Girls Movie Night Menu: Gone With the Wind

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Do you love a party with a theme as much as I do?  There’s just something about it that tickles me.  It doesn’t have to be big or elaborate…sometimes it’s just a nod.

Some time ago, my niece joined us on a road trip.  She made a discovery about our family.  She found out that, much to the chagrin of our boys – my husband and I enjoy listening to songs from musicals when we travel.  Few things can keep you alert while driving better than singing (in character, of course), “I Dreamed a Dream,” or “Who’s That Guy?”  Yes, we like everything from Les Miserables to Grease 2.

(Driving through Oklahoma was especially fun for Greg and I…not so much for the boys.)  Oklahoma – OK!

And thus started our discussion about all of the musicals that my niece hadn’t yet seen.  We decided right then and there that a Girls Movie Night must happen.

Since then, a group of young ladies, and some not as young ladies, have gathered at my house to watch movies that some of us consider classics.

It started with musicals specifically, but has branched into other genres.

While we don’t always match the food to our films, it’s pretty fun when we do.

The first movie we themed was Evita.  Since it’s set in Argentina, I thought it would be fun to make some Argentinian recipes, so I hit Pinterest.  (What did people do before Pinterest?!?)  The bright star from that event was the discovery of alfajores.  (Do you hear the angels singing?)  You must try these cookies.  We also had beef and chorizo empanadas and tropical fruit salad.

Singin’ in the Rain is about old Hollywood and “the movies” so of course we had big bowls of popcorn.  And because one of the great songs from the film is called, “Good Morning”, I served coffee cake and juice.

Gone With the Wind was our first venture into non-musicals.  It’s a big movie, so we did it big.  I went full Southern.  I absolutely loved, when I lived in Georgia, how at many ‘homestyle’ restaurants you could order a selection of vegetables as your entrée.  So I went with that as our movie menu.  I was just thinking, this menu would work equally well with Steel Magnolias – another Southern classic.

Here’s the menu, with links to the recipes I used:

– Zucchini Squash Casserole –  Big hit.  Really delicious.

– Green Beans (with bacon, of course)

– Macaroni & Cheese (which IS on the ‘vegetables’ list in every restaurant across the South)  This is now my go to recipe for mac & cheese.  I grew up on my grandmother’s baked macaroni made with Velveeta.  While I love it and it tastes like home to me, I also really enjoy mac made with cheddar.  This recipe brings my two worlds together.  And I love that there is no flour in it.  No matter how much I cooked the roux, mine always tasted a little gritty.  No grit here.  This is a rich, creamy, cheesy delight.

– Cornbread  – my recipe for homemade Jiffy-like cornbread.

– Peach Cobbler – I increased the butter in this recipe to 1 ½ sticks.  Tasty.

– Banana Pudding – I used real whipped cream instead of the Cool Whip called for.  It was scrumptious.

And of course we had Sweet Tea to drink.  Anything else would be sacrilege.  See my recipe below.

The menu was a big hit.  I wish I could say the movie was as well.  Several of our young friends didn’t appreciate the tragic romance of the picture.  Kids these days…

I’m not sure what we’re going to watch next, but I’m already looking forward to it!

I’d like to hear your suggestions for Girls Movie Night selections.  What do you consider “must see”?

And if you’re interested in more theming, check out our Titanic movie night and this Disney Princess Bridal Shower I planned for my niece!

While making Sweet Tea isn’t an involved recipe, it is a technique that many don’t know.  I remember when we first moved back to Minnesota, my husband asked at a restaurant if they had sweet tea.  The waitress replied, “We have iced tea, and sugar packets on the table.”  Um, no.  Shudder.

I learned to make sweet tea from a dear friend in Georgia, Miss Rebekah.  So today I share with you Miss Rebekah’s Sweet Tea.  Enjoy!