Veil Night Preparations

 October is here! Welcome, fall! The temperatures here have finally dropped a bit, providing some much-needed relief. September was still hot, hot, hot, so this is nice. 

I mentioned earlier that I use astrological dates for sabbat timing, so I technically have until the first week of November to prepare, but I know myself. I'm the boss of me, and that lady runs a LOOSE ship, y'know? Therefore, I shall begin my preparations this weekend. 

I want to do some decluttering and reorganizing in addition to the scrubbing that must be done. I have been eyeing books I haven't opened in ages, wondering if I should list them for sale somewhere. We'll see. It's never easy to part with a book. 

The deep cleaning will have to take place on the weekends when my partner is free to help. One of my dogs has wiry waves and curls, so I already sweep every day. Laundry and dishes are never-ending, as we all know. The kitchen will receive some special attention, as will areas with altar spaces. 

I am going to offer tarot, oracle, and pendulum readings for this season, too. Employment is still spottier than a spotted dick, and I'm in danger of losing my house. I've applied for a couple hundred jobs since losing full-time employment and have only had some part-time contracts come my way. I'm thankful for them, and I gratefully welcome in and loudly call in MORE. 

Anyhell, if you'd like to ask a yes/no question to my pendulum, I'll pull a bonus card for clarification/timing/options/advice. Pendulum + card: $7

                                                          Three-card spread: $10

                                                           Longer spreads: donation

Just before Beltane/Kreotago and Samhain/Veil Night are some of the best times for divination. Find me here: Better Hearths & Cauldrons Facebook

Menu Planning

Samhain is nearly here, and you know what that means - vegetarian meals from Nov. 1 until Yule. Now, my kitchen is completely ready yet, and the dining area is still a mass of boxes and containers that need to be moved around. But that doesn't mean I can't get my menus ready!

I put together Feasting When the Veil is Thin a while back and will use several of those recipes in meal plans for this time. I'm also working on some tasty new additions. I'll be posting my November calendar shortly. Recipes will come as I prepare the dishes. Weekends will be used to prep and cook many things, but my new schedule is a bit more open these days, meaning I have some more time and energy to cook after work.

I haven't cooked a meal in ages. I've been here for over two months on my own, no pots and pans or anything. My microwave has been my best friend, along with a variety of less-than-healthy restaurant options. I am really looking forward to getting back into my favorite room of the house, and I hope you will join me once I get there.

Samhain Goals and Other Goals

It's October 18 already. Holy crap! My household has been here with me for a week, and guess what? That's right - we're still unpacking! Including the kitchen. Oh, boy.

One problem I have (out of 2847987259873972 or so) is getting too far ahead of myself. Putting too many irons in the fire. It is difficult for me to focus on one task at a time, but I am doing my best.

October Goals:
- Unpack and organize kitchen stuff
- Plan my Samhain menu for the living and the dead
- Tweak my post-Samhain vegetarian menu plans

Short-Term Future Goals:
- Put together plans for menus using Yule foods
- Continue recipe development for the larger cookery book project

This Samhain, I still need to decide what I want to purge. I'm slowly getting rid of physical items that I no longer use, but for Samhain, I need to get rid of some hangups, some baggage.

I need to believe that I can be successful. There's a first time for everything, right? I need to work on letting go of some of this horrible self doubt. I need to believe that someone somewhere is interested in what I am trying to accomplish. There's a serious lack of support in my life, unfortunately. Yes, some people are busy with their own things, but for the most part, people simply do not care because it's not about them.

That leads me to believe I need to purge some of these unsupportive buttholes from my life, as well. Time to make a list.

What are your Samhain plans? I am still trying to figure out what I will be able to do. A lot of it depends on the unpacking process. Soooooo, I think I will go downstairs and see what can be unboxed and put away.

Like a Phoenix from the Ashes, I Rise...

Or something...I dunno. Hi!

I've been extremely depressed and discouraged lately, but I am working on ways around it. I have squandered all of this precious free time by allowing that black dog to sit on my chest and prevent me from being able to do things that interest me. I'm climbing my way back out of the pit for now, though.

I've been unemployed since July 1, 2016. Unemployment is gone, and I haven't found so much as a temporary job around here in the meantime. I discovered what my biggest obstacle was, and it shall be seen to in good time...

