2025 Oscar Party - Recipes

And the Best Oscar Entree goes to...YOU! Come and accept your award-winning chow and pass it around to your party guests so everyone has a taste of Oscar. Sit back and watch the Best Picture Oscar-nominated movie trailers below, paired with my Best Oscar Entrée, which is a feast for your eyes.

And click on any Best Oscar Entree nominee names to be directed to the original blog post for all the award-winning recipe prose and cinematic culinary imagery.

The first Best Oscar Entree nominee is deliciously gruesome. The movie stars actress Demi Moore, who has never exposed so much of herself, and I don't mean just her acting chops. This body-horror flick is gross to the max and not for the faint-of-heart or, in my recipe's case, palate. Check out the trailer below.

1. "The Substance" Pork Carnitas - are made from a pork shoulder, which I skin, then slice and dice the flesh, then drench in Mexican Cola. Kind of appalling, but oh so tasty.

The second Best Oscar Entree is a brickhouse of a recipe. A Holocaust survivor architect, played by always captivating Adrien Brody, rebuilds his life with a move to Philadelphia and is given a second chance by renovating a library in neighboring Bucks County.

2. "The Brutalist" Hoagie - I was introduced to the Hoagie Sandwich by my wife, Linda, who was raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A Hoagie is a towering multi-level sandwich of cheese, deli meats, lettuce, onion, and tomato with an oil and vinegar dressing. 

The third Best Oscar Entree pairs with a 1970's Brazilian political drama of a family's search for answers when their father is "disappeared" during a military dictatorship.

3. "

I'm Still Here" Ribeye Steak & Potatoes

 - Brazil is renowned for its cattle industry, and my Ribeye Steak & Potatoes answers the question "Where's the Beef?"

The fourth Best Oscar Entree featuring my cheap$kate Pasta recipe is as controversial as the selection process of a new Pope in this pulpy Papal feature.

4. "Conclave" Pasta alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits - will set Italian chef tongues wagging. Loaded with Papal intrigue after the Pope dies, finding a successor stirs up controversy, like my Italian recipe made with Bacon Bits, instead of guanciale, a rich, fatty cured pork jowl or cheek.

The fifth Best Oscar Entree is emblematic of NYC, and pizza is the right price for struggling artists, like Mr. Tambourine Man, making musical poetry in the Big Apple.

5. "A Complete Unknown" Anchovy Pizza - Down and out in NYC, the bio-film introduces a struggling Bob Dylan, couch-surfing and surviving on scraps, while ascending from coffehouse folk singer to electrified troubadour and voice of his generation. 

The sixth Best Oscar Entree  will have you clicking your shoe heels together and chanting, "There's no recipe like Homemade Chili and a Cinnamon Roll." A musical reimagining of the Wizard of Oz featuring the good and bad witches. You can call it a prequel before Dorothy leaves Kansas for Oz.

6. "Wicked" Chili with Beans - Kansas is known for Chili with Beans served with a Cinnamon Roll. Well, I have the Homemade Chili recipe covered; you'll have to come up with the Cinnamon Roll!

The seventh Best Oscar Entree could be served in the cafeteria of an oppressive reformatory school, like the one depicted below.

7. "Nickel Boys" Black-eyed Peas with Ham - Based on the 2019 novel by Colson Whitehead, the film takes place in a Jim Crow-era Florida reform school. Nickel Academy is outed for its cruelty to the main character, a studious African-American high school student.

The eighth Best Oscar Entree, Cajun Nachos, combines French Cajun Red Beans and Crawfish, with Mexican tortilla chips and cheese. This recipe co-production will be hard to beat in this Oscar race.

8. "Emelia Perez" Cajun Nachos - A dark and twisted Mexican musical, made by a French Director, is both praised and panned. Boorish tweets on X by one of the leads may sink the chances of bringing home more awards.

The ninth Best Oscar Entree recipe is hot and steamy like Anora, a stripper on the make with the son of a Russian oligarch.

9. "Anora" Rachel Sandwich - The sandwich is made with Russian Dressing. Winner of the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in France last year, this randy romance will have you eating out of their hands, feasting on my sexy pastrami Rachel Sandwich with Coleslaw, that is.

The final Best Oscar Entree is based on the movie Dune: Part Two. This sci-fi literary classic adaptation is a hero's journey on a desert planet full of sandstorms and fury.

10. "Dune: Part Two" Flying Burrito - Joshua Tree, a local desert, inspired my own tall tale that ends with the sighting of a Flying Burrito! 

Do try any of my Oscar Party Entrees - you're sure to get a Standing O. So have your acceptance speech ready because the golden statuette for Best Entree at an Oscar Party belongs to you, the host with the most.

I'll leave you with a video I made a while ago when the Academy of Motion Pictures had an exhibit with a podium on which a real Oscar stood. All you had to do was stand in line and take a picture with it -- well, you can be sure I showed up for that! Just check out the video below:

May the Best Entree win!!

