Simple but crowd pleasing Oscar Party Foods

DELICIOUS & EASY OSCAR PARTY FOOD

Every year for the past 10 years or so I have been spending Oscar Night with my fellow Tiff Entourage friends.  We mostly go to restaurants and watch it together and of course we have an Oscar Pool and try and get prizes for the Top 3 Oscar Pool Winners.

This year we were going to try and use one of our Entourage team members condo theatre but that didn't work out so I was able to find a fairly new restaurant that is going to be showing the Academy Awards broadcast so we are going to be checking it out this year.

I had a Pre-Oscar Party warm up today with a my friends who can't make our Oscar Party because they have a young actress in the making to take care of so we had a little fun trying to put together a few things today.

You don't have to break the bank to have a great Oscar Party with friends and family.

It's about the presentation and the taste more than anything.
Make it fun by finding a few props and decorations first before even getting to the food portion set the scene.   Get a Party store award and set up your own version of a red carpet or an Oscar stage and let everyone take a fancy photo with it.  See how Kenzie does it with a simple shawl, a feather boa, some cheap beaded necklaces and of course a pair of fabulous sunglasses.  Party stores have great photo booth props but you can use these types of things that you can easily get in many places and sometimes even dollar stores.

For the food you can go really simple with some flavoured popcorn or you can get a star shaped mini cookie cutter and go as simple as crackers and cheese with the fancy twist of cutter the cheese into stars.   I picked up a box of Ritz Crackers from the cookie outlet and the cheese was on sale so it was a really affordable fast no cook appetizer.

The Academy Awards are very long and even though it's an hour less this year it's still longer than watching a movie so you better have great food to keep you going.

The next dish I made was a Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip.

1/2 package of frozen chopped spinach
2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
1/2 jar of mini artichokes
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon of grated parmesan
half a cup of grated mozzarella
2/3 of a cup of cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried Basil and thyme optional

Directions:  Sautee the spinach in olive oil or butter and add chopped artichoke hearts to the pan and add flour.  Add the seasonings and stir well.  Add the milk and stir for about 5 minutes until it starts to thicken up and then add the cheese until it melts.

Pour the mixture into an oven proof container and sprinkle some parmesan on top and bake at 400F for about 20 minutes or until it is golden brown on top.   Serve with Tortilla chips or crackers.

You can also build a make your own mini pizza station.
I made my own pizza dough.  It takes about an hour and a half to put together and rest but it's worth it.   I mixed 1 package of yeast with half a cup of warm water and added a teaspoon of sugar and mixed until it started to foam and then added it to a stand mixer and added flour slowly until the dough came together and then you can add a tsp of salt.  Salt stops the yeast so I add it last.  Put it in a well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap and then you can leave it and go and get yourself ready.  Let it sit for at least an hour and then punch it down and then divide it into small balls and set it up for people to grab a ball of dough and make their own pizzas.  Set up the toppings and let them build their own pizza.  Way better than deliver and it's more fun.   Bake the pizzas at 500F for about 15 to 20 min depending on how thick and how many toppings there are.



I wanted to make cupcakes but they would have taken too long to cool and decorate and the same goes for cookies.  I really wanted to make Oscar cookies but I don't have an Oscar cutout and that would have taken a lot more time to decorate so I looked around and decided to make Haystacks and add some Gold Sugar sprinkles on top.  it's not the fanciest but it used chocolate and nuts and cereal that I already had.

In a bowl placed over simmering water i melted dark chocolate and some milk chocolate with about a tablespoon of butter.  It was probably the equivalent of one large Presidents Choice chocolate bar.

I added a splash of vanilla and melted the chocolate and constantly stirring until smooth and shiny.

Then I poured the chocolate over a mixture of Cornflakes, cashews and pistachios.  You can just use cereal or whatever you have.  Mix until well coated and then I used an ice cream scoop to drop it onto baking trays and then I sprinkled Gold sugar sprinkles on top to add sparkle.  I actually took it outside to cool since it's the winter and my fridge was full.  In about 15 minutes they get solid.
I stacked them on an inexpensive dollar store silver tray and surrounded by movie items it takes on a more glam look even though it's chocolate, nuts and cereal.  But it's easy and it's fast and affordable.

You don't have to cook everything either.  I picked up some great Presicent's Choice Shrimp sticks that you bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes and they are great.  I used a plum sauce as a dipper instead of the sauce included but you can use all kinds of dipping sauces with shrimp.

I did all of this in 1 day and you can do some things a day ahead like the Haystacks and getting the Spinach Artichoke dip ready to put in the oven and pre cut the cheese and I also cut up some carrot stars too.  It's quick assembly or heat up on the day of then.  You can add more things than cheese to the crackers but Cheese and Crackers are so classically good that it's a safe bet for a crowd.

