Hello my pretties!
Imagine receiving an invitation to attend a a halloween bash hosted by Hagatha the Witch. You arrive at the witch’s home on a dark, dark night. The only light comes from flickering jack-o-lanterns and spooky faced luminaries as you make your way up the walk. Haunting music eerily emanates from the darkness. Suddenly, the door swings open and cackling is heard just before a grinning witch welcomes you into her party. Delicious and spooky looking food adorns the table, but the main course is still brewing… witch’s stew! All that is left to do is add a few final ingredients and chant the magic spell, and the witch’s brew will ready…
Witch’s stew is one of the best traditions we ever stumbled into! Our seriously fun and creative mom started witch’s stew several years ago, and it is the highlight of the party. Seriously, the kids LOVE it. You can use any soup recipe, as long as you come up with lots of spooky names for the ingredients. Or you can even use soup from a can or mix. Just choose some ingredients that can be added. One of my favorite soups we’ve done for Witch’s stew is Zuppa Toscana, because I think the kale looks so spectacular as swamp weed… and let’s face it, that soup is delicious!
PrintWitch’s Stew
Description
A super fun way to serve soup for Halloween. It will delight the children!
Ingredients
- 1 witch’s hat
- 1 magic wand (Could even be a wood stick)
- 1 cauldron (or stock pot)
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 recipe for your favorite soup with spooky names for all ingredients
- Containers for ingredients (examples include old honey jars, canning pint jars, glass votive candle holders, small drinking glasses. Choose a few different containers if possible, because the effect is better)
Save out a little of each of the main ingredients and place in containers with assigned names (I made labels for each of mine, but you could even just use a mailing label or similar). I think it is easier to save out ingredients and just microwave to cook them rather than trying to fish the ingredients out of the soup once it is all done. Cook the rest of the soup as directed. Now for the fun part! Put on your witch’s hat and assume character. Gather all the children around the Witch (you) and tell them that the witch’s stew is almost ready. Now call for each ingredient by its spooky name and have each child add one ingredient at a time as you stir with a large wooden spoon. After all ingredients have been added to the stew, wave your magic wand over the stew and chant the following spell:
“Gobble dee gook
With a wooden spoon
The laugh of a toad
at the height of the moon
Boil and bubble
Dance a jig,
If you eat all this
You’re a polka dot pig”
And believe it or not, that bewitching stew will make your party one of the most amazing and memorable Halloween bashes you’ve ever had!
Example: Zuppa Toscana
- ground sausage: rat’s brains
- sliced red potatoes: sliced troll’s toes
- chopped onion: mummified toenails
- chicken broth: gargoyle sweat
- whipping cream: werewolf saliva (I like to say, “Werewolf saliva collected at the full moon” when I add it to the stew)
- kale: swamp weed
- Parmesan cheese: white wood worms
- salt: crushed spiderwebs
- pepper: ground beetle legs
- crushed red pepper: dried fire ants
Other examples of fun names for ingredients:
- toad’s eyes
- sliced vampire heart
- monster brains
- chopped bat whiskers
- swamp slithers
- frozen ghost mist
- fish eggs
- hair from a skunk’s tail
- ogre teeth
- dried spider legs
- (the possibilities are endless!)
Janeil Kim says
This has become a tradition in our family as well, the kids Love it!! Thanks for sharing all the details!
Annette says
Thank you for your great ideas. We had a fun Halloween party with a lot of your ideas. The witch’s stew was a hit with the grandkids.
Annette says
Thank you for your great ideas. We had a fun Halloween party with a lot of your ideas. The witch’s stew was a hit with the grandkids.
Annette says
Thank you for your great ideas. We had a fun Halloween party with a lot of your ideas. The witch’s stew was a hit with the grandkids.
Melanie says
What a great post!! You really captured Mom’s fun tradition! My boys absolutely LOVED this when we lived there! it is so deliciously gross–perfect for Halloween:)
xo
Melanie says
What a great post!! You really captured Mom’s fun tradition! My boys absolutely LOVED this when we lived there! it is so deliciously gross–perfect for Halloween:)
xo
Melanie says
What a great post!! You really captured Mom’s fun tradition! My boys absolutely LOVED this when we lived there! it is so deliciously gross–perfect for Halloween:)
xo
Brittany says
oh my gosh, Mindy that was darling! It was like I really was at the party with Mom as Hagatha, haha!! That is SUCH a fun tradition!! Adorable presentation!!
Brittany says
oh my gosh, Mindy that was darling! It was like I really was at the party with Mom as Hagatha, haha!! That is SUCH a fun tradition!! Adorable presentation!!
Brittany says
oh my gosh, Mindy that was darling! It was like I really was at the party with Mom as Hagatha, haha!! That is SUCH a fun tradition!! Adorable presentation!!