I knew I had to replicate the iconic mosquito in amber that started the entire Jurassic Park franchise. I used the pineapple Jello flavor because it was more amber-colored than the usual yellow lemon Jello. For the mosquito, I used a raisin.

How to make the Jello:

1. To make the Jello where the raisin is in the center, you first will need to make ONLY HALF of the Jello in the packet. Set the other half aside for later. Make the Jello following the instructions on the package but remember to half all the ingredients.
2. Pour the first half of the Jello in your container and let it set in the refrigerator for a few hours. After a few hours, make the second half of your remaining Jello.
3. Take your Jello container out of the refrigerator and place several raisins on top, making sure to space them out. Then gently pour the remaining Jello on top. Make sure to arrange your mosquito raisins in case they move when you pour the liquid.
4. Let the Jello set overnight. You can then flip the container over on a cutting board and gently remove the Jello by wiggling and tapping the container. Cut your pieces to look like the amber stone. Because you let the bottom half of the Jello solidify first, the raisin will look like it’s floating in the Jello, making a cool effect just like the mosquito in amber.

Preparation tips: I recommend making these the day before you host Movie Night so the Jello has enough time to solidify. You can also cut them before the movie starts, plate them, and store them in the refrigerator so it’s easy to grab when you are ready to serve.

If you are chronically online like I am, you have probably seen this mashed potato, gravy waterfall plate with the broccoli trees and dino nuggets. I knew I had to recreate it for the famous line “Welcome to Jurassic Park”!

Mashed Potatoes: To make the mashed potatoes, keep it simple to save time. Boil your potatoes, I used Yukon Gold Potatoes, and when they are tender, drain the water. Using a potato masher, mash your potatoes. Then, add a few tbsp of butter and heavy cream and mix the potatoes until the butter is melted. Add salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and rosemary powder and keep tasting and adjusting your seasonings to match your preference.

Gravy: You can buy canned gravy to save time, but I recommend making it because it’s quick and tastes way better than canned.

To make gravy-

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of butter

2 tbsp of olive oil

½ cup of diced onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp of flour

3 cups of stock (preferably beef)

1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon beef base

1 tsp of dried thyme

Salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1. Add butter, olive oil, and diced onions to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. After a few minutes of stirring occasionally, add minced garlic. Cook for another minute, stirring often.
2. Next, sprinkle in the flour while continuing to stir. It will form a paste. Once all the flour is added, slowly pour in your stock while continuing to stir. When all the stock is added, add the Better Than Bouillon.
3. Bring your gravy to a simmer and stir often. The gravy will thicken. Water can be added if you want a more liquid gravy. When you are happy with the consistency, add your thyme and salt, and black pepper to taste.

Broccoli: To make the broccoli, I kept it simple by using frozen broccoli florets. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, I drizzled some oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper on them and roasted them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

Dino Nuggets: You can find these nuggets in the frozen meals section of most major grocery stores. Make them as per the packaging instructions.

Assembly & Prep Tips: I recommend making the gravy the day before. It saves time on the day of the movie night, and the gravy will develop in flavor overnight and be even more delicious the next day. When you make the mashed potatoes, wait till they’re cooled off enough to touch and make your waterfall. I used a small, upside-down mason jar to be the mold of the waterfall. When making the watering hole and waterfall, make sure to create a border so the gravy is guided down and doesn’t go everywhere. Also, make sure you don’t make the waterfall too tall. You want it to be able to fit in the microwave so you can reheat. Add the dino nuggets and broccoli, and make sure they are really stuck in the mashed potatoes, so they keep standing up.

Serving Tips: I made this plate close to when I was going to start the movie, so I was able to leave the plate out on my counter and reheat it in the microwave before serving. I also reheated the gravy and poured it down the waterfall right before serving. You also have the option of making this plate earlier in the day and storing it in your refrigerator. If you go this route, keep in mind that it will take longer to reheat in the microwave than it would if it were at room temperature.

This is the recipe I used to make the soy eggs.

One thing I did differently to make it look more dinosaur-like is I marinated the eggs with the shell still on, but cracked. This way, there were markings on the eggs when I eventually peeled them. One thing I recommend doing is making these the day before, so they are deeper in color. I made them the day of so the eggs didn’t have enough time to fully marinate. Make sure you also peel the eggs before you start the movie so they are ready to serve.

Green onion rice: Make white rice as you normally would. Then add chopped green onion, furikake seasoning, and some sesame oil. Mix well and create a nest shape in a bowl. Store in the refrigerator and microwave before serving so the rice is hot. Then add the peeled marinated eggs to the center of the “nest”.

Chilean Sea Bass is also known as Patagonian Toothfish. I tried recreating this dish to the best of my ability, and I’m really happy with how it came out! There are multiple components to this dish. You have the Chilean Sea Bass, which looks to be breaded or covered in a crust of some sort. You have the thin, crispy fries on top, which look to be sweet potatoes. There are long green beans and cherry tomatoes. On the bottom, there is a delicious-looking sauce or gravy.

