We feel it in our fingers, we feel it in our toes — Christmas is all around us … which means it’s officially time for your annual viewing of Love Actually.
Or, at least, the first of many. It’s cool, we all do it. It’s the single best Christmas movie ever made, after all.
With a star-studded cast, the most amazing soundtrack (who could forget that rendition of “All I Want for Christmas is You”) and not one, not two, but 10 love stories of all shapes and sizes, Love Actually is a total classic.
You either love it or you hate it — and even the weirdos who say they hate it truly love it deep down. No point denying it.
We may not be able to come up with as sweet a pairing as any of the couples in this movie, but we sure did try. So, without further ado, here is your menu for dinner and a movie night, Love Actually edition.
Get your Love Actually on
Before you can have a slice of banoffee pie, you have to get the movie ready:
MOVIE: Love Actually (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours, 15 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2003
RATING: R
STARRING: Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson
Dinner and a movie: Your Love Actually menu
And now, for our feature presentation…
Entrée: Stuffed pork chops with roasted sweet potatoes
Few men would learn an entire language and travel across the ocean for the woman they love, but Jamie is no average man. Sure, he makes a few hilarious mistakes, but you’ve got to give him credit for trying, right?
For tonight’s entrée, we pay homage to Aurelia’s Portuguese heritage and a love story that transcends language barriers by serving Hola Jalapeño’s Mediterranean-style stuffed pork chops and roasted sweet potatoes.
MORE: Easy, healthy sweet potato quinoa bowls
This dish also includes cauliflower and blue cheese, upping the yum factor. Dare we say it’s even more delicious than Karl (the hunk of an officemate that Sarah falls in love with)?
Side dish: Basic glazed carrots
We still cringe every time we watch Colin try to hit on the caterer at Juliet and Peter’s wedding, only to completely insult her by saying her appetizers look like “dead babies’ fingers.”
It’s not the most appetizing way to describe food, but it did inspire this next choice: basic glazed carrots! Because admit it, they do kind of look like dead babies’ fingers. On second thought, let’s just not think about that, shall we?
Smothered in butter and with a little bit of salt and sugar thrown in, this side dish is the perfect winter comfort food as you ease into the holiday season.
Dessert: Banoffee pie
Who could forget the heartbreaking scene — or perhaps the infuriating scene, depending on your take on the relationship — when we realize that Mark is in love with Juliet. Yep, his best friend’s girl. Whoops!
MORE: Dulce de leche hot chocolate
Juliet, oblivious to Mark’s affection and trying to get him to be her friend, shows up to his apartment with a big slice of banoffee pie. Make some of your own with this delicious recipe from Amanda at I Am Baker.
If you haven’t had banoffee pie before, it’s a cross between banana and toffee — and a true British delicacy, too. So dig in and consider yourself cultured.
Drink: Amaretto hot chocolate with heart marshmallows
With all the love floating around in this movie (albeit complicated, messy and even heartbreaking at times), it’ll make you feel all the feels.
Wash those feelings down and warm your heart with this scrumptious and oh-so-romantic amaretto hot chocolate with heart marshmallows. This luxurious yet simple recipe may put you off packaged, powdered hot chocolate forever. Just skip the amaretto if serving to your little ones.
With these delicious goodies in your tummy and a Christmas classic on the TV, or the “telly”, as the Brits would call it, it won’t be hard to believe that love actually is all around.
