It’s been a beautiful summer in Toronto. Given the crazy cold winter we had, we’ve been trying to take advantage of being outside as much as possible. So as much as we we’re really aching for a movie night, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to hit the theatre. Lucky for us, other Torontonians feel the same way. Outdoor movie screenings have popped up all over the city, with many of them free to boot.
We hit up the Christie Pits Film Festival, which just so happens to have weekly, free screenings every Sunday. This year’s schedule is awesome. They’ve got a mix of classics and old favourites – we got to see Casablanca, but they’re also screening Ocean’s 11 and Amelie this summer. Get your blanket ready.
The vibe here is great. There’s about 1,000 people that come out to these screenings, and everyone’s there to have a good time.
And a good time was had. We grabbed our trusty blanket, some cans of red wine and sought out to create the best-ever snack mix for the occasion.
Drafting goodies for any kind of snack or trail mix is an art. You have to have the right mix of salty and sweet and make sure you have enough variety that every time you grab a handful it’s different. Another critical element is making sure that nothing is too small or too big to mix together. For example, I always hate when there’s sunflower seeds in a trail mix alongside bigger nuts like cashews and almonds. They always end up at the bottom and then I’m left with a ton of sunflower seeds to be eaten on their own. No one wants that. Don’t be the person that creates that situation for others.
As you know, we don’t like to brag, but we do like to point out that we’re good at things (is that what bragging is…?). So we’re going to tell you that our snack mix was pretty good, and give you the lowdown on how to make it.
- Waffle-style pretzels
- Caramel Corn
- Nibs (we also threw some pinwheel liquorice in there because it’s cool)
- Yogurt-covered raisins
- Peanut M&M’s
- Tiny cookies
- Toasted coconut (trust us on this one)
- Honey sesame almonds
This is somewhat of a redundant section, because really you just need to mix it all together. But we will point out that you’ll need a big bowl to successfully give your mix a good shake up.
Our “cocktail” for the week was cans of red wine – we packed some Big House and Easy Rider. Because a park movie night demands something easy, and we were not about to bring a cooler. Red wine can be enjoyed at room temperature and is also easy to carry. You also won’t be sneaking off to the bathroom as frequently as you would with beer or cider.
We’ve collected the best movie soundtrack tunes of all time, perfect for jamming to on the way to see any film.