Don't forget to print out lot's of Oscar Ballots and pick your favourite films and actors and most of all have fun because the Oscars only comes around once a year so make it special.  Roll out the Red Carpet and get ready for the Papparazzi.   

And the Winner is................................

Entourage Oscar Party

The Academy Awards have become a bit of a marathon of for those binge TV watchers just a normal viewing time.  You start watching the red carpet arrivals at 6:30pm and the show doesn't end until after midnight usually.  I watched the hours of pre Oscar shows on E before I headed out to the Restaurant Bar Drums and Flats in North York to watch the show with my fellow Film Festival Entourage Team.  We were light on our usual team's attendance so one of team members brought a bunch of his friends who may not be as interested in what is being said on the show as we were.   We take our viewing pretty seriously because we all participate in the Oscar Pool and also because we may or may not have seen or met a lot of the celebrities that are up for awards.  We try and see as many films as we can during the Toronto Film Festival and we try and get together to see as many nominated films as we can during the lead up to the awards.

This year we switched venues because our usual spot wasn't available.  The event manager Lisa at Drums and Flats was very accommodating with our group and I think she really enjoyed the whole Oscar Theme Party in the Bar.  I arrived early to set up some of the decor and props I had and Lisa had already had gold balloons scattered around the bar and the entrance and had hanging decorations strung up from the ceiling.   I added my red carpet at the entrance and another one in front of a photo wall that I set up for a bit of fun.  I took a bunch of photos but I think I missed a few people.   I also brought a film real, fake Oscar, and had some bags of popcorn and gold glitter decorated sugar cookie stars.  You can see them in the previous blog post.   I had set up the bags of popcorn along the very long 20 person deep table that we had and people munched on it after their dinners.  At that time of the Oscars when everyone starts to get bored and the energy level starts to dwindle I brought out the sugar cookie stars and some gold chocolate coins to get everyone's energy back up.

Drums and Flats is a bit of a sports bar that has only been opened for less than a year or so.  They have pizza, wings and various other bar style foods on the menu.

I ordered the Chicken Tenders and had onion rings on the side.  The chicken was very tender and I think it was made from fresh chicken.  It didn't seem to be frozen ones.  I have to admit that I enjoyed it but was still a bit hungry afterward and probably should have ordered something else to go with it.  My friend Lisa ordered this pizza and she could only finish half of it.

And now to the Awards.  I couldn't decide on a few picks so I did some research which all failed me so I only got 15 right this year.  So I didn't win the Oscar Pool.

But Norma from our Entourage Team won the Big 1st Prize which included the Oscar Pool money, we each contribute $5 so she won $85 and also got gift cards donated by Aroma Espresso Bar and I filled up a gift bag with some other swag and more cookies.  Unfortunately she wasn't feeling well and left early so she wasn't there to get the prize at the end of the night so we will have to get that to her this week. 

Brian who arranged the venue and brought a bunch of friends won the 2nd Prize of a $50 gift card for Drums and Flats and a Gift card from Aroma Espresso Bar and I put in some cookies as well.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of Lucy who won the 3rd prize of a $25 gift card for Drums and Flats and Aroma Espresso Gift Card and cookies.

Bur here's a photo of Lisa our great Drums and Flats Host who helped me make the place look like a Hollywood Oscar Party.

Thank you very much to Drums and Flats and Aroma Espresso Bar for providing our Oscar Pool prizes and to Drums and Flats for providing their great space for our Oscar Party.

Maybe I will win the Pool next year.  It's always a crap shoot, you never know who's going to take all the unexpected wins until the last minute.

More Oscar Fun same time next year.   Now it's back to real life until September when it all starts to rev up again.

Oscar Party Food

OSCAR PARTY GOLD

Sunday February 22nd is the 87th Annual Academy Awards.  I have been going to an Oscar Party at a Restaurant/Bar for the past 10 years with my Toronto Film Festival Entourage Team and I will be bringing a few things to make the party a little more interesting during commercial breaks.  A couple of those things are in this blog post.   But if you love the Academy Awards and prefer to stay at home or have a private Oscar Party with friends and family then these Golden Theme Foods might help set the mood at your big Oscar Bash.

Think GOLD like the Golden Oscar Statues that the winners will be taking home and look for foods that fit into that theme.

You can set up a snacking station with homemade or commercial popcorn and even set up a seasoning bar for guests to customize their popcorn toppings.

Suggested toppings include:

Salt and Pepper
Parmesan Cheese
Truffle Oil
Cinnamon Sugar
Cajun spices
Smoked Paprika
You can also make colored sugar like golden yellow to sprinkle on for a sweet taste
Caramel Corn if you are skilled or you can just pick some up.

