05 February 2014

The Virtual Supper Club - A Romantic Movie Themed Dinner

One of my all-time favorite movie scenes goes way back to my childhood. Remember when Lady has her spaghetti dinner with Tramp after their day of dashing around town in Disney's animated classic called Lady and The Tramp ? That spaghetti kiss introduced me to romance when I was all of five years old. Ahhh!






I smile everytime I see this picture of Lady and Tramp and spaghetti dinners always make me think of the movie. It was so schmaltzy and sweet. What kid didn't adore those pooches after seeing that movie? And just think, all you had to do was eat a plate of spaghetti together and you ended up with a raft of adorable puppies (kids) ?! Heck! That seemed really easy!  Even though I'm older and much wiser, it still seems pretty easy ! LOL!

Which brings me to the theme of this month's Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. February is my wedding anniversary month so I asked my fellow cooking club cohorts to help SB and I celebrate our 34th anniversary by thinking about a favorite romantic movie and then choosing a dish that would compliment a romantic anniversary dinner.




I'm a fan of the spaghetti, but there were no meatballs for me this evening ... I chose to make Chicken Puttanesca as the main dish ... it was fast and very simple. The sauce is a rich combination of flavours and the bed of angel hair pasta helped soak up the sauce.  I used boneless chicken thighs and my own homemade tomato marinara sauce. The only changes I made to the recipe were to use green olives instead of the black Kalamatas suggested in the recipe and I dredged the chicken thighs in herbed flour (flour with salt and pepper, oregano, and basil) before searing them in the olive oil. This was a delicious meal- the olives and capers added a tart quality to the sauce and the red pepper flakes made for a surprisingly spicy hotness.




Dinner was a relaxed affair. SB and I chatted about all the memories we've made over the years. We've had a long run of good luck, happy family times, exciting moves and career adventures, and now, mellow retirement. Life is good and we wish most of our experiences on our kids as they begin looking around for their life partners. Happy Anniversary, SB! I'm still crazy for you after all these years! Now, let's go to Disneyworld! What do you say ?!?

I'm excited to see what my fellow club members have come up with for menu selections and movie favorites!

Check this out!

February's Romantic Movie Themed Dinner
Menu

Appetizer - Sarah's Burrata and Apricot Appetizer inspired by Enchanted April
Soup - Jerry's French Onion Soup inspired by There's a Girl In My Soup
Main Dish - Susan's Chicken Puttanesca inspired by Lady and The Tramp
Side Dish - Sandi's Brown Rice Shrimp Jambalaya inspired by Sweet Home Alabama
Dessert - Val's Lemon Panna Cotta inspired by Under the Tuscan Sun

Thanks everyone for making this a wonderfully romantic dinner! See you next month when we cook Italian for Sarah's theme dinner!


Image Credit: Lady and The Tramp courtesy of Disney Studios











3 comments:

  1. This was such a fun theme Susan. Perfect to get us in the mood for Valentines Day.

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  2. This looks so good! Great fun on this theme. Happy Anniversary.

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  3. I love this recipe. Pasta is my weakness. Best wishes.

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