Honey & Lavender Imbolc Posset Ritual

At Imbolc, we celebrate the slow return of the Sun and Spring. It marks the mid-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and is deeply associated with the lambing season, which is where the name Imbolc may originate. Depending on the source, Imbolc may be from the Old Irish for "in the belly" which refers to the pregnancy of ewes and as such the production of milk, from Old Irish imb-fholc which means "to wash or cleanse oneself," or from the folk oimelc meaning "ewe milk." No matter the actual etymology of the word, Imbolc is known as both a celebration of lambing season and milk and ritual cleansing. This honey and lavender posset combines both of these celebrations into one delightful dessert recipe.

What You'll Need

• 4 cups heavy or regular whipping cream (I am using Silk Heavy Cream to make this vegan which did not sit up very well)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lavender + 1 teaspoon for garnish

What to Do

Bring the cream and honey to a boil over medium heat. Stir continuously for 3 full minutes in a clockwise direction. As you stir, visualize the milk and honey mixture filling with purifying golden light while chanting, 

"With golden honey, shining like the Sun,

This spell of cleansing and celebration is begun.

Milk so white and pure,

Cleanse my soul so I am no longer unsure.

Bring me serenity and clarity,

Your warmth soothing all insecurities.

Honey and milk combine,

To honor the union of the divine.

May the Sun return and heat the Earth,

And from His rays, we shall witness rebirth."

Remove from the heat and add the lemon and lime juice. Stir to combine. Place the 1 tablespoon of lavender into a tea ball and submerge it in the mixture. Stir clockwise while saying,

"With citrus and lavender purple,

Awaken dear Sun so life may come full circle."

Allow the lavender to steep for between 10 and 20 minutes string occasionally. The longer the lavender is allowed to steep, the stronger the flavor. When it's time, remove the tea ball of lavender and pour the mixture into small ramekins or custard dishes. Top with the remaining lavender and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge or in the freezer for 30-40 minutes until it sets. When it's ready, enjoy by yourself or with friends. Remember to leave some for the Earth and genius loci as an offering.

Why You Did It

Understanding the why's of a ritual are just as important as performing it. It helps you understand the process so you can modify the spell or ritual to suit your needs and helps guide you to write your own.

For this spell, we only used a couple of simple ingredients to make a fantastic cleansing dessert in honor of the season. First, honey, being golden in color, is associated with masculine solar energies and warmth. By combining with milk, traditionally associated with Earth and feminine energies, we are creating a union between two heavenly bodies or divine beings, depending on your beliefs, to represent rebirth and renewal. Both rebirth, renewal, milk, and honey are central themes and feast foods of Imbolc. Furthermore, milk and honey are known for their healing properties. Honey is naturally antibacterial and aids in treating bacterial infections. Milk, vegan or otherwise, is full of vital nutrients that help stave off infections and prevent brittle bones. Together they help cleanse the body and prevent illness as well as boosts your stamina, which is needed after a long rest, and reduces insomnia.

Lemon, like milk and honey, is also antimicrobial thus increasing the healing and cleansing properties of the dessert. The bright yellow color is also associated with the Sun, adding additional solar energies to the spell as a way to encourage the Sun's return through sympathetic magic. Furthermore, lemon is associated with purification and rejuvenation, making it the perfect addition to an Imbolc spell. The lime, being green, is representative of Earth, which is just beginning to wake during Imbolc, hence the lesser amount. 

Finally, we have lavender. Lavender is the culmination of the fruits of the Sun and Earth's labors, the rebirth of life. While it's not the first flower to bloom in the Spring, it does bloom earlier than many, dotting the landscape with beautiful purple hues. Lavender is also associated with love, being used by prostitutes to attract customers or by young women to attract a future husband. Because Imbolc is lambing season and the beginning of the union between Sun and Earth, it seems only fitting to use lavender in this spell to represent the love that creates new life.

Wish to break this spell? There is nothing to break in this spell, so just leave it be. You can always throw the posset out instead of eating it if you decide you don't want to cleanse yourself and celebrate the season.

Remember to record this ritual on your ritual/spell worksheet and have a wonderful Imbolc! How do you plan to celebrate this year?

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Witch's Cabinet Recipe: Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

Mabon is right around the corner and what better to celebrate the season than with some quiche? My beautiful hens are still producing an ample amount of eggs, and quiche is a great way to use some of those eggs up. This quiche recipe includes sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and goat cheese (or vegan cheese if you are avoiding dairy as I am), all perfect foods for this time of year. Magically, sun-dried tomatoes are associated with love and romance, but also are a common offering during the first two harvests. Spinach is associated with energy and strength, eggs with fertility and protection, and goat cheese with purity. Combined, this quiche is designed to help continue your prosperity through the winter months, inspire continues love as the nights grow dark, and honor the harvest deities for their wonderful bounty.

