Thursday, April 28, 2011
Cupcake success
The cupcakes were well received, and I managed to get people to take the leftovers. I was left with one peanut butter cupcake. That reminds me...it's still in my car. I'd better go get it. I think I'll make a tres leches cake for my students for Monday's class party. Yum!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Magic at Work
I'm sorry my little episode of crazy interrupted the blog, but I'm mostly back to normal.
I will keep this short, simple, and as secretive as possible. I hate where I work. The people there make the environment very tense. There is a lot of bullying and intimidation.
We have a mandatory meeting this week. I have to stay for another meeting right after. That means no time for lunch, and my band won't let me eat breakfast. That means no food from dinner one night until after 2 the next afternoon. Oh my gods, someone would have to die! So I've decided to bake.
The other reason I'm baking is because I want to stir good feelings into the batter and try to create a more comfortable atmosphere. What improves the mood better than cupcakes? Nothing! Well, maybe kittens.
In lieu of buying everyone a kitten (there are about 40 of us, anyway), I've decided to bake four varieties of cupcakes and take them to work this week. I told a couple of my coworkers what I was planning, but I aim for it to be a surprise for everyone else.
I got most of the recipes from marthastewart.com and I plan to add a few of my own special touches to each one. Every cupcake will be made from scratch, as will its frosting. I'm just doing cream cheese frosting with different flavorings added because it's easy and it's my favorite. I don't enjoy making frostings that have to be cooked. Mine never turn out right.
I am making:
Peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter frosting
Devil's food cupcakes with coffee frosting
Yellow butter cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting
Pineapple upside down cupcakes. No frosting necessary.
I hope this little gesture will make people happy and not mind having to be there for so long. What do you all think?
I will keep this short, simple, and as secretive as possible. I hate where I work. The people there make the environment very tense. There is a lot of bullying and intimidation.
We have a mandatory meeting this week. I have to stay for another meeting right after. That means no time for lunch, and my band won't let me eat breakfast. That means no food from dinner one night until after 2 the next afternoon. Oh my gods, someone would have to die! So I've decided to bake.
The other reason I'm baking is because I want to stir good feelings into the batter and try to create a more comfortable atmosphere. What improves the mood better than cupcakes? Nothing! Well, maybe kittens.
In lieu of buying everyone a kitten (there are about 40 of us, anyway), I've decided to bake four varieties of cupcakes and take them to work this week. I told a couple of my coworkers what I was planning, but I aim for it to be a surprise for everyone else.
I got most of the recipes from marthastewart.com and I plan to add a few of my own special touches to each one. Every cupcake will be made from scratch, as will its frosting. I'm just doing cream cheese frosting with different flavorings added because it's easy and it's my favorite. I don't enjoy making frostings that have to be cooked. Mine never turn out right.
I am making:
Peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter frosting
Devil's food cupcakes with coffee frosting
Yellow butter cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting
Pineapple upside down cupcakes. No frosting necessary.
I hope this little gesture will make people happy and not mind having to be there for so long. What do you all think?
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Hi
Okay, so I admit it. Yes, I've been busy, and yes, I'm lazy, but that's not it. I've just been avoiding a Beltane post. It's one of my least favorite sabbats. It just reminds me of the fertility that I do not possess. It makes me long for the child I will never hold, and all that happy horseshit I don't want to talk about right now. I am avoiding it. I will be back after spring is over. @#$@!!!
Almost That Time Again
Beltane is almost upon us. How will you be celebrating? Besides the obvious, of course. ;) I'm working on some menu ideas, but I probably won't actually get a chance to do anything special. I'll be up to my eyeballs in final grades.
I'll be back with some traditional foods and a few recipes for Beltane. For now, please enjoy some music that I enjoy listening to at Beltane.
I'll be back with some traditional foods and a few recipes for Beltane. For now, please enjoy some music that I enjoy listening to at Beltane.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Beltane
Here it is more than halfway to Beltane and I haven't said a single word about it. Well, it's high time, don't you think?
MAYPOLE!!!
Seriously, though, I'll be back with a real post about Beltane as soon as I get my head screwed on properly. It's been one of those days.
MAYPOLE!!!
Seriously, though, I'll be back with a real post about Beltane as soon as I get my head screwed on properly. It's been one of those days.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
What's Cooking Today
Z's Family Cornbread
My mom has been making this cornbread for years. I think the recipe actually came as part of a grade school project when I was in the third grade. I don’t know who to credit; I just know it’s delicious. I added the sour cream.
3/4 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tablespoon (T). baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (t. ) salt
1 cup milk (1 1/4 for buttermilk)
1 egg
2 T. shortening or butter, melted
1/4 cup sour cream
Mix ingredients and pour into greased baking pan.
Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.
My mom has been making this cornbread for years. I think the recipe actually came as part of a grade school project when I was in the third grade. I don’t know who to credit; I just know it’s delicious. I added the sour cream.
3/4 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1 tablespoon (T). baking powder
3/4 teaspoon (t. ) salt
1 cup milk (1 1/4 for buttermilk)
1 egg
2 T. shortening or butter, melted
1/4 cup sour cream
Mix ingredients and pour into greased baking pan.
Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.
Friday, April 15, 2011
First Picnic of the Season
I'm celebrating spring and the season of rebirth by going on a picnic tomorrow. I put myself in charge of the food (natch) and we are having homemade cornbread, buttermilk fried chicken, sour cream potato salad with bacon and green onions, and peanut butter cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, courtesy of Martha Stewart. I can't wait! Even if the weather turns bad, we're having a picnic in the living room. I'm celebrating the visit of a friend I haven't seen since graduation 6 years ago. Have a blessed spring weekend, everyone.
My Kitchen Witch Philosophy
I guess I’m not your typical kitchen witch. Some people might even insist that I can’t call myself a kitchen witch because I don’t spend a lot of time mixing up recipes for magical purposes, but what do those people know? Okay, so maybe just simply being a Pagan in the kitchen and following a recipe doesn’t make a person a kitchen witch, but what *does*? I've been thinking about this post for ages, and here's what I have come up with so far.
Generally speaking, a kitchen witch works mainly in the kitchen (duh) with the tools s/he has on hand. It’s pretty basic, rustic magic. A kitchen witch may use specific herbs, spices and other ingredients for prosperity, love, protection, etc. Edible love potions can come out of the kitchen just as easily as a remedy for a nasty cough.
I believe that food is sacred. It supports life and should be respected, just as the land and water from which our food comes should be respected. While I am familiar with some of the magical properties of certain ingredients, working with those ingredients for those purposes isn’t always my main focus.
Do I have to do something like add my hair to a recipe to attract a lover? (Blech!) Or can I simply add a little extra cinnamon to my apple pie for love? How about cutting an equal-armed cross into my bread to honor Brigid? For me, it’s mostly about the latter.
My main focus is on celebrating the fertility of the earth. I am much more concerned with honoring the gods by taking what they have provided for us and turning it into a meal I can share with people. To me, cooking a meal can be a ritual by itself, a chance to honor the gods and the earth and give thanks for what I have. Sharing that food is like sharing a blessing. Breaking bread together can be like a ritual.
I try to use seasonal ingredients in order to get more in touch with the wheel of the year. I always stir clockwise. I say a blessing and give thanks for each meal. I give food freely to those who come into my home. I also donate food to food banks and visit sites such as www.thehungersite.com.
So what if I don’t always do spell work in the kitchen? I feel that I am in touch with the gods whether I’m scrubbing a potato or casting a circle. In fact, I feel more at home and more in tune scrubbing the potato.
Formal ritual just isn’t for me. Searching for the right athame or the right wand doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t care if I have those things. I have a good sharp knife and a sturdy wooden spoon. A soup pot is my cauldron. An electric stove is my sacred hearth, and when I am preparing a meal for myself or someone else, I feel the warmth of Hestia or Parvati. My kitchen is a circle. The circle is open, but unbroken. Come in. Namaste.
Generally speaking, a kitchen witch works mainly in the kitchen (duh) with the tools s/he has on hand. It’s pretty basic, rustic magic. A kitchen witch may use specific herbs, spices and other ingredients for prosperity, love, protection, etc. Edible love potions can come out of the kitchen just as easily as a remedy for a nasty cough.
I believe that food is sacred. It supports life and should be respected, just as the land and water from which our food comes should be respected. While I am familiar with some of the magical properties of certain ingredients, working with those ingredients for those purposes isn’t always my main focus.
Do I have to do something like add my hair to a recipe to attract a lover? (Blech!) Or can I simply add a little extra cinnamon to my apple pie for love? How about cutting an equal-armed cross into my bread to honor Brigid? For me, it’s mostly about the latter.
My main focus is on celebrating the fertility of the earth. I am much more concerned with honoring the gods by taking what they have provided for us and turning it into a meal I can share with people. To me, cooking a meal can be a ritual by itself, a chance to honor the gods and the earth and give thanks for what I have. Sharing that food is like sharing a blessing. Breaking bread together can be like a ritual.
I try to use seasonal ingredients in order to get more in touch with the wheel of the year. I always stir clockwise. I say a blessing and give thanks for each meal. I give food freely to those who come into my home. I also donate food to food banks and visit sites such as www.thehungersite.com.
So what if I don’t always do spell work in the kitchen? I feel that I am in touch with the gods whether I’m scrubbing a potato or casting a circle. In fact, I feel more at home and more in tune scrubbing the potato.
Formal ritual just isn’t for me. Searching for the right athame or the right wand doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t care if I have those things. I have a good sharp knife and a sturdy wooden spoon. A soup pot is my cauldron. An electric stove is my sacred hearth, and when I am preparing a meal for myself or someone else, I feel the warmth of Hestia or Parvati. My kitchen is a circle. The circle is open, but unbroken. Come in. Namaste.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Busy, Busy
My apologies for being away so long, but I've been busy with work stuff. I've also been busy looking for a new job for next year. My old university is hiring, as well as the place where I was in Turkey. Positive energies would be much appreciated!
I'm working on writing up my own kitchen witch philosophy, and it will either get posted here, sent to WitchVox, or possibly just sent out with my newsletter. The newsletter that I haven't written in a while. Ooops.
There you have it. I've been alternately busy and lazy (you can guess the proportions), but I'll be back soon with something somewhat interesting. I made that tofu scramble again on Friday and I highly recommend it. Delicious.
Have a lovely week.
I'm working on writing up my own kitchen witch philosophy, and it will either get posted here, sent to WitchVox, or possibly just sent out with my newsletter. The newsletter that I haven't written in a while. Ooops.
There you have it. I've been alternately busy and lazy (you can guess the proportions), but I'll be back soon with something somewhat interesting. I made that tofu scramble again on Friday and I highly recommend it. Delicious.
Have a lovely week.
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