Wednesday, February 17, 2010

And the Oscar goes to....



The full list of the 2010 Oscar nominees from Oscar.com, the official site of the 82nd Academy Awards

- NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY - 82ND AWARDS -

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Coraline" (Focus Features) Henry Selick
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
"The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
"Up" (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro
"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre
"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette

Achievement in cinematography
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design
"Bright Star" (Apparition) Janet Patterson
"Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
"Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Cameron
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature
"Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)- A Magic Hour Films Production Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
"The Cove" (Roadside Attractions)- An Oceanic Preservation Society Production Nominees to be determined
"Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures)- A Robert Kenner Films Production Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" - A Kovno Communications Production Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
"Which Way Home" - A Mr. Mudd Production Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject
"China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" - A Downtown Community Television Center Production Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" - A Just Media Production Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" - A Community Media Production Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
"Music by Prudence" - An iThemba Production Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
"Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution) - An MS Films Production Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year
"Ajami"(Kino International)- An Inosan Production Israel
"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (Sony Pictures Classics)- A Haddock Films Production Argentina
"The Milk of Sorrow"- A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production Peru
"Un Prophète" (Sony Pictures Classics)- A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production France
"The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics)- An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production Germany

Achievement in makeup
"Il Divo" (MPI Media Group through Music Box) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
"The Young Victoria" (Apparition) Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) James Horner
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
"Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics) Music by Reinhardt Wagner
Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox)
A Lightstorm Entertainment Production James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
An Alcon Entertainment Production Nominees to be determined

"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
A Block/Hanson Production Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers

"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
A Voltage Pictures Production Nominees to be determined

"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production Lawrence Bender, Producer

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

"A Serious Man" (Focus Features)
A Working Title Films Production Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers

"Up" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Jonas Rivera, Producer

"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
A Montecito Picture Company Production Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best animated short film
"French Roast"
A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production Fabrice O. Joubert

"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Brown Bag Films)
A Brown Bag Films Production Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell

"The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)"
A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production Javier Recio Gracia

"Logorama" (Autour de Minuit)
An Autour de Minuit Production Nicolas Schmerkin

"A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations)
An Aardman Animations Production Nick Park

Best live action short film
"The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
An Octagon Films Production Juanita Wilson and James Flynn

"Instead of Abracadabra" (The Swedish Film Institute)
A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström

"Kavi"
A Gregg Helvey Production Gregg Helvey

"Miracle Fish" (Premium Films)
A Druid Films Production Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

"The New Tenants"
A Park Pictures and M & M Production Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Wylie Stateman
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
"Up" (Walt Disney) Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects
"Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
"Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay
"District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
"An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics) Screenplay by Nick Hornby
"In the Loop" (IFC Films) Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
"Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay
"The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) Written by Mark Boal
"Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) Written by Quentin Tarantino
"The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories) Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
"A Serious Man" (Focus Features) Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Up" (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy


- NOMINATIONS BY PICTURE - 82ND AWARDS

(This list does not include Short Films or Documentary Short Subjects)
"Ajami," an Inosan Production (Kino International) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Israel)

"Avatar," a Lightstorm Entertainment Production (20th Century Fox) (9 nominations)
Art direction
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Visual effects

"The Blind Side," an Alcon Entertainment Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Sandra Bullock - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Best picture

"Bright Star," a Jan Chapman/Bright Star Films Production (Apparition) (1 nomination)
Costume design

"Burma VJ," a Magic Hour Films Production (Oscilloscope Laboratories) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Coco before Chanel," a Haut et Court Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Costume design

"Coraline," a LAIKA Production (Focus Features) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film

"The Cove," an Oceanic Preservation Society Production (Roadside Attractions) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Crazy Heart," an Informant Media/Butcher's Run Films Production (Fox Searchlight) (3 nominations)
Jeff Bridges - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Original song - "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)"

"District 9," a Block/Hanson Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (4 nominations)
Film editing
Best picture
Visual effects
Adapted screenplay

