"dinner party menu" news and stories

Roll out the red carpet, check the TV listings for Joan Rivers and, most importantly, don’t forget the snacks – it’s time to get ready for the 78th Academy Awards! Planning a menu can be difficult. First of all, the show takes a long time and when you're hosting a party that takes several hours, you'll probably need a lot of food. I think that popcorn, parmesan or microwaved, is a movie must-have and you can never go wrong with veggies and hummus. On the other hand, you might want to get into the spirit of Hollywood by having a movie themed menu at your party. This year's best picture nominees - Brokeback Mountain, Good Night and Good Luck, Capote, Crash and Munich - are not really huge inspirations in the food department. If there were more foodies in the Academy, maybe they would have nominated Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, since there are definitely Hollywood-types that would do anything for chocolate. At it stands, though, the options look like barbecue, lamb and apple pie from Brokeback Mountain and brisket and stuffed cabbage from Munich. I can't say that I recall seeing any food in Good Night and Good Luck at all. Fortunately, the staff at Allrecipes.com has put together an extensive set of menus from each movie.

As for me, I'll be giving a nod to Wallace and Gromit and noshing on cheese and crackers. And maybe I'll take a tip from the Seattle Times and have some really snarky snacks, like "Japanese food for Memoirs of a Geisha, but in honor of the ethnically inaccurate cast, it has to be made by Chinese people."