" When you find out who you are, you find out what you need " - Mama Odie Hardworking and ambitious, dreams of one day opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. Her dream takes a slight detour when she meets Prince Naveen, who has been turned into an amphibian by evil Dr. Facilier. Mistaking her for a princess and hoping to break the spell, Naveen plants a kiss on poor Tiana -- thereby turning her into a frog as well. The pair hop along on an adventure through the bayous to seek the help of a powerful voodoo priestess. In celebration of Black History Month I created a menu for Disney's first African-American Princess, "The Princess and the Frog." This movie has so many characters that I absolutely love! The beautiful music is deep rooted in Black American culture and don't get me started on the food! I mean the options for this menu were endless which is why this months menu has both a drink and an appetizer. I had a lot of fun experimenting and hope your family enjoys it as well. THE MENU Swamp Wata', Gator-Bites, Daddy's Gumbo and Voodoo Cookies Swamp Wata' Ray, the firefly is my favorite character from this movie. I wanted to dedicate this drink to his home and all his relations. So whats in this swamp wata? 1 scoop of powdered lemon lime gator-ade , blended with 1 peeled kiwi, 1 cup of water then top it off with some sprite for a refreshing sweet and tart drink. This recipe is for a serving of 1 so double or triple it as needed. For the fireflys I purchased these from Amazon , the great part about this product is that their water proof which means you can put them inside the drinks (except for the battery) for an added effect. My kids loved it, and now want to add it to all their drinks. NOTE: If you're not a kiwi fan you can just serve the gatorade but if you want to add the bugs to the swamp water just add some chia seeds. Gator-Bites Louis, is another favorite character of mine and definitely the funniest so I dedicated this appetizer to him and I figured since Louis and Ray live in the same place why not make it out of the same thing right? Hope you guys like kiwi's NOTE: If you are not a kiwi fan you can always make frogs out of apples instead. I created these for the Vise Versa menu as well. Tutorial can be found at kitchenfunwithmy3sons.com . 1 . Peel the kiwi's 2 . Start with the alligator head and slice (1) kiwi in half as shown above. To keep the head from wobbling slice off a small amount at the bottom of the kiwi to flatten it. 3. For the center of the body use only half of a kiwi (get a size smaller then the head) 4. For the nostrils poke it with your chop stick 5. Use another half of a kiwi for the bottom part of the body (try to get a small piece). Cut the part out for the end of the tail, feel free to add a curve to it. Once the body and tail are complete. Slice off the sides to square out the body of the alligator (shown in the dotted red lines above. 6. For the eyes use a fat straw (like the ones used for boba) and dig it into a half of a kiwi. Pull out the straw and blow into the straw the piece should come right out. 7. Once you have your eyes ... 8. Pick out (2) long chocolate sprinkles for the eye pupils 9. Push the sprinkles into the center of your gator eyes all the way till it digs into the head, this way it will hold them in place. 10. Cut out (2) hands and (2) feet 11. With your scissors make some slashes around the body to give it some gator texture 12. Last but not least, grab (2) rice grains and push them into the upper part of the head so they look like sharp gator teeth. 13. Enjoy your creation! Daddy's Gumbo I know, I know, how is making Gumbo easy for a working mom or dad? and the answer is, it's not. It's an all day cooking kind of meal but the good news is that this a very easy recipe to follow, it was my first time making this and I had no issues. This can be something you make a couple of days before or weeks/months before if you decide to freeze it. The best part, is that Gumbo is always better the day after and even better the day after that. Plus, how could I not have gumbo for this menu, gumbo was how Tiana and her beloved daddy bonded. It was their love for food that kept her working so hard to accomplish her dreams so I hope you understand why I had to put this in the menu, it's definitely a labor of love but I promise that you will love this recipe, it was delicious and an absolute hit with my family. I made sure to get an authentic Creole New Orleans recipe and it's the bees knees!!! NOTE: I live in Southern California so even though this recipe included okra I unfortunately wasn't able to include it, I couldn't find it anywhere! but was still delicious. NOTE: Eat this with a side of rice or cornbread. I of course ate it with both! Voodoo Cookies I know what your thinking...where are the beignets? just so you know I really contemplated on whether or not I should add them to this menu especially since it was one of Tiana specialties but these menus are suppose to be simple and easy and I couldn't have gumbo, which is neither of those things and homemade beignets in the same menu so I hope you understand that instead I went with voodoo cookies, it was after all voodoo that turned Tiana into a frog in the first place. These cookies are so easy that the kids can decorate it themselves and if you don't like cookies (hey some people don't) I also experimented with brownies and they were just as easy to make, its all a matter of preference. My kids loved the cookies but I preferred the brownies. 1. Push the jellybeans into the tip of the toothpick as shown above to make them look like the pushpins 2. For the brownies, make sure they are cooled before using the cookie cutter. Once your ready to decorate turn the brownies over so your not decorating on the flaky side. 3. For the cookies, flatten out the cookie dough on your tray like if your baking 1 very big rectangular cookie. Once they are done baking let them cool for 5 minutes or so but cut out your cookies while they are warm otherwise as it cools down the dough hardens. Q&A with the kids 1. Why is it unhealthy to work too much? Is having too much fun unhealthy too? Why or why not? 2. The shadow man said he could make all your dreams come true but at the cost of ruining someone else's life. Do you take the deal? Why or why not? 3. What dish or bake reminds you the most of your mom, dad, or guardian? Why is it special to you? #foodie_Moovies to share your moovie-night creations!