"An Education," a Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (3 nominations)
Carey Mulligan - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"El Secreto de Sus Ojos," a Haddock Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Argentina)

"Fantastic Mr. Fox," an American Empirical Production (20th Century Fox) (2 nominations)
Best animated feature film
Original score

"Food, Inc.," a Robert Kenner Films Production (Magnolia Pictures) (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," a Warner Bros. Production (Warner Bros.) (1 nomination)
Cinematography

"The Hurt Locker," a Voltage Pictures Production (Summit Entertainment) (9 nominations)
Jeremy Renner - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Original screenplay

"Il Divo," an Indigo Film/Lucky Red/Parco Film/Babe Films Production (MPI Media Group through Music Box) (1 nomination)
Makeup

"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," a Poo Poo Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations)
Art direction
Costume design

"In the Loop," a Loop Film/BBC Films and UK Film Council in association with Aramid Entertainment Production (IFC Films) (1 nomination)
Adapted screenplay

"Inglourious Basterds," a Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production (The Weinstein Company) (8 nominations)
Christoph Waltz - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Original screenplay

"Invictus," a Liberty Pictures Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Morgan Freeman - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Matt Damon - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

"Julie & Julia," a Columbia Pictures Production (Sony Pictures Releasing) (1 nomination)
Meryl Streep - Performance by an actress in a leading role

"The Last Station," an Egoli Tossell Film/Zephyr Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations)
Christopher Plummer - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Helen Mirren - Performance by an actress in a leading role

"The Lovely Bones," a Wingnut Films Production (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)
Stanley Tucci - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

"The Messenger," an All the King's Horses Production (Oscilloscope Laboratories) (2 nominations)
Woody Harrelson - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Original screenplay

"The Milk of Sorrow," a Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (Peru)

"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers," a Kovno Communications Production (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"Nine," a Weinstein Brothers/Marc Platt/Lucamar/Relativity Media Production (The Weinstein Company) (4 nominations)
Penélope Cruz - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Art direction
Costume design
Original song - "Take It All"

"Paris 36," a Galatée Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Original song - "Loin de Paname"

"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," a Lee Daniels Entertainment/ Smokewood Entertainment Production (Lionsgate) (6 nominations)
Gabourey Sidibe - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Mo'Nique - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Directing
Film editing
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"The Princess and the Frog," a Walt Disney Pictures Production (Walt Disney) (3 nominations)
Best animated feature film
Original song - "Almost There"
Original song - "Down in New Orleans"

"The Secret of Kells," a Cartoon Saloon/Les Armateurs/Vivi Film Production (GKIDS) (1 nomination)
Best animated feature film

"A Serious Man," a Working Title Films Production (Focus Features) (2 nominations)
Best picture
Original screenplay

"Sherlock Holmes," a Warner Bros. UK Services Production (Warner Bros.) (2 nominations)
Art direction
Original score

"A Single Man," a Fade to Black and Depth of Field Production (The Weinstein Company) (1 nomination)
Colin Firth - Performance by an actor in a leading role

"Star Trek," a Bad Robot Production (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) (4 nominations)
Makeup
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Visual effects

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," a Don Murphy/Tom DeSanto/di Bonaventura Pictures/Ian Bryce Production (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)
Sound mixing

"Un Prophète," a Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)
Best foreign language film (France)

"Up," a Pixar Production (Walt Disney) (5 nominations)
Best animated feature film
Original score
Best picture
Sound editing
Original screenplay

"Up in the Air," a Montecito Picture Company Production (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) (6 nominations)
George Clooney - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Vera Farmiga - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Anna Kendrick - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Directing
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"Which Way Home," a Mr. Mudd Production (1 nomination)
Documentary feature

"The White Ribbon," an X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations)
Cinematography
Best foreign language film (Germany)

"The Young Victoria," a GK Films Production (Apparition) (3 nominations)
Art direction
Costume design
Makeup

