If Oscar-Winning Movies Were Recipes...

January 31, 2008
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Win "Outstanding Performance in the Kitchen" with recipes inspired by Oscar winners and nominees.
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Recipes Meet Red Carpet

Photo: © James Leynse/Corbis
The Oscars are all about glitz, glamour, and the best-of-the-best coming out for one night of cinematic celebration. And being the food-lovers we are, we couldn’t help but pose the question, “If these outstanding movies were recipes, what recipes would they be?” See our answers for past Oscar winners and some of this year's favorite Oscar-nominated films.
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Oscar Awards Cupcakes

Oscar Awards Cupcakes
We'd be remiss to throw an Oscar's viewing bash without some edible form of the statues themselves. Now, you can top cupcakes with these glittery golden awards and use them to practice your acceptance speech.

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Moana

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Prop Styling: Torie Cox
Moana Recipe
This year, the film Moana is nominated as Best Animated Feature. We love the tropical flair of these fun cupcakes to celebrate the film. Use a variety of fun decorations to add your own personal touch to these great cupcakes.
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Photo: Kelsey Hanson; Prop Styling: Karen Rankin
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Recipe
It's time to celebrate your inner wizard. Levitate from the ground with this delicious, bubbly cocktail made from Pop Rocks and Zotz candy, the closest things we muggles have to Fizzing Whizbees. Celebrate the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to find them, which is up for a an oscar for Best Costume Design this year.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The Star Wars legacy was brought back to life this past year when Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca and even more old friends crossed paths with some newcomers to the Star Wars world. One of these new characters begins his journey as a Stormtrooper. To celebrate this blockbuster, which is nominated for an Oscar this year, we're munching on some of these great cookies. 

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Inside Out

Photo: Beth Branch
Inside Out Recipe

Pixar hit a slam dunk in 2015 with the highly acclaimed Inside Out, which is a journey through the mind of a young girl and the individual personalities of all of her emotions. Each emotion, such as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust all represent different colors. The film itself is like an hommage to outstanding colors and as because of that, a cake with colorful layers on the inside is a perfect way to celebrate this film. 

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Cinderella

Cinderella

The live-action 2015 remake of Cinderella garnered a lot of attention from the former youngsters who grew up with the animated feature. The film also grabbed the attention of those handing out the award for best costume design this year, most likely due entirely to the gorgeous blue dress created for Cinderella herself. 

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Boyhood

Photo: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Lynn Miller
Boyhood Recipe

Director Richard Linklater's coming-of-age drama was filmed with the same cast over the course of 12 years. The film follows a young boy named Mason as he experiences the joys and trials of growing up in Texas, including many family meals.

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Wild

Photo: Thomas J. Story; Styling: Nissa Quanstrom
Wild Recipe

Reese Witherspoon earned accolades for her gritty performance in Wild, a movie about a woman who decides to halt her downward spiral by hiking the Pacific Crest Trail alone. This camping oatmeal would be quite an upgrade from her daily meals of unidentifiable mush.

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Guardians of the Galaxy

Photo: JK Denim
Guardians of the Galaxy

Groot, an extraterrestrial, tree-like creature, was a fan favorite in the latest Marvel superhero flick. He looks even more adorable perched atop JK Denim's cupcakes!

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Maleficent

Maleficent

Everyone knows the story of Sleeping Beauty, but have you ever wondered what made Maleficent's heart so cold? This time, Disney's dark fantasy tells the story from her perspective. These cupcakes from JK Denim are just as sinister and beautiful as Maleficent herself.

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Into the Woods

Into the Woods

Broadway musical turned Disney sensation, Into the Woods features all your favorite fairytale characters together for the first time on screen. This epic cake from JK Denim showcases the same dark, bewitching beauty of the film.

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Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6

Disney's latest animated classic had us all wishing we had huggable robot friends of our own. In the film, Baymax appears as both a plush, caring companion and an armor-clad battle bot. JK Denim reimagined the latter as a 100% edible (and awesome) cookie!

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American Hustle

American Hustle Recipe
Con artist Irving Rosenfeld is over the moon about his gift from Carmine—a new “science oven” aka microwave. Irving’s wife Rosalyn needs a few tips on microwave cooking, but this recipe is so easy that even she could probably handle it. Make a batch for your Oscar Night party.

