And the Oscar Goes To…
photo by -maria-
For doing absolutely nothing at all, I had a pretty productive weekend. Sorta. I may have taken it easy a bit, but I did get to the gym (yes, that’s a big, fat positive DID), read a good book, and left my apartment clean enough that you could eat off its floors. (Though I’d advise against that.)
Of course on Sunday night I was glued to the television for the Academy Awards. Ever since I was old enough to realize movies were made by directors and film crews, and that the people on the screen are just playing pretend, I’ve been a huge fan of the yearly Oscars hoopla. My sister and I would always tear out the Oscar ballot Entertainment Weekly published back in the day (this was back before the magical Internet made it possible to learn every single thing about a movie without seeing it; I’m not sure if the magazine publishes this list anymore). We’d make our guesses and watch Oscar night as names were called.
I was there the night Gwyneth Paltrow in her bubblegum pink dress won for Shakespeare in Love. I watched as Roberto Benigni climbed across seat backs to accept the award for his role in Life is Beautiful. And I remember when Adrian Brody won for his role in The Pianist and planted a big wet one on Halle Berry. I could go on and bore you until you clicked away, but that’s not good blogging is it?
So I’ll just say I really enjoy the Oscars.
As a brief aside, let’s chitchat about the Oscar dresses a bit. Here’s my three-second recap: Sandra Bullock wore the best dress last night and looked like a true Oscar winner (though she was my least favorite choice in that category). Kate Winslet looked like an old Hollywood star. Jennifer Lopez widened her hips with a fat, stiff bow. And Queen Latifa looked glowing. Oh, and The Hurt Locker cleaned up.
photo by bunchofpants
In that spirit, I made some fun popcorn and hunkered down with The Man. The night’s over, but that doesn’t mean these variations on the concession stand favorite are old news. (It’s fun to split a bag and make a bunch of these different types in small portion sizes. And you can make these the newfangled way—microwavable bags—in a popcorn popper, or on the stove.) Think of them the next time you have a movie night.
Plain ol’ buttered popcorn: Heat up a tablespoon of butter. Put popcorn into a Ziploc bag and pour melted butter in slowly, closing to shake as you work through the butter.
Parmesan: Start with buttered popcorn, then add freshly grated parmesan to the mix.
Cocoa: Mix hot popcorn with cocoa powder in a plastic bag.
Spicy: Add a tablespoon of sugar, ½ a teaspoon of cinnamon, and ½ a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to a tablespoon of melted butter. Pour over popcorn in a plastic bag. Shake it all up.
Trail mix: Mix popcorn with dark chocolate chips, dried fruit, and pumpkin seeds.
Hot pop: Mix a tablespoon of melted butter and hot sauce to taste. Pour it into a plastic bag full of popcorn and shake it around. You can bake this for a few minutes if you’d like, just let it cool slightly before eating.
Honey-lemon: I love this idea I found online and slightly modified. Mix ½ cup honey, 1/8 cup water, ½ tablespoon lemon juice and bring to a rapid boil. Boil and stir constantly for two minutes. Pour over a pan that contains one bag of popcorn. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing every five minutes. Stir again once you remove it from the oven. Let it cool.
Enjoy! What are your favorite or unique ways to eat popcorn? (And if you watched the awards, who was your favorite? Who looked terrible? Favorite parts?)
14 comments
I love the Oscars!!! I like to watch all the movies up for best picture before the awards show
When I was little I use to dip my popcorn in maple syrup.
I don’t do that anymore
I love caramel corn!
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I couldn’t agree more about your dress analysis. Sandra- outstanding look. Kate- Old Hollywood glamour. Queen Latifah- gorgeous color, style, and fit.
I’m so glad I have a fellow Oscar devotee! Popcorn makes the whole night special though. I love plain butter and salt, but parmesan makes a great bag. And cinnamon sugar ain’t half bad! Love your list of ideas!
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totally agree with what you said! queen latifah always looks good-she totally rocks her body type! popcorn is a MUST-i adore kettle popcorn!
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The Oscars are always so fun! Popcorn just adds to the occasion. I like nutritional yeast and salt…it’s surprisingly addictive.
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I think Sandra Bullock looked fabulous. I need to find out her secret for staying so young and so pretty in her late forties (I think?). She is just gorgeous.
I don’t usually watch award shows because I don’t usually know anything about any of the movies that are in the running. I know, how can I work in entertainment and know nothing about it, right?
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Yum! I don’t remember the last time I had popcorn. That should change ASAP!
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Great popcorn recipes…thanks!! I honestly did not like Sandra Bullock’s dress at all. My favorite was Diane Kruger!!
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I’m so glad Sandra Bullock won for The Blind Side! I’m surprised Avatar didn’t do better. I’m one of those that enjoyed Avatar but I didn’t think it was “the best movie everrrrr!” : )
Popcorn — I’m a sucker for cheeeeese!!!
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Booooo I missed the awards! I just flew in from Mexico last night and didn’t get in until 1am. I did DVR the awards, but I don’t even know if it’s worth watching them. I already know everyone who won
Not to mention I heard that it wasn’t that great of a show, which is disappointing! There’s always Fashion Police on tonight at 10, though 
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mmm those are some great popcorn ideas! i haven’t had any special variety in a while, i usually just have air popped and spritzed with some canola oil spray, but i’m a big fan of this black and white kettle corn by lesser evil, so good!
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I love popcorn! I didn’t see all the Oscars, but I saw some of it.
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Sandra…love, love, love her!
Popcorn? Great ideas! I’m a big fan of a blend of plain, cheese, and caramel. A really big fan!
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Sandra Bullock is always best dressed I think – I love her simple but beautiful style. I didn’t watch it all, but it was fun enough to see some of it!
Hey, your weekend was super productive — trust me
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Tracey, I have a request. Can you do a post on TBHQ? It’s an ingredient found in pretty much every single kind of microwave popcorn I’ve ever picked up and I think it may actually be banned in Europe. So I’ve been terrified of microwave popcorn for years. Is there any substance to my concern???
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