Summer has taken its sweet time arriving here in Southern California. And with summer comes my beloved Outdoor Movie Nights. (If you follow me on Instagram, be sure to look for the hashtag: #DarbySummerMovies)
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I delight in not just choosing a movie to show, but in choosing the appropriate snacks for the event.
Last weekend we kicked off the summer movie season with an old favorite, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.”
Starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine and directed by the brilliant Frank Oz, it’s one of the best and funniest caper movies out there.
But of course, the immediate question for me is always: “What do we serve?”
I love to serve classic, old-school movie snacks: large size candy bars, popcorn, sodas, and bags of chips. But then, I try to add snacks that complement the theme of our movie.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is set in the French Riviera. I opted for a classic fruit platter as well as an assortment of cheese and crackers. For dessert: Madeline’s and Palmiers. Because French, of course.
This is where my friends over at Melissa’s Produce come in. They provided me with a beautiful assortment of summer fruits delivered to my doorstep. While I was excited to put together the platter, it came together pretty easily because of the fabulous variety I had to work with.
Putting It All Together
For my usual fruit/cheese platter, I tend to begin with grapes, so I was delighted that my first choices were those plump green and red muscato grapes. I was originally going to add the cheeses to this big fruit platter, but I decided that I was completely pleased with creating multiple platters. One for fruit, one for cheese and crackers, and then I decided to offer deli meats and cheeses to make little slider sandwiches.
Obviously, the whole thing just kind of evolved as I started putting it together, but that’s not important right now. I’m Cuban. “Resolviendo” is my middle name.
I decided I’d save the melon for another day and substitute fresh strawberries to this beautiful group. Also, I added my favorite fruit dip of sour cream and brown sugar. This turned out to be quite the conversation starter. “What’s in this fruit dip?” The guesses ranged from yogurt to softened cream cheese. As usual, when I say, “Just sour cream and brown sugar,” it’s always surprising.
Please see this post about The Best Strawberry Snack Ever. for the recipe and how I usually serve it.
Once I got the three platters together, the rest came together quickly and looked pretty impressive. I added two tiers of Madelines and Palmiers for a French feeling. Cheese and crackers and breadsticks gave it the upscale touch I was going for.
My guests were delighted with the spread. It evoked just enough class while keeping a touch of DIY in the sandwich making. Success!
Shaking Things Up
Speaking of surprising, what we didn’t expect was the 7.1 earthquake that shook our patio lights and made us all slightly dizzy. Nobody was hurt and my guests are all jaded Californians who basically just stated, “Earthquake.” And we rode it out.
Good thing I had a great spread of movie night snacks as well as a really fun movie to stave off any lingering after effects.
Great food, great film, and a surprise shake up. Let’s just say a good time was had by all.
Thanks, Melissa’s Produce. You always make me look good!
{Disclaimer: Although Melissa’s send me all that fabulous fruit, I was not compensated in any other way for this post. Opinions are all my own.}
Looking for more summer fruit ideas? Please visit my friend, Tee at That’s It, LA! for a fabulous Fresh Fruit Platter Idea.
Fresh Fruit Platter Idea
Also, for a really delicious and Healthy Creamsicle Fruit Dip Recipe, please check out Dangerous Cupcake Lifestyle.
Healthy Creamsicle Dip Recipe for Fresh Fruit
How about a classic grape salad? You’re going to want this recipe from Dandelion Women.
https://dandelionwomen.com/2019/07/grape-salad-the-perfect-potluck-dish/
I like the healthy creamsicle Fruit Dessert