New recipes tested

While I was in the United States visiting friends and family, I took the opportunity to get into my mother's kitchen and test some recipes for my kitchen witch cookbook. I need to get off my lazy you-know-what and get some real writing done so I can submit it. Bad Z! Someone light a fire under me, por favor.

Anyroad, the blueberry lemonade recipe a few posts back is going into the summer section of the book. It's delicious, refreshing, and perfect for Lughnasadh.

I also taste-tested a recipe for grilled pork with a marinade made up of fire- or Sun-ruled ingredients, in honor of the summer sun and gods of the harvest. I was trying to create a recipe that balances the golden sun and warmth of late summer as well as the promise of a later harvest, going into a time of darkness.

Another recipe that I want to finalize is one for blueberry-cardamom bread. The first time I made it it came out too moist and fell apart. I need to adjust the liquid ingredients. Anyone want to help out with this one?

I plan to do more cooking in the coming months and complete/create recipes and start reworking the introduction to the book, as well as introductions to each section. We'll see what happens. Wish me luck!

A Few Ideas

I don't want to be one of those cookbook authors who refuses to share recipes from books for free, but I can't give away all of the culinary secrets just yet :) Some of the recipes I've included in this blog so far have been mine, while others have come from other sources (which I have dutifully cited).

Here are some of the dishes that will be included in the Summer section of the book, encompassing Midsummer and Lammas/Lughnassadh. There will be meat, dairy, and gluten-free recipes as well.

Appetizers and Drinks (note to self - find cute title :P)

Shrimp Enchilada Dip (recipe featured in an earlier blog entry)
Guacamole (everyone has a recipe for this, I know, but I promise you mine is amazing)
Summer Wine Punch (a refreshing mixture of wine and fruit, but lighter than sangria)
Mango lassey with mint

Main Courses

Grilled Kofte (the Turkish influence is creeping in!)
Grilled vegetable Skewers with Middle Eastern-style marinade (also a grilled chicked version)
Pesto Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Vegetables

Sides and Salads

White Bean Salad
Red Potato Salad with Dill
Quinoa Tabbouli

Dessert

Grilled Pineapple with Ginger, Honey, and Lime

That's just a sample of the recipes I have been working on and plan to continue testing. The book will also include information about the magical uses of some many of the foods included in the recipes, plus a few surprises.

Let's Talk Cookbooks

Specifically, I want to talk about the cookbook(s) I have in the works. For a while now (I'm ashamed to say how long), I've been toying with the idea of writing a kitchen witch cookbook. That's one of the reasons I started this blog. I enjoy cooking and I like combining ingredients for specific purposes - finding a new job, making people feel warm and loved, etc.

People who eat my food tell me how delicious it is, and I feel both grateful and humble. I say that I feel humble because the materials and ingredients that I use were created and provided by the Divine. I combine the ingredients, add heat and intent, but most of the work has been done by the earth, the sun and the rain. I strive to feel more in touch with the gods and honor them by nourishing the people I treasure, and by respectfully using the fruits, vegetables and grains that grow upon this planet. I am thankful to the animals whose bodies also provide food for us. I want to put together a book of recipes that reflect the wheel of the year with seasonal menus, potluck dishes for get-togethers and Sabbat celebrations, or just every day.

What I'm looking for is some feedback. Lately it seems as though everybody is writing a cookbook. What makes mine different? Well, all the things I mentioned above, hopefully. There are a few Pagan-oriented cookbooks on the market, written by Patricia Telesco, Karri Ann Allrich, Cait Johnson, and Scott Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (a favorite resource). Can anyone think of any others? Other authors have included some recipes in their books about Sabbats (Ravenwolf's book on Halloween, for example), but their books haven't been all about the recipes.

I'm getting ahead of myself here, but I have ideas for three books. However, I haven't even officially started the first one yet. Right now I have lots of notes, some finished recipes, and not enough time to sit down and do all the work I need to do. I also don't have access to all of the ingredients that I need right now, which means I have had to put off testing some recipes. If anyone is interested in being a tester for recipes, please let me know! I plan to test some things when I go back to the States for my six-week vacation this summer, but I am interested to see how recipes turn out for other people. I've had to learn to really measure things, as opposed to my usual "pinch of this, dash of that, eyeball that" style.

As this jorunal entry is getting too long, I am going to wrap up and start another one that talks about some of the things that will be included in the book, should I ever get off my butt and write it! Publishing is another concern of mine. It will pretty much have to be a Pagan-friendly company, but I don't want to limit myself to just Llewellyn, in case the people there aren't interested, and I want a hard copy, as opposed to an e-book. At least for the first one. We shall see.