Dinner and Movie Nights (Non-Disney)
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Jaws Themed Dinner
This week, we enjoyed a shark-themed dinner while watching the cinematic classic – Jaws! My family is all about sharks this time of year. With Discovery Channel’s Shark Week programming and SharkFest on Disney+ we just can’t seem to get enough of these incredible animals. Through these programs, we understand that sharks aren’t the man-eating villains that Hollywood would have us believe. But we still can’t help but love a good shark thriller. And no shark film is as infamous as “the one that started it all” – Jaws! Now I’ll admit, this themed dinner is a change of pace for us. Leading up to this point, we’ve enjoyed dinners…
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Themed Dinner
This week, we watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer while enjoying a special dinner themed to the film! When I think of a Christmas classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer always comes to mind. Reflecting on my earliest Christmas memories, I remember being so excited to pop in my recorded Rudolph VHS tape and watch the movie. Yes, you read that right! My childhood go-to Christmas movie was recorded straight from TV onto VHS, with Christmas commercials and all. And in all fairness, those commercials were some of my favorite parts! Fueled by nostalgia, I decided this was the year I would prepare a Rudolph themed dinner for the kids to enjoy. …
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Wizard of Oz Themed Dinner
This week, we dined over the rainbow while enjoying a Wizard of Oz themed dinner! I adored this film as a child, and still quote it to this day (I DO believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do!). And, to my dismay, most of my family had no idea what I was referencing! I knew that was something I had to remedy. And of course, I had to plan a themed dinner to accompany our movie night. I have always associated The Wizard of Oz with Halloween. The main villain is a witch, after all! And with spooky season upon us, I knew this was the perfect time…
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Jurassic Park Themed Dinner
This week, we enjoyed a dinosaur-themed dinner while watching one of my favorite movies – Jurassic Park! The inspiration to have a Jurassic Park dinner came from a recent trip we took to Montana. During our visit, my kids were thrilled that dinosaurs seemed to be everywhere! Dinosaur museums, sculptures, and dig sites – we even met a family friend who found an actual Triceratops fossil in his own backyard! It’s incredible to think of the undiscovered history hidden right under our feet. Our Montana travels took us to Makoshika State Park, home to many prehistoric fossils including Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex. At the Visitor Center, we had the opportunity…
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How the Grinch Stole Christmas Themed Dinner and Movie
For our final Christmas Themed Dinner, we enjoyed a Who-feast while viewing How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This classic Christmas tale focuses on a mean-spirited grouch who HATES Christmas and his neighboring merrymakers, the Whos. In his attempt to steal Christmas and end it once and for all, the Grinch learns a valuable lesson: Christmas isn’t about material things; it’s a joyous feeling in your heart when you care for others. The menu I created for our Grinch Themed Dinner can be enjoyed during a reading of the beloved Dr. Seuss story, a viewing of the classic animated film, or during your favorite Grinch adaptation! In our household, our favorite…
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Beetlejuice Themed Dinner
It’s time for another Halloween-themed dinner, and this time we’re dining with the ghost with the most – Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice is a Halloween staple in our household, and a movie we find ourselves quoting all year round. There are a lot of great food scenes in this movie, so it was a lot of fun creating this menu for our Beetlejuice Themed Dinner! It’s Showtime! To kick things off for our Beetlejuice Themed Dinner, I served some roasted roaches as an appetizer. Don’t worry – they aren’t REALLY roasted roaches. These delicious morsels are actually cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. I found the idea and recipe over at Castellon’s…
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Ghostbusters Themed Dinner
It’s not Halloween in our household until we’ve watched Ghostbusters, and this year we enjoyed a special themed dinner to celebrate! One of my favorite Halloween memories was the year we all dressed up as Ghostbuster characters for trick-or-treating. Eric even constructed an Ecto-1 wagon for Gemma to ride along in while we jammed to the Ghostbusters theme all night. We had a blast! For this reason, Ghostbusters will always be a Halloween staple in our household. For our Ghostbusters Themed Dinner, I wanted to embrace some quintessential dishes from New York City that appear in the film. I also wanted to create some “slimy” and “marshmallow-y” treats inspired by…
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Casper Brunch and a Movie
Today, I’m sharing our Casper Themed Brunch to celebrate National Pancake Day on September 26th! We typically enjoy fun themed dinners in our house, but to take advantage of this pancake-loving holiday, I switched things up and planned a brunch menu instead! And because now is the time to celebrate all things Halloween in our house, I decided to give our brunch a fun Halloween twist while we enjoyed the movie, Casper! What does Casper and brunch have to do with each other, you ask? In one of my favorite scenes from the film, Casper whips up an INCREDIBLE breakfast for his new housemates on their first morning together. You…
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A Christmas Story Dinner Night
A Christmas Story is my MOST favorite Christmas movie of all time! This film follows the Parker family in 1940s Indiana during the days leading up to their Christmas holiday. I knew this movie would make a great Christmas Story Dinner to wrap up our holiday movie nights. This movie is full of the hustle and bustle of the holidays, relatable situations (for adults and children alike), and great one-liners – You’ll shoot your eye out! A Christmas Story is also a wonderful reminder that (despite your best efforts) no Christmas celebration will ever be perfect. But what is most important during the holidays, is spending time with your loved…
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ELF Dinner Night
Winter is in the air and the holidays are right around the corner. This truly is my favorite time of year: the music, lights, holiday movies, and FOOD! There is so much to look forward to on the days leading up to the holidays. To really get into the spirit, I decided we needed to enjoy a themed dinner to one of my favorite holiday movies, ELF! This week, I am excited to share with you our Christmas themed ELF Dinner Night. Download a printable version of our ELF Dinner Night Menu here: ELF is a cherished holiday classic in our household; we look forward to watching it every year…
