It’s Oscars
Week! It’s Oscars Week!
Go on a juicing diet and roll out the carpet – it’s
Oscars Week!
Forget the fashion, one of my FAVORITE things to do is
create an Academy Awards party menu inspired by the Best Picture nominees. I must
say, this has been an easier, more fun year for this little activity of mine.
·
The
Artist
o Silent
movies were super popular in the 1920’s. You know what wasn’t? ALCOHOL. You see,
in 1919 the 18th amendment passed – which prohibited the manufacturing
of alcohol. So legally, booze production
was corked until 1933.
o Let
this set the tone for your bar. Serve classics like The Sidecar and French 75.
These also help set the tone for another nominee – “Midnight in Paris”
·
The Descendants
o This
movie set in beautiful Hawaii was the perfect escape for the hubs and I on a
snowy night.
o When
you think of Hawaii, you think of luaus. When I think of luaus, I think of pig
roasts, kabobs, pineapples and rice. Since this is a winter entertaining occasion,
I say go for the kabobs!
o Signature
Cocktail: Blue Hawaii
·
Extremely
Loud and Incredibly Close
o Another
sad theme – a young boy deals with losing his father after September 11th.
While there was loss all over the country that day, people often think of one
city – New York.
o You
can go a few ways with New York fare – a big apple themed menu, NY style pizza,
food trucks.
o Signature
cocktail: The Manhattan. Duh.
·
The
Help
o Two
words can sum up all you need to know about what to serve with this movie –
FRIED CHICKEN.
o There
is actually a lot of food in this movie. From cocktail meatballs at Bunco gatherings
to pie, pie, pie – The Help (as in the movie and the help!) leaves your mouth
watering.
o This
story from Food & Wine is a great resource about food in “The Help.”
o Drink:
Southern Sweet Tea
·
Hugo
o Dude
– what’s up with Paris? Yet another movie with Parisian influence.
o This
movie takes place in the
Montparnesse
Train station. In one scene, Hugo steals a croissant, so let’s go with that!
·
Midnight
in Paris
o Don’t
we already have this covered!? The movie is set in Paris, yet has throw back
scenes to the roaring ‘20’s. So we killed a lot of birds with some stones, BUT
if you are still looking for some more French fare, what about some French
Fries (they would be awesome next to the ballpark buffet).
o Drink:
Champagne.
·
Moneyball
o Another
movie perfect for entertaining. I mean do I even need to say it? Ballpark fare –
hot dogs, cracker jacks, nachos. I say turn this into a big DIY station. Let
people put their own toppings on the dogs and nachos (think cheese, jalapenos, Heinz
Ketchup, tomatoes, etc.)
o Drink:
BEER.
·
The Tree
of Life
o This
movie is based on the childhood memories of a man growing up in the ‘50’s.
o Since
we are lacking some sweets at this party, I saw we incorporate some 1950’s
candies.
o I
consulted
Old Time Candy
and found that popular sweets included: Atomic Fireballs, Beer Nuts, Bubble Gum
Cigarettes, Candy Necklaces, Certs, Charleston Chews, Gold Coins and Jolly
Ranchers.
o Drink:
Root Beer Floats – spiked or virgin!
·
War
Horse
o To
figure out food for this one, I had to consult the Internets – specifically the
interwebs of the
Smithsonian.
You see, this movie was set during World War I. So what were American’s eating
during this time? Corn, oats, fish, poultry, fruits, vegetables and potatoes.
o What’s
old is always new again and food manufactures were pushing an “eat locally”
theme – way back then!
o I
say make a meal with the ingredients above featuring all local foods.
o Drink:
Water
(Source: Wikipedia for film synopsis)