This post was inspired by watching Queen Bees, the March pick for Movies & Munchies. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm invited us to join her in watching the movie and to create a flick-inspired recipe. Done.
On the Screen
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of food in this movie. Often times we watch movies that, while entertaining, aren't particularly food-centric. Queen Bees was entertaining and had many, many food scenes!
The setting for this comedy is Pine Grove, a swanky retirement home, where Helen (played by Ellen Burstyn) has landed after her house is damaged by a fire that she inadvertently caused. Helen's daughter wants her mom to sell the house; Helen insists that she wants to fix the house and that her move to Pine Grove is temporary. So she is unscathed by the geriatric mean girls who tell Helen she's not welcome at their dining room table and can't join them for their bridge games.
Eventually, she warms to the idea of being in Pine Grove as she launches into a romance with Dan (played by James Caan) and she befriends some of the other residents. Because of its characters' ages and stage in life, the movie touches on aging, widowhood, loss of independence, cancer, strokes, and dementia. I'll be honest - that scene when Margot (played by Ann-Margret) realizes that Arthur (played by Christopher Lloyd) doesn't know her name gripped my heart. I am just starting my journey on learning about dementia.
Queen Bees wasn't a particularly complicated movie, but its lesson was loud and clear. One of life's most important things: connections. It's key to maintain and bolster the connections you have, it's also necessary to make new connections as life changes. I loved the ladies' new mantra...
We are the Queen Bees. We don't take crap from anyone!
On the Plate
I already mentioned that there was a surprising amount of food in the movie. When Dan moves in, the ladies bring him lasagna and chicken soup. When Helen is comforting Sally about her cancer's recurrence, she offers her chocolate truffles and Merlot. At a local diner - to celebrate Janet's birthday - the women are recounting their proposal stories and Sally says her husband proposed over ribs and a red velvet cake.
Then there was the incident in the dining hall when Helen causes another fire and the director declares that flambé is off the menu for good.
But what inspired me into the kitchen was from the surprise birthday party for Janet. Helen is trying to get the other residents to join in.
Woman 1: Will there be cheese balls?
Woman 2: If we're going to a party for that cow, there better be cheese balls.
Helen: There will be cheese balls.
Woman 2: And nuts. I like nuts on my balls.
Creole Cheese Balls AKA Cheese Balls with Nuts
Ingredients
Balls
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Topping
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
1-1/2 cups chopped nuts (I used Marcona almonds)
Also needed: hand-mixer, scoop, skillet
Procedure
Balls
Place cream cheese, spice blend, and hot sauce into a small mixing bowl. Use a hand-blender to combine. Use a scoop to portion out 8 balls.
Topping
Place all of the ingredients - except the nuts - into a skillet. Heat until the butter is melted. Whisk until smooth, then cook until it thickens to soft-ball stage; it will look like a caramel sauce.
Remove from the heat and fold in the nuts.
Serving
Spoon the sauce over the cheese balls and serve with crackers.
I can't wait to see what the rest of the group creates after watching this.