Abomination Tuna Sandwich | Lilo & Stitch #FoodnFlix

This month the Food 'n Flix club was invited by host Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla to take a virtual vacation to the islands. Instead of choosing one particular movie title or series, Camilla left the field open for us to pick anything set or filmed in Hawaii. Immediately two favorites came to mind, and I knew I'd be choosing one of them. I chose my favorite of the two. The one that we watched countless times when my daughter was little (because it was her favorite); the one we can still quote word for word and sing the entire soundtrack through—Lilo & Stitch.

Stitch is an alien experiment gone wrong who escapes his planet, crash-landing on earth—Hawaii to be precise.  Mistaken for a dog that has been hit by a car, he winds up in an animal shelter.

Caldo de Camaron y Pescado

I feel like I'm a part-time pescetarian. And I have the sneaking suspicion that if pigs could swim, I'd have no problem whatsoever becoming a full-time pescetarian.

Although, you might find me holding swim lessons for chickens and cows in my spare time.

Peppered Shepherd's Pie | Sweeney Todd #FoodnFlix

For this month's round of Food 'n Flix, our host, Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles invited us to head into the kitchen and pull our recipe inspiration from the vast selection of Tim Burton's filmography. I actually wound up watching a few this month—Sleepy Hollow, James and the Giant Peach (for the bazillionth time), and Sweeney Todd (for only the 4th or 5th time). I also contemplated watching either Dark Shadows...which I'd forgotten I actually owned until I was hunting through my dvds...or Big Fish, as well.

I've actually created recipes inspired by a few of Burton's films in the past...Beetlejuice, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, and Sweeney Todd. I had some fun recipe ideas from both Sleepy Hollow and JatJP, but alas, the current state of the grocery stores did not allow me to bring those ideas to fruition (but hey, there's always later). But I was able to create something inspired by Sweeney Todd once again, with only ingredients I already had on hand. So, that's a win.

100 Turmeric Recipes

I go through phases where a certain type of food or ingredient sits first and foremost in my mind. Something grabs on and won't let go until I've explored it further by learning more about it and using it in several recipes or applications. Lately, it's been turmeric—specifically the fresh root, which is part of the ginger family.

I think it started when I saw a bin of the fresh root at the market, stared at it for a few minutes, then left without buying any. I didn't buy it because I didn't want it to go to waste. I have a tendency to pick up cool "new" ingredients, only to let them go to waste while looking for the perfect way to use them.

Scottish Curry | Nina's Heavenly Delights #FoodnFlix

I'm hosting the February 2020 edition of the Food 'n Flix club with the British foodie rom-com, Nina's Heavenly Delights. Nina comes from a fairly traditional Indian family, who lives and owns a restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. She grew up cooking with her father, learning to use her senses, and becoming a good chef in her own right.  As many young adults do, she leaves home to discover the world on her own terms (and to escape an arranged marriage).

When her father passes away from a heart attack, Nina returns home after 3 years of being estranged and living in London on her own. It's then that she discovers the restaurant is in financial trouble and will most likely be sold to another local Indian family of restauranteurs, which includes the son Sanjay, the man she was supposed to be married to. Remembering all of the memories in the restaurant, particularly learning to cook with her father, she is determined not to let that happen.

Kimchi Jjigae | Always Be My Maybe #FoodnFlix

I'm sliding in under the wire with my submission to the January 2020 (!) edition of Food 'n Flix, hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Okay, I didn't make it in under the wire. That was a lie. That wire was a few paces in the past. I'm coming in last. But that's just because the new decade started with a bang! I gave you a little sneak peek of this month's movie pick back in July when I made a dish inspired by it (this Glazed Spam and Rice)...but I'm excited to be able to share another recipe inspired by the Netflix film Always Be My Maybe with you today!

Childhood best friends turned sweethearts Marcus and Sasha are neighbors growing up. Marcus comes from a pretty close-knit Korean family who spend a lot of time doing things together. Sasha and her (Vietnamese) family live next door. Unlike Marcus's family, she spends most of her time alone since her parents are busy running their store.

Garlic Parmesan Wings | Meet Me On Love Lane

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am happy to be hosting today's TLC Book Tours stop for the newest book in the Hopeless Romantics series by Nina Bocci, Meet Me On Love Lane. I hadn't read the first book in the series, but fortunately I was offered a copy of that one, called On the Corner of Love and Hate, as well. I'm not here to review Book 1 today, but I will tell you that I devoured it from start to finish. I was sucked in to the small town of Hope Lake and its residents.

While Book 1 focused on Emma and Cooper, Book 2 introduces us to Charlotte, and brings some of On the Corner of Love and Hate's supporting characters to the front lines. While reading the first book isn't essential to enjoying the second, I highly recommend you start from the beginning to add more depth to your experience.

Fester's 3-Week Anniversary Meatloaf | Addams Family Values #FoodnFlix

The Food 'n Flix club bloggers have scooched their chairs up to the Addams Family table this month, along with our host Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles. There's no month more fitting than October to hang out with in the kitchen with one of my favorite families. Kimberly invited to watch either (or both) of the early 1990's films, The Addams Family or Addams Family Values. I watched both. Again.

