At the time of creating The Lord of the Rings Culinary Movie Nights, my husband and I were living in a temporary space so a lot of what I used was not mine. The only item you see in the Two Towers video that I own and absolutely love is the edible glitter for the Look To The East Mimosas. I bought it for this movie night and the little pod is still full after many more uses. If you plan on buying the edible glitter I would be incredibly grateful if you used my link by clicking here. I will make a little commission and that would really help with the cost of the website and related expenses. You can find my full Amazon List here!

1. Personalizing the Menu– When planning your menu for your movie night, don’t feel pressured to serve exactly what I chose to serve. Feel free to remove/add/replace dishes so it makes sense for you and your guests. I’ve included an editable menu in this guide to make it your own!
2. Managing Your Time– These movie nights can take a lot of time to prepare, especially if you plan on doing everything yourself. If you are planning a culinary movie night with a group, I suggest doing a potluck style. Have each person contribute a dish or two, and it’ll be very manageable. If you are planning on preparing everything yourself, here are some things I’ve learned while doing these often:
   • Make A To-Do List– I can’t stress this enough! It’s very easy to forget simple things like opening a bottle of prosecco before you start the movie so you aren’t fumbling with the seal before serving. I have done this so many times! Your to-do list should include absolutely everything you need to do leading up to pressing play.
   • Start Early– I learned this after a few very long days of trying to cook, prepare, and host all on the same day. Anything that can be done in advance should be done during the days leading up to the movie night. Some examples include pre-mixing cocktails, making desserts and other foods like soup that hold up well in the refrigerator, and pre-making any handmade decorations. Hosting is stressful enough without having to make a multi-course meal in one day, so get as much done as possible before.
   • No Pausing– The question I get asked the most is “Do you pause the movie to bring out the next dish?”. It’s important to me that I enjoy the movie with my guests, so I do not pause. Setting up everything I need before the movie helps me bring out each dish efficiently. The setup usually includes plating each dish and storing it in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is quickly microwave it before serving. I set out any garnish or decoration on my kitchen counter so it’s easily accessible. I even pour the cocktails into their cups and store them in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is add ice and any finishing touches before serving. Always think about how you can do the bare minimum during the film. I always include the setup in my to-do list as well so I don’t forget about any aspect of the preparation.
   • Optional– If your budget permits, I recommend ordering food that you may not be confident in cooking or food that may take a lot of time to cook. I do this occasionally, and it helps cut down the preparation time and supports local businesses. Win Win!
3. Decorations- Have fun and decorate your space and serving tray! Add elements from the theme of the movie, but make a budget and stick to it! I usually use things I already own because these movie nights are DIY, and I don’t need to spend a fortune to make it fun. If I do buy decorations for the movie night, I try to find cheap or reusable things. If you are curious about some of the things I’ve used during the movie nights, here is a link to my Amazon List. All these items are things I bought with my own money and enjoyed using.
4. Manage Stress- Culinary Movie Nights are fun and a great way to show your friends and family you love them. Sometimes, things you envision in your head will not come out perfectly. When this happens to me, it can be discouraging and stressful, but the people I do these for have NEVER expressed anything but appreciation. Go easy on yourself and remember that your guests are just happy to be there and experience something you put so much thought and time into making.

I have created a free, editable and printable, menu for all of the dishes I served for the Culinary Movie Night! Feel free to change it to what will work for you and your guests.

Click here for the link!

These are the cues I used during the movie night so I knew when I had to get the next dish ready to serve.

Please note: Each cue describes a scene that happens a few minutes before I have to serve the dish. It does not describe the scene the dish is based on. Some people get confused with that, so I thought I should specify. Because the cues only give you a few minutes to prepare the dish, it’s very important to have everything cooked and set up before the film starts. Review the “Tips” section above for ways to make this seemless.

I often get asked why I don’t use time stamps to keep track of when to serve the next dish and the simple answer is, I don’t find those helpful. If I used time stamps, I would have to have a seperate timer going or keep disrupting the movie to check the timestamp. It makes much more sense to have cues to indicate when the next scene is about to happen. This allows me to enjoy watching the film with my guests.

Below is the link to the cues I used. This document is editable so you can make updates if you decide to take out or change dishes.

Click Here!

Ingredients- Serving Size 1

2 oz tequila

1.5 oz coconut milk

.5 oz triple sec

.5 oz lime juice

.5 simple syrup

Sugar for the rim

Honey or simple syrup for the rim

Instructions-

Add tequila, coconut milk, triple sec, lime juice, and .5 oz of simple syrup to a container with a lid and shake to combine. Multiply the ingredients depending on how many people you’re serving. Store the container in your refrigerator, and when it’s time to serve, shake it again and evenly pour into each glass with ice.

To make the sugar rim, pour the sugar into a shallow dish. Use enough sugar to completely coat the bottom of the dish. Follow the same steps for the honey or simple syrup. Dip the rim of each glass in the honey/simple syrup and then dip it in the sugar. Do this before serving because the sugar may start to drip if left out for a while.

There have been many interpretations of this Elvish Waybread from the fandom. In The Fellowship of the Ring, I chose a sugar cookie because that resembled what Legolas was holding. In The Two Towers version, Sam is holding something thicker and more bread-like, so I went with a mini focaccia loaf wrapped in a banana leaf. I live in South Florida, so it’s very common to find banana or plantain leaves in the freezer section of any supermarket. If you do not have easy access, I suggest looking for a local Latin American, Caribbean, or Asian market as they are used in these cuisines often.

Click here for a good mini focaccia recipe!

