A lovely soup to have on a chilly Autumn day...
Ingredients
2 vegetable stock cubes
1 curry stock cube
1 bunch of Coriander finely chopped
3-4 oz of pumpkin
1 marrow diced
4 carrots
3 sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 tablespoon of butter
Method:
Cook everything together in a large pot of boiling water until everything has reduced and cooked, then pour out the soup into a sieve (make sure you catch the liquid underneath into a bowl). Then mash the softened vegetables, put the mashed veg back into the soup and cook until it has further reduced to a runny-thick consistency. This soup is really good served with garlic bread.
Tip: Once served into bowls, lightly pour cold single cream over each soup serving. It adds a lovely flavour and looks great if done in a little swirl.
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Pumpkin Pie
A classic for Halloween and very easy to make...
Shortcrust Pastry
4oz plain white flour
4oz butter
tsp sugar
tsp salt
cup of water
Filling
1 cup 1/2 of pureed pumpkin
8 floz of single cream
2 eggs
4-5 oz of brown sugar
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp of ground ginger
Method:
Roll out the pastry over a pie dish and fit into the corners, then mix together the filling in a bowl. Just pour the filling into the pie case and bake in a pre-heated oven at Gas mark 5/ 375degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
Shortcrust Pastry
4oz plain white flour
4oz butter
tsp sugar
tsp salt
cup of water
Filling
1 cup 1/2 of pureed pumpkin
8 floz of single cream
2 eggs
4-5 oz of brown sugar
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp of ground ginger
Method:
Roll out the pastry over a pie dish and fit into the corners, then mix together the filling in a bowl. Just pour the filling into the pie case and bake in a pre-heated oven at Gas mark 5/ 375degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
Samhain/Halloween October 31st 2011
Happy Halloween to you all!! The 31st of October is known to many people as Halloween, but it is also called Samhain, the day of the dead or just a day for spending time with family. Samhain also marks the end of the Seasonal year, when the cycle of the year finishes and starts again with All Saints day on November 1st.
Now is the time for being thankful for what nature has brought to you, for the fortune that may have come to you this year, for what you have yet to do and for what you need to improve on in the year to come.
Samhain is also the Day of the Dead, when you remember those that have passed away. Taking a walk outside is a brilliant way of clearing your head and fully appreciating the Season.
There are other ways to celebrate Samhain depending on your culture, beliefs and even time you have available to you.
Now is the time for being thankful for what nature has brought to you, for the fortune that may have come to you this year, for what you have yet to do and for what you need to improve on in the year to come.
Samhain is also the Day of the Dead, when you remember those that have passed away. Taking a walk outside is a brilliant way of clearing your head and fully appreciating the Season.
There are other ways to celebrate Samhain depending on your culture, beliefs and even time you have available to you.
- Put together a party and invite your closest friends and family, make or buy a banquet of little foods.
- Pumpkin Carving is my personal favourite, then use the insides for a homemade soup or pumpkin pie.
- Get busy in the kitchen and do some baking.
- Put together a Samhain alter and make an offering to your chosen Deity.
- Relax at home with your family and have a quiet dinner, make time for your family and have a Halloween themed movie night.
- Go for a walk and collect some fallen leaves to go on your Samhain Alter.
- Get creative and decorate your home
- Work on your Book of Shadows
Those are only a few ideas, there are millions of things you could do on Samhain. I hope everyone enjoys their day! Thankyou for reading!
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Song for Autumn
Whispering trees and chilly winds,
This is the song that Autumn sings,
Warm sun and dark mornings,
Welcome us to the time of falling.
This is the song that Autumn sings,
Warm sun and dark mornings,
Welcome us to the time of falling.
Mabon 21st-23rd September
Autumn is here! My favourite time of year because of it's colour and business. This is also the time of sacrifice. Mabon is used as a time to recognise that all things mus whither and die, but they will return in another form.
This is a good time to take a walk outside, to experience and feel the season surrounding you. Take photos of the changing leaves, watch for animals and listen to the sounds of Autumn.
Now is also the time for cleaning and preparing your home for Autumn, clean your windows, wash your curtains, clean out the fireplace and hoover. Don't forget to stock up on food, just as our ancestors used to make the Summer's harvest into jams and preserves to last through the Winter. Time is different now, and we can simply go to the Supermarket, but I still like to do it the old way.
Meditate on what the Summer has brought to you and how you plan to welcome the Autumn, how you celebrate it is of your own choosing. Making an alter, creating your own spells or leaving an offering are good ways to honour Mabon.
Happy Mabon to you all! Blessed Be.
This is a good time to take a walk outside, to experience and feel the season surrounding you. Take photos of the changing leaves, watch for animals and listen to the sounds of Autumn.
