Oscar Sunday (or as I like to call it, a girl’s version of Superbowl Sunday) is the biggest night of the year for the Hollywood stars. For mere mortals like us, it’s an occasion to watch the Hollywood hunks and beauties sashay up the red carpet. It’s a time when we allow ourselves to be seduced by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood and feel like we’re part of the action, even if for a moment. It’s also an opportunity for us to critique outfits, hairstyles, and bodies like judges of a cruel reality show. Last night, I threw an Oscar Party at my place where we did all of that…and more!

I wanted to go all out for this party, which meant planning all the little details that would add extra pomp and flair. Invitations were sent out two weeks in advance with red carpet/black tie attire noted as mandatory. For greater incentive, I added that prizes would be given to the best dressed male and female at the party. After all, we can’t let the likes of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence outshine us! I also wanted the party to be engaging and interactive – having a crowd of people quietly staring at the TV all night would be no fun. To that end, I planned a game where each person had to fill out a ballot with their guesses on a few Oscar nomination categories, such as Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Movie, and Best Foreign Movie. For this too, prizes would be given to the person with the most correct number of guesses. So what were my prizes? Mini-Oscar trophies, of course!
 I was just getting started…I knew I wanted to have a red carpet leading up to my door, a photo booth with a backdrop so that everyone could have their pictures taken in their gorgeous attires throughout the night (and during commercial breaks), and other decoration knick knacks. Amazon.com and Party City were really handy for all these Oscar-themed props!
Next up were food and drinks (all recipes provided at the bottom). Of course, we had to have Oscar-themed cocktails! My husband and I came up with two creations. One was a fizzy, minty, gin-based drink, the recipe of which we just made up on our own. We called it Ar-Go F**k Yourself (Don’t be offended. If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll get the joke!). The other cocktail was inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest , which was basically layers of raspberries and ice-cream topped off with champagne. We named it Sparkling Playbook and yes, it was heavenly! I kept things simple with a few varieties of hors d’oeuvres. Having different flavors of popcorn was a no-brainer. After all, it’s the movies we’re talking about! I highly recommend Garrett Popcorn Shops for their gourmet popcorn. We couldn't stop shoveling the caramel and the spicy cheddar popcorn into our faces. I also made some Mexican nachos with a slightly different take which involved using Greek yogurt, feta cheese, and mint leaves.Special thanks to Kelly Golighty's blog for some great ideas and inspiration for this party! :)

Top left: Fancy Mexican nachos; Top right: Sparkling Playbook drink just before the champagne was added; Bottom: Gourmet popcorn and other hors d'oeuvres

Recipes
Ar-GO F**k Yourself
- Muddle mint leaves in a martini shaker
- Add 1-2 measures of gin (depending on how strong you like your drink) and 2 teaspoons of superfine sugar
- Mix this combination well and strain it into a frosted glass half-filled with ice
- Top off with club soda and/or sprite to taste