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The Wolf of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street Recipe
These cookies represent all you need to make it on Wall Street – a lot of coins and a little bit of luck. In the movie Jordan Belfort and his pals are indulging in way more than cookies, but that didn’t work out so well for them in the long run.
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Frozen

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr
Frozen Recipe
Sure Queen Elsa has frozen summer in this animated sure-to-become-a-classic Disney movie, but with this frozen lemonade cocktail in hand, no one will mind. What else do you need when you’re living alone in a palace of ice with a snowman?

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Les Miserables

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Les Miserables Recipe
In the classic French novel as well as the Oscar-nominated movie-musical, it all started when Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread. In order to avoid some long years in prison, we suggest that you make your own.

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Lincoln

Photo: Ryan Benyl; Styling: Stephana Bottom
Lincoln Recipe
In honor of our 16th president and of Daniel-Day Lewis’ amazing portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, we offer these patriotic cheesecake bars. Honest Abe’s negotiations with senators might have gone more smoothly if he had offered them dessert.
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Beasts of the Southern Wild

Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Annette Joseph
Beasts of the Southern Wild Recipe
In honor of Hushpuppy, the intrepid 6-year who lives with her father Wink in the bayou community of Bathtub, we offer our recipe for classic Southern hush puppies.

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The Artist

Photo: Randy Mayor
The Artist Recipe
This 2012 award-winning romantic comedy-drama was shot in the style of a black-and-white silent film from the 1920s. One bite of this black-and-white pound cake will leave you silent as well while you contemplate having another slice.

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The Descendants

Randy Mayor
The Descendants Recipe
The island scenery in 2012 best-picture nominee, The Descendants, (not to mention George Clooney in an assortment of flowered Hawaiian shirts) is enough to make you want to roast a pig and host a luau. We’d love to help you get started.
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The Help

The Help Recipe
We must protest the Academy’s snub of chocolate pie as we believe that it certainly deserved a nod for a supporting role as “the Terrible, Awful Thing”. In fact, Southern recipes make a number of appearances this movie about women who worked as domestic help in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s, so don’t go to the movie hungry!

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The King’s Speech

Photo: James Carrier
The King’s Speech Recipe
When Lionel Logue's wife is surprised by the presence of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at tea, perhaps she had the wherewithal to offer some English scones. You just never know when the royals might show up expecting a curtsy and a spot o' tea.

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The Social Network

Photo: Charles Schiller; Styling: Lynn Miller
The Social Network Recipe
In the initial meeting between Facebook co-founders Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin and Napster co-founder Sean Parker, Parker buys the table a few rounds of appletinis. Now boys, we all know some of you were underage, so this spritzer would have been more appropriate. Far be it from us to start checking IDs; we’ll just sit back, have a round of classic martinis in honor of the movie, and call it a day.
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True Grit

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Buffy Hargett 
True Grit Recipe
As Mattie Ross sets out for the Indian territory with "Rooster" Cogburn in search of her father's killer, there certainly had to be a number of meals cooked in cast-iron skillets over an open fire. Staples for their suppers? Our guess is Chuckwagon Pinto Beans and this savory cornbread. Saddle up.

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127 Hours

Photo: Ben Fink; Styling: Stephana Bottom
127 Hours Recipe
Mountain climber Aron Ralston survived extreme conditions, conquered days trapped in a canyon, and hiked many miles before being rescued. In honor of the true story, we offer this recipe for trail mix bars. Try one, even if your next climb is just to the top row of the movie theater.

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Julie and Julia

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Melanie J. Clarke and Celine Chenoweth
Julie and Julia Recipe
We just know that if Julie and Julia had to choose one recipe to prepare, they would agree on the delicious and traditional bœuf bourguignon. After all, this is the dish that Julie cooked when Julia's editor, Judith Jones, was coming for dinner. We also know that fearless Julia Child would never stop at one dish. We think she'd want you to explore all French recipes from steak frites to créme brûlée.
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The Princess and the Frog

Photo: Jim Bathie
The Princess and the Frog Recipe
Disney's latest animated musical unfolds in the magical city of New Orleans. Princess Tiana, Disney's first Cajun foodie to date, dreams of opening a restaurant. Her plans go awry when she falls under a voodoo spell and turns into a frog.
Vibrant Creole personalities pepper this make-believe world just as rich Cajun spices add flavor to gumbo. Because all fairy tales have happily-ever-after endings, we recommend treating yourself to the pastry synonomous with New Orleans—French Market beignets.

