Gloria Dump Punch – Because of Winn-Dixie

We recently finished listening to the audiobook “Because of Winn-Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo on Audible. *We enjoyed it thoroughly! We listened to the audiobook while we were living in our travel trailer, and once we found a house we decided to replicate the party we heard about in the story to celebrate. To have the party properly, we needed “Dump Punch”. In the story it says, “We mixed together orange juice and grapefruit juice and soda in a big bowl. Gloria called it Dump Punch.” (pg 144). There isn’t a recipe with measurements in the book though. We tried two versions. In our first attempt, we used equal parts of all three liquids but it tasted too much like grapefruit and not enough like the other two ingredients. Here’s the recipe for our 2nd attempt which everyone preferred:

Gloria Dump Punch

2 cups orange juice

2 cups Sprite or other lemon-lime soda like 7-up (you could also try sparkling water or San Pellegrino)

1 cup grapefruit juice

Dump all three liquids in a punch bowl or pitcher and stir just a bit to combine. Garnish with citrus wedges or circles to be extra fancy.

Serve with egg salad sandwiches cut into triangles, a jar of pickles, and strawberry and root beer flavored hard candies to substitute for the fictitious Litmus Lozenges. We used my Egg-less Vegan Tofu Salad Sandwich Recipe in lieu of traditional egg-salad.

You could even decorate your dining area with pink, orange and yellow crepe paper streamers for extra flair!

Consider watching the movie Because Of Winn-Dixie to round out the party!

I’m a sucker for a great story with a yummy food idea and a movie version of the book to boot! What is your favorite book/recipe/movie combo?

*Please note that the book brought me to tears and there were some heavy subjects touched on. It would not be appropriate for very young or sensitive children.

For more fun literature extensions see my other posts:

American Girl: Felicity – American History Unit Study

American Girl: Kaya – American History Unit Study

Join Us for “Tea” in Our RV

Christmas School – Mr. Willoby’s Christmas Tree 🎄