The Virtual #MoviesandMunchies Halloween Film Festival

This month I invited the Movies & Munchies group to watch Halloween movies - watcher's choice - and head to the kitchen.

You can read my invitation. Basically, the field was wide open for the group to watch whatever they wanted! Here's...

The #MoviesandMunchies Line-Up

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm served Casper inspired Deviled Eggs.

Wendy wrote: "I used to watch Casper when I was just a little goblin myself. I remember feeling very special because his witch friend and I shared the name Wendy." She watched Casper on a flight to Egypt and offered up these spooky, spidery, deviled eggs. I can't wait to try these...now I just need to figure out where to get that dish!

Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures made Cheesy Ritz Spiders.

Amy started with The Haunted Mansion, but was home alone and turned it off within ten minutes. Then she moved to Young Frankenstein and shared, "I decided to get inspired by the song & dance put on by Frankstein & the monster to the song Puttin’ on the Ritz. Obviously I needed to use Ritz crackers with a Halloween theme!" I love that these are so easy, but so holiday-appropriate. I might just whip these up before Tuesday.

Debra of Eliot's Eats whipped up Boursin Boo.

Debra did make it through The Haunted Mansion. She wrote: "The film creates a cadre of unlikely characters who have to band together to survive. They all are misunderstood and a couple are truly and terribly heartbroken. They find themselves in a haunting trap. Even if they leave the Haunted Mansion, the are compelled to return. 999 ghosts are entrapped in the mansion to eternally do the bidding of the evil Crump. Will they be able to survive and break the spell?

Watch it and see but since it is a Disney film, you know the answer." Now I am really torn: watch it? Or not? My husband says 'no', so I might have to watch it when he's not home...and it's daytime. I will keep you all posted.

I made Flaky Mummy Dogs after watching both the 1999 and 2017 versions of The Mummy. And I created Zombie Gummy Brains after watching the series The Last of Us. But, for this event, I re-watched The Addams Family and shared...

A Plate of Creepy Crawlies

Okay, this probably isn't exactly a Halloween movie, but it full of creepy, crawly inspiration. The Addams Family opens with a scene of Christmas carolers and pans up to the housetop where you see the Addamses ready to upend a cauldron on top of those happy souls. That perfectly encapsulates the Addams' sense of humor that is carried throughout the movie and those continuous chuckles are enough to hold together an otherwise anemic plot.

As I wrote, there are a lot of funny moments. Morticia, played by Anjelica Huston, might just be the reigning witch of the one-liners. And her deadpan delivery makes her a scene-stealer. Every. Time.

In one scene she comes across Wednesday with a carving knife. "Is that for your brother?" she asks. She confiscates the knife, declaring, "I don't think so" before handing her daughter an even bigger cleaver.

In another scene, Morticia comforts her husband. "Don't torture yourself, Gomez. That's my job," she declares as she bats her spidery eyelashes seductively.

The kids are also funny, especially Wednesday who has embraced her mother's sensibilities. As she hooks her brother up to an electric chair, she tells him that they are going to play a game. "What game?" asks Pugsley. It's called, "Is There a God?" Wednesday explains.

She and her brother have an exchange with a neighborhood Girl Scout that made this organic food embracing mamma laugh.

Girl Scout: Is this made from real lemons?

Wednesday: Yes.

Girl Scout: I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons?

Pugsley: Yes.

Girl Scout: Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?

Wednesday: Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

So, there are a lot of humorous moments individually. They do their job competently; they elicit a chuckle then barrel on to next one. It's not a great movie, but it's not horrible either. And it's definitely fitting for this month. I decided to make a plate of creepy crawlies, also known as stuffed, grilled squid. I went with a Vietnamese flavor profile and a dipping sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 pound cleaned squids

• olive oil

• paprika

• sea salt

Filling

• 1/2 pound ground pork

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground salt

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

• 1/2 t minced lemongrass

Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

• 3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

• 2 Tablespoons organic granulated sugar

• ½ cup water

• 2 ½ Tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 garlic clove, finely minced, optional (though garlic is never optional in my mind!)

• 1 or 2 Thai chilis, thinly sliced

Also needed: toothpicks, grill pan

Procedure

Note: the Nuoc Cham can be made a day ahead of time

Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Whisk together the lime juice, sugar, and water. Completely dissolve the sugar. Add the fish sauce, garlic, and chilis. If making this ahead of time, place in a jar and refrigerate. Makes approximately 3/4 cup sauce.

Filling

In mixing bowl, blend all of the ingredients together until well-combined. Set aside.

Squid

Carefully stuff the pork mixture into the cleaned squids. Be gentle and don't overstuff them. "Stitch" the open ends together with a toothpick.

Bring a large, flat bottom pot full of water to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Gently lower the stuffed squid into the water and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes to precook the meat filling. While the squid simmers, heat your grill or grill pan and keep it at a medium temperature. Grease your pan or grill.

Cook the squid on the grill to finish cooking the meat and to get nice grill marks on the squid, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and serve immediately.

You can serve them whole or slice them into 1" pieces to show off the filling.

And that's a wrap for the October edition of #MoviesandMunchies. We don't have a theme chosen yet for November. But I can bet it'll be delicious. Stay tuned!