Ingredients:
     1 pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
     1/2 teaspoon olive oil
     2 cloves garlic, minced
     3 cups spinach
     4-6 eggs
     1 cup whole milk or creamy oat milk
     1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
     4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled, or vegan mozzarella
     salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. While the oven is preheating, carefully place the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Pinch the dough to create a crust and seal the edges. Poke the bottom lightly with a fork.
2. Line the pie crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and decrease the temperature to 350°F.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
4. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk until well combined. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, spinach, and cheese. Salt and pepper to taste and pour into baked pie crust.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until the center of the quiche has set. You may need to cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning.
6. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

This makes between 4 and 8 servings depending on how to slice it. Honestly, I eat half of this thing in a sitting. I know, I know, but it's really that darn good!

I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a fantastic fall and a lovely Mabon.

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A Summer Solstice Dinner Party 2018

This year to celebrate the Summer Solstice, I hosted a dinner party and bonfire with my friends and neighbors. I am the only witch in my friend group, but everyone loves free food, companionship, and bonfires, right? Roughly 15 people attended and thankfully the majority of the food was eaten or taken on the road.

We began the night by enjoying a delicious feast I prepared myself. Yes, I cooked all of the food.

Menu:

Cheese, Crackers, and Smoked Salmon

Nonalcoholic Raspberry Mango Sangria

Seasonal Fruit (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and sliced peaches)

Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Whipped Cream

Cucumber Dill Salad

Deviled Eggs

Ricotta Zucchini Tarts

Peach and Goat Cheese Tarts with Honey 

Recipes

Nonalcoholic Raspberry Mango Sangria

1 cup chunked mango
1 cup raspberries
1 bottle Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice
1 cup Cran-Raspberry Juice
3 cups Ginger Ale

Place mango and raspberries into a pitcher. Slowly add juices and ginger ale. Gently stir. Allow to chill for 3-4 hours before serving.

Cucumber Dill Salad

2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 bunch dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Mix cucumber, dill, and white wine vinegar together. Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

Strawberry Shortcake with Whipped Cream

For cake:
2 boxes yellow cake mix (+ ingredients on box)
1-pint strawberries, quartered

For the whipped cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bake yellow cake according to directions in round cake pans (yield 4 cakes). Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Mix heavy cream with sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Layer cakes with whipped cream and strawberries.

***

Once more people arrived, we started the bonfire and enjoyed each other's company. We were graced by the presence of my new grey fox, who has taken up residence in my backyard. I am pretty sure its a female. She tends to only come out at dusk and does not hunt long, which leads me to believe she may have newborn kits tucked away in a den.

As the sun began to set, the fireflies danced around us, providing the perfect ambiance to our fireside chats. My best friend and her husband stuck around later than the others, and we ended the night contemplating time, our existence, and dreams magic. It was a lovely conversation and very thought-provoking.

Despite not seeing them, I could feel the presence of fairies in my garden. I am sure they enjoyed the dying embers of the fire when we returned to the house for the night. Overall it was a gorgeous night with great friends and good food.

I hope everyone enjoyed the Summer Solstice this year, or Winter Solstice if you are in the Southern Hemisphere.

Recipe: Old Fashion Fig Preserves

For those of you who don't know, we have a fig tree in our backyard. Figs are probably one of my favorite fruits. They are only available at the end of the summer for a few short weeks, and this year our tree has been producing nonstop. In fact, it has been producing some of the largest figs I have ever seen. Last year the tree produced just a few small figs, so I was expecting much the same this year. However, due to the amount of rain we have received, the tree was able to produce more than I have been able to eat. Normally I don't share my figs, but this year I was giving them away I had so many. I've also let several dozen go to the bees. I just can't eat them all. And that is when it dawned on me; why not make fig preserves?! And that is exactly what I did.

Over the weekend I went to the store, bought some sugar and canning jars, and set to work. This recipe takes roughly 3 hours to cook and another hour to can it all, but it is well worth it.

Ingredients:
     4 cups whole or halved figs
     2 cups of sugar
     1 cup of water
     4 lemon slices, seeds removed
     4 half-pint jars

Directions:

1. Gently rinse figs and drain. Remove the stems. You may leave the figs whole or cut them in half as I did.
2. In a large, heavy pot, add the water, sugar, and figs. Bring to a boil then reduce temperature to low. Allow to cook for about 3 hours or until very thick. Stir occasionally. DO NOT leave the pot unattended.
3. Ladle hot preserves into hot, sterile jars. Place a lemon slice on top of preserves then seal.
4. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. If not processing in the water bath preserves will last up to 1 month in the fridge.

