Food ‘n Flix Round Up: To Kill A Mockingbird

By the end of 9th grade, is there anyone in America that hasn’t read To Kill a Mockingbird?

Apparently there are a few people out there.  A few  of our  Food ‘n Flix family had never seen the film and some had never read the book.  (How is that possible?)  But, I am happy to say that perhaps this round led some of the FnF crew to do both, view the film and read this classic American novel. The film version is almost as well loved as the novel.

I am happy to have hosted the film for this month’s round.

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Without further adieu, let’s get to this month’s round up!  (You can read the announcement post here.)

Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen was the absolute first to post up.  Although she had always meant to read the novel and watch the film, she got her chance this month.  She was inspired by the garden patches of collards and the many references to this Southern favorite.

But I couldn’t help but be inspired by the collards patch that pops up often (both in the movie and the book). When we first meet Dill in the movie, he’s tucked among some huge collard greens. When the three kids are creeping up to the Radley house, and when Jem has to go back to retrieve his discarded pants, they have to go through the Radley’s collard patch. Plus, you can see cooked greens on the dinner plates.

Here’s her Collard Greens with Smoked Turkey Wings.

Kelley from Simply Inspired Meals did another Southern favorite, Magic Buttermilk Biscuits.

At the beginning of the film, the father tries to get his two kids into the house to eat breakfast. He tells them they are having “hot biscuits”. This didn’t seem to motivate them as they continued to play outside. Biscuits are a favorite in the south, which is where the movie takes place. They are a favorite in my house as well. The recipe I have included here are what we refer to as “magic buttermilk biscuits” because they disappear like magic.

I could could certainly eat up this plateful.

Collards also inspired Deb from Kahakai Kitchen with her Potato and Collard Greens Soup with Maple-Cornmeal Dumplings.

For my movie-inspired dish, I wanted to turn the collard greens that popped up in mentions and on the table into a homey soup–along with some good partners for greens, potatoes and black-eyed peas. I though about making biscuits to go with it, but I am not much of a baker. I happened to see a few collard greens recipes that were topped with cornmeal dumplings–which I thought would be fun to add to a soup and easier to make than the biscuits–or even the cornbread shown in the film. One recipe had maple syrup in the cornmeal dumplings and I thought that would be a fun nod to the sweetness of the ‘syrup‘ (although it was actually molasses) that Scout’s schoolmate poured over his entire dinner. The dumplings turned out not to be a win in terms of texture but the soup was really delicious. 😉

It does look wonderful, Deb, even if the dumplings weren’t to your liking.

Chef Sarah Elizabeth has vivid memories of both the book and the film.

I remember both the book and movie being scary. I was afraid of Boo Radley. The trial is the biggest event in the story, but I had completely blocked it out. When I rewatched it this month, it was almost like first time because there was so much I had forgotten. I still say it’s a scary movie! When the kids go running around at night and Jem gets stuck on a fence! My heart was racing, dude!

Sarah worked past her fears and was inspired to do an entire Southern-themed meal:

Maple Glazed Ham
Fried Okra
Creamed Corn
Collard Greens with Garlic Chips
Cheesy Potato Wheels
Buttermilk Biscuits
Sweet Tea
Banana Pudding

Glad you weren’t too scared to whip up this inspired Southern meal!

Wendy from A Day on the Life on a Farm took a traditional southern favorite, cornbread, and elevated it a bit by adding apples to the mix.  “I took my inspiration from that southern staple, cornbread, and, since it is Apple Week, the apple that Jem was enjoying at the beginning of the film.”

I made this amazing Apple and Onion Cornbread Skillet that I found at Bon Appétit.  Caramelized onions and delicious fresh apples are sprinkled over homemade cornbread batter and baked to a beautiful golden brown.

Wendy was busy with Apple Week and was worried she was not going to make the deadline.   Wendy, you weren’t the last one up.  That prize goes to the host for this month.  🙂

I initially wanted to do some riff with molasses and biscuits.  I had two disasters trying to make a molasses-honey jelly and gave up on that route.  I then found an heirloom recipe for Apple Molasses (Boiled Cider) and had a difficult time finding fresh (unpasteurized) cider at this time of year here.  At the last possible moment, I tried the recipe for Apple Molasses.  It turned out good but I didn’t have time for the biscuits.   🙁   (One would think that this month’s host would be better organized…)

Thanks to all who participated.  I really had fun re-watching the film and revisiting this classic.

Join us in October when  Coffee and Casseroles is hosting Ghostbusters (2016—the latest installment).  Check out her announcement post for all the details.

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