How the heck are ya? Does anybody come back here anymore? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I have been the queen of the lazy shits, I swear. I haven't blogged, the house is a mess, and my cooking is nothing special most of the time. I can brainstorm all I want, but recipe testing and writing will have to happen after I get a job or whatever.

In the meantime, I took a comment from an old blog post and decided to turn my Samhain-Yule vegetarian recipe booklet into something to list on Etsy. You can find the link here: Feasting When the Veil is Thin .

At first, yeah, I felt like a turd for taking down the free copy and listing it on Etsy, but as I mentioned before, I am j-o-b-l-e-s-s right now. My boyfriend is still working, thankfully, but I've had to rely on contributions from the First Bank of Mom to help us pay bills until something comes along. I have been burning a St. Jude candle, even. I may end up going back to school, instead. Bah. Again: we'll see.

Anyhell, if you would like 29 vegetarian recipes for $3.99, follow the link above. I'd appreciate it. I'm working on some other short projects in the meantime.

Catch y'all later.

Samhain Oil Blends

I am here today to give you some recipes for non-food items. Today we are talking about essential oil blends for Samhain. These blends can be used to anoint candles, and since they are diluted with a carrier oil, you can also use them (carefully) on your skin. 

As we all know, this time of year is when the veil is thinnest. The spirit world can communicate with our world, and we honor our ancestors in various ways, engage in fortune telling for the coming year, and celebrate the end of the old year. I've written previously about my beliefs for the year - it ends at Samhain, and then we have an "in-between" time until Yule. That's the time of year that I eat a vegetarian diet, which I've also blogged about. I'll dig up some links for any new readers, if you would like. 

Below is a list of various essential oils and their properties that carry energies that fit with this particular sabbat. I have also included recipes for blends that combine properties and smell good together, in case you want to anoint yourself for ritual. When I do this, I tend to focus on the inner wrists, the heart, and the third eye chakra. 

• ·       Basil -Conscious mind, peace
• ·       Bay - psychic awareness
• ·       Bergamot  - Peace, happiness, restful sleep        
• ·       Black Pepper - Mental alertness, protection, courage     
• ·       Cedarwood   - Spirituality, anti-hex
• ·       Cinnamon  - Protection, psychic awareness, healing
• ·       Clove Bud - Healing, memory, protection, courage          
• ·       Frankincense - Spirituality, meditation, astral strength
• ·       Ginger- Magical energy, love, courage
• ·       Grapefruit -  Purification
• ·       Jasmine   - Love, calming, peace, spirituality, psychic dreaming    
• ·       Lavender - Health, love, peace, relaxing
• ·       Lemongrass  - Psychic awareness, purification   
• ·       Myrrh - Spirituality, meditation, healing
• ·       Orange  - Purification, joy, magical energy           
• ·       Patchouli  - Honors the Earth
• ·       Pine - Healing, purification, protection, magical energy  
• ·       Rosemary  - Remembrance, love, conscious mind healing, purification
• ·       Rose  - Love, peace
• ·       Sandalwood  - Spirituality, healing, purification, meditation        
• ·       Tangerine  - Protection,  wards off psychic and social vampires
• ·       Vanilla – Love
• ·       Vetiver – Protection, anti-curse/hex
• 
  

Blends: 

1.Blend 1:       4 drops orange, 4 drops sandalwood, 3 drops frankincense, 1 drop cinnamon

2.Blend 2:     3 drops each frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, and patchouli

3. Blend 3:      2 drops rosemary, 1 drop pine, 2 drops lavender, 2 drops patchouli

4.  Blend 4 :    2 drops cedar wood, 2 drops lemongrass, 3 drops sandalwood

5.Blend 5:       2 drops bay, 3 drops lemongrass, 1 drop clove

6. Blend 6:      3 drops tangerine, 2 drops frankincense, 3 drops vetiver, 3 drops rose

7.  Blend 7:     2 drops black pepper, 2 drops pine, 2 drops vanilla, 3 drops lavender

8.  Blend 8:     3 drops bergamot, 3 drops frankincense, 2 drops ginger

9. Blend 9:       2 drops vanilla, 3 drops lavender, 2 drops jasmine

1. Blend 10:   1 drop basil, 2 drops bay, 3 drops grapefruit, 2 drops vetiver 

The Cake of My Dreams...Quite Literally!

