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Rice Pudding

Mon, 07/28/2008 - 14:38 — kitchenwitch
Ingredients:

1 cup cooked white rice
1 quart milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp Cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 2 quart baking dish.

Notes:

For variation, add 1/2 cup chopped apricots to enhance the fertility energy or raisins to enhance the prosperty energy with the sugar and rice. Sprinkle with slivered almonds to add an extra crunch and to enhance all associated energies

Quick Witch Tips:

Carrot Cake

Mon, 07/28/2008 - 13:59 — kitchenwitch
Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups shredded carrots (5 to 6 medium)
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
5 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat oven to 300 degrees. In mixer bowl, combine sugar, oil, and eggs; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

Notes:

This is my favorite birthday cake. Since my birthday is on Midsummer, I associate this cake with that holiday too. But its warmth and heartiness lends itself well to cooler weather and harvest celebrations as well.

This cake has energy related to prosperity, fertility and lust and is particularly aligned to the sort of sweet, devoted love of an idealistic young couple eager to starti a new family making it great for a wedding cake. That also makes it appropriate for your Heiros Gamos (or Sacred Marriage) on whatever holiday it happens to fall on.

Quick Witch Tips:

Spiced Milk with Honey

Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:36 — kitchenwitch
Ingredients:

1 quart milk
1 tablespoon honey
4 cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

Tie up all the spices in a cheesecloth square, or, if you don't have one you can just put them right in the pan and strain the milk before serving. Combine spices, milk and honey in a saucepan.

Notes:

This is marvelous before bedtime after a long hard day playing in the snow. It warms the heart and soul, as well as the body and casts a sleepy spelli. It's marvelous for topping off the Imbolc festivities just before sending the little ones off to dreamland. Its energies promote familial love, strong bonds and a feeling of being nurtured and loved.

Quick Witch Tips:

Mulled Cider

Mon, 07/28/2008 - 10:32 — kitchenwitch
Ingredients:

½ gallon apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
5 whole cloves
1 orange, sliced

Put it all in a saucepan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Strain and serve hot.

Notes:

This beverage is traditional at harvest gatherings and as a special treat when the kids come in from Trick or Treating on Halloween, or to warm up your hands sitting around the bonfire on Samhain. It's a great warm up on a brisk autumn day.

We use apple cider for our harvest and Samhain libations. It is great for giving thanks for successes in the areas of prosperity and love, and for drawing prosperity and love. This beverage features both sun energies and cthonic energies.

Quick Witch Tips:

You can buy mulling spices at most grocery stores in the late autumn. Follow the directions on the package.

Extra Hot Chocolate

Mon, 07/28/2008 - 09:56 — kitchenwitch
Ingredients:

Per serving you need-
1 cup of milk
a dash cayenne pepper powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp Cocoa
1 tsbsp powdered milk
1 drop vanilla extract

Combine all dried ingredients and mix well. Warm the milk in a sauce pan, stirring constantly. Do not allow it to boil!

Notes:

I have heard this called Mexican and Aztec hot chocolate, though I'm not sure that's accurate. Either way, it warms you to the toes and keeps you warm much longer than other folks's cocoa and it's got a greater depth of flavor. It's also not very sweet so you might want to provide your guests with a sugar bowl.
For some, chocolate is a traditional Day of the Dead offering and this makes a great libation during Samhain and Rites of Passing. For others, this beverage combines the energies of Ares and Aphrodite and that means passion- like Beltane. But it might be too hot.

This beverage is warming in more ways than one. It's a playful blend of male and female energies that will get your circulation going and may spark a bit of lust while it's at it. Be prepared for the release of some very playful energies when you prepare this beverage; Perfect for snuggling on a cold winter's night.

But this isn't an adult's only beverage; kids love it too and t's great for a sledding break.

Quick Witch Tips:

Just add some cinnamon, ceyenne and vanilla to some instant hot cocoa for a quick treat.

Dandelion Punch

Mon, 07/28/2008 - 08:28 — kitchenwitch
Ingredients:

If you're serving dandelioni wine for your Midsummer gathering, be sure to also serve dandelion punch for the kids and those of us that don't drink!

3 cups dandelion flowers, rinsed and separated
1 gallon orange juice
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of sugar
Ginger Ale (Vernors is the only popular brand that actually has ginger.)

Warm the orange juice and lemon together, then add the dandelions. Add the sugar, stirring constantly until dissolved. Let cool and then refrigerate overnight.

Notes:

Dandelion punch is a traditional beverage for MayDay and Midsummer gatherings. It has strong solar energy and strong male energy. Drink it at the beginning of a project (or season) to encourage success in your endeavors and to enhance your health and strength as you move toward completion.

