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. I do have an Amazon List where I add products I have purchased and used for these movie nights. I only put items I actually liked on this list so I would be incredibly grateful if you checked it out. I will make a little commission if you purchase through my links and that would really help with the cost of the website and other 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 don’t disrupt the flow of the movie, so I do not pause. It’s also important to me to enjoy the movie with my guests. 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 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 have 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

4oz Orange Juice

2oz Tequila

¾ oz grenadine syrup

Instructions- Add the orange juice and tequila to a glass with ice and stir. Then, add the grenadine syrup. Do not stir after adding the syrup. The syrup is thicker than the orange juice and tequila, so it will sink to the bottom and create a Tequila Sunrise.

Ingredients- Serving size 6 pastries

1 package of 2 ready-to-bake Puff Pastry sheets (I use the brand Pepperidge Farm, found in the freezer section)

1 package of Swiss Cheese (Slices or shredded)

1 package of Ham slices

1 8oz package of cream cheese (softened)

½ cup of guava jam

*Feel free to replace this pastry with something more to your taste. It may seem like a strange combination but I’m from Miami and guava, queso, and jamón is a very popular, delicious combination here!

Instructions

1. Allow the puff pastry to thaw on your countertop for 20-30 minutes.
2. Cut each pastry sheet longways into 3 even cuts (2 pastry sheets equal 6 even cuts).
3. Layer swiss cheese on each of the puff pastries. If using slices, break them up so it doesn’t exceed the pastries edges.
4. Layer ham slices on top of swiss cheese. Break up the ham slices so it doesn’t exceed the pastries edges.
5. Roll up each stuffed pastry and place standing up in a greased, deep, oven safe dish. They’ll look like a savory cinnamon roll.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake rolled pastries for about 30 minutes or until the puff pastry is golden brown.
7. Meanwhile, using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and jam until smooth.

Once rolled pastries are done cooking, let them cool for about 10 minutes. Spread your cream cheese sauce on top. Serve with Ale and enjoy!

Ingredients- Serving size around 12 wings

3-4 Ibs of whole chicken wings

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tsp of salt

2 tsp of smoked paprika

2 tsp of garlic powder

1 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of black pepper

1 tsp of thyme

1 tsp of onion powder

¼ tsp of cayenne pepper (optional for additional spice)

¼ cup of your favorite hot sauce

Instructions-

1. Clean your chicken wings.
2. In a large bowl, add your cleaned wings, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, regular paprika, black pepper, thyme, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly so that each wing is evenly coated.
3. Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F and place the wings evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake wings for 1.5 hours.
4. Take the wings out of the oven, raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Drain any liquid on the baking sheet and bake the wings for another 20 minutes.

Take the wings out of the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Then, add them to a clean, large bowl. Drizzle your favorite hot sauce in the bowl and toss the wings to evenly coat. Arrange the wings on your serving plate to look like dragon wings, and enjoy!

This one is simple! All you’ll need is Sausage links, bacon (I used Canadian bacon), and a tomato cut in half. Cook everything in a pan until it’s cooked through and slightly browned.

Please note “Second Breakfast” is what I named this dish but it’s replicating a scene that comes before Pippin asks Aragorn about Second Breakfast. Surprisingly, a lot of people had an issue with this, so I thought I’d clarify.

Bread is pretty cheap, so I actually bought this loaf to save time. I do have a really delicious and easy bread recipe though, so if you have the time, try it out!

Ingredients-

3 cups of flour

2 tsp of salt

2 tsp of instant yeast

1 ½ cups warm water

Additional flour for sprinkling on the dough

Instructions-

1. Add 3 cups of flour, salt, instant yeast, and water into a large bowl. Mix briefly until ingredients are combined. The dough will be sticky and rough.
2. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let sit in a warm place for 1.5 hours.
3. After the dough rises for 1.5 hours, sprinkle flour on a large piece of parchment paper. Then, transfer the dough to the floured parchment paper and shape the dough to so it’s round.
4. Sprinkle flour on top of the dough and cover with a damp towel. Let it rise for another 30 minutes.
5. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Note: If you do not have a dutch oven pot, add water to an oven safe pan and place it in the oven so steam starts being created. If you are using a dutch oven pot, this step is not needed.
6.  Score your dough by making a cut across the center of your doughball with a sharp knife. Place the parchment paper with your doughball in a dutch oven pot. With the lid on, bake for 30 minutes. If you do not have a dutch oven pot, place your parchment paper with your dough ball on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes uncovered, with the steam you created in the oven.
7. If you are using a dutch oven pot, remove the lid after 30 minutes and bake uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes until your bread turns a golden brown.

