Scott's cuisine reigned supreme!

On Saturday night, Casa Wickstrom's very own Kitchen Stadium was home to an epic dessert battle. Four teams competed for the title of Iron Chef!

The dinner party/dessert competition was the ultimate culinary adventure. You should try it! Here's how:

1. Determine a theme for your Iron Chef battle
We served a light dinner (baked potatoes with a million toppings, retro sodas, green salad and warm bread), which was followed by the dessert battle.

We managed to incorporate the dinner into the festivities, though, by taking a cue from Top Chef. In a "Quickfire Challenge," each guest was tasked with creating their dinner by assembling a delectable and irresistible baked potato using the ingredients provided. Before consuming the masterpiece, the Chairwoman (moi) evaluated the creations on plating and originality. She (I) then named a winner who had the advantage of determining the order of contestants for Battle Dessert.

Toppings included greek yogurt/sour cream, fresh veggies, olive tapanade, green chili-cheese sauce, homemade chili, etc. My centerpiece was my utensil container (tied with a red grosgrain ribbon).

A blurry picture of the ever-gorgeous Kara, pre-battle.

Rachel chose asethetics over taste (and ate it as shown).

Harley gave a colorful description of his tater tower and broccoli gardens.

And Scott and Bethany worked together (though only one potato was a masterpiece).

Behold, Scott's "Quickfire Challenge"-winning spud.

2. Write a script!
I watched an entire episode of Iron Chef with my pause button at the ready to carefully record commentary from the show (Host Alton Brown has some serious zingers). I then chose a host (husbands love this!) and made him wear a bow tie (and this). The colorful commentary was especially fun during the actual battle.

E-mail me at heywickstroms@gmail.com for your very own copy of my script.

Sadly the fake mustache was forgotten in the final pre-party rush.

3. Assemble the secret ingredient(s)
Choosing ingredients was definitely fun! We provided a multitude of choices and access to anything in our kitchen. We also allowed guests to bring one secret weapon to incorporate into their dish. Contestants brought marshmallow fluff, chocolate bars, bacon (suck ups!) and peanut butter.

4. Organize the battlefield
We allowed chefs five minutes to check out the kitchen and ask questions before competing. I also labeled the cabinets which housed critical tools and ingredients for easy access.

5. Set ground rules
Each team was given a time limit of 20 minutes and did not see the secret ingredients until just before the battle began. Two teams then battled and presented one plated dish each, which was tasted and rated by secret ballot. Each judge (everyone who wasn't cooking) could award the teams up to 20 points: 10 points for taste, five points for plating and five points for originality in the use of the secret ingredient(s).

The two teams who battled second were not allowed to discuss stragegy with one another before competing.

At the end of the night, the points were tallied, averaged and an Iron Chef was named.

In the heat of battle.

A giant "sundae" with ice cream, half-baked brownies and cookie dough, homemade caramel, apples, white chocolate and a cherry. It was "artfully" presented in my punch bowl.

The "Chocolate Brick Road" with a berry/banana smoothie.

Krispie Kreme islands in paradise with chocolate-dipped popcorn and hand-mixed ice cream.

6. Details make it special
All of our chefs wore magic chefs hats (which made them cook better) and I kept my table setting simple -- graphic red and white checked dishes, tablecloth and napkins, and white serving dishes.

The ultimate trophy (a reproduction Oscar purchased at the Party Store) even sported a matching red checked apron (with the caption "Kiss the Chef").

Even Anderson loved the costumes! See, everyone likes to dress up.

In the end, it was Scott's cuisine that reigned supreme. He's the Iron Chef to beat:

Breakfast: a twinkie with whipped cream over a chocolate pancake and chocolate-dipped bacon (surprisingly delish!) and apple/pineapple "hashbrowns on the side."

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