Quick Witch Tips:

To speed things up, have the kids pick your dandelions for you and use pre-squeezed juice. Otherwise, this couldn't be quicker or easier to put together!

PS Make sure you only use yellow dandelioni flowers, not the green bracts or fuzzy bits!

Asparagus

Wed, 02/20/2008 - 18:05 — kitchenwitch
Botanical Name:

Asparagus officinalis

Zones:
most
Other Names:
sparagrass, sparrowgrass , sperage

Asparagus is a Eurasian member of the lily family (liliaceae) and a fast-growing, long lived perennial. Spears shoot up early in the spring sometimes growing as much as 10 inches in a 24 hour period.

Propagation:

Asparagus is great for permaculture because it can live 15 years or more and keep providing you with tasty spears each spring. It grows best in sandy, alkaline soil in full sun, but it's not picky. It can handle a bit of shade and less than perfect soil too, as long as you fertilize it well.

You can get asparagus crowns at most garden centers. Dig a furrow about 10 inches deep and wide and as long as you want your row to be. Fill the trench about halfway with compost and place your asparagus crowns on top, about 10 inches apart and cover loosely with soil and water. This is best done in the springtime as soon as the danger of frost has past.

You won't get any spears your first year, but the fern-like foliage will still be pretty. Make sure you mulch well every autumn to keep weeds down and a steady stream of nutrients coming. Asparagus is a hungry plant.

History and Folklore:

The word asparagus comes from the Greek and it refers to any young, tender shoot that can be eaten.

Asparagus was prized by the ancient Greeks over 2500 years ago. It was considered to be a cleansingi and healing herb and used it for many medicinal purposes. The Romans in their turn also prized asparagus and cultivated it (the Greeks wildcrafted it) from the and spread it throughout Europe on their conquests. Emperor Augustus coined the term “velocius quam asparagi conquatur” which means to do something quicker than you can cook asparagus. Similar to our phrase “two shakes of a lambs tail”. So much did the Romans prize asparagus, that in the first century, runners took asparagus from the Tiber River valley to the Alps so that it could be frozen and thus preserved for the Feast of Epicurus

King Louis XIV had asparagus grown in his greenhouses so that he could enjoy it year round, he dubbed asparagus the King of Vegetables. It was also popular in England and other parts of Europe and colonists brought it to America where Native Americans used it for medicine.

Asparagus was considered a phallic symbol banned from girls schools in the 19th century, but Victorian women were taught to detect the scent of this aphrodisiac on their husbands- a sure sign that he was behaving improperly!

Harvesting & Storage:

Do not harvest your asparagus until it's at least three years old. This allows the plant to have time to build a strong root system.
Your plants will starti sending up shoots shortly after the frost has past and may continue well into June. Cut the shoots near the base when they are about 10 inches long and about as thick as your finger. If they are thinner than a pencil, your plant isn't ready for harvesting yet, or it's gotten tired of being harvested and needs to be let alone. Make sure the heads of the spears are tight and haven't started to feather out. Once they've started to get ferny, it's too late to harvest them.

Asparagus is best eaten fresh, but if you want to save some for later, put it in a glass of water like a bouquet of flowers and store it in the fridge. If you want to save some for a long time later, steam the stalks for about five minutes and then freeze them in a freezer bag.

Household Use:
Magical Attributes:

Asparagus is aligned with Mars and Jupiter and the element of fire. It is also sacred to Zeus.
It is used in lust and fertility spells especially as relates to male stamina and potency.

Healing Attributes:

Asparagus is a good diuretic and is full of nutrients to help build up strength. It is a good food to eat when you are doing a bodily cleansingi, a great "spring tonic" kind of food.

Culinary Use:

Asparagus is one of the most nutrient dense vegetables you'll find at your grocery store. It is high in folic acid, potassium, fiber, vitamins B6, A, C and thiamin, contain no fat or cholesterol and are low in sodium.
Steam asparagus for five minutes so that it is bright and tender-crisp. Then serve plain or with a butter or cream sauce. It is also excellent in creamy soups or lightly stir fried with other vegetables. My ex husband used to like his asparagus boiled until it was mushy and served with toast and butter and I have to admit, it's good that way. Asparagus is also good raw, with or without dip.

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

Mayapple

Mon, 01/07/2008 - 21:24 — DawnBlack
Botanical Name:

Podophyllum peltatum

Zones:
3-9
Other Names:
may apple, may-apple, American mandrake, umbrella plant, Devil's apple, hog apple, Indian apple, wild lemon, may flower

Mayapple is an American native member of the plant family Berberidaceae common to woodland clearings in the Northern and Eastern United States and Southern Canada.

