THE MAGICKAL KITCHEN (PART1. YULE)

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

The kitchen is a room filled with the scents and sounds of kinship, family, good meals, and laughter. It has long been the center of the home. It is where the "home fires" are always burning and welcoming aromas greet visitors as they enter the home. It is a sacred space where we find nourishment, not only for our bodies, but for our souls. Just as our homes reflect our internal landscape, the kitchen reflects our connection to the physical realm and the Earth. Magick is no longer just for Circle. When we are connected to the elements and to the God and Goddess, magick becomes part of everyday experiences and expressions. What could be more sacred that the nourishment of our bodies, our sacred vessels for the soul on Earth? There are so many occasions for bringing the sacred into the kitchen. From feasts at the end of ceremonies, to welcoming a baby, blessing a new home, to a simple picnic with close friends. These events and more are occasions for which you may want to prepare meals that reflect your spiritual vision. Charging food with magickal intents help to internalize the magick and increase the power of spells. Meals need not be elaborate to be powerful. Even a simple fruit salad, when prepared with awareness and intent, can carry a powerful charge that will merge with the loved ones who will be enjoying the homemade cooking. When cooking with young children, always tell them you are adding "extra love" into our homecooked meals. Extra love equals extra delicious taste!!

The Sacred Kitchen
Creating sacred space in the kitchen is a very important first step to any kitchen magick. First, clear all clutter from the room, wipe all surfaces and sweep the floor. You can clean the floor with lemon juice and rosemary in water to leave a nice fresh smell. Open the windows. Put some fresh flowers in the space. Create a kitchen altar. On the altar, you could have dried red roses for love, lavender for relaxation and peace of mind, a peathingy feather for inner vision and magickal clarity, a pine cone to bring in the god energy of vitality, a pentacle made from dried rose stems to symbolize the five elements. Each element should be represented as well. Try river rocks for earth, a butterfly for air, a cauldron for water, and candles for fire. In the center is a representation of the Goddess. Choose a Hearth Goddess, such as Hestia to dedicate your kitchen altar to. When the meal preparing is to begin, light a candle on your altar to signify the beginning of sacred time and space. Call on your Hearth Goddess or any God/dess that corresponds to your intent for that meal. Maybe turn on some inspiring music to get you in a joyful mood.

Cooking with Consciousness
As you cook, pay attention to your intuition. Feel confident in straying from the written recipe. If you allow a sense of playfulness to come into it, you may discover ways of cooking things that you may never have thought of before. Cooking should be a relaxing uplifting experience. ... so choose a day when you are not rushed and are free to take a bit of extra time. Time your magick with the moon and the wheel of the year. Each season has different types of foods that have meanings for that season. During the waxing moon and early spring, try dishes for creativity and inspiration. During a waning moon and during the cold winter, serve up some comfort foods for rest and relaxation. The extra time taken to charge or bless the food becomes part of the mystical cooking process. While you work, your attitude towards the work and the meal changes its function from simply filling hunger to internalizing vibrant magick. Try some humming, singing, or chanting as you cook. Either speak your intent aloud (this works best, I have found) or say it quietly to yourself. Really get in the mood. Dance and play. Have fun. The joyful energy you are feeling during the cooking process will be felt energetically when the food is consumed.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

I just posted my Yule Log recipe in another section & it came to me, what about some culinary treats for the festive season. We all like sharing recipes...right?
So I am starting us off. Will repost Yule Log here as well.
BB
Tiggy x

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Traditional Mulled Wine Recipe:




2 lemons or Limes or even one of each
3 oranges
1 - 750 ml bottle of medium, to full, bodied red wine




Nutmeg (to taste)
Cloves (to taste)
1 oz brandy or Cognac (or to taste)
1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar (optional)
Herbal or citrus influenced tea (optional but excellent)
Water (optional softener instead of tea)
4 large cinnamon sticks
4 candy canes


Instructions for making four large portions
-Cut 2 lemons and 2 oranges into slices.

Stud the other orange all over with cloves

-Pour the red wine into saucepan and gradually heat.
-Add fruit slices, orange, nutmeg, and brandy.
-Keep an eye on the mixture and wait until it becomes hot to the touch.
-At this point you could blend in sugar or water (if desired).
-Pour into glasses/mugs and add tea (to taste).
-Garnish with cinnamon stick and candy cane.

