I go a little crazy every year over the Oscars (well, I do live in Southern California!). This year, we're having an Oscar party and I'm trying to think of fun foods that tie in with Oscar-nominees. Here's what I came up with so far, and if any of you have suggestions, I'll take 'em!

Lord of the Onion Rings
Black Bean (Dip) Down
Halle Berry Pie
Monster's (Cheese) Ball
Gosford Park Marmalade (you'd have to see the movie to understand)
Water with Ice Age (my 7-year-old's contribution and obviously not a nominee)
Harry Pot 'O Soup
A Beautiful Mint
Moulin Mousse


But absolutely no AI: Artificial Ingredients!

penny

Hahaha, Penny, that is too cute!

ok heres a couple of unrefined 2am ideas.

a salad bar entry: Best crActor and Best Supporting Lettuce

Obvious but perhaps couthable * : "Oscar" meyer wieners.....if you stand em vertical on a 2" diameter disk of cheese 1/2" thick and stick a toothpick with olives at each end near the shoulder they might even look a bit like the statuette. I'm thinken pasta for the Crusader's sword and arms but I'm not Italian enough to be more specific. Gumdrop or strawberry for the head.....your choice.

I'm not even sure what a "scone" IS, but I think its made from crushed grain of some kind and you're the baker type ... so Sorcerer's Scone is a possibility, though I wouldn't suggest running very far with the "Hairy Pottery" theme.

Good luck, no charge,
Bob

* couthable : having the ability to be dis-uncouthed (your mileage may vary)**


** mine is usually on the low side

How about
"In the Baba ah Rheum"??

Nina

OK, maybe it's just me late at night, but perhaps also:

Macaroon Diaz (Cameron Diaz)
Russell Roast Chicken (That Ain't No Crow)
I am Sam Green Eggs and Ham

and hopefully NOT:

The Food That Wasn't There

or, God forbid:

Marisa Ptomaine!

I clearly need to get to bed now.

Nina

These are so funny! Keep them coming.

And RK, a scone is a British, very buttery biscuit, usually served with Devonshire cream but jam will do. I have THE best recipe should anyone desire. It's made with vanilla and tart dried cherries.

penny

I love scones, Penny. Please do share your recipe.

Here is is, Nancy! Credit the LA Times. They are so good, there's no need to EVER make another kind of scone:

Sour Cherry and Vanilla Cream Scones

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

2 cups unbleached flour, plus more for rolling

1 cup cake flour (or substitute unbleached)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar, plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) very cold butter, cut in small chunks

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup buttermilk or orange juice, plus more as needed USE BUTTERMILK

1 cup dried sour cherries

2 tablespoons cream

* Combine unbleached and cake flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and zest in large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is grainy and coarse. (Alternatively, in bowl of large food processor, place butter chunks on top of dry ingredients. Pulse to break butter into flour mixture, then move mixture to large bowl.)

* Make well in center of dry ingredients and stir in egg, vanilla and buttermilk or orange juice. With a fork, lightly bring mixture in toward center to combine wet and dry ingredients. When slightly combined, fold in cherries. Mix lightly with fork to form soft, shaggy mass, adding up to 2 tablespoons more buttermilk or orange juice if necessary. Turn out on lightly floured work surface and knead very gently to make soft dough. Pat or shape dough into 10-inch circle. Cut in quarters, then cut each quarter in thirds, making 12 wedges.

* Place scones on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with sugar.

* Bake at 425 degrees until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes.

12 to 16 scones. Each of 16 scones: 237 calories; 195 mg sodium; 40 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.24 gram fiber.

Penny:

The Scone receipt looks fabulous-- tell me, where do you get dried cherries?

Thx
Nina

Trader Joes has several varieties of dried cherries, including "tart dried cherries." You have a TJs out by you (I think).

penny

hI, penny:

Yes, we do have a trader joe's-- I'll try these for Sunday morning breakfast... Thanks!

Nina

Oh Penny, I have buttermilk in the fridge, so I will have to try these (substituting some other kind of dried fruit besides cherries, since I have a larder full of everything but cherries!). This recipe is a bit like one I've relied upon in Marion Cunningham's
"The Breakfast Book", except hers uses cream instead of buttermilk.