Source: http://www.oscar.com/

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Golden Globe Awards

*Cecil B. DeMille Award: Martin Scorsese
*Best Motion Picture - Drama: Avatar
*Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
*Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
*Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical: The Hangover
*Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical: Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia
*Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical: Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes
*Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Mo'nique – Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire
*Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds
*Best Animated Feature Film: Up (Walt Disney Pictures/PIXAR Animation Studios)
*Best Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band - Eine Deutsche Kindergeschichte) (Germany)
*Best Director - Motion Picture: James Cameron – Avatar
*Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - Up In The Air
*Best Original Score - Motion Picture: Michael Giacchino - Up
*Best Original Song - Motion Picture: "The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)" – Crazy Heart - Music & Lyrics By: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
*Best Television Series - Drama: Mad Men (AMC)- Lionsgate
*Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama: Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)
*Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama: Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)
*Best Television Series - Comedy Or Musical: Glee (FOX)
*Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical: Toni Collette – United States Of Tara (SHOWTIME)
*Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Comedy Or Musical: Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
*Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television: Grey Gardens (HBO)
*Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Drew Barrymore – Grey Gardens (HBO)
*Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Kevin Bacon – Taking Chance (HBO)
*Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Chloë Sevigny – Big Love (HBO)
*Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: John Lithgow – Dexter (SHOWTIME)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Tutorial: felt polaroid christmas ornament



supplies needed:
white felt. [the 9" x 12" rectangles from craft stores are perfect!]
scissors
pencil/chopstick
iron
sewing machine & thread
picture(s) [i used 4x6 inch pictures]
ribbon



***ETA: if you're making these for small children, i recommend adding a piece of thin chipboard [like a piece cut from a cereal box] to your ornament to prevent it from getting bent as easily. just cut it the same size as your photo, glue it to the back of your photo and slip it into the polaroid felt sleeve.


1. cut your felt into a 9 inch by 4 1/4 inch rectangle.


2. fold in half, hamburger way. And sew a straight line 1/8 inch on two sides, creating a little pocket, with the folded edge at the bottom. [i used dark thread to show you which two sides, but you can just use white.]


3. turn it right side out, and poke out the corners with a chopstick or the eraser side of a pencil.

4.iron on the lowest setting on your iron.


5. cut out a square on one side for your picture. mine ended up being approximately 2 3/4 inches. set aside the felt polaroid.


6. trim your photo. [mine ended up being approximately 3 3/8 inches by 4 inches, but it will vary on whether or not you have portrait or landscape photos and where your seams ended up.]

7. insert into your felt polaroid sleeve. if it doesn't fit, trim off 1/16 inch pieces until it does. set felt polaroid with picture aside.

8. trim your ribbon to the desired length. [mine ended up being about 8 1/2 inches, laid flat.]


9. start in the upper right corner, and sew a straight line down to corner, making sure to back stitch at the beginning. turn the polaroid, while the needle is still insterted into the felt and the presser foot is raised, sew along the bottom [folded] edge of the polaroid. turn again, and sew up the other side.


10. when you get to the top left corner, stop you sewing machine, and get your ribbon. cross the cut ends, so that it creates a loop for the polaroid to hang from.




11. insert your ribbon, so it is centered on the ornament. be sure to put it behind the picture, but in front of the back layer of felt on the polaroid.


12. sew across the top of the polaroid. back stitch over the ribbon to make sure it is secure. when you get back to the upper right corner, back stitch again.


13. sew a straight line across the bottom of the picture square and hole, back stitching at the beginning and end.

14. trim strings and enjoy your polaroid ornament!



Just remember, that you polaroids don't need to be perfect. i think that's what gives them their charm, just like real polaroids.



Source: http://katiecupcake.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 11, 2009

Christmas spirit cocktail



ingredients
• Tequila
• 1 or 2 pomegranates

This is so simple to make and just one will definitely raise the Christmas spirits! Just remember, it’s about injecting a little fun and flavour into the party, so don’t get carried away.