" You know what's hard about being the smartest person in the world? Everyone else is stupid. " - Dr. Robotnik aka Eggman The world needed a hero -- it got a hedgehog. Powered with incredible speed, Sonic embraces his new home on Earth -- until he accidentally knocks out the power grid, sparking the attention of uncool evil genius Dr. Robotnik. Now, it's supervillain vs. supersonic in an all-out race across the globe to stop Robotnik from using Sonic's unique power to achieve world domination. (NOTE: The following content might have spoilers) There's currently two Sonic movies, both are funny and action packed so I kept the menu generic enough to work for either or. Lots of references to food in both movies so I had a lot to work with which doesn't make creating the menu any easier. I hope you and the family enjoy movie night. I know I did! Fun Fact: I read that the majority of the creative team from the Sonic video games were hired for the movie as well which is why there many references to the game in the movie. Another reason why it was a hit amongst Sonic video game players. THE MENU Sonic Tonic, Chilidog with Gold Rings and Choco-Latte Stache Sonic Tonic Blue Powerade with glow sticks! Can't get any easier then that right? I went with blue Powerade because not only is Sonic blue but he also glows in blue, hence the glow sticks. OPTION: If you don't want to ingest that blue dye #1 from the Powerade I get it! A healthier option would be to go with a home made lemonade. Use yellow glow sticks instead of blue ones and call it "Super Tonic". In movie #2 Sonic evolves to Supersonic where he glows in yellow. NOTE: If you decide to use the glow sticks inside the drink make sure to wash them with soapy water first. Just in case your worried about the glow stick breaking and leaking into your drink (which I was) the Children's Hospital's website mentions that the toxicity in glow sticks is minimal and at most will cause an upset stomach but please take precautions. Chilidog with Gold Rings Chilidogs are Sonic's favorite food. In the movie he first ate them during a bar fight and fell in love. You'll see chilidog reference throughout both 1 and 2 movies. I will be using a chili that's a family favorite ( Trader Joe's canned turkey chil i) But if you want to make the official "Chilidog A La Sonic" check out this chili recipe that was featured in the first official issue of Archie’s Sonic comic book series . Make your life easier and make this a couple days before, then all you have to do is warm it up and serve! For our side of Gold Rings we will be using Funyuns. The gold rings in the movie were used as portals, all you had to do was think of a specific place as you throw the ring and a portal is created for you to jump through. These gold rings are also used in the game but are used to help him stay alive. Options: Instead of Funyuns you can use grapes for a healthier option. Grapes is Knuckles favorite food and his character is introduced in Sonic 2. Choco-Latte Stache I don't know what it is but villains are my favorite, maybe because I think they're just misunderstood. It should be no surprise that Dr. Robotnik (aka Eggman) was my favorite character. I wanted to do something that referenced his very well known mustache, it's a huge part of his character. So I started thinking....hmmm he loves latte's, he's nuts, salty even a little bitter...oh yes this definitely calls for chocolate! and not just any chocolate, dark chocolate mixed with nut, pretzels and lightly covered in espresso powder. And we won't be using any molds either as his mustache evolves from being perfectly groomed to a huge hot mess from Movie's 1 to 2 so were going to freestyle it. The messier the better! We're pretty much making chocolate bark but we'll be adding the ingredients into the chocolate instead of sprinkling them on top. We will then shape it into a mustache. Here's what you'll need: (1) 12oz bag of Dark Chocolate chips to melt (whatever brand and whatever % of dark chocolate you prefer) 1 tbs of coconut oil 1/4 cup of coconut flakes 1/4 cup of pretzel sticks (you'll need to break them into small pieces) 1/2 tablespoon of Instant espresso powder (optional) 1/4 cup of your favorite mix of nuts. I'm using pecans halves and slivered almonds (you'll need to break them into small pieces) 1. Melt the chocolate. Click here to see video on how to melt chocolate. Add the coconut oil anytime during this process 2. Add coconut flakes, and small broken pieces of nuts & pretzels to melted chocolate. 3. Mix all ingredients together in chocolate 4. With a small spoon plop a chunk of melted chocolate on wax paper, push down lightly as you spread the chocolate outward. Its going to look more like a bow tie 5. Let it cool in fridge for about 30min then carefully remove it from the wax paper 6. Take a selfie with your mustache and post it (#foodie_moovies). 7. Enjoy this evilicious treat. Q&A with the kids 1. If you had 3 golden rings where would you go and who would you go with? 2. Sonic gave humans their names inspired by food, like Donut Lord, Eggman and Pretzel Lady. What name would you give your parents? 3. If you had a beard or mustache how would you style it? What kinds of crazy shapes would you have? How long or wide would it be? And what color? Share your moovie-night creations at #foodie_Moovies

