phynxrizng:

Samhain (Oct 31)
Food and Drink of Samhain: Turnips, apples and apple cider, gourds, nuts, mulled wines, beef, pork, poultry, ale, bram brack (dark loaf or cake made with dried fruit), corn, mugwort tea, pumpkin, squash, and colcannon
Boxty Cakes

1 C. raw, grated potato
1 C. cooked mashed potatos (leftover is fine)
1 onion, minced fine (optional – for savory boxty pancakes)
1 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder1 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 C. buttermilk
2 tbsp. butter

In a med. mixing bowl, combine the grated potato, onion (if using), and buttermilk (this keeps the potato from discoloring). In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add grated potato mixture, egg, and mashed potato. Mix well. Batter should be about the texture of thick pancake batter. Add additional flour or buttermilk if necessary. Melt butter in a heavy skillet or on a griddle.Over medium heat, drop large spoonfuls of boxty batter into skillet, making approximately 6" pancakes.
Brown well on both sides.
Cheesy Potatoes

12 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked & roughly mashed
2 Eggs; well beaten
250g Cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ cup Butter
Pepper
½ cup Sour cream
¼ slice Green onions
½ cup Milk
½ cup grated tasty cheese

Mix potatoes with remaining ingredients. Mix well, but lightly; do not whip! Place in a greased 20cm round casserole dish and bake in a preheated 150°C oven for approx 45 minutes.
Colcannon

1 lb. of cabbage or kale, cooked
1 lb. potatoes, cubed and boiled until tender
2 leeks, cleaned well and chopped, or green onions
1 C. whole milk or light cream
½ C. butter, melted
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of ground mace (optional)

Boil kale or cabbage in lightly salted water until tender. Chop.
Bring milk or cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Add leeks and cook until soft.
Drain potatoes, add salt and pepper to taste (and optional mace). Beat until fluffy.
Return potatoes to pot over a low flame.
Add milk with leeks.
Beat in cooked kale or cabbage until green and fluffy.
Remove from heat and serve.

Optional:
Make a well in the middle of each portion and divide butter evenly among servings, filling each well.
Dip each bite of colcannon in butter before eating.
Cream Cheese Potato Pie

1 egg, beaten
1 10 oz package cream cheese, softened
3 cups mashed potatoes
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons sweet basil
¾ Teaspoon garlic salt
½ cup shredded cheese

Stir egg and cream cheese together until well mixed. Cream potatoes and milk together.
Add both these mixtures to the same bowl, along with bread crumbs and spices. Mix
until creamy and smooth. Turn into greased 8-inch pie pan and smooth out evenly. You can also
choose to make a nice pie crust to line the pan with, but it’s just as good without the crust. Bake
at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until pie puffs up a little and starts to brown slightly. Remove from
oven, top with shredded cheese, and allow to cool before serving.

Fairy Spice Cakes
These delicious cakes are best left in the garden for the Elemental Folk on nights of Wiccan significance, such as Samhain or Lammas.

½ cup sweet Muscat wine
2 tablespoons fine brown sugar
1 large egg
⅔ cup flour
½ teaspoon poppy seeds
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon salt
Sunflower oil for frying

Mix the egg and the Muscat wine in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, mix together the flour, poppy seeds, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Stir this into the egg mixture. Let it stand for about ½ hour. Combine the nutmeg and honey in a small bowl. Heat some oil in a frying pan (about ½ inch in the bottom) until it’s hot. Drop the batter into the oil one generous spoonful each time and fry until golden. Place on paper towels to drain and then dip into the honey mix. Delicious!

Golden Herb Rolls

2/3 cup milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
¼ 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
¾ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
½ 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 ½ to ¾ 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.

Great Aunt Gladys Pumpkin Bread

3 1/3 cups flour
3 cups sugar
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
Pinch powdered Cloves
1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Baking powder

+ NOTE: Dry roasting the herbs in a pan for a few mins,
just until you can smell them, with give you a MUCH more flavorful end result

4 Eggs
1 cup Vegetable oil
2/3 cup Water
1 15 oz Can of Pumpkin
Or you can roast or boil fresh pumpkin 15 oz
1 cup walnuts or Pecans (optional)

* Mix *

Beat wet ingredients, eggs, add oil and water.
In another bowl mix dry ingredients, flour, sugar, salt and spices.
Make a well of the dry and gradually add wet ingredients.
Mix and pour into greased loaf pans (pound cake size)
Preheated oven at 350 for 1 hour.
Yields 2 -3 breads
Hallowmass Cakes

