Dinner with Oscar

Tuesday, February 21, 2012


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)