Rachel Sandwich - Video Recipe

Coleslaw between 2 slices of rye bread? But when you add melty Swiss Cheese, tender Corned Beef, and Russian Dressing, now that's a great sandwich. My Rachel Deli Sandwich is stacked with deliciousness.

I was unaware of such a wild sandwich until I first ordered a Rachel at Los Angeles's premier Jewish Deli, Canter's Restaurant. They are expensive, in the $20 range now, and I would get them just every once in a while. 

The Rachel is a riff on a Ruben Sandwich, which is made with Sauerkraut instead of Coleslaw. And the Ruben is an American creation from the early 1900s (click here to read all about it.)

What makes a Rachel Sandwich so tasty is the combination of cool Coleslaw with thick slices of Corned Beef and Swiss Cheese on toasty Rye Bread. It's a heady, hardy sandwich.

Now you would think it too difficult to make in your kitchen but I have a simple Corned Beef Recipe that uses a package of uncooked Corned Beef. 

And all you have to do is boil the Corned Beef until tender. Check out my  Easy Corned Beef recipe below.

I always have a few packages of uncooked Corned Beef in the freezer that I get for half price during St. Patrick's Day week sales. 

For my Coleslaw, I use a 14-ounce bag of sliced cabbage and carrot and a few dollops of mayonnaise that I get from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

Coleslaw made with a pre-shredded bag of cabbage is the way to go and I have an Easy Coleslaw recipe below to prove it!

A Russian Dressing is ketchup plus mayo. Mix it together for a sweet sandwich filling.

You're supposed to use Swiss Cheese, but I've made mine with any favorite cheese I have on hand - it's all good.

A Rachel Sandwich can go other meaty ways, one is using sliced cooked turkey and the other way is made with Pastrami. I've not tried turkey, but I know Pastrami makes a great Rachel. Of course, I have an Easy Homemade Pastrami recipe video for your viewing pleasure.

As for Rye Bread, I get mine from the "clearance shelves" at my local Ralph's Grocers for one to two bucks a loaf. 

Once you toast week-old slices of rye, they taste as good as new. I've also made a Rachael with regular bread. (I guess you can't really call it a Rachel, but it's delicious regardless.)

Do try out my version of a Rachel Sandwich -- so go for it, and make your own Corned Beef or Pastrami  -- that's the 99 Cent Chef cheap$kate way.

                                            Rachel Sandwich - Video                Play it here. The video runs for 2 minutes and 26 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• Sliced Corned Beef or Pastrami - My recipe for Easy Corned Beef is here. My Easy Pastrami recipe is here.
• Coleslaw - add as much as you like, usually a couple tablespoons per sandwich. My Easy Coleslaw recipe is here.
• Swiss Cheese - One slice is enough, but add as much as you like. 
• Russian Dressing - Mix one teaspoon of ketchup plus one tablespoon of mayonnaise.
• 2 Slices Rye Bread - I've made the sandwich with regular white and wheat bread.
• Butter - a thick slice for toasting the sandwich. 

Directions

For a simple Corned Beef Recipe just simmer a raw Corned Beef covered in water for about 3 to 4 hours until it is tender. 

Check the water level every hour or so and add more if needed. A package of Corned Beef will have directions as well.

Slice the cooked Corned Beef. You can make your sandwich with as much as you like.

What makes this sandwich is toasting the bread and melting the Swiss Cheese. Here's how I stack it.

Add a slice of butter to melt and spread it out enough to cover a slice of bread.

I add a slice of bread and then the Swiss Cheese, so the cheese is closest to the heat and will melt nicely. 

From here out you can stack it anyway. Pile on the Coleslaw and sliced Corned Beef.

Finally, smear on the Russian Dressing and top with a slice of Rye Bread.

When the cheese starts to melt it's ready to turn and brown the other side of the sandwich. Again it's good to peek under the sandwich to make sure you don't burn the bread.

You can add more butter when you flip the sandwich if you like a more buttery flavor. I find it's buttery enough even if one side has most of the butter flavor and browning.

It usually takes 2 or 3 minutes per side to brown the Rye Bread and melt the Swiss Cheese, depending on how hot the pan or grill surface is.

Hindsight

Stack the sandwich any way you like. Start with Swiss Cheese, Corned Beef, Russian Dressing, and top with Coleslaw. Mix it up the way you like it.

I've made the Rachel with Pastrami, too. I've never tried a California Rachel (made with sliced cooked Turkey) but it sounds delicious.

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Move over Canter's and Langer's Delicatessen (our local deli temples to cured and sliced meats) there's a new Pastrami Sandwich in town for National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day And I have an easy recipe you will want to bookmark, so you can make your own  Pastrami Sammies anytime.

