Every year as we change from season to season and celebrate one holiday or life milestone after the next; we eagerly plan and look forward to all of our special traditions and the fun local events our town offers. Sometimes we even have to poke fun at ourselves because we are such kids at heart and get overly excited about the all the little things in life. But I’m glad we are like that because it makes life fun and even if our traditions are simple or silly, they make us happy!
One thing that we always look forward to is the release of a new movie. Maybe this stems from my childhood when going to the movie theater was a special treat. Since going to the movies was so expensive for our big family, my Dad would often pick up the latest movies the day they were released on VHS, and later DVD, for us to see.
To this day, we love watching a good movie, especially a funny one, because it is the best way to relax and unwind. And because of my love to make everything into a special tradition or cheesy themed event; I adore taking movie night up a notch by planning special activities or movie inspired snacks to create the ultimate dinner and a movie!
So, of course, when I saw that the new Minions movie was being released on Blu-Ray/DVD on December 8th (available at several retailers nationwide), I knew I wanted to create a fun and festive movie night watch party! We love all of the movies in Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me franchise and could not wait to check out their latest movie Minions. Those funny little guys with adorable goggles always give us a good chuckle and with how busy (and truthfully, kind of stressed) we have been lately, a good movie night was much needed!
But due to our hectic schedules, this past Sunday was the first day we had time to sit down to relax and enjoy the movie. So a Minions movie brunch, instead of dinner and a movie, was what the day called for!! I of course LOVED thinking up some exciting recipes to enjoy during our special Sunday movie brunch. As I have previously mentioned, brunch has kind of become our thing and this was a great twist!
For our Minions movie brunch I created a few simple minion inspired recipes. We enjoyed tart and tangy, homemade Lemon Curd Pancakes that I of course had to decorate to look like those lovable little yellow guys. And if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I love to get a little crafty and make some fun, yet healthy, treats by making smoothies and serving them in decorated cups; therefore a minions smoothie was a must for our movie brunch!
To say we enjoyed our relaxing Sunday movie brunch is an understatement! It was the perfect break from all the holiday hustle and bustle and I can’t wait to share our silly movie tradition and Minions movie brunch with my nephews during our upcoming holiday vacation! Hopefully they’ll love it as much as we do! 🙂
Lemon Curd Pancakes (Minion Pancakes)
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yields: 8-10 pancakes
Printable Version
Ingredients:
Lemon Curd:
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large lemons, juiced and zested
4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
Lemon Pancakes:
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
¾ cup ricotta cheese
1 cup whole milk
2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Blueberries, optional*
Minion Pancake Toppings:
Lemon curd
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Lemon slices
Whipped cream
Directions:
To make lemon curd, place a small strainer over a bowl and set aside.
Heat a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add egg yolks and sugar and whisk until well blended and pale yellow in color. Slowly whisk in lemon juice, butter and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for 5-6 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and deep yellow in color. Curd must not come to a boil. Curd is ready when it coats the back of a spoon but is still liquid enough to pour.
When the curd has thickened, pour it at once into the strainer. Using the back of a spoon, press until only the coarse residue remains. Discard residue and stir in lemon zest.
Store lemon curd in a small glass jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
To make pancakes, in a small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the ricotta and milk mixture, whisking just until combined. Set aside.
Meanwhile, pour egg whites into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff . Gently fold egg whites a little at a time, into pancake batter; being careful not to over work the the batter.
Heat ½ tablespoon butter in a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Using a 1/3-cup measuring cup, scoop pancake batter and pour onto hot griddle. Cook the pancakes for about 3-4 minutes, until the undersides are golden brown and you see a few bubbles popping through the pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining pancake batter.
To serve, warm 3-4 tablespoons lemon curd in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Pour warm lemon curd over pancakes. If desired, make minion face by placing a lemon slice in the center of the pancake on top of the lemon curd. Top lemon slice with a small amount of whipped cream and a blueberry. Place 2-3 blueberries on the sides of the lemon slice to form goggle strap.
*Notes: If desired, 5-6 blueberries can be added to pancakes during cooking. Simply place 5-6 blueberries on top of pancake batter in skillet. Once pancakes are ready to flip, continue with the recipe as directed.
Minion Smoothies
by Heather H. of Kitchen Concoctions: www.kitchen-concoctions.com
Prep Time: 5 minutes Serves: 2
Printable Version
Ingredients:
Tropical Smoothie:
1 cup assorted frozen tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, etc.)
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1-2 teaspoons honey
½ – ¾ cup orange juice
Supplies:
Minion Cup:
Small clear plastic cup
Large and medium sized googly eyes
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Black permanent maker
Black or black and white straws, cut in half, if needed
Directions:
To make smoothie, combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until smooth, adding additional orange juice or fruit to reach desired consistency. Serve immediately in prepared minion cup.
To make minion cup, using the glue gun, cover the back of one googly eyes with hot glue and adhere the eye to the center of the plastic cup. Use the black permanent maker to draw a solid black line on both sides of the googly eye on cup to form the strap of the minion goggles. Pour smoothie into cup and add straws.
Those pancakes look great. I love lemon curd, but I've never made ricotta pancakes – definitely adding this to my to make list! #client