For Orc Draught, the consistency and color reminded me of a Port Wine so that’s what I used. Port wine is usually higher in alcohol content and sugar, which gives it a thicker, darker look than regular wine. You can find port wine in the dessert wine section at your local liquor store. I bought this one from Trader Joe’s. If you live near a location, they have the best wine prices, in my opinion!

For Man Flesh, I used the “Frank’s in a Blanket” sold by Costco. I honestly just had them in my freezer already so it worked out, but you can use any pigs in a blanket for the joke to work. If you want to make them, it’s super easy!

All you’ll need is Lit’l Smokies sausages and small strips of puff pastry. Wrap the sausages in the puff pastry and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. You can also make the British version of pigs in a blanket, which is sausage wrapped in bacon and baked. I guess just choose if you want your man flesh to have a turtleneck or not. LMAO!

Congress was a blessedly easy and delicious dish to serve. My main goal was to find aged charcuterie-style food like cheese and meat to, well you know… reference a brainwashed, old, deteriorating political figure like poor Théoden… or Congress. I found prosciutto labeled dry-aged and a Gruyère cheese labeled cave-aged. Browse the supermarket and you should find something similar.

Viggo’s Toe was a funny little Easter Egg I decided to include for the hardcore fans. A fan-favorite fun fact about The Two Towers filming is that Viggo Mortensen, the actor who plays Aragorn, broke two of his toes during the scene where he kicks a Uruk-Hai helmet. The scream we hear in the scene is 100% real. Poor Viggo!

I chose bacon-wrapped stuffed dates for this dish because I’ve always thought they resemble toes. It is very simple to make. You will need the following:

Ingredients-

Dates (If they don’t come pitted, you will need to remove the pit by cutting a slit into them and removing it by hand.)

Bacon strips

Goat cheese or another type of spreadable cheese

Honey

Instructions- Cut a slit into the middle of each date. Just enough to remove the pit and add spreadable cheese to the hollow center. Wrap the stuffed date with bacon, place on an oven-safe pan, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then, drizzle honey on top and bake for another 10 minutes. I like to add the honey halfway through the cooking process because it’s high in sugar so it’ll burn easily if cooked for too long. To serve, you can drizzle a little more honey on top, but this is optional.

Ingredients- Serving Size 1

2oz gin

1oz lavender syrup

1 oz lemon juice

Gummy worms for garnish

Lemon grass for garnish

Instructions- Add all ingredients besides the garnishes to a container with a lid and shake to combine. Multiply the ingredients depending on how many people you’re serving. Store the container in your refrigerator, and when it’s time to serve, shake it again and evenly pour into each glass with ice. Add the lemon grass and gummy worms and serve.

We’re all Samwise in this scene, right?! The famous Po-Tay-Toes is a must when doing a Lord of the Rings Culinary Movie Night! 

“Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew! Lovely big golden chips!”

I decided to go all out, but feel free to only do one or two. We ended up having a lot of leftovers.

For the chips or fries– I chose to save time by using a frozen bag of fries, but if you want to make them at home, it’s super easy! First, clean your potatoes. I like to use russet potatoes. Chop them long ways and to the thickness you prefer in a fry. To make them extra crispy, dunk them in a bowl of ice water and then pat dry with a towel. If you want to skip that step, then go straight to placing your potatoes on a parchment-covered baking sheet (don’t over crowd them) and coat them with olive oil and seasoning. I like using either Cajun seasoning or Lawry’s seasoned salt. Bake the fries at 350 degrees F until they are tender and crispy. Around 30-45 minutes, depending on how many fries you’re making.

For the mashed potatoes- I decided not to get fancy with these for the sake of time. I just cut a few handfuls of Yukon potatoes in half and boiled them in water until they were tender in about 20 minutes. Then I drained the water and set aside half the potatoes for the boiled potato part in a bowl. For the mashed potato half, I added a few tablespoons of butter and some heavy cream, and mashed the potatoes. Then, I just added salt, black pepper, and garlic to taste. This is a great dish to make ahead of time and reheat in the microwave.

For the boiled potatoes– With the other half of the cut and boiled potatoes I set aside in a bowl, I drizzled olive oil on them and seasoned them with salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, and rosemary powder. I tossed the potatoes until evenly coated and then they are ready to go. This is a great dish to make ahead of time and reheat in the microwave.

For the stew- Samwise was making an herb and rabbit stew during this scene, but I decided to serve a Dominican stew my mother-in-law made called Sancocho. I always thought Sam’s stew looked identical to its yellow color and chunky ingredients. Click here for a recipe by a Dominican creator I love!

Other stews or soup would absolutely work here, too! The main thing to consider is the yellowish color and of course add the PO-TAY-TOES! 

You could also go with a red lentil soup (it comes out more yellow) Click here for the recipe.

Butternut squash soup is a goo option too! Click here for the recipe.

For Gollum’s So Juicy Sweet song, I decided to go with these adorable Taiyaki Ice Creams. The outer fish layer is a soft cone, and the inside is stuffed with ice cream. The flavors usually vary between vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, matcha, and red bean paste. You can find these at most Asian markets.

I definitely showed my age with this one, but I had to shout out Avril Lavigne! These were pretty easy to make; all you have to do is balance them just right. You’ll need Nutter Butters for the skateboard and mini Reese’s for the wheels.

A classic mimosa with edible glitter. I love using edible glitter with these movie nights! A small amount goes a long way, so the little pot I bought is still completely full over a year later. I like my mimosas mostly prosecco with a little bit of orange juice, but feel free to adjust to your liking. You’re going to start by putting a very small dusting of edible glitter in your champagne glass. Then, fill the glass ¾ full with prosecco and top the rest with orange juice. I also used a little camera light I had to light up the scene.