Serve


Hic! Pardon me (blush) lol

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Yule Log


Also known as 'Buche de Noel'





Ingredients for the Biscuit Roule (Cake Roll)


3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablesthingy all-purpose flour
2 tablesthingys cornstarch
1 tablesthingy sweet butter, melted

Ingredients for the Biscuit Roule

1. Line an 11-by-16-inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper or buttered and floured waxed paper. Set aside.

2. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat until very light and the mixture makes "ribbons." Mix in the flour and cornstarch.

3. Beat the whites with a rotary or electric beater until they hold firm, shiny peaks when the beater is held straight up. With a wire whisk, beat about 1/3 of the whites into the batter vigorously. Then, using a rubber spatula, fold in the remainder. Go as fast as you can when adding the whites or they will be grainy. Finally, fold in the melted butter.

4. Pour into the prepared pan, smoothing the batter evenly so that it touches all sides.

5. Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the roule begins to shrink from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 30 minutes, cover with a wet towel and refrigerate until ready to use. Be sure the towel is kept damp.


Ingredients for the Creme au Beurre (Butter Cream)


1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) sweet butter, at room temperature

Directions for the Creme au Beurre (Butter Cream)

1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes on medium heat.

2. Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Add the syrup very gradually, beating constantly with an electric beater.

3. After the syrup has been added, beat another 5 minutes to give texture and consistency to the mixture. Place the bowl in a pan of cold water and continue beating until cool. At this point, begin to add the butter, bit by bit, beating in each addition thoroughly.

4. When all the butter has been added, the creme should be firm enough to hold a shape. If not used immediately, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using. *If the crème curdles during the addition of the butter, heat it slightly over hot water and work with a whisk to combine together again.


Ingredients for the Log Finish


10-ounce jar of currant jelly
2 tablesthingys of kirsch (dry, clear brandy)
Green food coloring
Powdered instant coffee
3 squares (1-ounce size) of unsweetened chocolate
The creme au beurre you've made

Directions to finish the log

1. Sthingy the currant jelly into a bowl and beat with a fork.

2. Mix the kirsch with 1 tablesthingy of water and sprinkle all over one side of the biscuit roule. Spread the jelly over the entire surface of the roule. Roll up tightly with the seam side down.

3. Take 1 1/2 tablesthingys of the creme au beurre; add a few drops of the green food coloring, and mix well. Set aside. Dissolve 1 tablesthingy powdered instant coffee in 1/2 teasthingy water. Stir into 1/3 cup of creme au beurre. Set aside.

4. Melt the chocolate over hot, not boiling, water. When melted, stir into the remaining creme. With a spatula, spread the chocolate creme thickly over the top and sides, but not the ends. Then draw the tines of a fork down the full length of the roll, sides and top, to simulate bark. Coat the ends of the "log" with the coffee-flavored creme.

5. With a paper cornet make a trimming of ivy with green creme over the "bark." Scatter chopped pistachios over the top to make moss. The log may be garnished with meringue mushrooms or holly with berries (plastic will do just fine

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Danish Gingerbread Recipe


They will be darker than this pic

I cut these with Christmas cutters & make a hole in the top of these before they are baked & after they are cooled & iced, thread red & green ribbon through them & hang them on my Christmas Tree.

1 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup honey
1 teasp grated lemon rind
1 teasp vanilla extract
1 teasp ground ginger
1/2 teasp ground cloves
1 teasp ground cinnamon
1 teasp salt
1 teasp baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar. Add syrup, honey, lemon rind & vanilla, spices, salt & soda. Add enough flour to make soft dough. Chill until firm enough to roll.
Set oven to 350 degrees. Grease & flour baking sheets. On floured cloth roll dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Bake 8 min or until puffed and dry. Cool on a rack and decorate with colored icing.


Icing for Gingerbread
1 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
1 egg white
1 teasp lemon juice
a few drops of vanilla extract
various food colorings
(Collect flavored extracts and food colorings and get creative)
Beat everything but the colors and extracts until the icing peaks. If necessary add more sugan and egg white. Divide into separate bowls for each of the different colors and extracts...have fun!

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Short Cut Meade

Meade, a honey ale from the Celtic traditions, is a traditional drink of the Esbats, but wines have also been used frequently. Meade, related to the Irish word midhe, meaning center, represents the spirit around which all life revolves. Connoisseurs of meade cultivate their brews as carefully as makers of fine wine, and jealously guard their secret recipes. There is even a meade society which tries to gather these recipes from around the world and preserve and publish meade lore.

