Oscar-worthy recipes

Stir up a cocktail: Like Lady Bird, we're craving whiskey. But no slugging from the bottle. Instead, make a pitcher of whiskey sours.

Grab a pitcher and pour in 3 cups of bourbon or rye and a cup each of fresh lemon juice and simple syrup (that's a sweetener made by heating and combining equal parts sugar and water). Stir well. When you're ready to party, pour the cocktail into low-ball glasses over ice cubes, and garnish each with an orange wheel and a maraschino cherry.

Makes about 10 drinks.

Jazz up the popcorn: This isn't your average movie night, so the popcorn shouldn't be average, either. First, make the 'corn. Now for the fun part: the butter. Melt a stick or two in a bowl in the microwave. Then, grate in some Parmesan cheese, and add a few drops of truffle oil (find it at many grocery stores) along with some salt.

Want to get crazy? Slice up some scallions and toss with sesame seeds and Sriracha for Asian-style 'corn. Or go for curry powder, red chili flakes and diced cilantro.

Make it a meal: Channel "The Post" with roast beef sliders. Start with quality cold cuts from your deli. Then, cut a yellow onion into slices and cut all the slices in half. Put a frying pan over very low heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil and toss the onions in. Sauté the onions slowly. The longer you cook them, the more flavorful they'll be.

While you're waiting, stir together equal parts mayonnaise and horseradish sauce. Get out a sheet pan and lay some halved slider rolls on it. Pop those under the broiler just until golden brown. Remove the top halves. Layer the bottom halves of the rolls with roast beef and pop the pan back under the broiler to warm the beef. Nestle some caramelized onions on top of the beef, then spread horseradish mayo on the top halves of the buns and put your sandwiches together. Simple and award-worthy.

Amelia Rayno