What's going on? How are you? It's been a while, but I said it would be a while, and boy, I wasn't kidding!

As you know, I've been unemployed, and there haven't been any prospects lately, except for one. I applied for it, and when the time comes, I will focus more energy on it. Until then, I'm trying to get myself motivated to get out of the house sometimes, to CLEAN the house sometimes, and of course, to cook.

All of this non-job having nonsense really helps me screw up my schedule nicely. Sometimes I sleep all day, and sometimes I go for over a day, like right now.

However, I have a very good reason for not being able to sleep well last night/this morning.

Yes, that. I couldn't sleep because of cake. No, I didn't want to stay up all night eating the cake. It didn't exist yesterday, you see. No, I was unable to sleep because I could not stop thinking about making a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. 

My dad's favorite combination is yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Taking after him, I am rather fond of it as well. And just creating things in general, as you know. 

But, what has eluded me all these years is THE yellow cake recipe. I haven't used a box mix in probably 15 years, and while I am pretty lousy in the decorating department,

                                                                         (exhibit A)

I am pretty darn good at making them taste nice. 

For many of us, cake is but a vessel for frosting. I'm often the same way, but it's because the cake part is often too dry or crumbly or tasteless or some combination of those. Even recipes that promise to be "Super Moist!" aren't quite what I'm looking for. 

I want moist, yes. I also want fluffy and light. I am looking for texture and flavor that make me think, "Damn, this is good cake! Who made it? Oh, I did! Fuck, yeah!" or something to that effect. Well, I doubt mine is unique amongst yellow cakes; after all, there's nothing truly new under the sun, but it's still a tasty cake, people. 

Oh, and I wanted to decorate it for Halloween because I found candy eyeballs at Walmart this morning. 

Now, on to the recipe for the cake and frosting:

Note: Don't be shocked. Don't be appalled. I'm using Crisco. Yes, Crisco. Trust me. 

Yellow Cake: 

1.     1 c butter-flavored shortening

2.     1 ¾  c sugar

3.     4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

4.     1 tsp. salt

5.     1 T. baking powder

6.     3 c cake flour

7.     2 c buttermilk

8.     1 tsp vanilla extract

9.     1 tsp imitation butter flavor

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans.

Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Incorporate eggs one at a time, and then add egg yolks one at a time.

Whisk together salt, baking powder, and flour. Add half of this mixture to the egg mixture. Then add half the buttermilk. Mix in the other half of the dry mixture, and then the rest of the milk. Stir in vanilla and butter flavor.

Pour batter equally into prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until tops are springy and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes in the pans. Remove and finish cooling on a wire rack before frosting.

Optional (but you really should do it): Brush cooling cakes with vanilla syrup. Combine 1/3 cup each sugar and water in a saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in vanilla. Allow to cool a few minutes before drizzling and brushing over the cake. 

Chocolate Frosting: 

4 c powdered sugar

1/2 c  really, really dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 c butter, softened

½ c  butter-flavored shortening

½  c milk, as needed

2 tsp. vanilla

Pinch of salt

Sift cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and shortening and beat to cream together. Add 1 cup of sugar at a time, alternating with the milk, until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Beat in vanilla and salt.

There you go. Frost those cooled cakes, and maybe stick some candy eyeballs on the finished product. 

Serve on a Halloween dessert plate, if you are so inclined. 

It's Samhain, and...

It's Samhain and...

no pumpkins were carved
no food was prepared
no candles were lit
no costumes were donned
no gravestones were cleaned
no candy was doled out

It's Samhain, and...

I am just horribly, awfully, miserably depressed.

I should've known it would happen. I should've expected the big, black dog. I should've known it would come and sit on my chest and not leave for days. I should've expected to be the failure that I am.

Gee, my ancestors would be so proud. Ha.

Making Preparations

So this is post 667. Not quite as exciting, huh? Well, I'm freakin' excited! Samhain is almost here, and for the first time in a long time, I have what may turn into actual plans!

I've been chatting with one of my friends and making plans in our spare time. I hope to get some good pictures of everything to document it. I hope it all works out. So far, everything feels good.