Below is my interpretation of the dish:

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries:

You’ll need one sweet potato chopped very finely and long. Once you have the potato chopped, you can add it to a bowl of ice water. This removes excess starch and makes the fries extra crispy. It’s an optional step, but it’s quick and easy, so I recommend it. Remove from the ice water and pat dry. While you do this, add frying oil to a deep-frying pan. I added enough to be about half an inch tall in the pan. Keep the heat at medium-high and wait about 5 minutes for the oil to heat. When it’s ready for frying, add your thinly sliced sweet potatoes to the pan. Move them around and flip them every minute so they can cook evenly. Because they are thin, they will burn quickly so keep an eye on them. When they become hard, almost chip-like, remove them from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the oil. Coat them with seasoned salt, my favorite brand is Lawry’s. You can make these in advance and leave them out for a few hours because they are so thin, they pretty much become potato chips. Save the oil you used for the Chilean Sea Bass.

Chilean Sea Bass:

To make the fish, I started by coating the fillets with flour. I then dipped them in a bowl of raw eggs that had been whisked, and then I coated them with an Italian bread crumb blend. The brand I used for breadcrumbs is Cento. Once all the fillets are coated, add frying oil (I used the avocado oil from the crispy sweet potatoes) to a deep-frying pan. I added enough to be about half an inch tall in the pan. Keep the heat at medium-high and wait about 5 minutes for the oil to heat. Cook the fish for about 2-3 minutes per side. You don’t want to overcook the fish, so this is all they need. Just enough time to get the bread coating a golden brown.

Sauce: I went with a creamy lemon sauce for this recipe because I thought it would pair nicely with the white fish. Here’s how to make it:

Using the same pan from the Chilean sea bass with the leftover oil, add two chopped shallots. Heat on medium heat for a few minutes. Then add three garlic cloves, minced. Cook for another minute. Then add three tbsp of flour and cook while stirring often. The oil will thicken and become a paste. Next, add ¼ cup of lemon juice, ¼ cup of heavy cream and ¼ cup of water. Stir and bring to a simmer. The sauce will thicken. Add salt and black pepper to taste. This sauce is so easy to make! I love adding it to pasta and chicken as well!

Green Beans and tomatoes: I chopped the cherry tomatoes before the movie started and stored them in the refrigerator until it was time to plate the dish. To cook the green beans, I boiled them in water for a few minutes, so they were cooked but still crisp. I did not add seasoning because the sauce will be enough.

Serving tips: Before the move started, I added the sauce to the plate, then chopped the fish and arranged them on the plate with the green beans to look like the movie plate. I stored the plate in the refrigerator. When it was time to prepare to serve, I microwaved the dish, then added the cherry tomatoes and crispy fries on top before serving.

This is such a chilling scene with the water shaking before we spot the T-Rex for the first time! I recommend getting the wide plastic cups like the ones they have during the scene to be more on theme. I chose to serve a vesper martini because it’s a clear cocktail that resembles water. It also has a very dinosaur-sounding name in my opinion. You can also serve water if you aren’t a fan of drinking. I actually don’t like Vesper martinis because they’re too strong for me, so I served myself a very light colored white wine instead. Here is the recipe for the shattered glass candy.

The recipe worked really well. I didn’t have a thermometer, though, so I just cooked the sugar liquid until it was pretty thick and then poured it.

Here is the Vesper martini recipe. Fun fact: This is the martini James Bond is famous for drinking.

Serving tips: Before the film, add your drink ingredients to a jar and shake. Store them in the refrigerator or freezer so it gets chilled. Add your piece of shattered glass to your cup, making sure to leave space for you to sip. Have it ready on your counter so when it’s time to serve, you just have to shake your drink and pour it into the cup. The candy will get stuck to your cup so I recommend leaving it there while you drink. If you try to remove it, your drink might spill from the force.

This is an easy one! Ice Cream! You can choose to serve it however you like. In the scene, they were eating from tubs of all different flavors. I chose to serve vanilla ice cream, with olive oil and sea salt (for the tears). I love this combo! It tastes like a lighter version of salted caramel.

To make serving quick, you can pre-scoop the ice cream before the movie starts and cover it in plastic wrap. Then you just need to add them to the bowl, and quickly drizzle your toppings.

You can’t have a Jurassic Park movie night and not serve green Jello! The Jello I used was the lime Jello you can buy from most supermarkets. I made it per the instructions on the packaging. I recommend making this the day before so it can fully set. When cutting the pieces, make sure they are big rectangular shapes to match the movie. I recommend having them cut and plated before you start the movie, so you can quickly grab the plate to serve.