Spike's Onion Blossom Thing Petals | Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I almost burnt the house down in an attempt to make "blooming onion things". It was entirely my fault. I was in a hurry and wasn't thinking. In short, I used a pot that was far too small ("oh, this is the perfect size for this onion!"). I filled it with oil. I brought that oil to 375° F. I proceeded to lower a battered onion into that oil. That oil all poured over the edge of the pot and onto the flame underneath the pot.

Caramelized Onion Tartlets | Charmed

I'm excited to be joining my friend Kimberly from Coffee and Casseroles today to bring you another of our self-imposed challenges. This month we're creating recipes from a series that I've been meaning to cook from for many, many years - Charmed! We left it up in the air as to which version we'd use (the original or the reboot); both have all sorts of inspiration if you're paying attention.

Campfire Beans & Weenies | Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse

It's zombie time! This month's In the Kitchen with Zombie Fiction pick is the 2015 movie Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. Our main characters are three high school guys, who have been best friends since joining the Scouts as young kids, Ben, Carter, and Augie. Ben and Carter both think they've outgrown it and are ready to move on, but are staying for Augie...or at least until he's awarded the highest honor a Scout can get later that night.

In the time between school ending for the day and their campout starting for the night, they hit a deer and get a flat tire, are "invited" to the secret senior's party by Carter's sister's boyfriend, and meet a hot girl that used to go to their school, but is now a cocktail waitress at a strip club—and she buys them beer.

Spaghetti di LaRusso | The Karate Kid

Well, hello 2018. Here I am sidling up to you, and almost a whole month has already gone by. And just because I can, now that I've officially welcomed you, I'm gonna go ahead and slip back into the past—34 years in the past to be exact, because it's time for another round of recipes inspired by 80's movies from me and Kimberly at Coffee and Casseroles.

Spaghetti Bolognese | The Silent Fountain

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for The Silent Fountain, the latest novel by author Victoria Fox. Chapter by chapter, The Silent Fountain ebbs and flows over a period of four decades, introducing the reader gradually to its two main characters, Vivien and Lucy. Both women experienced life-altering events growing up, and both find themselves in a less than ideal situations at some point in their young adult life.

Fusilli w/ Raw Tomato Sauce | The Sweet Life

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for the latest novel by Sharon Struth called The Sweet Life. This is a sweet story, if somewhat predictable. Mamie Weber is offered the chance to join a bus tour of Tuscany (sound familiar?), and though it's a covert assignment for work, she looks at it as a chance to try and move forward in the aftermath of a tragic accident that took her husband and daughter's lives 5 years ago.

Spicy, Sweet, & Smoky Barbecue Sauce | The Talented Ribkins

Welcome to the TLC Book Tours stop for The Talented Ribkins, debut novel by author Ladee Hubbard! I'll start by saying that after reading the book jacket, there were two initial things that made me want to read this novel. The first being mention of the characters having "superpowers", the second being the reference to W.E.B. Du Boi's essay The Talented Tenth. (Which, if you haven't read it before, I recommend checking out The Talented Tenth just before or after reading The Talented Ribkins.)

Smoked Oysters, Clams, and Cockles Linguine | Game of Thrones

OYSTERS, CLAMS, AND COCKLES!

I can feel the excitement in the air—we made it to premiere day! In case you missed it, Evelyne of CulturEatz and I teamed up to bring you Game of Thrones inspired recipes all week long in anticipation of the new season. We started Monday, and traded off days, creating 3 recipes apiece, and culminating with both of us sharing a recipe today with our chosen theme.

Honeyed Chicken | Game of Thrones

In honor of the Game of Thrones season 7 premiere this coming Sunday, Evelyne of CulturEatz and I have joined forces to bring you a week's worth of GoT-inspired recipes! Each day one of us will post a new recipe (so, 3 recipes each), but on premiere day we will both share a recipe based on a fun theme within Game of Thrones—Oysters, Clams, and Cockles!

Roasted Veggies (for sharing) | 6 of Pentacles | #InternationalTarotDay (+ Giveaway)

Welcome to the International Tarot Day 2017 blog hop! Why today? Today is July 8th, or 7/8—and a typical tarot deck contains 78 cards (22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana). Each blogger participating will be featuring a single card per post, and you can find links to the previous and next card within each post, allowing you to make your way easily from start to finish of a traditional deck, if you so wish. The card I'm feauturing today is the 6 of Pentacles!

PREVIOUS CARD | MASTER LIST | NEXT CARD

Turkish Stuffed Tomatoes (Domates Dolmasi) | A Touch of Spice #FoodnFlix

Our Food 'n Flix pick this month is a feast for the senses from start to finish both literally and figuratively, from the breast to the grave. A Touch of Spice is the story of Fanis, a half Greek, half Turkish boy who spends the first part of his childhood learning about the importance that food and spice hold in everyday life and decisions from his grandfather. But when political turmoil in Constantinople forces his family to move to his father's native Athens in 1964, Fanis desperately misses both his grandfather and his first (young) love.

Vanilla Black Tea Rice Pilaf

I tend to go through phases...phases where I can't get enough of eating a certain dish, sipping a certain drink, or using a certain ingredient. Lately, I've had tea on the brain. But when I say tea, I mean tea as a whole (as opposed to one certain variety), so that actually opens up a whole world of possibilities.