Practical Magic is one of my all-time favorite movies. The story, the cast, the magic, the house—it’s impossible to go wrong with this film, and I’ve been watching it since I was a child. I always knew it was based on a novel, but for some reason, I never sought out the books. A few years ago, though, I stumbled upon Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman through Book of the Month. I picked it up on a whim, only to realize it was the prequel to Practical Magic. That kicked off my journey through all three of the Owens books, and they were absolutely delicious. The novels made me love the movie even more, opening up a world of Owens women we either barely knew or had never met before.

Since Halloween is around the corner – and everyone deserves a midnight margarita – I couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up October than with this magical read.

Book Overview

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is a tale of sisterhood, love, and the legacy of magic that follows the Owens family, feared for their witchcraft for over 200 years. The story centers on two sisters, Gillian and Sally, who are raised by their eccentric aunts in a small Massachusetts town. Both sisters try to escape their family’s magical past—Sally by seeking a normal life and Gillian by leading a wild, nomadic existence—but they are inevitably drawn back into it when danger and tragedy strike. The novel explores themes of love, loss, and the bonds of family as the sisters confront their own fears and the curse that dooms any man who falls in love with an Owens woman.

The Perfect Pairing

Why Apple Pie and Cote de Rhone Red Blend

When I started thinking about what recipe to pair with Practical Magic, there were so many options. The two easiest that came to mind were chocolate cake or pancakes—both comforting and fitting. But I just did breakfast and dessert for other books, so I wanted to switch it up. Then, my heart went back to the scene where Michael dies, and I remembered the green apples. Now, in the book, Michael is hit by a truck, but he’s not delivering apples. So, with this recipe, I’m blending inspiration from both the book and the movie by going with a classic apple pie—perfectly sweet with a touch of bittersweet nostalgia, just like the story.

I decided to go with a Cotes de Rhone red blend because it felt fitting to the house, the story and the women. However, you can swap this wine out for a midnight margarita if you so choose.

The Audio Choice

“Crystal” by Fleetwood Mac pairs well with the themes of Practical Magic because its lyrics and tone reflect the deeper, mystical elements of the novel, particularly in relation to love, fate, and self-discovery. The song speaks to the idea of seeing clearly for the first time, which mirrors Sally’s journey in both the book and movie. She struggles with love, loss, and finding her true self amid the magic and legacy of her family. Besides, nothing screams witch more than Stevie Nicks.

The Best Ever Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Dutch Apple Pie Topping

• 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (100g) lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup (112g) salted butter *softened

Pie Filling

• 7 cups peeled and finely sliced Granny Smith apples about 2½ pounds whole apples
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (50g) lightly packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons (23g) all-purpose flour
• Splash of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pie crust recipe

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425°F. 
• In a large bowl, combine all topping ingredients and use a fork or clean hands to mix ingredients until well-mixed and crumbles form. Place in the refrigerator.
• In another large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, both sugars, flour, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and pinch of nutmeg. Toss until well-mixed.
• Layer apples in the prepared pie crust. Slices don’t need to lie completely flat, but the more evenly they’re layered, without any air pockets, the nicer your layers will look when cooked and the less likely your pie is to sink in places.
• If using a shallow pie pan, you may have slightly too many apples. Fill crust until gently mounded. 
• Top apples with crumble topping, fitting as much of the crumble into the pan as possible.
• Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. If using a metal pie pan, set your pie on the baking sheet and place on the center rack in the oven. If using a glass, ceramic, or pyrex dish, place your pie on the center rack and the sheet on the bottom rack.
• Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on your crumble and tent the top with a small piece of foil if the sugar begins to burn. Turn heat down to 350°F and bake for 45-55 minutes. Cover the top of the pie with foil if at any time it begins to brown too quickly. The pie is done when you can insert a knife into the center and feel that the apples are cooked through.
• Cool for 30 minutes and enjoy or cool completely and store covered at room temperature. To reheat, bake at 325°F until heated through (20-30 min).

This recipe was slightly adapted by the Baking Mischief and can be found here.

So, dear readers, let’s celebrate this magical season by stepping into the spellbinding world of Practical Magic. Embrace the charm, make a midnight margarita that Gillian and Sally would adore, and let the magic of this beautifully woven story remind us of the power of sisterhood, love, and embracing who we truly are.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the magic or join the conversation, don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Threads at @winedineandread. I’ll be sharing enchanting moments from the book, kitchen magic, and more witchy delights that didn’t make it into this post.

See you next week for another literary and delicious adventure!

PS: if you wanted to make midnight margaritas – I found a great recipe from The G&M Kitchen that looks amazing! Link to the recipe is here.

Image Credit

All images are produced by Wine, Dine, and Read unless otherwise stated. Other images not produced by WDR in this blog and on social media are: