Dreaming of October...

Don't I always wish it were fall? It's not that I'm not enjoying the summer. It's just that I long for the season of the witch, all year long.

We're almost ready for Midsummer! Well, y'all might be, but it's crept up on me again and I don't know if I'm going to have the time and energy to get prepared. I don't even have a menu planned. Can you believe that??

What I DO have, however, is a menu plan for every other sabbat through Yule. Yeah, yeah, I know...Priorities.

As usual, I will share the menus now and promise recipes later. I truly am terrible, aren't I? I will even attempt to get some decent photos. I'm just so ashamed to let anyone see how cluttered this tiny space is!

Anyhell, here are some sabbat menus:

LAMMAS

·         Pork chops (grilled) with orange, cumin, chipotle glaze

·         corn pancakes with whole corn

·         toppings: avocado, green onions, sour cream, shredded cheese

·         frijoles rancheros – pintos with bacon, onion, and jalapeño

·         garden salad with Green Goddess dressing: salad mix, spinach, red onion, orange bell pepper, shredded carrot, shredded cabbage, sugar snap peas, broccoli florets

·         cherries jubilee with vanilla ice cream  (cherries done outside)

MABON

·         Baked vegetarian kibbeh  (potato, onion, and bulgar with chickpea-pine nut filling)

·         Yogurt sauce

·         Lemon-herb roast chicken

·         Persephone’s salad

·         Ginger pear upside down cake

SAMHAIN

·         Cornmeal-dredged fried catfish with tartar sauce

·         Hoppin’ John

·         Cornbread

·         Apple crisp

·         Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet tea

YULE

First course:

·         Buckwheat blinis with with duck, red cabbage, parsnip, ginger-cranberry-orange sauce  - lightly sauté cabbage and parsnips

Main course:

·         Maple-mustard glazed pork tenderloin with fruit stuffing

·         Duchess sweet potatoes with garam masala

·         Stuffed onions

·         Swiss chard with curry powder and hazelnuts

·         Persephone’s Salad

·         Butternut Squash Flan

Already Planning for Samhain

My heart is rather heavy as I am called to start making plans for Samhain already.

A few hours ago, I received the call that a sweet friend of mine died by apparent suicide. I am not completely surprised, but I am saddened. I'm also a bit upset that he acted on impulse instead of reaching out, but I understand, too, in a way. I've been on the brink of acting on those same impulses. I weep because I had someone to catch me, and he did not.

I have been focusing on sending him love and light and praying that he is in a place that does not know sorrow, sadness, or loneliness. I have also asked that he visit me this Samhain.

As Bill was a good Southern boy, I believe we'll be having fried catfish. I imagine Hoppin' John, a traditional New Year's dish, will make an appearance, as will some cornbread and, in his word, "tooth-meltingly sweet" iced tea.

Rest for now, Bill. I will always think of you fondly. You are welcome at my Samhain table this year and every year that I'm alive to keep it.

Finally cooking again (a bit!)

I bought two bags of frozen chicken wings at Save a Lot last week, and I've been playing around with slow cooker wings.

Thursday's experiment was a success. I just put today's batch in a few minutes ago, so we'll see.

For Thursday's wings, I have to admit I didn't measure anything. I used a LOT of honey, and a fair amount of harissa powder. Harissa powder can be found here: http://www.spicesinc.com/t-searchresults.aspx?keywords=harissa.  I cooked them for about 3-4 hours on high and added a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce toward the end.

Today, I measured. Here we go:

1/4 cup each Major Grey chutney and honey
Sriracha and salt to taste (I may have gone overboard with the sauce here)
3-4 tablespoons sweet curry powder

I put them on low and am going to keep them there for about 5 hours.  I think they will be delicious. We shall see!

What are you up to in the kitchen?