Watermark-willy-wonka-frontWe love movies in our family.  There are those movies that I have been so excited to watch with my kids (Star Wars) and those movies that I can’t wait to show them when they are old enough.  It will be a great day when we can sit down together and view Goonies, The Back to the Future trilogy, and Pirates of the Caribbean.  Recently I had the chance to finally watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with my kids.  They were mesmerized.  To make it clear, this was the original Willy Wonka.  No one will ever play a witty, brilliant, half-crazed candy maker better than Gene Wilder.  And come on, squirrels?  Really?  Everyone knows the geese laying huge golden eggs were much cooler.  And don’t get me started on the oompa loompas from the latest movie.  They were just…creepy!

My kids desperately now want to visit a place where there is a flowing chocolate river, basketball sized gummy bears that hang from trees, and where you can drink out of a candy dandelion.  I remember thinking the same exact thing when I was young.  I read and reread the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I watched the movie so many times that I could sing every word of the songs with the oompa loompas.  Truth be told, I probably enjoyed watching Willy Wonka with my kids more than they did.  The great thing is that I know there will be these same kinds of moments throughout their life.  I just have to be patient, wait for those times to arrive, and savor them when they are here.  After all, being a dad is more than extracting that Lego out of your foot that was left on the floor overnight.  Its experiencing amazing milestones that we fondly remember and excitedly look forward to.  This Willy Wonka lunch was celebrating that time for my family.  So I hope you have fun making this recipe or celebrating your own milestones in your own way.  Remember what Mr. Wonka says, “A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”

watermark-willy-wonka-collage
Ingredients:
–2 slices of whole wheat bread
–1 slice of roast beef
–2 slices of cheddar cheese
–1 slice of any white cheese
–1 red sweet pepper, cut into strips
–3 lettuce leaves
–black food coloring
–1 handful of blueberries
–8-9 roundish grapes
–1 package of fruit snacks
–4-5 toothpicks
Directions:
–Cut both pieces of bread into rectangles.  Cut roast beef the size and shape of the bread pieces.  Arrange strips of sweet pepper around the border.  Attach them with pieces of toothpicks if desired.  Cut pieces of cheese into the shape of Wonka Bar text and logo as shown in picture.  A sharp non-serrated blade knife will help make this a snap!  Place on top of roast beef to look like the Wonka Bar.
–Cut slice of cheddar cheese to partially fit under the Wonka Bar sandwich.  Trim around the edge in a circular pattern and write “Wonka Golden Ticket” along the top.  Use black food coloring and a toothpick.  If you slide part of the golden ticket underneath the bread, you only need to write a small amount on the cheese.
–Arrange lettuce leaves in container and place Wonka Bar Sandwich on top with Golden ticket partially underneath.  Sprinkle blueberries around.  I had to bring Violet Beauregard into the lunch didn’t I?  A giant blueberry scene is just too good to pass up!
–Place grapes in a small side dish.  Use grapes that are round and multi-colored.  I arranged them to look like gumballs from the heart of the chocolate factory and my daughter loves them!
–The Everlasting Gobstopper is a bit trickier.  I used a packet of fruit snacks.  I usually try to use organic but I only had regular this time.  I cut at least one side of each fruit snack so they would stick together easier.  I also attached them together with toothpick pieces to form the “Gobstopper” shape.