Meek flower shop assistant Seymour (Rick Moranis) pines for co-worker Audrey (Ellen Greene). During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II, which feeds only on human flesh and blood. The growing plant attracts a great deal of business for the previously struggling store. After Seymour feeds Audrey's boyfriend, Orin (Steve Martin), after Orin's accidental death, he must come up with more bodies for the increasingly bloodthirsty plant. I need to start off by mentioning that I absolutely hate musicals, and that's mostly because if I don't like the song, I'm then forced to sit there and listen to it. Then there's a song like every 5-10 minutes, and for me, that gets annoying. BUT... Little Shop of Horrors is not only my favorite musical (Chicago is my 2nd), but it's in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. I can sing along to every song and have probably memorized like 3/4 of the movie, so creating this menu for the month of October makes it extra special. I hope you all enjoy this bloody mess! NOTE: When creating this menu, I thought of this as more of a movie to watch for a date night with your significant other/bae or a girls' night, so the menu is a little more grown-up. Fun Fact: There are two different endings to this movie. In the original Director's cut, they all die in the end, which was not a popular ending with audiences (like at all!), so the team had to re-shoot it. I personally like the re-shot version, but the original ending is very entertaining, and you can tell it was a lot of work, so I'm sure it hurt to have had to cut that out. The following content might have spoilers THE MENU Sangria, Mean Green Salad, Dentist (medium rare) and the Audrey II Sangria Nothing fancy here folks just a glass of your favorite Sangria or if you want something non-alcoholic may I suggest this delicious Sangria soda called " Sangria Senorial " whether it's got alcohol in it or not add berries to your drink and spiff it up with just about anything really! The picture shown is from food blogger Shawn Williams, he has a fall inspired Sangria with step-by-step directions at kitchenswagger.com, if you want to make your own. NOTE: The name Sangria" comes from the Spanish word sangre (which itself comes from the Latin sanguis), or blood. Mean Green Salad Little gem lettuce serves as the delightful inspiration behind this entire dish, captivating my imagination with its unique appearance reminiscent of the iconic plant Audrey II. The vibrant, crisp leaves of the little gem lettuce offer a satisfying crunch that elevates any meal. To complement this intriguing vegetable, I knew I needed a dressing that would evoke a dramatic flair, something that resembled blood in both color and texture. My mind immediately raced to a luscious raspberry vinaigrette, a recipe I discovered on Foodnetwork.com . This vinaigrette is not only tangy and sweet but also boasts a rich, deep red hue that perfectly aligns with the theme I envisioned. In my quest to enhance the flavor profile of the dish further, I decided to add a personal touch by incorporating a bit of my favorite balsamic vinaigrette into the mix. This addition not only intensified the overall flavor, providing a delightful complexity, but it also contributed a darker, more intense blood-red color to the dressing, creating a striking visual contrast against the bright green of the lettuce. Once your gem lettuce is thoroughly washed and dried, it’s time to transform these beautiful leaves into a delightful creation. Stuff each crisp leaf with generous chunks of rich blue cheese, which adds a creamy texture and a bold flavor that perfectly complements the sweetness of the raspberry vinaigrette. To add an extra layer of crunch and nutty flavor, sprinkle in some roasted pumpkin seeds. It’s a bloody masterpiece, and I’m utterly obsessed with it. Seconds, anyone? Feed me, Seymour! Dentist (medium rare) An ode to my favorite character, Orin Scrivello D.D.S (Doctor, sorry...Doctor) He was a psychopath so yes, the guy looked like plant food to me. I figured the best way to serve him up was medium rare with a French Bordelaise Sauce. Paired with the vibrant Mean Green Salad and a refreshing glass of Sangria, it makes for a truly unforgettable meal . Recipe can be found at thespruceeats.com The Audrey II This probably took me the longest to figure out, lost of experimenting and many fails but I gotta say it's one of my most impressive food sculptures so I really hope you love this as much as I do. My inspiration started here so technically you can make your life easier and do what Smuckers did, except maybe use a green lollipop instead. I really wanted to capture the adorable baby Audrey II and like I mentioned earlier I had a lot of fails and in even messier kitchen. I will be recreating the Audrey II in Spetember of this year. The plan is to create a video to better explain the steps. If you'd like to be notified when the video comes out sign up below or follow me on Instagram. Purchase: 1. Chocolate covered ice cream cones (top part only) 2. Vanilla and strawberry ice cream swirl or just Vanilla 3. Oreos (like 6) 4. 1 box of Vanilla cake and 1 tube of vanilla frosting 5. Green and red food coloring 6. Mint leaves Now put it together: I created a cake pop but didn't dip it in Chocolate 1. Mix cake and frosting and add green food coloring until desired color (leave some frosting, about 1 Tbls for the red lips) 2. Create an egg looking shaped for the cake pop (use toothpick to create the open mouth and indentations) 3. Add red coloring to about 1 Tbls of frosting and with the toothpick add it to the rim of the mouth on the cake pop 4. Fill cone with ice cream just to the rim then top it off with crushed Oreo's and the mint 5. Stick cake pop into the top of the ice cream cone (use a cake pop stick but cut it in half) Q&A with the kids 1. What would you name your weird and unusual plant that you found? 2. Do you think Mr. Mushnik was a good guy ? Why or why not? 3. Would you have kept feeding the Audrey II to continue being rich and famous? Share your moovie-night creations at #foodie_Moovies