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Avatar

Photo: Thomas J. Story
Avatar Recipe
We aren't sure if martini glasses exist in the lush world of Pandora. But we do know that the recipe to define Avatar and the film's love story would have to be the out-of-this-world Pandora Elixir. Neytiri would surely mix up this passion fruit and lime concoction for her lover, Jake.

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Million Dollar Baby

Photo: Cooking Light
Million Dollar Baby Recipe
Watching contenders punch the stuffing out of each other may leave you antsy to do a little bob-and-weave of your own. Keep the pillows intact and pound a chicken breast scallopini-style instead. You'll keep the feathers from flying and end up with a dinner than cooks in about 20 minutes. Serve it with a slice of Million Dollar Pound Cake for dessert.
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Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Recipe
Let this award-winner serve not only as the evening's entertainment, but also as a timer. Before you start the movie, pop the fruity gelatin salad in the fridge and, when the trilogy's over, it'll be ready to serve.

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Braveheart

James Carrier
Braveheart Recipe
Thanks to William Wallace, the 13th century Scottish warrior, the Scots fought long and hard and finally won their freedom, even though William did not live to see the day. Due to the efforts of all those battled-hardened fighters, we are free to enjoy haggis, whiskey, and shortbread. Our grateful hearts say thank you to William Wallace and to Mel Gibson for bringing him to the screen.

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Forrest Gump

Photo: Southern Living
Forrest Gump Recipe
Shrimp is a great movie-night food because it's easy to prepare and cooks quickly. And, thanks to Buford "Bubba" Blue, we know that we can "barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it" for "shrimp-kabobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo." Or, try it "pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried." You get the picture. Keep it simple with the bright flavors of lemon, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, rosemary, and thyme. And, of course, don't forget to pick up Forrest's favorite, a "box of chocolates" for dessert.
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The Silence of the Lambs

Photo: Howard L. Puckett
The Silence of the Lambs Recipe
Remember the haunting scene when Hannibal Lecter relishes the memory of dining on (human) liver with "fava beans and a nice chianti?" While we don't recommend Hannibal's main course, our audience convinced us that fava beans deserve a second shot at the spotlight. We put them in a veggie soup, just to be safe. If you are craving liver, leave the poor census-takers alone and try Chicken Livers with Caramelized Onions and Madeira.

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Out of Africa

Photo: Yuhnee Kim; Styling: Karen Shinto
Out of Africa Recipe
“I had a farm in Africa”. The flavorful aroma of coffee beans might come to mind if our minds weren’t so clouded with images of Robert Redford and Meryl Streep in fabulous safari clothes dining and dancing under the trees out on the African plain. And that hair-washing scene! Oh, my. Now we really need some coffee to bring us out of our safari reverie.

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Rocky

Randy Mayor
Rocky Recipe
The scene where Rocky runs up the 72 steps before the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the all-time great movie moments and has made those steps a popular tourist attraction in Philadelphia. If Rocky had been eating more of these lean cheesesteak sandwiches, he might not have had to run so much to get in shape.
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Annie Hall

Quentin Bacon
Annie Hall Recipe
One of the memorable quotes from this Best Picture winner is when the neurotic Alvy Singer says to Annie, “There's a big lobster behind the refrigerator. I can't get it out. This thing's heavy. Maybe if I put a little dish of butter sauce here with a nutcracker, it will run out the other side.” In honor of Alvy and Annie’s crazy relationship and the lobster behind the refrigerator, we offer... lobster.

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The Godfather

The Godfather Recipe
It’s hard to say which happens more often in the Godfather – eating and drinking or killing. There’s a lot of both. Since restaurants seem to be dangerous places in this movie, stay home, get your Italian on, and enjoy this spaghetti sauce that we think even Don Corleone himself would enjoy.

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Sound of Music

Photo: Cooking Light
Sound of Music Recipe
"Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels, Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles" are obviously a few of Julie Andrews' favorite things. Traditionally German, schnitzel is meat dipped in egg, and then breaded and fried. That's three more favorite things to love right there. This easy version will be done before you get through the previews.
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Gone With the Wind

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Lydia DeGaris-Pursell
Gone With the Wind Recipe
When lean times in the war-ravaged South left Scarlett digging for root vegetables and nibbling on whole potatoes, she became inflamed and inspired, pronouncing "As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again." Try an equally inspired side of roasted potatoes dressed lightly with a minty watercress sauce. Their unique flavor may inspire you to do even more, so consider hiding the curtains before you dive in.
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