Oscar night is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love having friends over and feeding them fatty food while we watch starving people prance down the red carpet. But it’s really the opportunity for delicious pun-y dishes like Brie of Life that gets me in the mood to breakout my culinary formal wear year after year.

This year’s best picture list was full of fun cuisines and themes to play up. There’s of course the black-white Southern divide at the center of both Django Unchained and Lincoln. Amour and Les Miserables are just asking for some end-of-life French dishes. And the main character in Beasts of the Southern Wild is named Hushpuppy!

Needless to say, there’s a lot to work with at your Oscar party this year. Below are my favorite dish ideas inspired by these cinematic heavy hitters.

What are you making for Oscar night? Share your clever ideas in the comments!

Eat up!

xo

Phoebe

Crabby Snacks and Homemades

Jackie Weaver served up Crabby Snacks and Homemades (whatever that means) in her Oscar-nominated Silver Linings Playbook performance. I don’t know if this is how they do it down in Philly, but nothing beats these little crabby cakes in my book.

Stephen Spiel-Burgers

Caucus Collards nearly took this slot, but who can deprive their guests of some quality Spiel-Burgers? Make them even more Lincoln-esque by using both white and dark meat turkey. (tehehe)

Shepherd’s Pi

This one was a no brainer, but any type of pi will work.

Bathtub Bourbon Punch and Hushpuppies

If you don’t have time to whip up a batch of fried hushpuppies, this easy bourbon punch, named for the region where Beasts if the Southern Wild takes place, is certain to get your crowd as wild and rowdy as the Louisiana lot before a storm.

Black and White Bean Cakes

If Mississippi Mud Pies aren’t your thing, these simple black bean cakes with (white) crema on top will satisfy the necessarily racial divide that needs to be embodied in a Django dish. Feel free to take it to another level by putting both black and white beans in the cakes themselves.

Previously Classified Couscous

Any Persian dish will do for Argo, but I particularly like this couscous which used to be a top secret recipe of my mother’s.

I Want (A) More French Fries

Well, this is the best I could do for Amour, since End of Life Crepes isn’t so cheery.

Crying Fantinis

You barely need a recipe to make this themed drink: take one part vodka, one part Fanta and serve it in a martini glass. Anne Hathaway’s chewed-up scenery is far less appetizing as an appetizer.

30-Minute Dark, and Spy-cy Chili

Because non-cage-free eggs and tortured chicken isn’t quite P.C., why not go with something dark and spy-cy like this chili!