The tentative schedule:

Friday, Oct. 30 will be the night we make our rosemary remembrance cookies. I may tell the story of the first jack o'lantern to my friends' daughter (I'll make sure it isn't too spooky because she is a fabulous five years old), or we might wait until Saturday. I want to work in some pumpkin pretzels at some point, too. I might have to get up early for that.

Saturday, Oct. 31 will be the day we celebrate. Now, if you look at the actual cross-quarter days, you'll see that Samhain is November 7. Why not celebrate both days? I might!

The cemeteries around here close at 2:00 on Saturdays, so we will have to get our butts up and moving early. The plan is to go clean up any areas that could use some TLC, give the kiddo some more information on what we're doing and why, and leave some offerings. We're also planning a little bit of a picnic, hence the pretzels.

After we have cleaned up a bit and discussed the significance of the day, we can get ready for the evening plans. Food will need to be prepared for the ancestors' potluck/dumb supper.

The evening ritual will be an opportunity to remember not only our deceased loved ones, but also to remember those who don't have anyone else to honor them. Some people are forgotten in sickness and at death. They are alone. I will be one of those people, so it's especially important to show some love, I think. They will all be invited to the supper.

As is traditional, divination will happen later on. I'd like to do some tarot, and I (badly) painted a spirit board:

Those are our tentative plans. It will require a healthy dose of organization, so I'm glad I have help. I wouldn't want to do this alone! Fingers crossed that all goes well, even if it isn't 100% according to plan. 

What are your plans? 

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

This Samhain, I am trying to organize something with my boyfriend and some friends of ours. I hope it works out because I have already started making plans. I'm really excited, but if it doesn't work out, I know I will just feel depressed and do hardly anything at all. Fall asleep on the couch watching horror movies. Eat Reese's til I puke. Who knows.

Anywaayyy... I have some ideas that I thought I would share.

Food (of course): Ancestors' Potluck - The guests and I will supply one or two dishes that loved ones particularly enjoyed or would have enjoyed.

I am going to make fried catfish in honor of my friend Bill, a beef, mushroom, and Guinness pie for some of Martin's relatives, and a lemon ricotta cake that my grandmother and everyone else would have liked.

I am going to make a punch for the little chickpea who is attending. We may have to let her sleep here for a while if we stay up late. She's my friends' kiddo and she is five. She rocks. I will make an apple cider-cranberry juice-ginger ale-orange sorbet punch for her.

Adults get a twist on my hot buttered rum recipe. I might put some caramel in it, and I plan to use some pumpkin pie spice. *gasp* I know! A pumpkin spice hot buttered rum! Do to me what you will. I think it will be delishuz.

If I get a chance, I will make rosemary remembrance cookies with the kiddo and her parental units. I also want to try pumpkin soft pretzels.

Symbolism:

I think I will ask my guests to bring some cheap dollar store decorations like bats, skulls, spiders, witches, etc. I am after a decent-sized plastic skeleton. I want to adorn it with flowers and some "jewels". It will represent the beloved dead and have a spot somewhere. I can set up a table outside and put some food out there.

Ritual-y Stuff:

I don't know about that yet. I don't want to make that decision completely on my own.I'm not that kind of person, usually. I'd rather it be a collection of ideas and traditions. I'd like to toast to the ancestors and share stories. I'll probably cry a lot because that's what I do, but that's okay.

Divination/Tarot, etc. can take place later. We'll figure out what to do with the kiddo later.

If I end up on my own, there is a Tarot thing I plan on doing either way. I will go out by the fire if I can. I'll still make the food, too.

My friend also wants to go to a cemetery and clean some graves out of respect for those who don't have anyone left to do it. I like that idea, and I hope we get to do it. Again, we'll see.

I want to hear about your plans. What are you doing? What are you making? Who are you honoring? Let's get excited about Samhain! The veil is thinning! Hail the beloved dead. :)

EDIT: This is post 666 on this blog. Hehehehehe.

Thinner...

Here it is the middle of September only, and so many of us can already feel the veil getting thinner. It's exciting and I wonder if it's earlier this year than it has been in some years past? Or maybe it's just me being more sensitive due to things like the Mercury retrograde (vomit) and the approach of my period. Who can be sure.

