Pagan Wassail

For the Wassail's Baked Apples:
1 dozen cooking apples
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
butter or margarine
3/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons sugar
Core apples and place in an 8 X 8 inch baking pan. Mix sugar and cinnamon, fill apples with mixture, dot tops with butter. Add boiling water and sugar to pan and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 60 minutes.

For the Wassail:
1 cup water
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon nutmeg, grated (for luck)
1/2 teaspoon mace
2 teaspoons ginger (to prevent arguments)
6 whole cloves (to influence people in high places, and for luck)
1 stick cinnamon (same as cloves)
6 whole allspice
1 dozen eggs, separated
4 bottles sherry
2 cups brandy
Combine first eight ingredients in a saucepan and boil for 5 minutes. Beat egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks. Fold whites into yolks. Strain spice mixture into egg mixture and stir. Combine sherry and brandy and bring almost to a boil. Gradually add liquor to spice and egg mixture, stirring rapidly as you do so. Before serving, add baked apples to foaming liquid. Serve in a large cauldron.
(The above recipe for "Pagan Wassail" in directly quoted from Laurie Cabot's book: "Celebrate the Earth: A Year of Holidays in the Pagan Tradition", pages 71-72, a Delta book, published by Dell Publishing

Yule Salad

Recipe by Althaea
1/2 bag fresh cranberries
3 lg stalks celery
3-4 large carrots
1 large orange
1 can crushed pineapples
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, your preference)
1 large (or 2 small) box raspberry, or raspberry-cranberry Jello
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Open can of pineapples and drain, saving the juice. Put aside. Mix the saved juice from the pineapples and 1 cup of cold water together.
Prepare Jello according to directions, but where the directions call for 2 cups cold water, use the 1 cup cold water/pineapple juice mixture. Before you add the cold mixture to the hot, add the sugar to the hot Jello mixture, and dissolve, then add cold water/pineapple juice mixture, combine well and refrigerate. Be sure to put into a large salad or mixing bowl.
Shred the carrots finely - put aside.
Finely chop celery with a knife or food processor. (I only like the flavor of celery, not the texture, so I use the blender to chop it up very fine)
Chop or crush walnuts
Grate orange peel with fine grater (a cheese grater will do).
Peel orange and clean as much of the pith (the white stuff) away as possible, and section by hand.
In a blender put the cranberries, one handful at a time into the water and chop finely. Add the orange sections and chop more coarsely (using the pulse button on your blender). Add to the Jello mixture. Add all other ingredients to the Jello mixture and mix well. Refrigerate over night.

Topping for salad:
You may top with whipped cream or Cool Whip, but I love this topping the best, it is a nice accent to the sweetness of the salad.
1 cup sour cream
1 cup real mayonnaise
Blend well and place by the tablespoonful on top of the gelled salad. Enjoy!! Happy Yule!
Joanna L. Davis (aka Althaea)

Yule Salad

1/2 bag fresh cranberries
3 lg stalks celery
3-4 large carrots
1 large orange
1 can crushed pineapples
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, your preference)
1 large (or 2 small) box raspberry, or raspberry-cranberry Jello
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
Open can of pineapples and drain, saving the juice. Put aside. Mix the saved juice from the pineapples and 1 cup of cold water together.
Prepare Jello according to directions, but where the directions call for 2 cups cold water, use the 1 cup cold water/pineapple juice mixture. Before you add the cold mixture to the hot, add the sugar to the hot Jello mixture, and dissolve, then add cold water/pineapple juice mixture, combine well and refrigerate. Be sure to put into a large salad or mixing bowl.
Shred the carrots finely - put aside.
Finely chop celery with a knife or food processor. (I only like the flavor of celery, not the texture, so I use the blender to chop it up very fine)
Chop or crush walnuts
Grate orange peel with fine grater (a cheese grater will do).
Peel orange and clean as much of the pith (the white stuff) away as possible, and section by hand.
In a blender put the cranberries, one handful at a time into the water and chop finely. Add the orange sections and chop more coarsely (using the pulse button on your blender). Add to the Jello mixture. Add all other ingredients to the Jello mixture and mix well. Refrigerate over night.

Danish Gingerbread Recipe

contributed by Ms.Deejay
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!

