I feel like our merry band of movie watchers is dwindling but there’s still a few diehards left in Movies & Munchies.  (Please think about joining us.  Check out the Facebook page and ask to join.)  Camilla from Culinary Cam is hosting this month.

Please pause for a nostalgic musing….

Think of some of the films that you find the most hilarious.   Next, what age were you when you watched them?

The Hubs and I discussed and here is what we came up with for our most hilarious list:

• Stripes (1981)
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High  (1982)
• National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983)
• Ghostbusters (1984)
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
• Lost Boys (1987)
• The Princess Bride (1987)

You notice that these are all movies of the 80s. Apparently comedies were just better then OR we were just young and dumb.  (Notice I’m not submitting the age we were when we watched these movies for the first time.  Suffice it to say that we were young and impressionable.)   In our household, comedy ended apparently in 1987.

Back to Movies & Munchies…

Our movie this month is Mall Cop.  (We could choose either the original or the sequel.)  We chose to watch the original Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009).  Neither of us had ever seen it.

I laughed exactly once during the film, when he pulled over the elderly gentleman on his little rascal.  Otherwise, I just marveled at the comedic talents of Kevin James.

The film takes place over the Thanksgiving season so there’s actually a bit of food references in the film:

• Pie
• Family meals
• Pixie stix
• Margaritas
• Nachos
• Thanksgiving meal
• Sloppy Joes and sweet potato fries
• Dunkin Donuts
• Peanut brittle

There’s also the iconic (and truthful) line that Blart utters:  “Peanut butter fills the cracks in the heart.”

Since I was hosting Thanksgiving this year, I was already making pies.   There’s no peanut butter in them but there’s enough sugar for Blart for sure. 

Sour Cream Apple Pie with Walnut Streusel

Based on a copy cat recipe for NYC’s The Little Pie Shop Sour Cream Walnut Apple Pie

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1/2 c. plus 2 T. sour cream
• 6 T. sugar
• 4 T. all-purpose flour
• 1/8 t. fine sea salt
• 1 small egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 3 large granny smith apples
• 1-2 gala apples (See notes below.)

For the topping:

• 3/4 c. walnuts
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1/3 c. white sugar
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/2 c. butter, softened

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Make the filling.  In a medium mixing bowl, add the sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, egg, and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.  Peal, core and thinly slice the apples.  Carefully fold in the apple slices into the sour cream mixture.  Pour the filling in to the pie shells and bake for 55 minutes.
3. Make the streusel.   In a bowl, combine the walnuts, flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.  Add the softened butter and mix until crumbly.
4. After 55 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle with the streusel topping.  Place back in oven and cook for 30 more minutes.  (If the crust is getting too brown, cover with a ring of foil.)
5. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes about this recipe:

1. The original copycat recipe makes two pies.   I halved the filling recipe.
2. I used the full amounts for the streusel topping and would do that again.
3. I used 3 very large Granny Smith apples and one Gala.  I would probably add another Gala to this mix.  (I also used a larger pie pan.)

True story.  My Brother-in-Law whispered to me that this was the best apple pie he ever had.  He didn’t want his mother to hear him say that.   

I would definitely make this again.

In hindsight, however, I wish I would have whipped up the Tequila Pumpkin Pie from Love is a Pink Cake.  That would have been totally appropriate for this film!

Paul Blart: Mall Cop was made in 2009.  As I mused about all the movies from the 80s above, I wondered how this film will be remembered.

Will this be a movie we watch in the future to show kids what malls were?

Or, to introduce them to  the sentimental but classic 80s music.

Or, that some people had lives before cell phones.

Or, remind us about some brick and mortar stores that are no longer with us like Lord & Taylor.

I also wondered about Black Friday.   In 2009 had the event gotten so crazy?  Shoppers would riot if a mall tried to close early on Black Friday, masked and armed burglars be damned.

Since Blatt wasn’t at the mall at 1 PM on Thanksgiving Day to manage insane crowds for the Pre-Black Friday sales, I’m thinking it might not have been such a crazed event.

Postscript:  We did just recently watch Vacation (2015) and found ourselves laughing a few times.

If you’re still reading, thanks for sticking with this crazy, nostalgic, rambling rant of a post today.

I hope you had a great holiday with family and friends and that you made the most of it!

Thanks for hosting, Cam!   Seriously consider joining Movies & Munchies in December.  Wendy is hosting Madagascar.  Should be fun!