At the time of creating The Lord of the Rings Culinary Movie Night, my husband and I were living in a temporary space so a lot of what I used was not mine. Below are all the items I did use that I purchased and loved:

Cocktail picks for garnish- Click here for the link.

Pipping kit for chocolate molds- Click here for the link.

Kitchen torch for Denethor Brulee- Click here for the link.

Butane for kitchen torch- Click here for the link.

If you plan on buying any of these items, I would be incredibly grateful if you use my links. 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!

“We are sitting on the field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good.”

For the CBD-infused old fashioned- This drink is inspired by Pippin and Merry celebrating after their victory over Sauron. They are seen enjoying pipe-weed, so I went with an infused cocktail. Feel free to omit the CBD from the recipe. There has also been an increased popularity in companies selling these cocktails at liquor stores so buying a premade drink is a great option too!

Click here for the recipe.

For the Chicharrón (Fried Pork Belly) 

Ingredients-

Pork Belly

Frying oil

Salt

Lime juice

Instructions–

1. I used one strip of pork belly for two people. Increase the amount depending on how many people you are serving. Clean your pork belly and slice it into one-inch pieces.
2. Add your frying oil (I like using avocado oil) to your deep frying pan and heat the oil over medium-high heat.
3. While the oil is heating up, lightly salt your pork belly pieces. Then, add them to the oil, and reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Turn over your pork belly every few minutes so they cook evenly. The cooking process takes about 30 minutes. You want your pork belly to be very crispy. If it’s undercooked, it’ll be chewy.
5. When your pork belly is done cooking, remove it from your pan and let it drain in a paper towel-lined bowl.
6. After a few minutes, remove the paper towel from the bowl and lightly drizzle lime juice on top. Then, sprinkle salt on top. Toss the pork belly so it’s evenly coated in the lime juice and salt.

This dish is best served fresh. Since it’s the first dish of the movie night, I recommend making this right before you start the movie night so you can serve it fresh.

Creamy Buffalo Meatballs

Ingredients- 2 servings

4 chicken meatballs

¼ cup of cream cheese (softened)

2 tablespoons of Frank’s RedHot

2 teaspoons of Ranch seasoning powder

Instructions-

I chose to use premade meatballs for the sake of time. My favorite brand is Amylu. Multiply the ingredients depending on how many people you serve.

1. Cook the meatballs based on the package’s instructions.
2. While the meatballs are cooking, add the cream cheese, Frank’s RedHot, and ranch seasoning to a bowl and mix until completely incorporated.
3. When the meatballs are done cooking, let cool for a few minutes and then add them to your sauce and toss to evenly coat.

This is a good dish to make ahead of time and reheat.

Bruschetta and Rotisserie Drumsticks in horror of Denethor! For the drumsticks, I saved time and money by using a rotisserie chicken from Costco (it’s only $5!!). If you are serving more than two people, this is still a great option because you can break up the whole chicken and feed many people. I also garnished the dish with vine tomatoes because of THAT SCENE!

For the Bruschetta, multiply the ingredients depending on how many people you serve.

Ingredients- Serving Size 2

2 long slices of a French bread loaf

1 Roma tomato- diced small

1 teaspoon of grated parmesan

¼ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

¼ teaspoon of olive oil

3 basil leaves, julienned

1 clove of minced garlic

A pinch of Salt and black pepper

Olive oil to drizzle on top of bread

Instructions-

1. To serve, plate the toasted bread on your serving plate, and top each piece with the tomato topping.
2. Place bread on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the oven at 400 Degrees F, until golden and crispy. It takes about 5-10 minutes, depending on how many slices of bread you are baking.
3. For the topping- Add the diced tomatoes, parmesan, balsamic vinegar, ¼ tsp of olive oil, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper to a bowl and mix to combine all ingredients.

To save time, I recommend making the tomato topping in advance and storing it in the refrigerator. Then, you just need to make the bread before serving.

This was an easy dish to serve! I used a smoked white fish dish from the supermarket and I served it in a clean tuna can to be on theme with the title. Don’t worry, the tuna did not go to waste. I used it to make tuna salad. You could use the tuna to serve instead of smoked white fish.

I chose to use smoked white fish as a little nod to Gandalf the Grey (the smoked part) becoming Gandalf the White (the white fish). This is an additional cost so if you want to save some money, I suggest using the tuna that comes in the can to make tuna salad instead. Click here for an easy recipe.

For the breadsticks- I went with a bread stick to match Gandalf’s staff he uses to beat the crap out of Denethor. I bought these at my local supermarket. They are in the cracker section, and there are usually several options to choose from.

I went with a black widow cocktail for the spider theme and a cobweb chocolate mold on top to match the scene where Frodo is trapped in Shelob’s web. Click here for the cocktail recipe.