The following is a much-simplified recipe for meade. It eliminates the lengthy fermentation process. You can add grain alcohol or leave it out depending on your personal tastes. Much better with

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon water
1 1/2 cups raw honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice, rounded
1/2 cup grain alcohol

Preparation:

Slowly heat all ingredients together -- except the alcohol -- in a large stock pot. As the honey melts, an oily crust will form on the top of the meade. You can leave it there -- some feel it adds to the full-bodied texture of the meade. Others will tell you to skim it off. Do not allow the meade to come to a roiling boil. When it is well blended, remove from the heat, stirring occasionally until it settles. When it has cooled, add the grain alcohol and serve.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Mulled Cider

2 quarts apple cider
2 quarts of apple juice
1 cup of honey
1 teasthingy whole allspice
1 teasthingy whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 teasthingy ground nutmeg
1 large seedless orange sliced with peel
1 large green apple sliced with peel
5 cinnamon sticks approx. 3-5 inches

Place all in either a large crock pot on high heat for approx. 4 hours or in a saucepan over medium heat for ½ hour. Do not allow to boil. You may wish to strain the spices out but some people prefer to leave them in and carefully drinking around them and eating the fruit once the cider is consumed

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Roast Chestnuts

1 pound chestnuts
1/4 cup butter
salt to taste
1 pinch ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cut a 1/2 inch crisscross on the flat side of each nut. Be sure to cut through the shell to prevent the nut from exploding. Place the nuts in a shallow baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool and peel off the shell. Place nuts in a skillet with butter and sauté over high heat until the butter is melted and the chestnuts are well coated. Place skillet in oven and roast until they are golden on top. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Roast Duck with Apple and Grape Stuffing
from The Art of American Indian Cooking by Yeffe Kimball and Jean

Duck, 5 1/2 pound, dressed

Stuffing:
Duck giblets
1/2 lb Mushrooms, coarsely chopped
4 ea Greening apples, cored and sliced, but not peeled
1 1/2 c seedless halved Sweet grapes
2 c Unblanched hazelnuts
1 ts Salt
For basting:
2 c Apple cider

Cover the duck giblets with water in a small saucepan and simmer gently for 1/2 hour. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the giblet-cooking water. Chop the giblets for the stuffing. Mix the giblets and 1/2 cup giblet-cooking water with the stuffing ingredients. Remove any pinfeathers from the duck, and singe to remove any hairs. Stuff both neck and body cavities of the bird, skewer shut, and truss. Prick the skin of the duck well all over with a sharp fork. Wrap any remaining stuffing in aluminum foil. Place the duck, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the foil-wrapped stuffing in the pan beside the bird. Place in a hot oven, 400F, and roast
for 1 hour, pricking the skin of the duck with a fork and basting every 20 minutes with cider. Reduce oven temperature to moderate, 350F, and continue to roast for 2 hours more, pricking the duck and basting every 20 minutes with cider and drippings.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Wassail cup

4 cups apple cider
1 jar crabapples (undrained) 16oz
2 cups golden sherry
4 lemon slices
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teasthingy ground nutmeg
1/4 teasthingy cinnamon

Place cider into sauce pan, bringing to a boil and then add other ingredients. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve immediately

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Acorn Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

1 large Onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 Tablesthingy Vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed (5 cups)
1 small Acorn Squash, seeded and cubed
13 3/4 ounces Chicken Broth
4 Tablesthingys Milk
1/2 teasthingy Salt
1/4 teasthingy White Pepper
1/4 cup Sour Cream
2 Tablesthingys Sliced Almonds; toasted
Ground Nutmeg

Sauté onion in oil in large saucepan over med. heat until onion is golden, about 8 minutes. Add potatoes, squash and broth. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 25 min. Cool slightly.Working in small batches, place the vegetables with the liquid in a blender or food processor. Whirl until pureed. Return the puree to the saucepan. Stir in the milk to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Heat over low heat. Remove to heated bowls.
Top each serving with dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of almonds and nutmeg.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Yule Moon Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cup. flour
1 1/2 cups grated almonds (blanched)
1 tsp. vanilla
Icing:
2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 T. water