Propagation:

Mayapple spreads from underground rhizomes to quickly form a colony that shades out smaller plants. It makes an excellent groundcover for unused areas and grows well in dappled shade. It likes light, loamy soil, shade, but not deep shade and plenty of space to spread out. You can gather seeds or rhizomes to plant or you might find a transplant in a native plant nursery. (I got mine from the local plant conservancy- they gather wild plants from construction sites and then sell them to the public.)

It's good to keep them moist, not wet, and free of weeds until established. Once they are established, they will spread like crazy and crowd out weaker plants. Remember that it will take a few years before they starti producing fruits.

History and Folklore:

According to lore, Native Americans used this plant for its healing attributes but also to commit suicide.

The botanical name Podophyllum peltatum comes from the greek "podos" and "phyllon" meaning "foot-shaped leaves" and "Peltatum" meaning "shield".

Harvesting & Storage:

The root (which is extremely dangerous to handle or ingest) should be dried away from sunlight. The effective constituents are not water soluble and must be dissolved in alcohol.

The fruit may be made into jelly or sliced thin and dried or dried whole for use in spells.

Make sure to wear gloves while handling the foilage or roots of this plant and wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face or eyes.

Household Use:

The poisonous rhizome can be boiled and used to kill insects on crop plants, especially potatoes. Make sure that the resulting potion is only sprinkled on the inedible (to humans) parts of the plants, such as tomato leaves and the aerial parts of potato plants.

Magical Attributes:

The powdered root is used in powerful protective magic. Mayapple is extremely irritating to the eyes and Mayapple root is used in spells to keep things (like diaries, books of shadows, etc.) hidden from prying eyes. The powder can be sprinkled around the storage area or on the object itself, or around the perimeter of an area where you do not wish to be disturbed. (Remember that Mayapple is a topical poison while doing this. Take care not to let the powder sit on your skin or come in contact with your eyes.)

The dried fruit can also be added to sachets and mojo bags to similar purpose, that is to allow the bearer to work in secret, or to allow his or her actions to not be revealed too soon.

The whole root can be tucked under the mattress to ensure the fertility and verility of the couple who sleep upon it.

Kept in a high place in the home, Mayapple root is said to draw prosperity to the home and protect it from bad luck.

This herb is commonly used as a substitution in spells calling for Mandrake (Atropa mandragora)

Healing Attributes:

Mayapple is listed as "unsafe" by the FDA and most experts agree that its action is too strong for self-medication even by experienced herbalists. Every part, excepting the ripe fruit, is deadly poison and can kill an adult human within 24 hours.

It was used by Native American tribes, who dried and powdered the root, as a laxitive and to remove worms and as a topical treatment for warts and skin cancer.

Modern medicine has found compounds in the rhizome that are useful against cancer and it is used in the treatment of genital warts and skin cancers in Asia. It is also under study for use against dropsy, dispepsia, biliousness, and various liver conditions.

Symptoms of mayapple poisoning are salviation, vomiting, diarrhea, excitement, fever, headache, coma, and death.

Culinary Use:

Only the ripe fruit or "apple" of the mayapple is edible. The fruit is ripe when it is yellow and slightly soft. Dispite its name, the flavor is more like lemon than apple. Mayapples may be eaten raw, but they are best cooked or made into jelly. They may also be juiced and mixed with sugar and water to make a beverage similar to lemonade(remove all seeds before juicing). These fruits should be eaten only in moderation and only when perfectly ripe. It has been known to cause technicolor diarrhea.

Here's an article from Mother Earth News about cooking with Mayapples. An excellent idea for your Beltane celebrations (assuming you've got some ripe, if not, hold off till Midsummer)

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

If you're using an old European spelli that calls for Mandrake, you can use this plant instead. But remember, both plants are very poisonous and substitutions of dangerous plants should never be made with other dangerous plants when you are making things that are to be administerd topically or ingested. I suggest using the fruit instead of the root as a much safer alternative. It is slower to action and not as intense, but it is still effective.

Holly

Mon, 01/07/2008 - 21:14 — kitchenwitch
Botanical Name:

Ilex spp

Zones:
5-8
Other Names:
Christ Thorn, Holy Tree, Hulver, Holme, Holme Chase, bats wings, Aquifolium, Tinne, Black drink plant

Holly is a broad leaved evergreen tree native to Europe. It is most commonly known for its glossy green foliage and bright red berries.

Propagation:

Holly should be planted in a sheltered area in well-drained, fertile soil. It can tolerate some shade, but the more sun it gets, the thicker the foliage will be. It should be planted in early spring and mulched well around the roots. Do not transplant if you can help it. It doesn't like to be transplanted and when you do it may lose its leaves. If you are patient, it may grow back just fine.

Holly bears male and female flowers on different plants. You will need one of each if you want berries and they should be no more than 100 feet apart.