Unfortunately, I didn't think ahead to take pictures of the cooking process for the blog, but I do have beautiful after photos. Looks tasty, doesn't it?

Fig preserves are great on toast, crackers, scones, cookies (as in thumbprint cookies), or just paired with cheese and olives.

I hope you enjoy it!

Recipe: Dutch Apple Pie

Wow am I behind. But what a day to come back. It is my 27th birthday! Happy birthday to me! We decided to switch internet providers and had quite a gap between service. Even once we set up the new internet, I haven't been home to use it! Originally I had planned on sharing this recipe around Mabon, but when I made the pie, it flopped. I used the wrong apples. So, now with Samhain around the corner, I want to share my favorite apple recipe of all time, my mother's Dutch Apple Pie. This pie is probably the most amazing pie you will EVER eat. Trust me! Unlike my mother, however, I make my own pie crust!

Ingredients:
   Filling
     5-7 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (make sure they are pie apples)
     1/2 cup sugar
     1 teaspoon cinnamon
     2 tablespoons flour
   Topping
     1/2 cup sugar
     3/4 cup flour
     1/3 butter or margarine
   Crust
     1/2 cup canola oil
     1/4 cup almond milk or skim milk
     1/2 teaspoon salt
     1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Mix together the pie filling ingredients (apples, sugar, cinnamon, and flour) in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In your pie pan, add the flour and salt and create a well in the center. Pour the milk and oil into the well and mix until smooth. I find using my hands the best way to mix, but a fork works too. Press the dough out to cover the bottom of the pan and pinch the edges. It should look like a normal pie crust when you have finished.
3. Pour apple filling into the crust, making sure to get all the juice that has formed.
4. In a separate bowl, cut in the topping ingredients until a crumble forms. Sprinkle over the top of the pie filling.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes. If the crust begins to brown, cover with foil. The pie should be bubbling out of the crumble topping when it is finished and the crumble should be golden. If it isn't, continue baking for 5 minute intervals until done.

This makes one delicious pie. Allow it to cool slightly before serving. This is great paired with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, but wonderful all on its own.

I hope you enjoy this pie as much as I do!

Need directions for the crust?

As you can see I drew a rune at the bottom of my crust to infuse this pie with a little bit of magic. I picked the rune Fehu to infuse the pie with abundance, wealth, and happiness, a fitting rune for this time of the year.

Recipe: Brown Sugar Acorn Squash

Today I would like to share one of my favorite fall side dishes, Brown Sugar Acron Squash. It is simple and easy to make, requiring only four ingredients!

Ingredients:
     1-2 Acorn squash
     4-8 Tablespoons of Earth Balance or Butter (enough to coat)
     4-8 Tablespoons  brown sugar (enough to fill)
     Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut your acorn squash in half and remove a small slice from the top and bottom of the halves do not sit evenly on the baking sheet. Remove seeds.
2. Coat the inside of the squash with Earth Balance or butter, forming a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Fill with brown sugar.
3. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until squash is soft. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes. 
4. Scoop out the contents from the skin and mash in a bowl. Mix in a pinch of salt. Serve warm.

This makes an excellent side dish to any fall-inspired meal with its rich and sweet flavor. Acorn squash was one of my favorites as a kid, and I cook it every fall for me and my husband. If you have a larger family, you may consider cooking two squashes, but one should accommodate 2-4 people just fine.

Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

It's not quite fall yet, but it sure as hell feels like it in this house. I have started cooking and baking again, something I loathe doing in the Georgia summer, and I have about 20 pumpkin spiced candles burning. I can tell that the days are shortening and the heat is starting to subside. I am beyond happy. Fall is my favorite time of year by far. I wish I lived somewhere with milder summers. I think I would be much happier living in the Northeast, preferably Maine. But I digress. Today I would like to share my Spiced Pumpkin Muffin recipe. I made a batch over the weekend and they are oh so good.

Ingredients:
     3 cups all-purpose flour
     1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
     2 teaspoons baking soda
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1 teaspoon salt
     2 cups of sugar
     1 can pumpkin puree
     Egg replacer for 4 eggs (or 4 eggs)
     1/2 cup water
     1/2-3/4 cup oil.
     Half a bag of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat together sugar, egg replacer, pumpkin, water, and vegetable oil until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Gradually beat into sugar mixture making sure there are no lumps. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Fill lined muffin tins 3/4 of the way and bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!

This makes between 20 and 24 muffins. When it comes to the oil, you can reduce it depending on the consistency of your mixture. If you put in part whole wheat and part all-purpose flour you will need more oil than if you just use all-propose.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a fantastic fall! We are having a dinner party tonight to celebrate Mabon early!