When do you typically notice the veil between the worlds thinning? What are some of the first signs for you? Weird shit happens around here. Things disappear. Strange feelings come and go - not necessarily bad, but definitely the feeling of not being alone. Things disappearing and just fucking up in general makes me think maybe the retrograde is at least partially responsible. It's set to end before the middle of October, I believe.

I need to figure out what to do. Who am I going to remember? How am I going to do it?

I think the most efficient way to do it, and the easiest, is to write down everyone's names. You can write down birthdays and/or the days they passed, as well. I don't really have any photos of anyone; they are at my mom's house. I will write down the names of grandparents and friends who have passed.

I may also include some way of honoring others who are important to me but to whom I am not related or closely acquainted.

As for decorations and such, I made a groovy wreath last year, but my ferrets destroyed it. I guess it's back to square one, there. I am going to set up a small folding table on the porch with the names, some food, candles, booze, and maybe some cigs for anyone who has fond memories of smoking.

As for food, one of the dishes I plan to make is fried catfish. I mentioned that in an earlier blog post, shortly after my friend Bill died so unexpectedly. He was a good ol' Southern gentleman and loved his fried catfish and sweet, sweet tea. So he shall have some. I imagine I'll work some taters 'n' cabbage in there somewhere, too. I'll make a separate post when we get closer.

Not Against the Grain

September greetings! Can you believe it? Autumn is so close I can almost smell it. I can certainly feel it in the air, even though it was 91 here today.

Another harvest approaches, and that means Mabon is on its way as well. The "Pagan Thanksgiving" is one of my favorites. I want to try to carve out some time to do a few fall things between now and Samhain, but you know me. And if you don't, I'll tell you: I procrastinate like crazy and end up doing diddly-squat, usually.

Aaaaaanyway, this post has a purpose, and I am about to get to it, but first, a little word association.

Harvest.
Fall.
Blue skies.
Crisp apples.
Smoky fires.
Fuzzy blankets.
Grains.

Wait, grains? Grains? But, Nar, aren't those EEEBIL??  Don't they cause everything from weight gain to asthma to butt rot?

Er, no, not exactly. If you aren't one of the people affected by autoimmune disorders such as Celiac Disease, grains aren't going to turn you into some writhing, foaming, acne-coated, wheezing, nearsighted, unfocused, fat mess.

I'm not here to talk about that, though. No, no, I'm here to talk about the historical, cultural, and magical significance of grain. Keep checking this space as I explore wheat, corn, rye, barley, and all sorts of other grains that people have been eating for centuries. What can they bring to your spiritual life? Stay tuned! I shall show you.

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

S is for Samhain

Long before I knew about Samhain, Halloween was my favorite holiday.  It trumped even Christmas in my young mind, and it wasn’t just because of the candy and costumes.  There  was something different about Halloween night.  Something seemed magical about the end of October, with its cool, crisp days and early darkness.  I always sensed excitement in the air.  Years later, when I began to discover my personal path to the Divine, I learned about Samhain. 

Summer’s End, the last harvest, was – and still is – a very significant time in the wheel of the year. For many, it was a time to make sure there was enough food to last through the dark days of winter.  It is a time when the veil between our world and the spirit world is so thin that our ancestors could return for a visit.  It is a time to celebrate many things – the season of introspection, the end of the year, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and the harvest of the earth’s bounty.

It’s at this time of year that we most feel the presence of those who have gone before us.  For days or weeks before Samhain, the very air seems to change. In my house, sometimes strange things happen. These little occurrences make me think that the spirits are trying to communicate. 

Unfortunately, Samhain sneaks up on me most years. I have plans, and then I get really busy with work and don't get a chance to do much. This year, however, Samhain comes at the end of the week, and I can devote the weekend to celebrating.  

Some of the things I'd like to do is to hold a mute supper, but that plan is for when I actually have more space.  I can't even see my kitchen table, much less use it.  It's become a catch-all for crap, just like every other flat surface in this place.  SOOOOOO...this year, my Samhain plans involve cleaning and decluttering the joint.   Before Samhain arrives, I will have donated clothes and other unused items to Goodwill.  I'll also hopefully have given the place a good scrub and smudge.  