Back to the Future III is my favorite trilogy of all time. I think it's because I've always loved western movies, my dad loved them too and I remember watching them with him all the time. Hope you guys have as much fun creating these with the family and/or friends. If you missed it check out my menu for Part I  and Part II . Don't want family time to be over once that the movie has ended? Don't want family time to be over once that the movie has ended? There's Q&A section at the bottom of this page; it can ignite a conversation with the kids once the movie ends. Movies affect us differently due to our individual biases and perspectives. The Q&A helped me understand my kids better, and vice versa. It provided an opportunity to share my viewpoint and hear theirs. Often, it turned into a valuable teaching moment. Make the most of this extra time with them while you have their attention. NOTE: The content below may contain spoilers Back to the Future III: INSPIRED MOVIE MENU Wake-up Juice, McFly Farm Supper and "I Hate Manure" Bits Movie Inspired Drink: Wake-up Juice When Doc faints from taking a shot of wiskey, Marty along with the bartender tries to wake him up with coffee but are unsuccessful. The bartender then yells to his bar back "Joey!, let's make some wake up juice". Keep in mind that the original drink included green pepper juice, tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, chili peppers, onions, and mustard seed. This drink had to be spicy but at the same time I wanted it to be something people could actually drink and thought of a Mexican drink called "agua de tambarindo"aka tamarind water. It's super easy to make at home, just follow this recipe from, Mexico in my Kitchen . I followed the recipe with no issues and really appreciated that I was able to control the amount of sugar. The agua frescas at the Mexican stores and taco shops are always way too sweet for me. Before you serve yourself a cup of this agua fresca don't forget to rim your sweet and tangy drink with a chamoy paste and Tajin seasoning to add that hit of spiciness that this drink was inspired by. You can find these products at almost any grocery stores or Mexican grocery stores for sure. ¡Salud! Movie Inspired Meal: McFly Farm Supper How cool to be able to sit and have dinner with your great, great grandfather and grandmother. Marty's dinner with the McFlys consisted of rabbit, corn on the cob and buscuits. Although rabbit was hunted and eaten during that time I don't think people would be too fond of eating it now so I went for the next best thing, cornish hens. I bbq my hens using only salt, pepper and fresh rosemary and they turned out great. Pick a recipe that is to your liking and enjoy! I bought fresh corn on the cobb and simply boiled it and although I'm still looking for a great homemade buscuit recipe. I decided to make store bought pilsbury buscuits and as you can see they are not very photogenic but to be fair it was easy and mess free so I'll take it. NOTE: I added 3 whole black peppercorns to the plate as homage to the 3 pellets Marty spit on to his plate when eating his rabbit. Movie Inspired Dessert: "I Hate Manure" Bits I felt like I had to include manure somehow in the menu because it came up on ever movie in the trilogy. I felt like the clock also was symbolic but it was also too easy and I love to challenge myself so I stuck with manure. I almost gave up until I came accrose this Indian sweet treat called coconut ladoo. It's not only simple and easy to make but it's sooo good. I followed the recipe from Spicy Cravings . I really loved that this recipe shows you how to make it in the microwave as well as the stovetop using different ingrediants. Only difference was that I used green food coloring instead of the pink that she used. I also shaped them to look more like manure pellets and I added pistachio crumbs. NOTE: I regret not grinding the pistachios more finely. Also, do not mix the pistachios into the paste, or else it will not maintain its shape. Instead, combine the pistachios with the coconut flakes used to coat the ladoo after shaping them. Once placed in the fridge, they will harden and retain their shape. If you enjoy coconut, you will enjoy these. Q&A: Back to the Future 2 1. Do you think Marty would have destroyed the time machine if the train hadn't destroyed it first? 2. What would be the one piece of advice that you'd give your great, great grandfather if you had a chance to eat dinner with him? 3. If you could bring something back from the past, what would it be? Share your moovie-night creations at #foodie_Moovies

