue chatting and going about the night.

So when it comes to hosting a small gathering, here a a few tips and tricks to make the event seamless and enjoyable.

• Pick appetizers that can stay out for a long period of time and don’t require a ton of additional work. My go-to is always a great cheese and meat plate, a little fun fact you may not know is the longer cheese sits at room temperature, the more flavorful it gets. I always make this plate up ahead of time, wrap it and stick it in the fridge until guests arrive.
• Make sure whatever food you are serving is in arms reach if possible. I have entertained in the past where I left all the appetizers out on the kitchen island, but everyone was reluctant to get up and down to grab what they wanted. If you are looking to have leftovers, this trick works great; if not, use a coffee table or pull up a table that might not always be there to arrange the h’orderves on.
• End the night with something sweet! Having something simple and small such as these Toffifay candies helps curb the sweet tooth, but also leaves you not feeling guilty.

A big thanks to Toffifay for partnering on this post!