The holidays are full of family time—and confusion about what to actually do with all that family time. While we prefer to spend our time in the kitchen making cookies, roasts, and homemade jam, we understand that not everyone can give their undivided attention to things like making the perfect chocolate mousse. But you know what everyone does love? Movies. Especially the classics with those epic lines that everyone can recite by heart. When you can get your family jazzed about cooking by theming your meal on one of those movies, it’s a win-win situation. To make it even easier, we’ve picked the movies and the perfect Bon Appétit recipes to go with them. All you have to do is prep the recipe, put on Netflix, press play, and let the family bonding happen.
Dreamworks Holiday Classics
Kids generally love anything holiday themed—especially with characters they know and love. Get them cozied up to watch the Dreamworks Holiday Classics set on Netflix while you cook them a build-it-yourself dinner. Turkey-spinach sliders are the perfect healthy and tasty meal for your little ones, and letting them choose toppings for their tiny sandwiches will make dinner as fun as watching the lovable characters from favorites like Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, and Shrek. Fry the patties, then set up a platter with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and avocado, and condiments like mayo, mustard, and ketchup. Halfway through the movies, let the kids build their sliders, then snuggle back in front of the screen for more holiday fun.
Rocky
____Rocky Balboa is a kind-hearted soul with a tough exterior and a lofty goal: to defeat an established heavyweight champion. The perfect meal to cook for this classic film? Porterhouse steak. Yes, it takes a little finesse to make this beautiful cut of meat, but that’s a lot easier than training to knock out a professional boxer. Plus, this steak is just like Rocky: gruff and well-seasoned on the outside, but tender on the inside.
Forrest Gump
Whoever thinks that Forrest Gump isn’t one of the best movie of all-time is wrong. Sorry. It’s a heart-wrenching drama-comedy-romance with a happy ending and so many iconic scenes. If you can find anyone in this country who’s never heard the line “life is like a box of chocolates,” we will give you a box of chocolates. One of our favorite parts of Forrest Gump is the birth of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, a tribute to Forrest’s late friend, Bubba, who fought in the war with Forrest. So, it’s a no-brainer you’d make shrimp for dinner when you’re watching this gem. If you feel inspired by all that running, though, you might want to carb-load (and, boy, do we have the recipes for that).
Sleepless in Seattle
Okay, this movie definitely starts out on the sadder side, when Sam Baldwin’s wife passes away and he moves the family out to Seattle to start his healing process—but it soon picks up, when our handsome main character makes a Christmas Eve confession on the radio. No, we’re not going to give away what comes next (hint: the ending is a happy one, and it’s totally family-friendly). We recommend making this pie, starring Seattle’s specialty—coffee, an ingredient that very well may give you a sleepless night, too, wherever you may be.
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is all about the dirty underbelly of the sports business, specifically football. We love a good football movie, but it’s so fun to see Jerry Maguire’s business savvy with the players and teams too. The movie itself is sort of like watching a game. You’re rooting for Jerry, the underdog, as he tries to get his bright, shiny sports-agent career back. And, like any good sporty snack spread, you need wings to eat while watching. It’s non-negotiable.
All titles available on Netflix for a limited time.