Recipe for Plum Pudding

1/4 lb. flour
1/4 lb. currants
1 tsp. salt
1/4 lb. sultanas (small raisins)
1 tsp. allspice
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp. ginger
1 ounce cut mixed (citrus) peel
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 oz. shredded almonds
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Juice and grated rind of 1 orange and 1 lemon
1/4 lb. fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 lb. molasses (treacle)
1/2 lb. shredded suet
4 large eggs
1/4 lb. brown sugar
2 tbsp. brandy
1/4 lb. dried chopped apricots
1/4 lb. prunes
1/4 lb dates
Sift flour, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs, suet and sugar.
Add fruits, peel and rind. Beat lemon and orange juice, molasses and eggs together and add to other ingredients.
Steam for 6 hours -- a coffee tin filled with the mixture and placed in a steamer in a covered pan does well.
A little vinegar and lemon juice in the water will prevent the pan from discoloration.
After steaming cover in a cool place and let age as long as possible - usually about 5 weeks.
To serve, re-steam for another 3 hours. Remove from tin, douse with warm brandy and set it ablaze!
If you haven't got six weeks before Yule to prepare a proper pudding a tinned one from Crosse & Blackwell will do fine. Just be sure to always heat the pudding first, no matter who made it, or all the warmed brandy in the world won't help. And don't forget the hard sauce!

Gingerbread

Holiday cookie cutters can turn your gingerbread into a festive treat.

Ingredients

•3 cups flour
•1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
•1/2 cup butter
•3 eggs
•4 tbs milk
•1/2 cup light molasses
•2 tbs dark molasses
•2 tbs ground ginger
•2 tsp ground cinnamon
•1/4 tsp salt
•2 tsp baking soda
Preparation

Preheat your oven to 375F. Combine all the dry ingredients (except baking soda) in a large mixing bowl. Add 3 tbs of milk into a large saucepan along with the molasses (both) and butter. Melt together over low heat.

Add beaten eggs and flour mixture to the melted ingredients. Dissolve baking soda in remaining 1 tbs of milk, then add to the batter. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch baking pan. Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Bread of the Dead

Serve with milk or hot chocolate, and offer some to your departed ancestors, so they may breathe in its essence and be nourished, before you gobble it up yourself!

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
10 drops anise extract

Mix all of the above until smooth. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a cookie sheet. With clean hands, mold the dough into a round shape with a knob on the top (which will be a skull) or into smaller round shapes, animals, faces or angels. Place dough on cookie sheet.

1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T. flour
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. melted butter

Mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter for the topping. Sprinkle topping on dough and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. When cool, decorate the skull shaped knobs, animals or faces with icing sugar to make eyes, nose and mouth.

Day of the Dead Altar

Witches and other pagans always love this time of year. But if you live in South Texas or another area with many people who practice Mexican traditions, you get an extra treat. Everywhere you look during the weeks around Samhain, youll find Day of the Dead altars.



The altars are to commemorate the dead, and to celebrate. Now, pagans understand that concept. We can get behind a tradition that both honors Death and celebrates as well. So I always feel especially close to my South Texas community at this time of year. They're building altars just like I do all year long!



You can build a Day of the Dead altar, too. My own altar mixes elements of pagan practice as well as traditional Day of the Dead inclusions. For a simple altar, choose pictures of ancestors and loved ones who have crossed over. My altar always features my beloved dog, Sam, and my two grandmothers. My grandmothers were good friends, and I have a wonderful picture of the two of them, arms around each other.



Honor the remembered by placing some of their favorite things on the altar. Traditional altars are not at all politically correct. Youll find cigarettes, bottles of liquor, or, at the very least, the departeds favorite candy. If you have some of their favorite belongings, put them out, too. Add golden marigolds and candles, to light the loved ones way.



If you want to go further, seek out a Mexican bakery and buy pan de muerto, bread of the dead that is baked in the shape of bones, or other sweets that mark the day. Or follow the recipe for pan de muerto at the end of this article.



And if you really want to get behind the holiday, you can buy kits to make the traditional sugar skulls. These are skulls made primarily of sugar, then decorated with icing, sequins, or whatever else takes your fancy. I've made them. It was messy, easy and lots of fun, and if you keep them from moisture, your skulls will last for years. You can find the sugar skull molds, meringue mix and instructions at

http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/mexicansugarskull/



And feel free to add your own touch, in keeping with your own personal traditions, to your Day of the Dead altar. Directional candles, God/dess images and incense are all good additions. I love to cut an apple cross-wise, so the shape of the pentagram shows in its seeds, and put it on my altar until November 3. Then I bury it, to nourish the souls of the departed, or the fairies. Whoever finds the apple first! One of my favorite memories is of building my Day of the Dead altar on a table by my bed, and placing my apple on it. I woke in the night to see two little mice nibbling on the apple. Somehow, that seemed to me a very affirming vision.



Traditional altars are built on November 1 and 2, but I build mine in the last week of October and take it down on November 3. Have fun with your Day of the Dead altar! What better way to honor the memory of those you've loved than with an altar built with respect, joy and love.

blessings of the thinning veil,

sisalfish <*{{{{><





Pan de Muertos (Day of the Dead Bread)



You can mold this bread into different shapes like bones, angels and animals.



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon of anise seed

2 packets of dry yeast

1/2 cup of milk

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of butter

4 eggs

from 3 - 4 1/2 cups of flour



Preparation

Mix all dry ingredients together except the 3 - 4 1/2 cups of flour. In a small pan, heat the milk, the water, and the butter. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture. Beat well.



