A JAWS-ome 4th of July Celebration #FoodNFlix

When I saw the July Food'N'Flix invitation from Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures, I hesitated. JAWS.* Really? Okay. Unfortunately, it wasn't available at our library until August 2nd...and this was the July assignment. So, I ordered it on Amazon and streamed it one evening last week. 

Food'N'Flix is a monthly online event when we are assigned a movie and, hopefully, are moved into the kitchen to make something inspired by the movie. I had no idea how much fun we would have with this movie given that, well, the only food I anticipated seeing were the people who were victims of the man-eating shark! You can read Amy's invitation - and see her amazing shark cake - here.

On the Screen

from imdb.com

I am pretty sure that I watched this movie one summer when my older cousins were trying to scare us. But that was in the early 80s, I think, and I don't remember much about it at all. And I certainly didn't remember that it was a 4th of July movie. I mean, it's truly a timeless horror flick, but Mayor Vaughn does caution Martin, "...it's all psychological. You yell barracuda, everybody says, 'Huh? What?' You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July." 

So, this really was the perfect weekend for me to watch our Food'N'Flix assignment. And if you think I'm crazy to think it's a 4th of July movie, there was a local movie theatre here that was showing it on the big screen for the holiday weekend!

Interestingly, my sons watched it with me. D was hesitant as first, objecting that he didn't like horror movies. R assured him that the movie was ancient and probably not that scary. "And besides," he said, "we have to watch it just for the animatronic sharks!" As soon as it started, we were all shocked that the movie was rated PG. D was comforted as he doesn't know of any horror movies with a PG rating.

I'll distill it to this: man-eating Great White has chosen Amity Island as its hunting ground. Local police chief, ichthyologist, and Ahab-esque fisherman set out to hunt it down. 

So, this movie is a true classic and mired with all of the real-life drama that was happening with the actors themselves. When Jake told a friend of ours that I was watching it, she started telling us all about the drama and the scandals. How does she keep all of that information in her head?! I was impressed.

I don't think we'll be watching any of the sequels, but we had fun with this Food'N'Flix assignment.

Shark-cuterie Platter

The first thing I made is not really worthy of a recipe post. It's more of a charcuterie-cheese board...in the shape of a shark. Here are some tips that I shared on the #CulinaryCam YouTube channel on making a cheese board: Cheese Board Basics. Same concepts of colors, tastes, and textures though. For this shark-cuterie platter, I used prosciutto, salami, olives, dill havarti, smoked gouda, and cubes of homemade focaccia.

Salted Black Herring Cocktail

Okay, here's a JAWS-inspired libation that doesn't merit a recipe either. So, I have found that there are two camps when it comes to licorice: you are either a fan or foe of black licorice. Don't even get me started on 'red licorice'; there is no such thing!

I am most definitely in the 'fan' camp of anything with licorice, fennel, or anise! I had actually gone to the store looking for gummy shark candies. No dice. Then I saw salted black licorice herring. And I opted to use them as a garnish in a licorice-flavored cocktail with equal parts aquavit, fennel liqueur, and Lillet Blanc. Poured over ice, stirred, and garnished with a licorice herring.

Toothy Berry Pie

Now we're getting into some actual recipe posts. First up was a berry pie, a Toothy Berry Pie à la Mode. Made with frozen berries, you don't have to wait till fresh summer berries make an appearance at your local farmers' markets. I had fun with this design, despite my best friend's son telling me that the shark needs braces. Ha. I know!

JAWS-ome Iced Sugar Cookies

And for even more holiday weekend treats, these JAWS-ome Iced Sugar Cookies were, well, awesome! I have been using this same sugar cookie recipe for years because it's consistent and delicious. 

Well, that's a wrap on my JAWS-ome 4th of July weekend edibles. Hope you had a nice holiday with your families, too. And, if you want to join the Food'N'Flix fun, you have until the end of the month to watch and be inspired into the kitchen.

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.