Brett and Mandy Date Night: Harry Potter Date Night!

Harry Potter Themed Date Night

She Said:

It’s no secret that Brett and I love our themed date nights… So I thought, why not plan a whimsical night for my honey by throwing together a Date Night with the theme of his all-time-favorite film, Harry Potter?

The best part is, it’s super easy (and VERY appreciated for its creativity!).

So, instead of recapping our adventure, I’ll simply supply you with how you can throw a night like this yourself!

Serve up dishes straight from the table at Hogwarts and sweet treats from Honeydukes.

This menu is a combination of strictly magical dishes (without the magical side effects, of course - depending on how much butter beer you drink) and traditional British favorites all mentioned in the Harry Potter book series.

Acid Pops (click for recipe!) - Use super-sour lollipops and roll them in Pop Rocks for a super effect! Use honey to make the Pop Rocks stick if necessary

Quidditch Players Pie - Quidditch players need a hearty meal to get them ready for the match. As Fleur Delacour says, this "zis 'eavy 'ogwarts food."

1 -1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 3/4 cups water
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup milk
10 oz pkg frozen peas and carrots
Enough mashed potatoes to cover
8 ozs. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the beef in a large skillet. When cooked, remove from heat, drain fat and set aside. Using the same skillet, add water and onion soup mix. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Whisk flour into milk. Add to skillet, and cook, stirring until a nice gravy forms. Add cooked beef and veggies. Stir to combine. Spray acasserole and put beef mixture on bottom. (Can be done ahead to this point). Spread potatoes over to cover and bake in 350 degree oven about 15 minutes or longer, until mixture is hot (if you’ve taken this straight from the frig, count on 30 minutes or so). Sprinkle with cheddar and put back in oven until cheese melts.

Licorice Wands (click for recipe!) - Be sure to stock up on your ride back to Hogwarts!

Mrs. Weasley's Rock Cakes - These should be crumbly in texture and are perfect for serving with tea. Just don't bake them too long or they'll turn out like Hagrid's rock cakes.

2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup(1 stick) butter
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin spice at Trader Joe’s works very well for this and it's a mixed spice blend)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dried fruit
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/8 cup granulated sugar (for sprinkling)
Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a large aluminum sheet.

Sift the flour, salt and mixed spice together in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small chunks and rub it into the flour until it has the consistency of large crumbs.
Stir in the sugar and dried fruit. Beat the egg and milk together.
Pour the egg mixture evenly over the flour/fruit mixture in the bowl. Using a large metal tablespoon, blend the mixtures together to form a rough dough.
Using the spoon, dollop portions of dough onto the aluminum sheet. Sprinkle each mound with plenty of granulated sugar.
Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes - smaller rock cakes will take about 12 minutes.

Ton-Tongue Toffees (click for recipe!) - Your tongue might not grow four feet long, but the toffees are going to taste delicious on them.

Pumpkin Pasties (click for recipe!) - Just like the ones available on Hogwart's Express and Honeydukes.

Butterbeer (click for recipe!) - Hot or cold, butterbeer always hits the right spot.

Jelly Slugs (click for recipe!) - These slugs will turn out even if you don't have a fancy slug-shaped pan.

Cauldron Cakes - These delicious spice cakes are like the ones sold on Hogwarts Express.

Bake your favorite chocolate or devils food cupcakes according to the instructions, without using paper cup liners. Slice off the top of the crown of each cupcake so that when it is turned upside down, it sits flat. This gives you more of a cauldron shape than a cupcake shape. Cut black string licorice into small pieces and poke them into the cupcakes as cauldron handles. Makes about 3-dozen.

Now, you're probably wondering who on earth has the time to do all of this before dinner time...?

Well, NOT ME. As much as i wanted to stick to this menu, there was no way i could do all this between 6pm and 7pm on a Thursday Night.

So, if you are in a pinch and don’t have a ton of time to make all these goodies yourself, you can do what I did, and head on over to your local market on your way home from work and pick up a ton of yummy dishes to make the table look fancy and full.

My spread included roast chicken on a bed of French fries, some appetizers from the freezer section (Trader Joe’s has the best! be sure to get a lot of little pies and rolls), Jelly Bellies (in lieu of every flavor beans), mini-oranges, corn, pumpkin juice (V8 Fusion, actually) and a giant cupcake treat for dessert.