Mix in the eggs and 1 1/2 cups of flour. Beat well. Put in the rest of the flour, little by little.

Knead the mixture on a floured board for 9 - 10 minutes. Put the dough in a greased bowl and allow it to rise until it has doubled in size (about an hour and a half at sea level).

Punch the dough down and reshape it with some "bone" shapes on top to decorate it.



Let it rise another hour. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 40 minutes.

After baking, sprinkle it with confectioner's sugar and colored sugar.





sisalfish is a Dianic wiccan living in an old house in San Antonio, with her husband of thirty years and a neurotic sheltie named Chee. She's interested in chant, ritual movement, shamanism and tarot,

Apple Sauce Loaf

1/2 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. applesauce
1/2 c. nuts

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and gradually add to mixture. Stir until well mixed and add applesauce and nuts. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Mix together 1/2 cups powdered sugar and 1 tbsp. water and pour on cake while still warm.

Apple Muffins

 2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped dried apple*
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 12 muffin tins. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and add the egg, milk and oil. Stir the ingredients until they are just blended. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into greased muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

* Dried apples can usually be found in airtight pouches near the raisins in the supermarket.

Golden Herb Rolls

2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/4 cup water
4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 package quick-rising yeast
2 teaspoons dried savory leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed, crushed
1 cup canned pumpkin
4 eggs, divided
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 20 to 24 muffin cups. Combine milk, butter and water in small saucepan; heat until butter is melted. If necessary, cool to 120º F. to 130º F. Combine 3 cups flour, sugar, yeast, savory, salt, thyme and dill in large mixer bowl. Add milk mixture and pumpkin; beat for 2 minutes. Stir in 3 eggs and remaining flour. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place for 10 minutes or until doubled. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, filling 1/2 to 3/4 full. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place for 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled. Beat remaining egg and brush on top of rolls; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until rolls are golden and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans; serve warm or cool on wire rack.

Pumpkin Muffins

3/4 cup natural bran
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup mashed or canned cooked pumpkin
2 eggs (unbeaten)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk

In bowl, combine bran, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and raisins; toss to mix. Add pumpkin, eggs, oil and yogurt; stir just combined.

Spoon batter into paper-lined or nonstick muffin tins. Bake in 400 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until firm to the touch. Makes 12 muffins.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

2 cups flour
3/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup chopped dates (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease twelve muffin cups. In a large bowl, stir together first 9 ingredients. In another bowl, stir together pumpkin, butter, buttermilk, eggs, molasses and vanilla until blended. Make a well in center of dry ingredients; add pumpkin mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in pecans and dates.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups; bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center of one muffin comes out clean. Remove to wire rack. Cool 5 minutes before removing muffins from cups; finish cooling on rack.

Rye Bread

1 packet yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 quart warm water
3 cups rye flour
2 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 tablespoon melted shortening
9 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in the 1/4 cup of warm water, set aside and let stand until frothy. Pour the quart of water in a large bowl, and add the rye flour, salt, caraway seeds, shortening, and yeast mixture. Mix well. Let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, until bubbles start to form on dough's surface. Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, until the mixture has become a firm dough. Knead on floured board for about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until the dough doubles in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Knead again for 10 minutes. Form into 2 loaves and put in greased and floured loaf pans or on cookie sheets for a more natural look. Let them rise again until doubled in bulk, and then bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.

Ultimate Caramel Apples

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
10-inch square piece of styrofoam
6 popsicle sticks or small wooden dowels
6 Red Delicious or Golden Delicious apples
3 ounces white chocolate
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped nuts


In heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine water and sugar. Over low heat, stir mixture gently until sugar is completely dissolved. Increase heat to medium low and cook, without stirring, until mixture is a dark amber color. Remove from heat and carefully stir in heavy cream (mixture will bubble up and spatter a bit, then subside.) Set aside to cool and thicken. Cover styrofoam with waxed paper to catch caramel drippings (this will be a stand for caramel apples). Insert popsicle sticks into bottom center of apples. Dip top half of each apple into thickened caramel. Insert bottom of popsicle sticks into styrofoam, allowing apples to stand upright so caramel runs down sides of each apple. Refrigerate to harden. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate in top of double boiler above gently simmering water; stir until smooth. Transfer melted chocolate to pastry bag fitted with small writing tip. Drizzle thin, random strips of white chocolate over each caramel apple. Repeat melting and drizzling with semi-sweet chocolate. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Cinnamon Butter

2 sticks butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve over sweet bread, muffins, or morning waffles. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Raspberry Butter

1 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon blackberry liqueur
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Boil raspberries, water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until syrupy, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Strain through sieve to remove seeds. Cool. Process with remaining ingredients until smooth and well mixed. Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.