Fertilizing and pruning should be done in the spring. Keep it moist through the summer months, but do not water in the fall and winter. Do not over water. The roots to not appreciate saturation.

Holly planted from seeds take two years to germinate.

History and Folklore:

Romans sent boughs of holly and gifts to their friends during Saturnalia.

Druids decorated their homes with holly in the winter to invite nature spirits to shelter there.

An edict of the Church of Bracara once forbid Christians to decorate their homes with holly, as it was a Pagan practice.

One legend says that holly first sprang from the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Its thorns and red berries represent his suffering and blood.

Holy planted near a home is said to repel poison and protect from witchcraft and lightening. The wood has the power to tame animals and the flowers to freeze water.

In NeoPagan lore, the Holly King rules the dark half of the year, often accompanied by a female Ivy figure. Some believe this figure to be the modern image of Santa Clause.

Harvesting & Storage:

Cut holly as needed. It dries very nicely when hung in a well ventilated area.

Household Use:

Holly wood is hard, and very white. It has a good grain for use in a lathe and makes excellent wands. It takes a stain very well. It should be well dried and seasoned before use to prevent warping.

Magical Attributes:

Holly is masculine in nature and is associated with Mars, or Saturn and the element of fire.

Holly can be used in consecrationi and in spells for material gain, physical revenge, beauty, protection (esp. against lightening), luck and dream magic.

Holly can also be utilized in any rituali relating to death and rebirth, and seasonal mysteries. Because holly burns very hot, it is suitable for any fire festival.

Holly wood makes very good wands which can be used to banishi unwanted entities, and command evoked spirits.

Herbal water made with holly has protective properties.

Planting holly around the house, or decorating the house with holly boughs will protect the household from spells cast by unfriendly witches.

Holly brought into the home at Yule invites the faerie folk to shelter with you in the cold of winter, but these greens must be burned on Imbolc in order to ensure they don't stick around causing trouble all year. But a small branch should be retained and hung outside the house to protect it from lightening.

Healing Attributes:

Holly berries will quickly cause violent vomiting if eaten. The dried, powdered berries can be used as a styptic.

The juice of the fresh leaves is useful for jaundice and in fighting high fevers.

Culinary Use:

Although birds like holly berries, they are not healthy for humans or pets.

Holly shoots are good winter fodder for cattle.

Holly sticks are good for rabbits to gnaw, having a tonic and appetite stimulating affect.

Teai is made from the leaves of Ilex Paraguayensis, I. Gongonha and I. Theezans. These act as a blood purifier and diuretic.

Practical Kitchen Witchery:

Black Cohosh

Mon, 01/07/2008 - 21:04 — kitchenwitch
Botanical Name:

Cimicifuga racemosa AKA Actaea racemosa

Zones:
3-8
Other Names:
Black Snakeroot, Macrotys, Bugbane, Squaw Root, Rattle Root

This perennial is a member of the buttercup family and native to the woodlands of North America. It has tall white feathery racemes (flower spikes) and thick knobby roots.

Propagation:

Sow seeds as soon as frost is gone. Prefers moist soil, partial shade.

History and Folklore:

Cohosh is a Native American word for "rough", referring to the knobby rhizome, which is the useful part. Black Cohosh has been in Native American medicine for centuries and was used as also used by European settlers.

Harvesting & Storage:

Collect the fat black rhizome in the fall after the leaves have died back.

Household Use:
Magical Attributes:

Black cohosh is ruled by Scorpio and the planet Pluto and is associated with the element of fire.

Use in sachets for love, courage and potency or add to the bath. Add to holy wateri and sprinkle around the room to drive off negative influences.

Healing Attributes:

Roots and rhizomes are used for female reproductive complaints, such as PMS and menopause. It has been the subject of many research studies and is believed to work by suppressing the excretion of Luteinizing hormone, which causes ovulation. LH hormone has been linked to night flashes and hot sweats during menopause. Averse affects are uncommon with short term use and include dizziness, headache, giddiness, nausea and vomiting. Long term averse affects may include abdominal pain, uterine irritation, abnormal blood clotting and liver problems. There are no known significant averse drug interactions.

Black Cohosh can be used at the end of a pregnancy to help ripen the cervix. It has also been used in conjunction with other herbs to terminate an unwanted pregnancy in the first month or two. Thus, anyone who is pregnant and wishes to stay that way should stay away from it.

Black Cohosh can also be used for rheumatism, lung conditions, and neurological conditions.

Do not confuse black cohosh with blue cohosh, they are quite different and blue cohosh is much more toxic.

Black Cohosh should not be taken by anyone who has been advised not to take birth control pills or by anyone who has heart problems or a history of cancer. Black Cohosh should not be used with antidepressants.

Should not be used for more than six months at a time.

Culinary Use:
Practical Kitchen Witchery:
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