Natalie Portman will miss Oscars
Alison Maxwell , USA TODAY

If Natalie Portman wins the best actress award at the Oscars tonight, she won't be there to accept it.

Portman, 35, released a statement Saturday saying she'd miss the event because of her pregnancy.

"Due to my pregnancy, I am unable to attend the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards. I feel so lucky to be honored among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends," she said in the statement released by her rep Keleigh Thomas Morgan.

Oscars 2017: Predictions on who will win, who should win
Portman is expecting her second child with husband Benjamin Millepied, a French dancer and choreographer. The couple, who met while filming Black Swan, are parents to 5-year-old Aleph.

Portman is nominated for best actress for her role in Jackie. In the film she plays Jackie Kennedy as she deals with the immediate aftermath of the assassination of her husband, President John F. Kennedy. This awards season Portman won the Critics' Choice Award for her performance and was nominated for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors' Guild Award, Independent Spirit Award and a BAFTA.

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A three-time Oscar nominee, Portman won in 2011 for her role as a mentally-ill ballerina in Black Swan.

La La Land's Emma Stone is widely predicted to win best actress Sunday.

Tuna & Tomato Soup

Ingredients

Water400ml
Tomato200g
Tuna, canned in water1 standard can (140g)
Balsamic Vinegar2 tsp (10ml)
Olive Oil2 tsp (8g)
Basil2 tbsp, chopped (5g)
Garlic1 clove (3g)
Paprika½ tsp (1g)
Chilli Powder½ tsp (1g)
Salt1pinch
Pepper, Black1 pinch (0g)


Preparation

1. Take half the tomato's and cut into pieces (if using cherry tomato then just half them) and set aside.

2. Add the rest of the tomato with the spices, olive oil and a little of the water to a blender. Blend for about three to four seconds.

3. Add all ingredients to a pan, with the chopped basil and cook for about 20 minutes (do not allow to boil).

4. Serve with more basil on top, or with some warm bread if you need the carbs after a cold day on the trails.

Smoked Maple Syrup Bacon

Ingredients

1 1/2 gallons water
2 tablespoons sodium nitrate (saltpeter)
1 cup sugar-based curing mixture (such as Morton® Tender Quick®)
2 cups coarse salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 (14 pound) whole pork belly maple, apple, or cherry wood chips for smoking

Pour water, sodium nitrate, curing salt, coarse salt, brown sugar, and maple syrup into a large kettle. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until everything is well dissolved. Pour brine into a 5 gallon plastic bucket and cool to room temperature, 6 to 8 hours.
Leaving the skin on the pork belly, cut against the grain into 4 to 6 slabs so they fit inside the bucket, and inside your smoker. Place into the bucket of brine, and weigh down with a glass or ceramic dish to keep the pork submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 5 to 7 days, rearranging the pork in the brine daily.
On smoking day, remove pork from the brine and rinse well under cold running water, rubbing to remove all external brine. Pat pieces dry and place onto smoker racks. Allow pork pieces to stand, preferably underneath a fan, until the surface of the meat becomes somewhat dried and notably glossy, 1 to 3 hours depending on air circulation.
Smoke pork belly slabs using wood of your choice at a temperature of 90 to 110 degrees F (32 to 43 degrees C) for 8 to 12 hours. Remove rind before slicing.