Sunday, April 1, 2012

A Hunger Games' Feast!

Back in February, I stumbled on some "unofficial" cookbooks based on literary series like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games. I reviewed The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook, but never got around to the Hunger Games one. Still, it inspired me!

Even then, though, I was eagerly awaiting the release of The Hunger Games film and what I wanted more than anything (at the moment I started flipping through the recipes) was to have a Hunger Games party. We could go see the film,  eat HG inspired foods, and dissect the adaptation to our hearts' content!

Logistically, I didn't think this party was going to happen. I live 20 minutes from the closest movie theater and my friends live at least 20 minutes in the other direction. I also plan lavish festivities and then break down in tears when they aren't as grandiose in execution (Gretchen Rubin talks about this phenomenon in The Happiness Project and says that despite this, it is the process that actually causes happiness, even when we are stressed! Take that, Evan!). So, as the date for the movie release got closer, work got crazier, schedules got tighter, and I began to give up.

I shouldn't have worried though!
 My friends turned out be just as bookishly excited about the idea as I was and Victoria came through, hosting the party at her place even though she went to the movie the night before and Ricky had work really early the next morning

Here are some pictures of our Hunger Games inspired food, but please know I forgot I was a blogger until halfway through the meal, so the photography is not the best!


Carrot Apple Ginger Soup: Since opening The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, I wanted to make Emily Ansara Baines' dandelion salad, but, alas, dandelion greens are out of season and I did not plan ahead. This soup from Oh She Glows, one of my favorite food blogs, represented the creamy carrot soup Katniss eats when she first boards the train to the Hunger Games. This soup is vegan and delicious! And it looks much prettier in the Oh She Glows post, so check it out!

"Bow"tie and Arrow Pasta Salad: My new, easiest pasta salad. I take olive and artichoke tapenade and mix it with the noodles. Easy peasy!
Victoria's Sangria: Representative of the punch the game maker's drink during Katniss's private session! This went quickly. I think we went through two or three punch bowls.

Jennilee and Matt's Cheese Plate: Goat cheese and other dairy goodness with blackberry jam. May the odds be ever in your favor!

Kayley's beautiful Apple Tart: Her fiance Dan helped slice all those apples!
Other food, not pictured included Jake's Herbed Goat Cheese Bites, Jason's delicious bread (he threatened to burn it and then toss it to the hungriest at the party), Blaine's Squirrel Brains, aka turkey meatballs, and Jeanelle's "Squirrel" Ribs! Most clever name goes to Evan for Katniss Ever"green" Hummus and "Peeta" Chips (we made the hummus green by adding spinach, see Oh She Glows again); although Victoria and Ricky also had "Peeta" bread with Spinach and "Gale" (instead of Kale) dip.

General consensus was that the food was delicious and the movie was really good. It was violent and graphic without being too violent and graphic, the actors all did their characters proud (Woody Harrelson as Haymitch was great, but I wanted his character to be surlier), and not so much was changed that I had to continually utter "That's now how it happened in the book" like I do when watching many other adaptations.

Now, I'm already planning Hunger Games Feast Two and Three! What are some of your Hunger Games inspired recipes? Which book was your favorite?

1 comment:

  1. Looks yummy! Wish I could have been there. How about some Cinna-fully good chocolate cake for dessert? Or President's Snowball cookies? If you're ambitious you could make Prim-rib... Ok, I'm done being corny.

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