Now is also the time for cleaning and preparing your home for Autumn, clean your windows, wash your curtains, clean out the fireplace and hoover. Don't forget to stock up on food, just as our ancestors used to make the Summer's harvest into jams and preserves to last through the Winter. Time is different now, and we can simply go to the Supermarket, but I still like to do it the old way.
Meditate on what the Summer has brought to you and how you plan to welcome the Autumn, how you celebrate it is of your own choosing. Making an alter, creating your own spells or leaving an offering are good ways to honour Mabon.
Happy Mabon to you all! Blessed Be.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Wiccan Recipes - Lammas loaves
Lammas Loaves
1 1/2 cups warm water
1oz yeast
3 tsps honey
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 ozs butter
Melt extra butter for the topping
Method:
Mix honey, butter and salt into a bowl, pour in the warm water then stir well. Stir the 2 1/1 cups of flour gradually into the mix. While the mixture cools, dissolve the yeast in water then pour it into the mixture. Mix well, then add the 2 cups of whole-wheat flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured board with floured hands, to prevent sticking. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then place in a greased bowl with a damp cloth over it.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. This time knead the dough for 5 minutes, shape the dough into a loaf shape, or separate the dough into two then shape. Place the dough into a greased loaf tin, then let it rise again for an hour.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375-degrees for 45 minutes, once done and cooled. Eat the loaves with your family during a Lammas picnic or make the loaf part of your offering to the Divine!
Love, light and blessings to you all!
1 1/2 cups warm water
1oz yeast
3 tsps honey
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 ozs butter
Melt extra butter for the topping
Method:
Mix honey, butter and salt into a bowl, pour in the warm water then stir well. Stir the 2 1/1 cups of flour gradually into the mix. While the mixture cools, dissolve the yeast in water then pour it into the mixture. Mix well, then add the 2 cups of whole-wheat flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured board with floured hands, to prevent sticking. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then place in a greased bowl with a damp cloth over it.
Let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. This time knead the dough for 5 minutes, shape the dough into a loaf shape, or separate the dough into two then shape. Place the dough into a greased loaf tin, then let it rise again for an hour.
Bake in a preheated oven at 375-degrees for 45 minutes, once done and cooled. Eat the loaves with your family during a Lammas picnic or make the loaf part of your offering to the Divine!
Love, light and blessings to you all!
Lughnasadh - 1st August 2011
Merry Meet everyone, Lughnasadh (Lammas) has come around again. Right here in England the weather is changeable, but the best of the Sun does shine through occasionally, warming the ground and improving the harvest for this Summer. Personally, I am eagerly awaiting the Autumn months when nature changes into the most gorgeous colours.
I thought I might post some background information on the festival of Lughnasdh. This festival is also known as Lammas and it celebrates the first harvest of the year. The days are waning and Autumn is coming, so we begin to see the plants of Spring withering now, their fruits are dropping and getting ready to seed for the coming year.
Bread can be baked from the first grains of the harvest, a feast can be lain from the Summer fruits and vegetables of the harvest. From the old celtic religion, the feast would honour the foster Mother of Lugh, who died from exhaustion after planting the crops.
This is also the time to give thanks to the Sun God and the harvest, as he is now ageing and it was his loving rays of light that brought life to our harvest.
With the colder months approaching, don't forget to store your Summer harvest for the Winter. You can do this by preserving fruits and vegetables in cans or freezing.
To celebrate Lughnasadh, here are some tips to enjoy the festival:
I thought I might post some background information on the festival of Lughnasdh. This festival is also known as Lammas and it celebrates the first harvest of the year. The days are waning and Autumn is coming, so we begin to see the plants of Spring withering now, their fruits are dropping and getting ready to seed for the coming year.
Bread can be baked from the first grains of the harvest, a feast can be lain from the Summer fruits and vegetables of the harvest. From the old celtic religion, the feast would honour the foster Mother of Lugh, who died from exhaustion after planting the crops.
This is also the time to give thanks to the Sun God and the harvest, as he is now ageing and it was his loving rays of light that brought life to our harvest.
With the colder months approaching, don't forget to store your Summer harvest for the Winter. You can do this by preserving fruits and vegetables in cans or freezing.
To celebrate Lughnasadh, here are some tips to enjoy the festival:
- Have a family picnic with Summer food
- Purify and ready your home for the Winter months by cleaning, wash the curtains, clean the fireplace or clean out your cupboards.
- Bake fresh Lammas loaves with your family
- Work on your Book of Shadows
- Do some work in your garden
- Have a day to yourself, take a long bath with some essential oils and meditate on what you have achieved since last Winter. But also think about what you want to achieve in the future months.
I will be posting a new section on Wiccan recipes soon, so look out for the recipe for Lammas bread. Blessings to you all and have a lovely Lughnasadh!
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