There is also a local Popcorn Company in Kensington Market called The Toronto Popcorn Company who make popcorn in all sorts of flavours and colours.

You can also scatter about things like Gold Chocolate Coins or the already dressed up in Gold wrapping classic Ferrero Rocher chocolate.

I tried out Chef Lynn Crawford's new Frozen Shrimp line of foods created by Waterview Market with a bunch of different seasoning flavours I decided to choose their Maple Mustard flavour because it has a golden hue and it's kind of Canadian too.  I added a touch of Turmeric to bump up the color a tiny bit.  You can either serve it on a bed of rice or you can skewer them like I did here.

I also made a Fancy Salmon Spread with both Smoked Salmon and poached salmon.

Poach 2 pieces of fresh salmon fillets in a broth that has Onions, bay leaves, salt, lemon, peppercorns, mustard seeds, tarragon, parsley and celery until the salmon is opaque.

Flake the salmon into a bowl with 1 package of chopped up smoked salmon and 2 diced green onions, about 4 pieces of fresh chives, a tbsp of fresh parsley and zest of a lemon and the juice of half a lemon.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and mayonnaise or you can use creme fraiche or yoghurt even.  Chill until ready to assemble.

I added a teaspoon of the salmon mixture onto a Rice cracker and topped it off with Balsamic Pearls that I found at McEwan Foods grocery store.  It's pretty easy and looks very luxurious.  If you have money to splurge you can top with expensive caviar but I bet a lot of people will love the balsamic pearls.

Want to have something a bit more substantial?  Why not eat what the Celebrities eat then.

What do a lot of the Hollywood Stars eat after the Academy Awards if they don't hit the after parties?  Would you believe it's IN-N-OUT Burger.   They love to hit that drive through and inhale an Animal Burger or whatever their favourite is.   Why not make In N Out Inspired Sliders for your party.

I made a Special Sauce with Ketchup, Mayo and Relish.  

I used some mini Ciabatta buns but if you can find mini slider hamburger buns use those.  Brioche buns might be good too.

Cut up some lettuce, I used some butter lettuce that I had.

Slice a great vine ripened tomato and add salt and pepper.

Have some sliced cheddar.

For the hamburger patty use fresh ground Chuck if you can get it or just the best quality ground beef you can get.  Just add salt and pepper to season it before you cook it in a frying pan.

To make it animal style add yellow mustard after you brown each side and let it crust on the burger.

To assemble toast the buns.  I have heard that they toast them on the grill and they get the grease from the grilled meat.  Either way make sure you toast them.  Then spread some special sauce on the bottom of the bun.  Add a slice of tomato and then a piece of lettuce.  Top with a mini burger slider and then add a slice of cheddar cheese.  Add the top of the bun.  Voila... you In N Out inspired sliders.

Another popular Governors Ball food by Chef Wolfgang Puck is his Chicken Pot Pies.  You can make some mini ones yourself and bake them in muffin tins.   I picked up this great Chicken Pot Pie at McEwans grocery store because I didn't have the time to make them myself.  This one was delicious.

And I also made some Golden Sugar Cookies that you could either give out as take home gifts or just have for dessert with some Mocha Ice Cream or something.

I had to search high and low to find some gold sprinkles and found some at Party City.  I also used a buttercream food color paste to glaze the cookie.   I used Butter Baked Goods Sugar Cookie recipe for the cookies. 

So get creative and see what else you can come up with.   I found a small red carpet at Marshalls the other day even that I would have at the entrance to my door to welcome guests.   I have a cheap party runner that I am taking to the bar we are having our party in.   I wanted to take my new little red carpet but think it might get ruined by the street salt and snow around town right now.  

I am also going to set up a Red Carpet for photos that we can pose our hearts out on and take some fun pics.   I did this when we had the party at a friends condo party room in the past and I am glad we did it because I took a photo of my friends husband who has since passed away.  Create memories and take photos so that you have those forever.

And now a few of my Oscar Picks:

Best Picture:  BOYHOOD

Best Actor:   Eddie Redmayne

Best Actress:  Julianne Moore

Best Supporting Actress:  Patricia Arquette

Best Supporting Actor:  J.K. Simmons

Best Director:  Richard Linklater

Best Documentary:  Citizen Four but I lived Finding Vivien Maier.

Best Foreign Film:  Will probably be IDA

I am still trying to figure out the rest of them.. The technical ones are tougher.

Good Luck in your Oscar Pools and hope you have a great time watching the Red Carpet Arrivals and the Academy Awards.

and the Oscar goes to....................