In celebration of Earth day I wanted to showcase a movie that celebrates our beautiful planet and I wanted the menu to reflect that celebration as well. Enjoy! Don't want family time to be over once that the movie has ended? There's a Q&A section  at the bottom of this page; it can ignite a conversation with the kids once the movie ends. Movies affect us differently due to our individual biases and perspectives. The Q&A helped me understand my kids better, and vice versa. It provided an opportunity to share my viewpoint and hear theirs. Often, it turned into a valuable teaching moment. Make the most of this extra time with them while you have their attention.ching moment. Please take advantage of this extra time with them while you have their attention. A Beautiful Planet: INSPIRED MOVIE MENU Home-made Lemonade, Fruit-n-Flower Platter, Rice Globes and Sweet Seedlings Lemonade Image provided by yellowblissroad.com and Sweet seedlings image provided by Pureella.com Movie Inspired Appetizer: Fruit-n-Flower Charcuterie   Board As a starter I created a fruit Charcuterie board  made of oranges, apples, strawberries, blackberries and edible flowers, which you can purchase at #sprouts. Cut fruit as big or small as you want, grab a flat dish and decorate! Movie inspired Drink: Home-made Lemonade Nothing like the flavor of sweet and sour. My family loves lemonade and when I make it fresh I can control the sweetness of it. Its pretty simple and you only needs lemons, sugar and water but if you'd still like a great recipe click here . Feel free to add some Chia seeds to add a gummy texture and some protein. TIP: Have blueberry or strawberries left over from the platter? throw them in the lemonade to add some flavor and color. Movie Inspired Main Dish: Rice Globes When making these use Jasmine or Sushi rice otherwise it wont be sticky enough to hold the shape. The kids absolutely loved the globes and even though I don't show it here they had a side of broccoli with it which my son called, an edible forest. YOU WILL NEED: Jasmine/sushi rice blue food coloring Seaweed. After rice is cooked add a few drops of the blue food coloring and mix together. Yes it'll be hot, its ok just be careful. Grab a small round bowl (I used a 4inch diameter one), use any oil to grease up the inside of the bowl so that the rice doesn't stick. Fill bowl with the rice. Pack it in there but be careful not to burn yourself. Turn the small bowl over on the plate and rice will fall right out. Once rice globes have been plated, cut out or even hand rip the pieces of seaweed to resemble the continents and add them to the rice. Note : It's important that during this step the rice is still very warm so that the seaweed sticks to the rice as shown in the image above. Movie Inspired dessert: Sweet Seedlings There were many many creative sweet treats that were already out there for Earth day and it was hard to pick one but when I came across the Sweet Seedlings from #pureella I fell in love with it. I know you can't see it from the picture but it has all kinds of deliciousness in it, like, coconut, almonds and pretzels! Mmm mmm mmm. Click here for her recipe. NOTE : In her recipe she uses hemp seeds which I couldn't find so I ended up using sunflower seeds which tasted just fine. This was a hit with my kids and I have made it several times after for them. Q&A: A Beautiful Planet 1. What are you doing now to keep the Earth safe and clean? What else can you do? 2. Do you think you'd be able to live in space for 3 months? Why or why not? 3. If you could live on any other planet which one would it be? Share your moovie-night creations at #foodie_Moovies

We were deep in the throes of the COVID lockdown, a time when our daily routines had been upended and the world outside felt both distant and uncertain. In the midst of this, my husband suggested a film for movie night, Osmosis Jones. I had to admit that I'd never even heard of it, but my curiosity was piqued after watching the trailer. The vibrant animation and the quirky premise of a white blood cell battling germs within the human body captivated me, and I found myself super excited to start brainstorming. Creating this menu turned out to be an absolute blast, and I think part of the joy stemmed from the fact that the theme was somewhat gross, which made it all the more entertaining for our family. This menu is highly recommended, especially on those sick days when comfort food is not just desired but essential. There’s truly nothing better than curling up with your loved ones, indulging in some fun and slightly silly food, while watching a clever and entertaining movie. Don't want family time to be over once that the movie has ended? There's a Q&A section at the bottom of this page; it can ignite a conversation with the kids once the movie ends. Movies affect us differently due to our individual biases and perspectives. The Q&A helped me understand my kids better, and vice versa. It provided an opportunity to share my viewpoint and hear theirs. Often, it turned into a valuable teaching moment. Make the most of this extra time with them while you have their attention. NOTE: The content below may contain spoilers Osmosis Jones: INSPIRED MOVIE MENU Infected Egg, Snotty Slurp, Contaminated Petri Dish and Sugar Tablets Movie Inspired Appetizer: Infected