Now what do you use for Halle Berry Pie? Frozen berries, how could you?

Me? Frozen? Perish the thought! (tee-hee, food humor!). I live in strawberry capital of the world (Ventura County), so I would use strawberries. Though I do have an incredible buttermilk-blueberry streusal-topped pie in a lemon crust recipe that I love (only 900 calories a slice!). Then again, blueberries aren't in season until July. The strawberries are actually here year round these days and just starting to taste sweet again.

This has been
penny
with your farmers' market report

Oh oh, Penny, you may have started a flame war here. I happen to live in the strawberry capital of the world. I will pit my strawberries against your pitiful in-bred CA strawberries any day of the week. As long as that day is in July.
Honestly, I used to live in CA, but after moving to the PNW realized that I NEVER tasted real strawberries til I had a strawberry here. Like all good things, though, the time for enjoyment is brief-- a fleeting 3 weeks in July. But boy do we pork out while the getting is good. We go buy flats at the local strawberry farm, and usually eat a pint or two on the way home.

Oh, hope my last post didn't offend you too much and that you will still share the blueberry recipe. Our blueberries are better than yours too.

Do you grow the little Alpine strawberries there? They are like pieces of candy!

I have tried growing them but I only get a few berries.

Uh-oh. We're headed for big trouble here I see (a la Larry and George! ) Actually, most California berries aren't very good. I mean the Camrosas in the grocery store. I buy from the farmers' market. I like the "seascape" variety best.

penny

Oh, Penny, the scones sound delicious. Darn it I just went to trader joes last week and stocked up for the next 2 months. It's a 3 hour drive from here. Could I fake it with raisins instead of dried cherries?

I'll be in California next month and plan to pig out on fresh strawberries...only from the stands, of course. There's nothing like it.

In the meantime, I look forward to learning how to make buttermilk-blueberry-streusal topped pie in a lemon crust. Wow, my cholestrol went up just typing that in.

Nancyww

Hi, Penny:

The scones are FABULOUS! We porked out majorly this morning (phrase in honor of your LA-ness!).

Have fun at your Oscar party...

Nina

Nina,
So you've already got the recipe "down pat". Good. Does that mean I can try one when I visit Arizona? But I'm sure they would not go to well with a low carb diet, would they?

Of course! I used the special low-carb flour, available next to the no calorie chocolate and nonfat cream!

Nina

Hi Nina! I'm glad you liked them. I think the secret is in the zest and buttermilk. My general rule for baking is, if it has buttermilk, it has to be good!

Here's the pie recipe. And only 877 calories per slice! The crust is heavenly.

penny

BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PIE WITH LEMON CRUST AND COCONUT STREUSEL

COCONUT STREUSEL

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

CRUST

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2/3 cup butter, ice cold and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup lemon juice, ice cold

FILLING

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

3 egg yolks

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

6 cups blueberries

COCONUT STREUSEL

Combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour and nutmeg in food processor and pulse until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Transfer to bowl and stir in coconut. Refrigerate until ready to use.

CRUST

Combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest and butter in food processor and pulse until butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Add lemon juice and process until mixture comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Roll out crust 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Place in 9-inch pie plate. Crimp edges and chill 30 minutes.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights, beans or rice. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes. Remove weights and foil and bake until crust just begins to color, about 10 minutes.

FILLING

Combine sugar, flour, egg yolks, buttermilk, lemon juice, salt and melted butter. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour into Crust and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover top of pie with Coconut Streusel. Continue baking until filling is set and streusel is light golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 6 servings:

877 calories; 809 mg sodium; 254 mg cholesterol; 49 grams fat; 104 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 1.84 grams fiber.

Gee, Penny, you don't skimp on the good stuff when you bake, do you? I thought you were joking about the 877 calories til I read the recipe...per serving, yet! Now, if I don't eat an actual piece of pie, but serve everyone else and just clean up the "crumbs" and "broken pieces" that are leftover in the pie tin (I'm a very clumsy server), do I have to count the calories?

Life's too short for "low-fat" anything! As I say, I work out, to pig out!
penny

we don't eat like this, though, EVERY day!