by Macki Jun 19th, 2011 // Swell Suppers

Swell Supper: Dinner and a Movie

On special occasions we have a family movie night that we spend all day discussing and prepping for. My daughter likes to turn the couch into a fluffy, pillow-y mound and cover us all with a giant blanket while we snuggle underneath. Someday I want to get one of those projectors and set it up in the backyard and invite friends over for one big family dinner and a movie night. Hey a girl can dream, right? For now, we love our cozy couch. We take our meal planning seriously and decided, well our mouths decided from the amount of drooling going on, to serve Oven Baked Turkey Chili Cheese Dogs with Nutty Caramelized Cauliflower, and what better treat to serve with our movie than Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn?

Get started with the nutty caramelized cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place the prepared cauliflower in the oven for 30-35 minutes. While your veggie bakes time to assemble the oven baked turkey chili cheese dogs (try saying that five times!). When the cauliflower is ready take it out of the oven and turn the temperature down to 350 degrees. Place the dogs in the oven when it reaches the lowered temperature and cook for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile prep the ingredient for your popcorn, but don’t make it yet! It’s quick and easy and best served warm so wait until after dinner. Send the kids into the TV room to prep the viewing area to their liking. If your kids are anything like mine they will be in there far too long and you will have to call them back to the table for dinner. It won’t be a problem with the smell of the turkey dogs calling their names.  After dinner prepare the popcorn according to the recipe and let your kids listen for the popping. When you take the lid off and the pot is filled the kids should get a kick out of seeing the transformation. Get each person a bowl and serve with your movie. Now doesn’t that sound swell?