Egg This all started because a zoo keeper (Frank) ate a contaminated boiled egg. Yeah it was gross, he also added lots of mayo and salt to the egg so I added it here as well (in moderations of course). The pepper on the top and the seaweed at the bottom was added so that it looked like it had fallen on the floor and got dirty just as it did in the movie. NOTE: After the egg was boiled I cracked the shell slightly and let it sit in water with green food coloring for about 20 minutes in order to give it a more infected look. The longer you leave it in there the darker the color. Movie Inspired Main Dish: Contaminated Petri Dish Frank comes home with a bucket of KFC and as he's eating a chicken leg when the infection inside him starts to spread. My family is not a KFC fan so we got Popeye's instead. I used boxed mashed potatoes because they are not only creamy and delicious but they keep a nice smooth shape which made it a perfect canvas for my bacteria. I used carrots, peas, celery, and baby cauliflower for the bacteria and mold. My kids thought it was so gross but they ate every last crumb on that plate! Movie Inspired Drink: Snotty Slurp You know what helps us fight off a lot of these infections? Mucus and Sylvia, these bodily fluids do wonders for us in so many ways. I created this drink to showcase both so it's part lime Jell-o and part Sprite. I added some pearl sprinkles and a gummy worm (bacteria) to the Jello and had it firm up over night. I then added the Sprite and noticed that slowly as my kids were drinking it the jello and sprite slowly mixed making it look like snot. They loved it and drank it all up! Movie Inspired Dessert: Drix Sugar Tablets Drix (a 12-hour flu tablet) was one of my favorite characters in this movie. He was a half red and half yellow tablet and since Twinkies already have that oval shape I then dipped them in red candy melts. It was easy peazy. TIP: Depending on how many of these your going to make, you only need one bag of the melts. I made 8 and only used like a quarter of the bag. Use a deep cup so that all you have to do is dip it half way. Also, if you want these to look like Drix there's a little more effort involved but they come out really cute. Just added some candy eyes and with the red melts created some eyelids and a straight line for his mouth. I used cookie icing cuz it's what I had in my cupboard but black icing would work better and give you a cleaner line. Q&A: Osmosis Jones 1. Is Frank a responsible parent? Why or Why not 2. What are 3 things you can do to make sure you don't get an infection or virus? 3. Ask your parents to share with you some immunizations that you've gotten. You might already have immunity to a lot of viruses that killed hundreds of thousands of people centuries ago! I don't think we talk to our kids enough about germs, viruses, and infections. COVID-19 has forced us to have these conversations, I know it has forced our family to talk more about it. I shared with my kids their immunization records and they thought it was the coolest thing ever to know they had immunity to some of these very deadly viruses that were responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of people centuries ago. Together we also went over this really cool infographic where even I learned something! Check it out at visualcapitalist.com . Share your moovie-night creations at #foodie_Moovies

I couldn't be more excited to share Part II with all of you! This installment features a menu that is designed to be very simple, making it a great choice for parents with little time to spare. While most of the dishes are straightforward and easy to prepare, I must admit that the cookies presented a bit of a challenge. They required a bit more time and effort than I initially anticipated, but the end result was absolutely worth it as they turned out looking and tasting amazing! If you happened to miss it, be sure to check out my menu for Part I , where I introduced some of the foundational recipes that set the stage for this culinary adventure. And when you're ready to dive into the next chapter, I am thrilled to present Part III , which happens to be my favorite movie of the entire trilogy. Don't want family time to be over once that the movie has ended? There's Q&A section at the bottom of this page; it can ignite a conversation with the kids once the movie ends. Movies affect us differently due to our individual biases and perspectives. The Q&A helped me understand my kids better, and vice versa. It provided an opportunity to share my viewpoint and hear theirs. Often, it turned into a valuable teaching moment. Make the most of this extra time with them while you have their attention. NOTE: The content below may contain spoilers Back to the Future 2 : INSPIRED MOVIE MENU Fruit Please!, Rehydrated Pizza with Pepsi Perfect and Hover Board Cookie's Movie Inspired Appetizer: Fruit Please! For our appetizer we'll be having green and purple grapes in a bowl (preferably a green bowl). When Marty and Doc go to Marty's home in the future the whole family sits down to have dinner including the grandparents, while they're at the table Marty Jr stands up and says, "fruit ... fruit please!" Then the Garden Center comes down from the cieling and he grabs a handfull of green grapes. Earlier his daughter grabs a banana from there too but I only used