Oscars Party Round-up

Red Carpet is about to start woohooo! Are you ready for the Oscars party? Who do you think is going to win best pic? To round-up- here are the nominees:

1) Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fried Oysters with Spicy Remoulade)
2) Life of Pi (Yellowtail Carpaccio with Mango, Pomegranate, and Ponzu Sauce)
3) Argo (Middle Eastern Appetizers)
4) Zero Dark Thirty (Middle Eastern Appetizers)

5) Django Unchained (Mini Mississippi Mud Pies with Bourbon Whipped Cream)

6) Lincoln (Old Abe Cocktail)

7) Amour (Mini Puff Pastry Cheese Pies)

8) Les Miserables (Mini Puff Pastry Cheese Pies)

9) Silver Linings Playbook (Philly Cheesesteak Crostinis)

Oscars Party: "Silver Linings Playbook" Inspired Philly Cheesesteak Crostinis

If you thought Bradley Cooper was just a pretty face, then he has definitely proven you wrong in Silver Linings Playbook. I always thought he was good in comedies, not because he was particularly funny, he was always the guy that partnered well with other people who were funny and ridiculous. He was always in control, the cool and reserved guy, that was in funny situations because of the people who he hung out with. In Silver Linings Playbook, he completely lets go of his inhibitions, and is not afraid to look vulnerable. He plays a recently released from mental institution Philadelphian, who is battling with bi-polar disease, and is looking for a silver-lining. He meets the equally troubled Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), whose performance is so real and enduring. My mom called me right after she watched this movie, and said it changed her whole outlook on life. I agree in the sense that this movie shows you the happy ending we all seek in real life is not always perfect, and it never happens as it should. You always have to make the best of what you have.

Oscars Party: "Amour" and "Les Miserables" Inspired Mini Puff Pastry Cheese Pies

French food gets a bad rap for being hard to make, having a long list of ingredients, and overall being time consuming. These mini cheese pies are super easy to make, have only 3 ingredients, and take less than 30 minutes from start to finish. And the best part is 20 minutes of that is in the oven, and it will take you under 10 minutes to put them together. This means that by the time Anne Hathaway has finished singing "I dreamed a dream" you had done all the necessary work (if Russell Crowe is singing, you may want to take your time). Les Miserables and Amour are both movies that have profound sadness in them, so I wanted to keep these appetizers light and fun.

Oscars Party: "Lincoln" Inspired "Old Abe" Cocktail

When I started researching the likes and dislikes of Abraham Lincoln, I was disappointed to find out that he wasn't much of an eater or a drinker. It seems like he grazed through his day, and food was an afterthought. I really wanted to make an old-fashioned cocktail to reflect the era, so I had to do a bit of research to find out what was popular during Lincoln's term. After some time spent on the web, I found out that Kentucky Bourbon became popular during the Civil War (source) , and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was famous for his love for the spirit. There is a Lincoln quote, which was believed to be said in defense of General Grant's drinking: "I wish some of you would tell me the brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals."(source) I also discovered that Lincoln was very fond of apples. He was known to eat them throughout his day, and has even mentioned his love for it by saying "Apples agree with me.." (source) Apple cider was known to be popular for both drinking and as medicine. (source)

Oscars Party: "Django Unchained" Inspired Mini Mississippi Mud Pies with Bourbon Whipped Cream

"Django. The D is Silent."

Leonardo Di Caprio's portrayal of the Mississippi plantation owner Calvin Candie in Quentin Tarantino's Oscars nominated film Django Unchained is repulsive mixed in with a bit of charisma, violent mixed in with southern politeness, and outright brilliant. I know I would be too scared to serve him anything, but being from Mississippi I hope he would appreciate these mini mud pies. They are great for serving at parties, because they are individually portioned. You can just keep them in the fridge, and serve them whenever a guest wants dessert.