Hocus Pocus: A Childhood Favorite Brought to Life with Spooky Eats
For this week's Halloween Dinner and a Movie, we let the magic of Hocus Pocus take over our kitchen, and I couldn’t be more excited! When I asked you all last week what movie you wanted to see us do this week, it was an overwhelming vote for Hocus Pocus, and honestly, I was thrilled.
This movie has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. I grew up during the famous Disney Renaissance, and my Uncle Gregg was as obsessed with Disney back then as I am today. Every time a new movie was released, he would take us to see it on opening night at the Iconic El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. If you have never been, it is across from the Chinese Theater in Hollywood, and it is where Disney does all of their special premiers. The theater is fancy, and at least in the 90's, they would have a live stage show before every movie. Those were some of my most cherished memories as a kid. So, bringing this movie to life through food felt extra special.
From spooky garlic broomsticks to a bubbling Witches Brew Stew, to Winnie’s famous Spell BoooOooK Brownies and a cocktail that I’ve been working on perfecting for for months, this Halloween Dinner and a Movie meal was truly spooktacular. I had so much fun coming up with the recipes for the Hocus Pocus chapter of my Spooky Dinner and a Movie Cookbook!
How I Pulled Off the Hocus Pocus Menu: My Two-Day Prep Process
In this new season of life, with my new kitchen. I have really taken to really taking my time with each of my meals. With my Halloween Dinner and a Movie series, I have started to split the meal into sort of a prep and a cook day, and it has made life so much easier. I know working like this isn’t ideal for everyone, but I do it this way because it gives me time to get everything picture perfect, and to be able to capture all the videos - which is really the hardest part of these nights for me.
Day One:
I kicked things off by making the Garlic Broomsticks—adorable puff pastry brooms filled with a garlic butter mixture. I also prepped all the cheeses and meats for the charcuterie board I am going to display them on. Next, I tackled Winnie’s Spell Book Brownies. These came out so cute, decorated to look like Winifred’s famous spell book from the movie. Kinda, wishing I didn’t make these a day ahead because the gooey chocolate brownies were calling my name for the rest of the day.
Day Two:
On date night, I focused on making the Witches Brew Stew. This hearty beef stew is one of those slow-cooked meals that fills the house with amazing aromas, making it feel like fall—even if it’s still 114 degrees outside in Arizona! The hours long process makes the end result just that much more satisfying. The colorful veggies and potatoes made the stew feel like a magical concoction brewing away in Winnie's cauldron.
With all the prep done ahead of time, I had plenty of space to focus on mixing up the Salem’s Spell cocktail — this is my absolute favorite jalapeño cucumber margarita. I found this cocktail at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants a while back, and I had been working on trying to replicate it at home for months. I thought it would be perfect for this Halloween Dinner and a Movie, the smokey green color and the chamoy and tajin rim give this cocktail that signature Winifred vibe.
Bringing the Magic of Hocus Pocus to Life
With everything prepped and ready to go, we were so excited to snuggle up and enjoy one of my favorite Halloween traditions. The spooky vibes were vibing, and the smell of the Witches Brew Stew filled the house, and it legit felt like a cozy fall evening (despite the sweltering Arizona heat outside!).
We started off the night grazing on our spooky fall charcuterie board. Those Garlic Broomsticks that we talked about earlier were seriously so good - I was pretty proud of how they turned out – I will definitely be bringing them back once I get to Harry Potter night! They looked just perfect on my spooky board. Matt and I loved the Salem’s Spell cocktail, and to be perfectly honest, I’ll say, it’s probably one of the best cocktails I’ve ever made. The jalapeño cucumber margarita, with its chamoy and tajin rim, with a bit of heat and smoke from the dry ice - the whole thing just screams Winifred to me.
And let’s not forget dessert—Winnie’s Spell BoooOook Brownies. I am a chocolate girlie, so I was SO dang excited when I was finally able to get my hands on those ooey, gooey, chocolatey Fudge Brownies. They were as rich and delicious as they were fun to look at, complete with “stitched” icing details to mimic Winifred’s iconic spell book.
Relive the Magic: Download My Spooky Dinner and a Movie Cookbook
If you’re ready to conjure up some magic for your own movie nights, you won’t want to miss my Spooky Dinner and a Movie Cookbook! I’ve taken out all of the guess work for you to create the most memorable movie nights at home! It’s packed with 10 pre-planned movie nights, just like this Hocus Pocus night, each complete with a 3-course meal, printable menus, and a delicious cocktail or mocktail to match the theme. Whether you’re a fan of classic Halloween movies or just looking for a fun way to spice up a movie night at home, this cookbook has everything you need to create a magical experience.
From Winnie’s Spell Book Brownies to Salem’s Spell Cocktails, every dish is designed to make your favorite movies come alive. Download the cookbook now and start planning your next Halloween Dinner and a Movie Night! And in case you missed them, check out some of my other Halloween Dinner and a Movie Nights -- The Addams Family, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice.
And don’t forget, next week we’ve got even more Halloween fun in store – Next week, we are finally watching Coraline. I had never seen the movie until I was prepping to make this meal, and I seriously loved it! You're definitely going to want to check back to see the delicious food i made up!
