Harry Potter mania comes to a head this week as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" is released Friday in theaters nationwide. The film is the last of eight films based on the seven-book fantasy series by British author J.K. Rowling that's produced

books worldwide.

Since the release of Rowling's first Potter book — published as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" in the U.K. in 1997 — the cult of Harry Potter has spread in ever-widening circles, culminating at intervals with the release of new movies each year since 2001 or whenever a new book was published (the last was published in 2007).

To help you celebrate the final installment of the Potter series in theaters, I've compiled a list of Harry-Potter-inspired recipes from around the Internet below. For those who haven't read the books and need a primer on the world's comestibles — or for those who've read the books and need a reminder — check out the essay

by Susanna/pigwidgeon37 from The Harry Potter Lexicon. A sample:

"Food descriptions create atmosphere in JKR's books. ... But the reader's impressions are not evoked by what would seem the most obvious of the five senses to be connected with food, namely the olfactory, it is the colour that makes us feel the warmth and comfort of Hogwarts' Great Hall, the floating candles casting their yellow light, the golden plates, the orange pumpkin juice and the colours of the dishes that range from green (sprouts, peas) over orange and yellow (carrots, boiled potatoes, Yorkshire pudding) to the various shades of brown of the grilled meat, a touch of dark red is added by the ketchup."

The recipes below cover snack, dessert and beverage recipes. If you want more, check out Dinah Bucholz's

for more than 150 "magical recipes for wizards and non-wizards alike" or do a search online for Harry Potter recipes.

If you have your own Harry-Potter-inspired recipe, feel free to share it in the comments section below.

HARRY POTTER SNACKS AND DESSERTS:

Britta Peterson, at www.britta.com/hogwarts, has compiled a list of Harry Potter recipes — with great pictures — she used for a Harry Potter celebration party. Recipes include:

Treacle Tarts:

Pumpkin Pasties:

Peppermint Toads:

Licorice Wands:

Acid Pops:

Cauldron Cakes:

Why are they called Rock Cakes? It's not because they're hard. "The reason they are called rock cakes is because when you drop them on to an aluminum sheet, they resemble the shape of a rock." From the food blog The Barest Hint of Sweetness.

"We promise it's been anti-jinxed to keep your tongues small!" From fan site MuggleNet. Other great Harry Potter recipes from MuggleNet include:

Golden Snitch Cakepops:

Fever Fudge:

Golden Snitchcakes:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Frogs:

Instructables.com has some great Harry Potter recipes, including:

Puking Pastilles:

Nosebleed Nougat:

Sugar Quill with Edible Ink and Parchment:

Fainting Fancies:

Honeyduke's Chocolate Frogs:

The only recipe you'll need for these is your wallet, as Jelly Belly makes an official version you can buy. "Flavours" include standards like banana and blueberry, along with the perhaps less common booger, earthworm, earwax, soap, vomit and more.

HARRY POTTER DRINKS:

A recipe for the Potter fan favorite from Fox News of all places.

Another recipe from britta.com/hogwarts, this one involves baking a pumpkin and can take an hour or two. Britta also offers a recipe for

using butterscotch schnapps.

Honey, nutmeg, ginger and almond extract in a quart of water. Another recipe from MuggleNet. Also try their recipes for

and

.

Simon A. Thalmann is the online editor for Booth Features. He can be reached at sthalmann@kalamazoogazette.com.