I have some exciting news for you! Well, I hope you’ll find it exciting, because I sure do. A while back, I told you all about my idea for a new monthly ^[1] blog feature ^[2] called Dinner and a Movie. As it turns out, the very talented and creative Marc from No Recipes ^[3] was percolating his own idea for an almost identical event. Rather than duplicate the concept, we got together and decided to collaborate instead. So, starting in February, Marc and I will be the co-hosts of Dinner and a Movie.

Join us each month on a delicious journey though some of our favorite films. Each month we will select a new movie to watch, which will hopefully inspire you to cook or bake something fabulous. Watch it, run with an idea, then share it with all of us. The trick is that not every movie chosen will be a “foodie film”, so you’ll really have to get creative. But, we know you can do it!

We are encouraging everyone who participates in this event to post about their dish on same day, which will be the last Saturday of each month. To make things even more interesting (and fun), Marc and I will also host a Dinner and a Movie Night as a live event on Twitter ^[4] each month on the Saturday before. We’ll all watch the movie together and tweet along, sharing our observations, snarky comments and hopefully, some great food ideas. Attendance is optional, but guaranteed to be a blast! Don’t forget to bring your own popcorn. I’m not sharing!

As co-hosts, Marc and I will share the duties of selecting the movies and posting the round-ups by alternating months. For February, Marc has chosen one of his favorite films (and mine), Chocolat ^[5].

I can’t imagine anyone interested in food not having seen this movie already, but in case you haven’t, Chocolat is about a rather bohemian woman and her young daughter in 1960, who open a chocolate shop in a small, conservative French village during Lent. At first, they are met with skepticism and resistance, but soon their exuberance and incredible chocolates win their acceptance into the community - almost! You’ll have to watch the movie to learn the rest!

The post date for this month’s installment of Dinner and a Movie, featuring Chocolat, will be on Saturday, February 28. Our Twitter movie night will be on Saturday February 21, at 9PM EST.

Everyone is welcome to participate, even if you don’t have a blog. Be creative, take some inspired photos but most importantly have fun!

Marc has laid out all of the details for Dinner and a Movie here ^[6] and here ^[7]. Please check out those pages for more specifics. Here are the basic guidelines for participating:

1. We encourage everyone to post on the last Saturday of the month, (in this case February 28). However, if circumstances prevent you from posting on that day, feel free to post a day or two earlier.
2. In your post, write a paragraph explaining how the movie inspired you to make your dish.
3. Include the event banner below in your post and a link back to both co-hosts.

4. Send your submission to the host for the month, in this case to Marc, at dm@norecipes.com by February 28, 11:59pm EST and include the following info:

• Your name
• Blog name (if applicable)
• Blog URL (if applicable)
• Name of dish
• Brief description of your dish and how the movie inspired you to make it.
• Attach a photo that’s no larger than 500 x 500.

We can’t wait to see what you all come up with!