As for the actual remembering of the ancestors,  I intend to do what we started last year.  Since I don't have a lot of photos here, I am going to get a piece of poster board and write down the names of family members and friends who have passed to the other side of the veil.  The act of writing their names will bring remembrance.  I will also make the rosemary remembrance cookies I like to make but haven't in a while.  I have a spiffy new pomegranate-shaped cookie cutter to use for this.  I have also made a wreath. 

Another idea that might be nice is the Ancestors' Toast.  It's simple enough - just grab a cup of your favorite libation, toast your ancestors, and share stories about them or advice they've given you over the years.  Drink and repeat.  If you're using an alcoholic libation, you might want to use small cups or shot glasses so you don't end up joining the ancestors due to alcohol poisoning...

What are some of your ideas?  Do you have a menu planned yet?  I might use the same menu as last year.  

Last year, I made:

Crock pot cabbage rolls

Roasted chicken

Roasted potatoes

Brussels sprout gratin

Rye bread with caraway seeds

Green Man Cake - a chocolate-hazelnut torte

S is for Samhain

What can I say about Samhain that hasn't already been said?  It's one of my very favorite days of the year, one that I try to carry with me throughout the rest of the calendar year.  

Have some truly terrible Samhain haiku:

Samhain is the time

For our ancestors to come

As we honor them

Samhain is coming

It’s the season of the witch

When our souls can shine

Samhain is a day

In which we can raise power

To carry all year

A magical day

One of wonder and delight

The veil thins this night

Let the Countdown Officially Begin!

Yesterday we observed the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  From here on out, days get shorter.  The temperatures may soar for a few more months, but there will be cooler weather soon.  Even though we are in the middle of summer, my eyes and my heart look to autumn, my favorite season.

Autumn is truly the season of the witch, and although I love cooking dishes using summer's bounty, I look forward to the harvest holidays the most.  Autumn is the time I enjoy most of all, before the biting, bitter cold of winter.  It may seem like the season of dying for some, and I suppose it is, but it is when I come to life.  It is when I feel the strongest connection to the earth, when life turns inward for a season of introspection and inner growth.

Then there is Samhain...Ah, Samhain. Beautiful, wonderful Halloween/Samhain, followed closely by the Day of the Dead.  It's a time of remembrance and feeling a stronger connection with those who have come before.  It is a time to revel in the mysteries of the wise and aged, a time to take their wisdom to heart and put it into practice.  Plus the cobwebs and dust in my house look like decorations!  Ha!

What season do you like best?

J is for Jack O' Lantern

I'm actually EARLY for the Pagan Blog Project this week!  I know, I can't believe it either.  I got inspired.   This week, I decided to do another video post.

Now, there are many versions of the story of the first Jack O' Lantern and the man behind the name.  I decided to tell the version that I first learned when I was around 9 years old.

Also, check out my new YouTube channel introduction!  My boyfriend, the Aussie, provided the music via 4-chamber flute.

And here is the story:

D is for Death

Winter is still upon us.  In a time when we should be looking ahead to spring and birth and light, this blog post will focus more on the darker half of the year.  Death knows no season, but for many Pagans, autumn and winter are the seasons that represent endings.  Endings come in many forms. Relationships and friendships end. Good books end.  Life ends.  The end of life is my focus for this post.

I don’t really know for sure if death is the end of everything, or if it’s the beginning of a new chapter.  What I do know, however, is many people and animals that I love have passed from this existence.  Death is something we are faced with everyday, from your bacon sandwich to the spider you just whacked with a newspaper.  It’s not something we can escape, and as the saying goes, ‘If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!’

Instead of dwelling upon the illnesses and accidents that  take us away from this life, it is far preferable to focus on life and living every day to the fullest.  That, as we all know, is much easier said than done.

I look at Samhain as a gift.  It is a time for us to remember, to visit with ancestors, to laugh and cry, and even to be angry if that’s how you heal.   It has always been my favorite day.  As the veil thins leading up to Samhain, I become more and more excited. Will someone visit?  Will I see something for the coming year?   And then I ask the other question: What am I going to cook?

Samhain has lots of traditional, seasonal foods.  Likewise, different cultures have many traditional foods for funerals.   I believe that grieving is very draining and that one should eat for strength during a period of mourning, even though it’s normal to have no appetite during that time.

