Gatherings: Taking movie night outside.
When we’re deep into summer and the weather outside is steamy, there’s nothing I like better than spending a lot of time in a kitchen that is even steamier than it is outside. Who’s with me? That’s right — no one wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen at this time of year. It’s time to be outside, grabbing as much summer as possible, with friends who make you laugh.
That includes the evenings, too. We have a little group that meets regularly for a much-anticipated movie night once a month. That got me to thinking.
Why not move the party outside?
And so, the “summer edition movie night on the patio (or porch)” was born.
Getting the flicks outside might involve some shenanigans best left to the techy types.
Maybe it’s as simple as moving the telly, carefully, to the patio.
The main thing is, this is not my worry.
The food is.
And so, I got to work. For our outdoor movie night, I wanted a menu that showcased summer’s bounty: tomatoes and other produce.
The main dish — creamy roast vegetable enchiladas — is certainly that. It’s super simple and can be assembled in advance. It might be tempting to grill, but it can be a hassle, too.
This dinner can just be popped into the oven, and you can mingle and relax while it’s cooking. Serve it with the tomato salad that shows off the local harvest.
Dessert had to be somewhat portable so that it could be consumed once the movie began, and something frosty seemed fitting for an August night.
The chocolate dipped frozen banana bites seemed just right. And of course, there needed to other munchables: a popcorn bar and assorted movie house treats.
Yup — all that was left was picking out the right film. I had a plan for that, too.
If I get my way, it would be “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” a Cold War-era comedy starring Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin, in which a Russian submarine runs aground in a New England town at the height of summer — because that could really have happened, right?
On a steamy August night, that’s my idea of a fun summer movie under the stars. What’s yours?