Pop a bottle of good-quality tequila in the freezer for an hour, along with a shot glass for each of your guests.

Cut your pomegranates in half and take their seeds out. The easy way to do this is to hold one half of a pomegranate cut-side down in your hand and bash the top of it with a spatula so the seeds come tumbling out – make sure you’ve got a bowl underneath to catch them all!

Fill your shot glasses with pomegranate seeds, pour in your iced tequila and depending on your style either sip it, or knock it back. Don't swallow until you've crunched the pomegranate seeds because they add a real burst of fragrance and flavour in your mouth. Delicious!


SOURCE: http://www.jamieoliver.com

Christmas pud sundae



ingredients
• 150g fresh cranberries
• zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 250g fresh vanilla custard
• 2 medium bananas, peeled and sliced into 1cm slices
• 2 x 298g tins of mandarin segments in natural juice, drained
• a knob of butter
• 200g cooked Christmas pudding
• a handful of flaked almonds
• a splash (or more!) of whisky
• 1 x small tub of good-quality vanilla ice cream


dressings / sauces | serves 4
Christmas pudding is a leftover that is so easy to use. It doesn’t lose its flavour or texture when you warm it.

Put the cranberries, half the orange juice and all of the sugar in a small pan and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you get a lovely thick sauce. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.

Stir the zest from the orange and lime into the custard and put the slices of banana and mandarins in a separate bowl with the lime juice and toss.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and crumble in the leftover Christmas pudding, along with the flaked almonds. Toast lightly, add a good lug of whisky and fry gently until crispy.

Divide most of the mandarins and bananas into the bottoms of four sundae glasses then spoon over some of the zesty custard. Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle over some cranberry sauce then sprinkle over most of the Christmas pudding mixture. Finish with the remaining bananas and mandarins and any remaining Christmas pud.

SOURCE: http://www.jamieoliver.com

The best roast turkey christmas or any time



Ingredients
• 50g/2oz butter
• a sprig of fresh sage, leaves picked
• 12 strips of pancetta or thinly sliced streaky bacon
• 1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
• 4 medium red onions, peeled
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and chopped
• a big handful of breadcrumbs
• a handful of dried apricots
• 300g/10½ oz minced pork
• zest of 1 lemon
a pinch of grated nutmeg
• 1 large free-range or organic egg
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 small fresh rosemary sprigs, plus a few extra
• 4–4.5kg/9–10lb turkey, preferably free-range or organic, at room temperature
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 1 large orange
• olive oil
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1.1litres/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock

main courses | serves 6 - 8
One of the biggest challenges when cooking a turkey is the legs take longer than the breasts. The breasts dry out in the oven while you’re waiting for the legs to cook. I like to push stuffing between the turkey’s skin and breasts, increasing the thickness of the breasts so they take the same time to cook as the legs. The result? Juicy turkey all round!

Preheat the oven to maximum. Heat a saucepan until medium hot and drop in the butter, sage leaves and 6 of the pancetta or bacon strips. Peel and chop 2 garlic cloves and 1 onion. Add the garlic, celery and onion to the saucepan and fry everything gently until soft and golden brown. Take the pan off the heat, add the breadcrumbs and, while the mix is cooling down, chop the apricots roughly and stir them in. When the stuffing has cooled down, add the pork, lemon zest, nutmeg, egg and lots of salt and pepper, and mix everything together well.

Slice the remaining strips of pancetta or bacon in half and slice 1 peeled garlic clove into thin slivers. Place a rosemary sprig and a garlic sliver on one end of a halved strip of pancetta and roll it up tightly. Repeat with the other pieces of pancetta until you have 12 little rolls. Stab the thighs and drumsticks of the turkey in 6 places on each side. Push a little pancetta roll into each hole until it just peeps out. This’ll give your turkey thighs a fantastic flavour and will keep them moist while they cook.