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and light. Add grated lemon peel, salt, flour, grated almonds, and 1 tsp. vanilla; mix thoroughly. Place dough in bowl. Cover and chill thoroughly. When dough is well chilled; or next day, roll out dough to 1/8" thickness and cut with moon/crescent cookie cutter. Place 1/2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Icing:
While cookies bake, combine confectioner's sugar, vanilla and water. Spread over tops of cookies while still warm, but not too hot as icing will melt. Thin with additional drops of water if glaze is too thick. Allow cookies to cool. Yield: 10 dozen cookies.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Orange Cranberry Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

1 Orange
1 4lb.Roasting Chicken
1/2 teasthingy Pepper
1 pound Sweet Potatoes
1 Tablesthingy Olive Oil
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 cup Whole berry Cranberry Sauce
2 Tablesthingys White Wine Vinegar

Preheat oven to 375.Grate rind from orange(don't include the bitter white part). Rinse chicken & pat dry. Sprinkle with salt, pepper & 1/2 the grated orange rind. Place, breast side up,on a rack in large roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile pare & cut the sweet potatoes into 1 inch slices, then toss with Olive oil. Place in single layer in the bottom of roasting pan. Continue roasting 1 hour and 45 minutes, turning potatoes occasionally & basting chicken and potatoes frequently, until the chicken juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with fork & leg moves freely. During the last 1/2 hour of roasting, combine chicken broth, cranberry sauce and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium heat; boil 20 min. or until reduced to 1 1/2 cups. Peel white pith from orange, seed flesh & chop. Stir remaining rind & chopped orange into saucepan; simmer 5 min. Let chicken rest for 20 minutes before carving. Cut chicken in half lengthwise down the middle. Sthingy cranberry sauce mixture over chicken & serve with sweet potatoes.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Wish Bread


2 tbsp. dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
sprinkle of sugar
1 cup milk at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp. softened butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
4 1/2 - 5 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup raisins
Glaze
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

Mix the yeast in the water, sprinkle sugar, let set until foamy. Mix the milk, sugar, butter, eggs, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the foamy yeast. Stir in the flour, a cup at a time, until still. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and pliant. Oil a bowl, put in the dough, turn it over, and cover the bowl with a moist tea towel. Let it rise until doubled. Meanwhile, make the glaze by melting the butter and brown sugar together. Butter a bundt or tube pan. Pour one 1/3of the glaze into the pan. Gather the children around the table. Tear or slice off pieces of dough the size of golf balls. Ask the children to think of their wishes, their plans. They can share, but silence is fine. They can put a raisin or a bit of dried fruit inside each ball to represent their wishes. Urge them to finish with the condition, "If that's what is best for me." Be sure they know they won't be able to keep track of their individual wish balls once they become part of the loaf. The just have to hope that everyone's wishes come true. Lay half of the balls evenly around the bottom of the pan., pour on another 1/3 of the glaze, then lay the remaining balls in the pan and pour the last portion of the glaze. Cover the pan again with the cloth and let rise until the dough is about 80 percent doubled. Bake in a preheated 350 degree over for 45 minutes. The sugar promotes rapid browning so fold a piece of aluminum foil and place it across the top of the pan like a tent. You can poke a ball gently with a toothpick to test for doneness. The toothpick should be free of dough or crumbs, like a cake. When the bread is done, let it cool for a few minutes, turn it onto the rack, and serve warm.

[estatigua (Tiggy)]

Yule Bread
from: A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook by Patricia Telesco

1/2 tsp. saffron
3 tbsp. hot water
2 envelopes active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 tsp.
1 cup milk, scalded
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
4 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 tbsp. melted butter

Soak the saffron in the hot water for 1 1/2 hours. In large bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1/4 tsp. sugar in warm water. Mix the milk, remaining sugar, butter, and salt; cool. Add the egg, milk mixture, and saffron to the yeast. Beat until smooth. Sprinkle the raisins with 2 tsp. of the flour; mix until evenly coated. Mix the rest of the flour with the yeast mixture. Fold in the raisins. Turn onto a well floured surface; knead until smooth, about 12 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn once. Let rise in warm place until doubled, about an hour. Preheat oven to 400. Knead dough twice. Divide into 24 pieces, form small buns. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover; let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Bake for 10 minutes. Brush the tops of buns with melted butter. Bake an additional 5 minutes.