Coraline Themed Dinner

With spooky season in full swing, we continued our themed dinner nights with a menu inspired by the movie, Coraline!

Coraline is one of our favorite movies to watch during our Halloween festivities.  We find ourselves referencing it all year long!  The film is haunting, yet charming, and the perfect basis for a spooky themed dinner.

Food is a major factor in the film, as Coraline’s sinister Other Mother uses it to lure Coraline into her idealized fantasy world.  Because of this, I’ve always wanted to create a Coraline themed dinner, but the task was a little daunting.  Other Mother is a legendary cook, after all!  I knew it was going to be a challenge to create a dinner up to her standards.

Other Mother’s Dinner

We started the evening with a recreation of the dinner Other Mother prepared for Coraline when she first discovered the Other World.

Other Father: We give our thanks and ask to bless our mother’s golden chicken breast.

Coraline: Do you have any gravy?

Other Father: Here comes the gravy train.  Choo, choo!

Other Mother: Another roll?  Sweet peas?  Corn on the cob?

So, for our Coraline dinner, I prepared a roasted chicken, cider and sage gravy, sweet peas, rolls, and corn on the cob.

To make the roasted chicken, I used a recipe from Plays Well With Butter.  I choose this recipe because I liked how it incorporated traditional fall flavors in the preparation.  My daughter said it reminded her of Thanksgiving, which is exactly what I was hoping for!

I absolutely loved how the chicken came out.  The skin was nice and crispy, and the meat was flavorful and juicy. 

For the gravy, I used a recipe from The View from Great Island.  I particularly enjoyed this recipe because it allowed me to make the gravy ahead of time (I had enough cooking to do trying to keep up with Other Mother!).  I also loved the flavors of sage and apple cider that came through in the final product.  It complemented the chicken well and was the perfect accompaniment to our Coraline inspired dinner.

Admittedly, my daughter was slightly disappointed we couldn’t wrangle an actual train for our “gravy train.” But she’s absolutely right, it would have been a nice touch!

Mango Milkshake

Coraline: I’m real thirsty.

Other Mother: Of course.  Any requests?

Coraline: Mango milkshake?

In the film, Coraline is amazed to discover her every whim and desire are made real by Other Mother.  This was most evident when Coraline spontaneously requested a mango milkshake to accompany her dinner.

To make our mango milkshakes, I used a recipe from Dassana’s Veg Recipes.  This was so simple to make, yet super delicious.  My toddler couldn’t get enough of his!

“Welcome Home” Cake

Probably the most iconic food reference in the film is Other Mother’s “Welcome Home” cake.  Although I am in no way a baker, I knew I had to include this dish in our Coraline dinner.

I took a few shortcuts and used boxed cake mix to prepare the layers ahead of time.  To make the frosting, I used a buttercream recipe from Brooklyn Farm Girl.

Getting the piping right was a little tricky for me.  As much as I wanted my lettering to mimic Other Mother’s handwriting on the cake, it all just happened so fast!  In the end, I was simply happy to get all the words on there with no spelling issues.

As far as my kids were concerned – it was cake, it had candles (exciting!), and it was delicious.

Bobinsky’s Cheese Samples

Early in the film, Coraline meets her eccentric neighbor, Mr. Bobinsky, while returning a package mistakenly delivered to her house.  Bobinsky informs her the smelly parcel was a selection of cheese samples meant for his jumping circus mice.

So, as a nod to Bobinsky’s amazing jumping circus mice, I made a cheese plate for the kids to snack on during the movie.

Circus Popcorn & Cotton Candy

While visiting the Other World, Coraline finally gets to see Bobinsky’s circus act in person.  Upon heading into the show, she is showered with circus popcorn and cotton candy. 

So, of course, I also had to incorporate these popular movie snacks into our Coraline dinner.  They were the perfect treats to curl up on the couch with while watching the movie.   

“You Probably Think This World Is a Dream Come True, but You’re Wrong”

I hope you enjoyed our Coraline Themed Dinner.  Let us know in the comments if you have an idea for our next Halloween themed dinner!

Looking for other themed dinners for the spooky season?  Check out our Halloweentown Themed Dinner and our Haunted Mansion Themed Dinner!

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