I usually order my Hot Pastrami Sandwich with just mustard, but sometimes I have to go for it with a layer of creamy crunchy Coleslaw (recipe here) also known as a Rachel Sandwich. 

A Rachel Sandwich also has Swiss cheese and Russian dressing served between Rye bread. You'll want to toast the sandwich to get the Swiss cheese all melty and the Pastrami hot. Here is a video of how I make mine using corned beef -- substitute with Pastrami on this auspicious day!

 

NYC isn't the only game in town for Pastrami. We have our local noshing citadels all over L.A., from Canter's Deli on Fairfax Avenue to Langer's Delicatessen, voted the top-rated Pastrami Sandwich in Los Angeles!

Lately, I've been putting sauerkraut on my Pastrami Sammies. Add Swiss cheese and Russian dressing again, and you have a Reuben Sandwich. 

I just use Sauerkraut from the jar or a can and that's tasty enough and cheap too.

Believe it or not but Rye Bread and Swiss Cheese, well at least a Swiss Cheese blend, show up at my local 99c only Store every once in a while - it's the kind of cheap$kate deal you have to jump on.

Here's a video of my Homemade Reuben Sandwich, again it's made with corned beef, but that's easy enough to swap out for Pastrami.

Now if you don't want to spend your hard-earned bucks on a nearly $20 Pastrami Sandwich, how about making a whole Pastrami from a slab of Corned Beef, and for half the price?

Yep, and this is how I do it. I buy whole Corned Beef when it's for sale during St. Patrick's Day for about $2 per pound. Next, I cook the Corned Beef according to the package directions. Finally, I give it an hour of smoking in my gas grill.

So check out my easy-to-follow recipe and make your own Pastrami Sandwiches at home.

Easy Homemade Deli Pastrami - VIDEO

So is a burrito a sandwich? Hmmm...well, I say it's an honorary sammie.  There is a wild fast food joint in L.A. called World Famous Oki Dog and they make a burrito with two hot dogs, chili, and hot pastrami all wrapped in a large flour tortilla!

I can barely finish one, but if you're a hungry teenager from nearby Fairfax High School then that is not a problem. This culinary car crash of flavors is so outrageous I had to make a video about it.

I'll end this National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day on a wacky note with my Oki Dog video below -- this may be the only time you will need to take a Tums to get through it.

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Move over Canter's and Langer's Delicatessen (our local deli temples to cured and sliced meats) there's a new Pastrami Sandwich in town for National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day And I have an easy recipe you will want to bookmark, so you can make your own  Pastrami Sammies anytime.

I usually order my Hot Pastrami Sandwich with just mustard, but sometimes I have to go for it with a layer of creamy crunchy Coleslaw (recipe here) also known as a Rachel Sandwich. 

A Rachel Sandwich also has Swiss cheese and Russian dressing served between Rye bread. You'll want to toast the sandwich to get the Swiss cheese all melty and the Pastrami hot. Here is a video of how I make mine using corned beef -- substitute with Pastrami on this auspicious day!

 

NYC isn't the only game in town for Pastrami. We have our local noshing citadels all over L.A., from Canter's Deli on Fairfax Avenue to Langer's Delicatessen, voted the top-rated Pastrami Sandwich in Los Angeles!

Lately, I've been putting sauerkraut on my Pastrami Sammies. Add Swiss cheese and Russian dressing again, and you have a Reuben Sandwich. 

I just use Sauerkraut from the jar or a can and that's tasty enough and cheap too.

Believe it or not but Rye Bread and Swiss Cheese, well at least a Swiss Cheese blend, show up at my local 99c only Store every once in a while - it's the kind of cheap$kate deal you have to jump on.

Here's a video of my Homemade Reuben Sandwich, again it's made with corned beef, but that's easy enough to swamp out for Pastrami.

Now if you don't want to spend your hard-earned bucks on a nearly $20 Pastrami Sandwich, how about making a whole Pastrami from a slab of Corned Beef, and for half the price?

Yep, and this is how I do it. I buy whole Corned Beef when it's for sale during St. Patrick's Day for about $2 per pound. Next, I cook the Corned Beef according to the package directions. Finally, I give it an hour of smoking in my gas grill.

So check out my easy-to-follow recipe and make your own Pastrami Sandwiches at home.

Easy Homemade Deli Pastrami - VIDEO

So is a burrito a sandwich? Hmmm...well, I say it's an honorary sammie.  There is a wild fast food joint in L.A. called World Famous Oki Dog and they make a burrito with two hot dogs, chili, and hot pastrami all wrapped in a large flour tortilla!

I can barely finish one, but if you're a hungry teenager from nearby Fairfax High School then that is not a problem. This culinary car crash of flavors is so outrageous I had to make a video about it.

I'll end this National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day on a wacky note with my Oki Dog video below -- this may be the only time you will need to take a Tums to get through it.