For Samhain, traditional foods include pork, apples, pumpkins, root vegetables, and nuts like hazelnuts/filberts.    Those are fine, delicious, grounding foods.  The key word here is ‘grounding’.  Some may believe that it is better to be grounded on Samhain, while others would prefer to be less fettered and therefore better suited to receiving visitors from beyond the veil.

Others prefer to offer their ancestors foods that they best loved in life, as a way of enticing them to visit. My thoughts are as follows:  The living may wish to eat a light meal and offer the heavier meal to the spirits of the dead.  This may allow the spirits to stick around longer and the living less grounded and perhaps more aware of the spirits on this night.

(Before Samhain, a fast may even be in order.  What I try to do is a fast for a day before Samhain, but not a total fast. I can’t not eat. It gets ugly, believe me.  It can be juice or very light foods, preferably without animal products.)

Now, yes, cooking for both the living and the dead does require two menus, but the dishes can have a lot of similar components.  After you set out the food for the spirits, the leftovers can be wrapped up and kept for the next day for the living.   

Below are a couple of menus to get you started:

For the spirits:

Fried fish

Rosemary roasted potatoes

Carrots and cabbage with caraway seeds

Beer bread

Apple tart

And for everyone else:

Fish stew

Sauteed arugula

Fried apples

Rosemary cookies

Autumn is the season of water, emotions, introspection, and communication with the other planes of existence.  That is why I chose fish. 

I chose arugula because of its bite.  A bitter green would work here as well.

Rosemary is for remembrance.

Apples are a traditional Samhain food.

Carrots and cabbage may be traditional money-drawing foods, and while spirits don’t need money, a little extra prosperity in the next life can’t hurt, right?

**I realized that recipes for everything would make this post entirely too long, so please check back for those!

The Samhain Feast

Y'all know me by now.  You know that I celebrate the turning of the wheel in my kitchen.  For me, the best way to celebrate the individual seasons and the bounty provided is to cook that beautiful, wonderful seasonal food and share it with those I love.

My favorite celebration has always been the Samhain celebration.  It's the last harvest holiday, and in my path, the last day of the year.  Some people celebrate on Oct. 31 or Nov. 1, while others' celebrations depend upon the actual day.  I believe Nov. 6 is the day this year.  It varies, and you can look it up online or use your trusty almanac.

Because of our work schedules, my boyfriend and I have chosen Saturday, Nov. 2 this year as the day for our feast of remembrance.  It may just be the two of us, or a friend from work might join us.  Other friends may join us if they can make it up here, but it doesn't look too promising, sadly.

I have written before that I see Samhain as the last day of the old year and the winter solstice/Yule as the first day of the new year.  The time in between is just that - the in-between time.  The veil is still a bit thin, the nights are long and dark, and the earth rests.

This year, instead of an altar (which we never really do, anyway), I think we are just going to write down the names of our beloved dead and post their names at the table.  There will be candles, of course, and possibly some seasonal decorations if I can find time to get them together.  Time is something that is always in short supply.  Plus, I've never been that good at decorating.  Oh, well.  It's the thought that counts, right?

I've been working on some meal plans lately.  As some of you may remember from last year, I eat a vegetarian/possibly slightly vegan diet from just after Samhain until Yule.   I've been planning those meals as well as a list of funeral feasts.    I am working on putting together menus for Samhain and other times of remembrance.

The ideas behind it are to offer a variety of grounding foods and a variety of lighter fare as well.  I was thinking about offering the more grounding foods to the spirits as a way of enticing them to hang out and visit with their living relatives a bit longer, and the lighter foods would be served to the living.  The lighter, less grounding foods for the living would be a way of helping us communicate with those beyond the veil.   Some menus offer grounding foods to the living as well, so as to keep them from being 'swept away', as it were.

This year, I have planned a seasonal feast of grounding foods for the living and the dead.  There are so many wonderful foods associated with this time of year - nuts, apples, pumpkins, root vegetables, pork...The list goes on and on.   I tend to get a bit carried away sometimes, and I always want to serve as much sabbat-appropriate food as possible.

As a result of my menu planning, I expect to spend two days in the kitchen.  I may not be eating meat after Saturday, but my boyfriend will have leftovers to take to work.  I will have some vegetable dishes to take for my lunches, as well.

