magic inspired food
katy
10/28/10
I'm doing an event for 100 people and the theme is magic. They want the food to fit in. I'm at a loss. There older people that volunteer at our library. Any ideas?
ellen
10/29/10
Hmm. How about stuffed things with hidden stuffings, like chicken cordon blue? A salad of arugala or "ramp" as in Rapunzel?

You need to get hold of the book, "Magic in Food; Legends, Lore, and Spellwork" by Scott Cunningham.

ellen
10/29/10
There is also an "Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook".

Here are some ideas from a kids' magic party-

* 'Fortune Cookies'
* 'Magic Wands' made from a cheesy pastry dough
* 'Rabbit Cookies' and sandwiches made using a rabbit cookie-cutter
* 'Popcorn Surprise' Prepare individual cups of popcorn for each child and place a small toy at the bottom of each cup before filling with popcorn. Warn the kids to eat carefully!
* 'Rainbow Cocktail' Make ice cubes using different colored fruit juices. Fill individual clear cups with lemonade, 7 up, or ginger ale and add a couple of colored ice cubes. Watch the kids faces as the ice begins to melt!

Magic Rabbit Ice Cream Balls
Make a large ice cream ball for each of your guests. Roll each ball in coconut flakes and set it on a flattened cupcake wrapper. Use black jelly beans for the rabbit’s eyes, and a red jelly bean for its nose. Use halved sugar cookies to make the rabbit's "ears." Store them in the freezer until ready to serve.

Here are some game ideas:
MAGICIAN - How many words can your guests come up with using the letters in the word Magician?

Penny Magic - Pick 5 pennies with different dates and place them in a top hat. Ask one of your guests to pick a penny and look at the date, without telling what it is. Pass the penny around so everyone knows the chosen date. Quickly put the penny back into the hat and shake up the pennies. Let your “Penny Magician” (birthday child) reach into the hat and pull out the chosen penny. The Penny Magician will know which penny was chosen because copper absorbs heat, making the penny that everyone has handled warmer than the rest. Once everyone learns the secret penny magic, let each child take a turn being the Penny Magician.

Magic Jelly Beans - Before the party, fill a large jar with red, black and white jelly beans. (Remember to count the jelly beans before putting them in the jar.) During the party, write down each child’s guess of how many beans they think are in the jar. At the end of the party, gather everyone together and announce the actual number of jelly beans in the jar. The child with the most accurate guess wins the jar of magic jelly beans!

Card Memory - Take a deck of cards and shuffle them well. Lay them face down on the floor or a large table. Each player takes a turn flipping two cards over. If they don’t match, the player turns them back over and another player takes a turn. If they do match, the player keeps them and continues flipping until they are unable to make a match. The object of this game is to find as many matches as you can.

Sneaky Magician - Only a sneaky magician can outwit a gang of thieves! Choose a child to be the Sneaky Magician, seat them in a chair, and blindfold them. Place a special magical item beneath the chair, (top hat, deck of cards, magic eight ball, etc.) which the Magician must protect from the thieves. Only one thief may try to steal from the Magician at any given time. Since the Magician is blindfolded he/she must listen closely for the thief and touch them with their hands or feet before they steal the magical item. A thief who is caught becomes the next Magician. If the Magician does not catch the thief, the magical item is replaced under the chair so another thief can try.
Hat Trick - Set a top hat in the middle of a large room and tell the children to form a circle around it. Pass out an equal number of playing cards to each guest and take turns tossing the cards into the hat. (Adjust distance to match the skill and patience level of your guests.) Any player who gets a card in the hat gets to continue tossing until they miss. The player who tosses the most cards into the hat gets to start the next round.

Cape Decorating - Have the guests create their own Magician's cape. Provide them with capes and fabric paint pens. Have them write their name and "The Great" on the backs. Makes great party favors!