grapes. I actually shopped around for grape leaves but couldn't find any so I just used lettuce, which worked just fine. Movie inspired Main Dish: Rehydrated Pizza Grandma Loraine brings over a dehydrated pizza from pizza hut for dinner and cooks it in the dehydrator which turns the 2 inch pizza into a full medium sized one. The toppings were 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 green bell peppers. I simply ordered from my favorite neighborhood pizza place. NOTE: When I picked up my pizza my bell peppers were diced in small pieces so I had to remove them and add my own sliced bell peppers (shown below). Make sure you let them know how you want your bell pepper sliced or just do it yourself at home like I did. It came out so much better. Movie Inspired Drink: Pepsi Perfect When Marty goes into the 80's cafe he orderes a Pepsi and out pops a Pepsi Perfect (thats what it's called in the future) His son also comes in the cafe and orderes a Pepsi Perfect. I'm not a Pepsi drinker or even a soda drinker so I got some small root beers instead but any dark soda will work. I printed out the lables and made some toppers so that it looked more like the one in the movie. You can download my templates here if you want to make some too. Movie Inspired Dessert: Hover Board Cookies The Hover Board is such an important part of this movie as well as part III so adding it to the menu was a no brainer. In my research I found a lot of not so great ones. There was one by a blog called " fiction food " that inspired the cookie you see here. She did an amazing job. The only step I skipped was that I didn't make the icing and I used a black edible ink pen instead of the red. You'll need (1) pack of sugar cookie mix, red food coloring, and some fruit chews . You'll be able to make about 12 of these cookies. Add some of the red food coloring to the dough to get it a pinkish color ( I used the leftover cake icing from the Back to the Future movie menu .) I printed out a 1.25x4.5 template to help me cut the cookies out. 4. Place cut dough on cookie sheet and baked per instruction from the mix. 5. When the cookies were done the edges puffed out and weren't as straight so I cut them while they were warm and soft. 6. Remember to leave the top side with rounded edges. 7. Once you've cut all your cookies, let them cool for about 15-20min 8. Gather your fruit chews. You'll only need the green, yellow, and pink ones. 1 chew candy of each color for each cookie. 9. Because they are so sticky use wax paper to flatten the chews. I use my stainless steel straw as a rolling pin 10. Start with the green first, then the pink, then finish with the yellow 11. These chew candies are very forgiving so don't worry if you mess up. Take your time, you might not get it the first time. 12. Finish off with the "HOVER BOARD" Letters on the yellow stripes NOTE: I almost forgot about the mattel logo, luckily my kids had some red gummy candy I was able to use for a small circle that I placed on the upper left corner. Unless you already have some red candy laying around add it but don't worry about buying some. Back to the Future 2 Q&A 1. It was 2015 when Marty and Doc went to the future, what types of technology did they get right? 2. Do you think it was right for Doc to let Marty fix his son's future? why or why not 3. What would you bring back from the future? Share your moovie-night creations at #foodie_Moovies

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup." - Buddy Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs, a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results. THE MENU Elf Beer, Maple Bombs, Naughty Spaghetti, and Cotton-Headed Ninny-Muggins Maple Bombs: One of Buddy's favorite thing in the world was Maple Syrup. There are several scenes when he whips out a tiny bottle of it from his sleeve and pours it on almost everything he eats! It was a challenge to find a recipe that wasn't a desert that included maple syrup but I did find one and I can't believe I didn't think of it myself, I love brussel sprouts! Check out Snapguide.com for the recipe, it's so easy! Elf Beer: During a dinner scene Buddy guzzles down a whole 2-liter of Coca-Cola! Add a candy can, some maraschino cherries, and a red vine to use as a straw for a super sweet concoction of what I'm calling Elf Beer. Top it off with some whip cream to really sugar it up! Naughty Spaghetti : Buddy finds out that his biological father is on Santa's naughty list and the first time he sits down to have dinner with his new family they have Spaghetti. There is also another spaghetti scene where he mixes almost every sweet thing he can find in the kitchen and actually eats it! it's hilarious! This is super simple just cook some spaghetti, top it off with some sauce but instead of parmasean sprinkle it with powdered sugar, it's not too bad and thats what makes this a naughty spaghetti. Cotton-Headed Ninny-Muggins: Buddy and his brother have a snow ball fight with some kids in the park which is why I thought having some actual Snowballs on the menu only made sense. I added an elf hat made out of rice krispies, green food coloring and colored taffy. Q&A with the kids 1. How would you spread Christmas cheer? 2. Would you rather be an elf in a human world or a human in an elf world? 3. What kind of job would you have if you were in elf?

