It is Saturday night, and your children’s desire to watch Disney’s “Frozen” for the 10,000th time is stronger than one, stronger than 10, stronger than 100 men.
Mix it up this time. Instead of throwing a bag of popcorn in the microwave, go all out with dinner and a movie. Your family will be lining up for warm hugs when you treat them to an evening inspired by this Disney favorite, including drinks, yummy snacks and a delicious Norwegian-inspired dinner.
Want to see more? Check out our other Dinner and a movie features here!
Dress the part
Baby, it’s cold outside! At least it is when you have magical ice-forming abilities and aren’t sure how to wield them. So, for starters, have plenty of cozy throws on hand. Everyone’s going to want to bundle up to brave the frigid fjords.
To emulate Elsa, drape yourself in icy blue hues from head to toe and rock a side braid. As for Anna, you can capture her vibe in a pinch by throwing on your favorite flowy bohemian top or dress. Channel Kristoff by grabbing a pair of Muk Luks, sliding on a fleece vest and wrapping a burgundy sash around your waist. Extra points if you look surly and make sarcastic comments all night.
If you really want to phone it in, though, slap some faux-reindeer-antlers on your head and grunt at everyone like Sven.
Get your “Frozen” on
Before you can dine on an Arendelle-inspired feast, you have to get the movie ready:
MOVIE: “Frozen” (Don’t have it? Get it at Amazon or see more options)
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 42 minutes
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2013
RATING: PG
STARRING: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff
Dinner and a movie: Your “Frozen” menu
And now, for our feature presentation… enjoy these treats delicious enough for Coronation Day!
Beverage: Karsk
First things first: drinky drinks. In Norway, where the fictitious Arendelle appears to be set, they do not mess around with their coffee. The country’s favorite cocktail is karsk, which is pretty much a hardcore black coffee and moonshine mix.
ALSO TRY: Amaretto hot chocolate with heart marshmallows
If you are fresh out of moonshine, vodka will do (we like Alaskan Rock Vodka’s iced adaptation). If you happen to overpour, you can reduce the alcohol content by literally lighting the drink on fire like a total badass. Seriously, this is a real thing that Norwegians actually do.
Beverage: Frozen snow cap punch
As for the kiddos, it’s probably better not to give them highly flammable alcoholic beverages. But they would love a yummy punch that looks as though it belongs in Elsa’s ice palace. Visit Sprinkle Some Fun for the recipe, along with a cute “icy” cup tutorial.
Nibbles: Cheesy beer fondue
On to the grub! Get cheesy with a fun fondue made with Norwegian Jarlsberg cheese. This cheesy beer fondue recipe is super easy and delicious — just sub out the Gruyère cheese for Jarlsberg and use non-alcoholic beer to make it kid-friendly. Some things, like fondue, are definitely worth melting for.
Appetizer: Beef meatballs with zesty cranberry cocktail sauce
Elsa and Anna probably would have feasted on kjøttboller, a chunkier version of Swedish meatballs served with lingonberry jam (another item for your Ikea shopping list). Our beef meatballs with zesty cranberry sauce are a great alternative, and you can switch out the jellied cranberry with lingonberry jam for a Nordic twist. Stick toothpicks in them and you’ve got a super-tasty finger food.
Entrée: Pickled herring on toast
It sounds crazy, but you may finish each other’s sandwiches once you taste this common Norwegian dish: pickled herring on toast (via Zofia’s Kitchen).
ALSO TRY: Creamy salmon piccata
Raid the international aisle at the supermarket and you’ll find jars of pickled herring nestled among the elderberry syrup and Israeli couscous. If you’ve ever wondered who the hell eats pickled herring, the answer is Norwegians and people who throw themed movie parties. Serve it on rye toast.
Side: Sven’s carrots
You have to have some veggies, of course. Sven would flip over our basic glazed carrots, and you will, too.
Dessert: Snowball cookies
Now for the best part: dessert! That amazing smell is the chocolate in these chocolate Kahlua snowball cookies. If you wanna build a snowman, stack them three high and secure them with a toothpick. To make them kid-friendly, sub chocolate sauce for the Kahlua. You can do shots of the Kahlua while listening to “Let It Go” for the 827th time.
ALSO TRY: Strawberry pretzel dessert
Now just sit back, enjoy the show and collect the warm hugs you’ll get for creating such an amazing spread.