Chop the remaining onions in half and slice the carrots thickly. Give your turkey a good wipe, inside and out, with kitchen paper, and place it on a board, with the neck end towards you. Find the edge of the skin that's covering the turkey's breasts and gently peel it back. Work your fingers and then your hand under the skin, freeing it from the meat. If you're careful you should be able to pull all the skin away from the meat, keeping it attached at the sides. Go slowly and try not to make any holes! Lift the loose skin at the neck end and spoon the stuffing between the skin and the breast, tucking the flap of skin underneath to stop anything leaking out. Pop the orange in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm it up and stuff it into the cavity. Weigh the stuffed turkey and calculate the cooking time (about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz).

Place the bird on a large roasting tray, rub it all over with olive oil and season well. Surround with the chopped carrots, onions, remaining garlic, cover with tinfoil and place in the preheated oven. Turn the heat down right away to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, and roast for the calculated time, or until the juices run clear from the thigh if you pierce with it a knife or a skewer. Remove the tinfoil for the last 45 minutes to brown the bird. Carefully lift the turkey out of the tray and rest on a board that’s covered loosely with foil for 20 minutes while you finish off the veg and gravy. Skim the surface fat from the roasting tray and add the flour and stock. Place the tray on the hob and bring to the boil on a high heat. When the gravy starts to thicken, strain it into a bowl. Carve your turkey, serve with the gravy and dig in!

SOURCE: http://www.jamieoliver.com

Spiced sugar & christmas popcorn




INGREDIENTS
Makes 1kg of sugar
• 3 fresh bay leaves
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
• finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 6 whole cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 10 gratings of whole nutmeg
• 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways
• 1kg unrefined caster sugar

Makes a large bowl of popcorn
• olive oil
• 2 knobs of butter
• 250g popcorn kernels
• 6 tablespoons spiced sugar


snacks and sides
What’s mad about this is that, even though all of these spices and flavours are so pungent on their own, they actually taste like tutti frutti sweets when together. You can use this sugar for so many things; from a sweetener for porridge, sprinkled over baked bananas, or to make a gorgeous Chantilly cream. It will keep for a while, so if you’re going to make it, you may as well make a batch and keep it in an airtight container.

Whack the bay leaves, orange and lemon jest and all of your spices into a food processor and give it a good whiz. Once that’s well blended add your sugar and whiz again so you’ve got a lovely spiced sugar. Because there’s quite a bit of moistness in the zest and vanilla pod it’s a good idea to pour the sugar onto a baking tray, spread it out evenly then leave it to dry for a few hours.

Once the sugar is nice and dry, pass it through a sieve to catch any larger pieces of spices. Discard anything left behind in the sieve then put your sieved sugar into an airtight container, where it will keep happily for ages.

Spiced Christmas popcorn

Popcorn only takes a few minutes to make but it smells, sounds and tastes brilliant; it’s a great thing to have going on in your home. If you’re feeling a bit creative you can divide the popcorn between some little sandwich bags, tie them with ribbons then give them out as a bit of a Christmas treat to adults and kids. If the sugar settles on the bottom of the bag just give the bag a shake before tucking in.

Put a few lugs of oil and your butter in a large pan over a high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the popcorn and stir well to coat the kernels. Put the lid on straight away and leave it for a few minutes. It will take a few minutes to get going so be patient. As the popcorn gets going give the pan a shake every 30 seconds or so to make sure the kernels all get popped. Put your spiced sugar in a large bowl and when the popcorn is ready add it to the bowl and quickly toss it and stir it into the sugar so the hot popcorn picks up those lovely spiced flavours.

Serve the popcorn in a big bowl or in little bowls dotted about the house. I can honestly say, hand on heart, that this is one of the nicest popcorns I’ve ever had. It’s delicious and has to be better for you than caramels, toffees or cheap artificial sweets.

SOURCE: http://www.jamieoliver.com