Disney movie night | Haunted Mansion
I've been dyinggg to do this movie night and share it with yall! haha! Spooky season is my top fave time of the year. As I'm typing this, I have a haunted mansion ambiance music video playing in the background to set the mood! haha! My hubby took me to go see this movie back in July when it came out, but I wanted to wait until closer to Halloween to create this and share it. It took me a while to come up with the menu and think of something I hadn't seen before! I also wanted to keep it simple so that it would be something families could do! Also because we have an almost 4 month old baby this time around and free time isn't really a thing! haha! :)
I think my fave part is the fun Madame Leota crystal ball drink! It was just so fun! The ghost shaped biscuits are surprisingly super delicious (they are a storebought hack) and go perfectly with the ghostly chili. We had 2nds and 3rds! I'm actually planning to make a big batch of this chili and a bunch of the ghosts to bring to our bible study next week! It's our turn to bring dinner and I thought this would be fun and easy enough to make for a crowd. The wake the dead cakes aren't anything super special but they are are a simple and fun little dessert!
just a couple of tips before you start:
These recipes are listed in the order in which I found the most efficient way to prepare them! For me, it worked out best to start with the cakes. While they are baking in the oven, work on the chili. Once the cake is done, it needs time to cool, and during that time, the chili will be finishing up, and then you can work on the biscuits. When the cakes are cooled, you can decorate them, saving the drinks for last! :)
shop the post:
*watch the video of me making everything here
Wake the dead coffin cakes: ⚰️
ingredients:
1 box of devils food cake mix
1/2 cup espresso or coffee (I used instant espresso)
1/2 cup avocado oil
3 eggs
milk chocolate icing
white icing cookie decorating pouch
coffin cookie cutter (linked here)
recipe:
Bake the cake according to the directions on the box, except trade out the water for coffee/espresso. If you watch my video on Instagram, I traded out the oil for greek yogurt and to be honest, I wish I hadn't! I'd suggest using oil or apple sauce rather than Greek yogurt for a better texture. ** I made these cakes a second time with avocado oil and they came out a lot better!
Spray a 9x13 pan with oil or nonstick spray, pour in cake batter and bake according to the box. Once fully baked, let cake cool completely on a wire rack. (It will cool more quickly if you take the cake out of the pan and let it cool on the rack.) Once cool, use a coffin shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes, cut the coffins in half lengthwise and cover them with chocolate frosting. Write "RIP" on the front and outline the outer rim with a white icing cookie decorating pouch and that's it!
Ghostly chili: 👻
Recipe adapted slightly from: cooking classy
ingredients:
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 32 oz carton low sodium chicken broth
1 7 oz can diced mild green chilies
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 12oz pkg frozen fire roasted corn (I like this one)
2 15.5oz cans cannellini beans
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken, I boiled 3 small chicken breasts (or use a rotisserie chicken)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
**note: Roasted corn isn't necessary for this to be yummy. it just adds an extra depth of flavor that I love. You can use regular fresh or frozen corn. You could also roast your own corn in a cast iron skillet on high heat until corn is a little charred-(google a recipe!)
recipe:
Dice up the onion (I used this nifty food chopper to make it easier.) Heat some oil and the onions on medium heat for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Shred the chicken during this time and set it aside. Add the garlic to the onions and stir, letting them cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 sec or so. Be careful not to let the garlic burn! :)
Add in the chicken broth, green chilis, all of the seasonings, and salt & pepper to taste (I did about a 1/2 tsp of each). Bring to a boil on medium high heat and then reduce to a medium low and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. While it's boiling, strain the beans and put 1 cup of beans and 1/2 cup of chicken broth into a blender or food processor and pulse until a smooth- set aside.
Add the cream cheese, beans, bean puree, and chilis to the pot, stirring to help the cream cheese melt & incorporate. Once the cream cheese is fully incorporated add in the corn and chicken, letting it heat through for a few minutes. Finally add in the lime juice, cilantro and mix well. Taste to see if it needs any more salt or pepper- add if needed and then it's ready to serve!
Happy haunts biscuits:👻
makes about 24 biscuits
ingredients:
1 package of store bought pie dough
toothpick
ghost cookie cutter (linked here)
recipe:
Preheat oven to 450°. Set out pie dough to thaw out for about 20 min or so. Once easy to unroll, use a ghost shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Roll the scraps into a ball and roll out with a rolling pin to make more. I was able to make about 12 ghosts for 1 sheet of pie dough. Place ghost cutouts on a parchment lined baking tray. Use a toothpick to make 3 holes in the ghost's face for eyes and a mouth. You can also fold in some of the arms to make ghosts look different, like I did! Bake at 450° for 10-15 min or until slightly golden brown.
Madame Leota's crystal ball:🔮
ingredients:
Glass bowls (linked here)
Light up coasters (linked here)
Edible glitter (linked here)
Lemon lime soda
glacier frost Gatorade
ice
**note: the glass bowls I used aren't officially for drinking out of but they worked perfect for the vibe I wanted. I just didn't want to pay a ton of money for fish bowl glasses. :)
recipe:
Stick the light up coasters on the bottom of the glass bowls. Add about 1/8 tsp of edible glitter to each bowl. Add your fave lemon lime soda- I used 7up and then top with blue Gatorade. You can use whatever juice you want here. I just wanted something that would be similar to the color of Madame Leota in the movie! Fill with ice (nugget ice would've been way better here, but I totally forgot to make some). Stir to make a crystal ball effect! Serve and enjoy!
If you do this please tag me!! I'd love to see it and I'd love to hear what you think!