"I specifically bought enough food to last me till January. How much emotional eating have I been doing?" - The Grinch The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmas time when his neighbors in Whoville celebrate the holidays with a bang. When the Whos decide to make Christmas bigger and brighter, the disgruntled Grinch with help from Max, hatches a scheme to silence the Whos' holiday cheer once and for all. THE MENU Grinch Fruit Kabobs, GrumPea Soup with Sourdough and WhoVille Cupcakes Kabob image provided by ameessavorydish.com Grinch Fruit Kabobs Lets start off this menu with something a little sweet maybe a little sour? These super easy and delicious fruit kabobs are a great starter for this movie. Your kids and anybody else who's around will eat these all up for sure. Best part is the kids can do this one themselves, maybe a little help with the cutting of the marshmallows and strawberry stems but for the most part they can do it with little to no supervision and most importantly no mess! I have seen this recipe using bananas for the bottom of the Santa hat but I felt the proportions were off and they didn't look as nice so I went with the all marshmallow version. What you see is what you get with these so no recipe is really needed but if you do need step-by-step instructions check out ameessavorydish.com . TIP: I used the mini marshmallows for the top of the hat and jumbo marshmallows for the bottom of the hat, those proportions worked best. NOTE: I didn't have these long kabob sticks so I used toothpicks instead, just let whoever is eating them know that there is a toothpick in there so they don't bite into them and stab their mouth. Kabob image provided by ameessavorydish.com GrumPea Soup with Sourdough There were so so many fun food ideas for the Grinch but unfortunately they were all sweet dishes. Trying to find a main course that's relevant to this movie was not easy but I did come across a pea soup but who wants boring, ugly looking pea soup? I'll be honest I never had this soup and never wanted to make it but pea soup reminded me of the Grinch character so I decided to experiment. I tried out a couple of recipes and man was I in for a surprise. These soups were pretty damn good! There was one in particular that was hands down my favorite, it had Thai flavors so it tasted like a curry and it's vegetarian! I served this soup with a side of sourdough bread, which I used to pretty much clean off my bowl. I also used a small red bell pepper to cut out a tiny heart just like the Grinch's and added it as a small decoration to my soup. Check out food52.com for the recipe. TIP: The best part of this soup is that you can add just about anything to it. With my leftovers I added carrots, potatoes and chicken breast to it and topped it off with cilantro, it was just as delicious! TIP: This is the kind of meal you can make a couple of days before, it reheats beautifully. WhoVille Cupcakes Whoville really knows how to celebrate Christmas so I wanted a desert to reflect their beautiful and colorful town during the holiday season. I went with cupcakes because they are not only easy to make but they are customizable. Here is what you'll need if you want to recreate what I've done. Mini M&M's and any additional sprinkles you'd like to add Graham crackers Icing sugar (to hold graham crackers in place, you wont need a lot) coconut for the snow (optional) Your favorite cake mix from the box (I used chocolate) Sugar cones (for the Christmas tree) Vanilla cake frosting (to frost cupcakes and cover sugar cone tree) Green food coloring (after cupcakes are frosted add to frosting to cover the cone) NOTE: I really felt that using a sugar cone and not filling it with something was a waste of sugar cone so I made some Mascarpone and filled the cones with it but this only made decorating the tree more difficult, it also added weight on top of the cupcake so it made moving them a little tricky, definitely had to eat them asap. However, it was absolutely delicious and my kids loved it! If you don't mind the extra work then I highly recommend it! Q&A with the kids 1. One act of kindness can change a persons life. What act of kindness would you do and for who? 2. For the residents of Whoville, Christmas was more then gifts under the tree. What does Christmas mean to you? 3. When someone is unkind it's usually something deeper causing them to act that way. Why do you think it's important to be kind to people like this? #foodie_Moovies to share your moovie-night creations!

"oh my god you guys! there is literally a penis attached to my body right now!" - Professor Oberon Four high school kids discover an old video game console and are drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the adult avatars they chose. What they discover is that you don't just play Jumanji - you must survive it. To beat the game and return to the real world, they'll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, discover what Alan Parrish left 20 years ago, and change the way they think about themselves - or they'll be stuck in the game forever. THE MENU Jaguar Jerk Skewers, Monkey Rice, Seaplane Margaritas (kid-friendly) and Explosively Good Cake. Jaguar Jerk Skewers: Not a lot of food in this movie, but it is about a video game in the jungle so I thought we definitely needed something #grilled. The spotted grill marks on the skewers reminded me of a jaguar, which is also a significant animal in the movie. For an easy recipe that doesn't sacrifice flavor check out the diy foodie. ALT: If time is an issue my favorite go to frozen skewers are the #TraderJoes grilled jerk chicken thigh skewers with mango chutney, they are so good. But beware they have a little bite to them (a little spicy). Monkey Rice: Ok so there isn't any mention of monkeys in this movie but it is however a Jungle and monkeys do live in the jungle, plus its a great combination and so easy to make. Just cook your favorite brand of jasmine rice and let it cool slightly then add sliced bananas to it. I've been eating this since I was a kid, it's delicious and a great side with the skewers. Seaplane Margaritas (kid-friendly): Jefferson "Seaplane" McDonough is one of the five selectable playable characters in this movie and one of his strengths is...you guessed it. Margaritas! We are keeping this kid-friendly as always so what we're using instead is lime #Powerade that we turn into slush (google for slush instructions). I rimmed a glass cup with sugar, added a slice of lime for garnish and DONE! kids loved it. Explosively Good Cake: One of the characters "Mouse" played by Kevin Hart has several weaknesses, one of them is cake. You'll see what happens when he accidentally eats it. I'm looking forward to making this from scratch following a recipe from one of my favorite bakers #RosanaPansino from #NerdyNummies. She has a video that is very easy to follow for her Jumanji cake on youtube. She is so creative! ALT: If you dont have time to bake feel free to buy Entenmann's Minis Pound Cake, these are also very delicious and already individually wrapped. NOTE: To make this cake a little more explosively delicious, I sprinkled some #poprocks on top of it. Kids loved it! Q&A with the kids 1. What video game would you want to go into? What character would you be? 2. What would be your strengths and weaknesses in the game? 3. What (4) people would you play Jumanji with? Who would play what character?