For the Choclate Web Mold:

What you’ll need- You’ll need ½ a tablespoon of coconut or vegetable oil and half a 11.5oz package of white chocolate chips. I use this piping kit with the small circular tip for a precise mold but you can also use a sandwich bag and cut a small hole on the edge to save money. Just make sure it’s a good-quality sandwich bag because I’ve had the sandwich bag burst far too many times when using this method. If you do use the piping kit, I would be extremely grateful if you bought it through my link so I can earn a small commission to put towards the upkeep of the website and related expenses. Click here for the link.

Also here is a link to the cocktail picks I always use for garnishes. I’ve had them for years and absolutely love them! Click here for the link!

Make web shape- For these molds, I pulled up a line art drawing of a web. See below. I free-handed these webs, but for a more accurate chocolate mold, I recommend drawing the web you want on a plain piece of paper and then putting parchment paper over your drawing. Parchment paper is slightly transparent, so it creates the perfect tracing paper. If you are using this method, have this set up before you melt the chocolate because you will need to work fast with the chocolate piping.

Melting the chocolate- If you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler, use this method. Or use the microwave method. In a microwave-safe container, add the white chocolate chips and oil. Microwave for 15 seconds and then remove and stir. Then, keep microwaving in 10 seconds increments, removing in between to stir. Chocolate burns very easily so it’s important to only expose it to the heat of a microwave briefly while stirring often.

Making the mold- Once your chocolate is melted, add it to your choice of piping bag and start working immediately. Pipe your chocolate web mold on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet for stability. I suggest making a few extra molds just incase some of them break. Once you are done piping the molds, put the baking sheet with your molds in the refrigerator. Let them set for about 30 minutes. Once set, you can carefully transfer them into an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator.

Save time by making the cocktail mix and chocolate molds before the movie night. The cocktail could be made the day before, and the chocolate could be made days before. Also, save time by setting up your blackberry garnish before the movie and storing it in the refrigerator. Then you just have to add ice to your glass and assemble all the components.

Hobbits in a blanket is a play on pigs in a blanket, except I cut the puff pastry into thin strings to wrap the sausages. This gives the look of a mummy to match the scene where Frodo is wrapped up in a spider web cocoon.

Ingredients-

Lit’l Smokies Sausages

One can of Puff pastries

Instructions-

I chose to serve 4 little hobbits in a blanket for two people so make what you need for however many people you’re serving. I suggest making a few extras because some are going to come out looking better than others.

First, cut the puff pastry into thin ¼ inch long pieces. Wrap each sausage with the pastry, making sure to keep the “face” part of the sausage open so it resembles a mummy.

Bake your hobbits in a blanket on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until the puff party is fully cooked and golden brown. These can be reheated so to save time, you can make them in advance and reheat before serving.

For this dish, I went with a crème brulee to represent Denethor’s fiery exit. This dish is best served chilled overnight, so I recommend making this 1-2 days before your movie night. Once chilled, you just have to sprinkle the sugar on top and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar before serving. If you do not own a kitchen torch, here is a link for the one I use. I’ve owned it for almost 10 years and its still working great! I would be incredibly grateful if you use my link to buy the torch and butane. I will receive a small commission and that would really help with the cost of the website and related expenses. Thank you!!

Click here for Kitchen Torch Link

Click here for Butane Link

If you don’t feel like making these, you can probably find crème brulee kits at your grocery store. I’ve seen them where you just have to add the sugar and caramelize it. Costco also has them occasionally and they taste pretty good. If you do want to make them yourself, Click here for the recipe!

One of the most beautiful scenes from The Lord of the Rings franchise, in my opinion, is when Samwise holds Frodo and describes a beautiful picture of home. He describes the start of spring in the Shire with the orchards blossoming, the birds nesting, and eating the first of the strawberries with cream. I wanted a dish that would come to life the way his description did. I made strawberries with cream cupcake, topped with a robin’s egg nest and edible flowers. This dessert has a lot of components, so if you want to save time, you could serve the strawberries with cream cupcake by itself. If you are willing to put in the extra time though, I highly recommend replicating this dish because the presentation came out beautifully.

For the cupcakes- Click here for the recipe!

For the bird’s nest- Click here for the recipe!

For edible flowers- I purchased these from Whole Foods. I’m not sure if other grocery stores have them too but it’s worth checking. I used the left overs in a salad so none went to waste!

This dish is great for making ahead of time as well. You can store the cupcakes in the refrigerator and take them out a few hours before the movie starts so they can come to room temperature. The nests can be stored in the refrigerator along with the flowers. Then you just need to assemble the cupcakes before serving.

“My friends, you bow to no one”.

It’s impossible to watch this scene and not cry. So, I decided to serve a cocktail that is traditionally served with a cocktail onion…. Because who’s chopping onions!?

Gibson Cocktail:

Ingredients- Serves 1

2.5 oz of gin or vodka

.5 ounce of dry vermouth

Cocktail onions for garnish

This is the link for the cocktail picks I use. I have owned them for years and absolutely love them! If you want to buy them, I would be extremely grateful! I earn a small commission on the purchase and that will go to help pay for the website and other expenses.

Click here for the Cocktail Pick Link.