When I make this bread for movie nights, I like to make it days in advance to save myself time the day of the movie night. To keep the bread as fresh as day one, freeze the bread in the same parchment paper once it’s cooled from the oven. When you’re ready to cook it the day of the movie night, re-hydrate the loaf of bread by running it under water, wrapping it back in the same parchment paper, and baking it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes until it’s cooked through. This bread hack is fool proof and it tastes just as fresh and fluffy as day one!

Ingredients- Serving size 4 pieces (This is a small portion for two but can be multiplied if you’re serving more people).

2 strips of thick cut bacon (cut in half to make 4 shorter pieces)

2 tbsp of brown sugar

1 tsp of black pepper

Instructions-

Remove from the oven and transfer the bacon strips to a clean plate. Let them cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container. If you are making this on a different day before the movie night, make sure to store them in the refrigerator.

Candied Bacon is best made using a wire rack so the bacon does not cook in its grease, making it chewy instead of crispy. But, if you do not have a wire rack, cooking on a parchment-lined baking sheet will still yield good results.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, add your brown sugar and black pepper and mix to create a dry rub for the bacon.

Coat both sides of your bacon strips with the dry rub by lightly patting it into the bacon. If using a wire rack, place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place your bacon strips on either the wire rack or the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. If you are not using a wire rack, remove the excess grease. Turn over the bacon strips and bake for another 10 minutes.

Ingredients- Serving size 1 drink

2 oz of Mezcal

1 oz of agave

.5 oz of blue curacao

.5 oz of lime juice

Instructions– Add all ingredients 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.

I personally am not skilled in making Octopus, so I ordered this dish from a local Peruvian restaurant. Peruvian cuisine has some of the best seafood, so if you also plan on ordering this dish, I recommend looking up a local restaurant in your area. Mediteranian restaurants have great grilled octopus too! If you do want to cook this dish yourself, I found this recipe that looks great! Click here for the recipe!

Ingredients- Serving size 1 drink

2 oz of vodka

1 oz of lemon juice

1 oz of simple syrup

Instructions– Add all ingredients 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 or without ice.

There have been many interpretations of this Elvish Waybread from the fandom. I chose a sugar cookie for this scene because it seemed to resemble what Legolas was holding. I also chose to save time with this dish by using a sugar cookie dough from the store. To make it look like Lembas, I rolled out the dough, cut it into squares, and used the back of a butter knife to make the X indentations. Then, I just baked them per the cookie dough instructions. If you want to make the cookie dough yourself, I suggest using this recipe. Sally has the best recipes! Cleck here for the recipe.

Ingredients-

4oz of cream cheese

1 package of regular Oreos

1 11.5oz package of milk chocolate chips

1 tbsp of coconut or vegetable oil

Instructions-

1. In a blender, add all the Oreos and blend until they are a sand-like consistency.
2.  Set aside half a cup of the blended Oreos for the fake dirt.
3. Add the rest of the blended Oreos to a bowl with the cream cheese. Mix until the cream cheese is completely incorporated with the Oreos. I use my hands. It’s messy, but it yields the best results.
4. Create stone shaped balls with the Oreo batter. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and put the baking sheet in the freezer so they can harden.
5. If you can melt the chocolate for dipping in a double boiler, use this method. Or use the microwave method. In a microwave-safe container, add the chocolate chips and oil. Microwave for 30 seconds and then remove and stir. Then, keep microwaving in 15 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.
6. Once your chocolate is ready for dipping, dip each stone in the chocolate using a fork to remove the chocolate covered stone. Place each chocolate covered stone back on the parchment paper and when done, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator so the chocolate can completely harden.

Once hardened, store the truffle stones in an air-tight container. Serve on top of the fake dirt. You can also serve with pretzel sticks to represent the arrows. These are great to make days ahead of your movie night because they store well in the refrigerator, so I suggest making these ahead to save time the day of the movie night.