I have had this menu planned for several months, but I haven't unveiled (ahem) it yet, so here it is:

Persephone's Salad (recipe on this blog somewhere)
Roasted chicken
Pork-stuffed cabbage (gonna use my crock pot for these)
Brussels sprouts gratin
Mixed mushroom saute
Roasted, glazed parsnips and carrots
Roasted potatoes
Buttered poppy seed noodles
Rye rolls with caraway seeds
Chocolate-walnut cake (mostly flourless)

Hello, meat!  Hello, starch!  Yes, it's an enormous feast, especially for only 2-3 living attendees.  A plate will be left out for the ancestors as well.   I believe apple pie moonshine will also make an appearance.

I will post recipes for the parsnips and carrots, the cabbage rolls, and the salad.  The cake recipe comes to me from chow.com, and the rye bread recipe comes to me from the bag of rye flour.

For now, I am off to dream of other Samhain recipes and to enjoy my Sunday.  This week brings a full schedule of teaching, grading, planning, office hours, and getting my boyfriend to and from his job as well (we only have the one car for now).

I hope that you all have a wonderful Samhain celebration, no matter how you observe it.  May your table be full of delicious food and your home full of the love and light of your ancestors and relatives.

Until next time,

Nar

Ain't Got No Meat? Whatcha Gonna Eat?

Just because I consider this a bit of a fast (a Pagan Lent? *L*) doesn't meant I can't still eat delicious, nourishing food.  Now, because I have a gastric band, I will have to drink at least one protein shake a day.  There is a lot of protein to be found in vegetarian substitutes, but I have some special dietary needs, so it will be whey protein to the rescue.  I'll be consuming some eggs and dairy as well.

I have sort of started developing recipes, but the real testing and development will happen in the moment, when the produce I want to use is actually in season.  For now, though, I have a list that I am working on.  Here are some of the dishes that I will be experimenting with during the period between the old and new year:

Linguine frittata with greens - chard, etc.
Lentil burgers - I'll experiment with different spices
Majahdra - lentils and rice flavored with fried onions
Tofu scramble - That recipe is posted on here somewhere
Butternut squash lasagna - Another recipe that is on this blog somewhere
Tofu stir-fry with veggies and probably a peanut sauce
Stuffed cabbage - Using my lentil-walnut loaf mixture as a stuffing
Stuffed mushrooms
Roasted vegetable enchiladas
Roasted carrot and parsnip soup
Wild mushroom soup
Mushroom and polenta pie

I'm also working on a grain or rice salad that features the colors of Samhain.  I will probably have some of that on Samhain to mark my transition.  

Those are just a few of the ideas I have. I'm sure I'll feel creative enough once the produce is in season and the stores are decorated with squash and other autumn goodies.   Stay tuned, as always, for recipes.

Foods of October: Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels sprouts. They are one of my favorite vegetables. Fall is also a time for chestnuts, so why not combine the two into one scrumptious side dish? The cream makes it extra-rich but is completely optional. Feel free to toss in a sprig of thyme, stripped and chopped, to bring love, psychic awareness, and purification to your Samhain table.

Brussels Sprouts

Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Energies: Protection

Add Brussels sprouts to protective diets. Cooking them with garlic and chili will up the protective energies of the dish, if the intent is there.

Source: Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts

2 shallots, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 slices bacon, cut into 1” pieces
1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, cut in half
1 lb peeled roasted chestnuts
Salt and white pepper to taste
½ cup water, broth, or white wine and broth
¼ cup cream, optional

Cook sprouts in a pot of boiling water until barely tender, 4-5 minutes. Drain and shock the sprouts by putting them into a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and keep the color bright. Drain and pat dry.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain, reserving the drippings. Cook the shallots and garlic in the bacon drippings until barely soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the drained sprouts and chestnuts to the skillet and sauté another 5 minutes, until sprouts are brown. Pour in the broth and simmer until sprouts have finished cooking and liquid has evaporated, 3-5 minutes. Add the cream, if using, and cook until cream is slightly thickened. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Toss with bacon and serve.

If you don’t eat bacon, you can leave it out and just cook the shallots and garlic in 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil. Use olive oil and vegetable broth and leave out the bacon for a vegetarian-friendly side dish.