½ cup vegetable oil
4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
2 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup confectioner’s sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture. Chill for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Roll about a Tablespoon of dough into a ball. Drop balls into confectioners’ sugar, and roll until coated. Place balls about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 min. The cakes should be a soft and the edges should be firm. Do not overbake; they burn easily. Makes about 3 doz

Harvest Scalloped Corn

2 cups whole kernal corn, frozen
2 cups potato chunks, peeled
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup Italian bread crums
1 ½ cups sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup shredded carrots
sea salt to taste

Combine corn, potatoes, broccoli and celery. Pour into greased rectangular baking pan. Sprinkle bread crumbs over vegetables. Beat eggs, sour cream, milk and garlic together. Pour over vegetable mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until set in the center.

Irish Potatoes

12 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked & mashed
2 Eggs; well beaten
8 ounces Cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ cup Butter
Pepper
½ cup Sour cream
¼ slice Green onions
½ cup Milk

Mix potatoes with remaining ingredients. Mix well, but lightly; do not whip! Place in a greased 9~ round casserole and bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Oven Hash

1 cup coarsely ground beef
1 cup coarsely ground potatoes
¼ cup coarsely ground onion
¼ cup snipped fresh parsley
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1- 6oz can evaporated milk
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 tbs. butter/margarine melted

In frying pan, combine and cook beef, potatoes, onion, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce, and evaporated milk. Remove from heat and turn out into a 1 qt casserole dish. Mix bread crumbs with melted butter/margarine and sprinkle on top. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.

Pumpkin-Cider Bread

2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp nutmeg
2 cups of flour, and then enough to keep the consistency just right
2 tblspns dry yeast dissolved in ½ cup warm water
1 tblspn salt
2 tblspns vegetable oil
1/3 to ½ cup molasses
2 cups of fresh cider

Combine cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg with the pureed pumpkin.
Combine salt and 2 cups of flour. Add the cider, yeast mix and all other ingredients. Add
more flour if necessary. Pour the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a cloth or
plastic wrap, and let it in rise about 45 minutes, until it’s doubled in size in a warm place.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured surfact. Roll the dough into a long
strip and then roll it up jellyroll style to fit into the bread pan. Place in a greased pan and
let rise until doubled again. Bake at 400 degrees F for 50-60 minutes until brown and
done, when a fork comes out clean.

Pumpkin Muffins

1 c Unbleached Flour, Sifted
2 t Baking Powder
¼ t Salt
¼ t Ground Cinnamon
¼ c Vegetable Shortening
2/3 c Sugar
1 ea Large Egg
½ c Canned, Mashed Pumpkin
2 T Milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. Cream together shortening and sugar in mixing bowl until light and fluffy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in egg. Combine pumpkin and milk in small bowl. Add dry ingredients alternately with pumpkin mixture to creamed mixture, stirring well after each addition. Spoon batter into paper-lined 2 ½-inch muffin-pan cups, filling 2/3rds full.
Bake in 350 degree F. oven 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with butter and homemade jam.

(These are my personal favorite~)

Pumpkin Muffins

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
2/3 cup cooked, mashed pumpkin
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice

In small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale. Beat in eggs and buttermilk until well-blended. Add flour mixture to form a batter. Preheat oven to 375ºF. In medium bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves until well-blended. Stir into the batter. Ladle batter into 12 2 ½-inch greased muffin cups and bake for 15-17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then cool on rack.

Yield: 1 dozen
Remembrance Cookies

These cookies can be made on Hallow’s Eve. They can be shaped like people and the herb rosemary is added to the dough as a symbol of remembrance. Some of the cookies are eaten while telling stories or attributes of special ancestors, reminding us that we still have access to their strengths–or perhaps a predisposition to their weaknesses. The rest of the cookies are left outside by a bonfire as an offering. This can be a solemn ritul, but it need not be.

1 ½ c. powdered sugar
1 c. butter or margarine (softened)
1 egg
2 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract
2 ½ c. all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 ½ T. chopped rosemary

Heat oven 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, almond extract, and rosemary until creamy. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture. Beat until dough forms and refrigerate for three hours. Divide dough into halves. Roll out one portion to 3/16 of an inch on a floured surface. Cut out with gingerbread women or men cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat rolling and cutting with second portion. Bake for 5-7 minutes.
Samhain Cakes

½ c veg. oil
4 sq unsweetened chocolate (4 oz) melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups pastry flour (not hard, sifted or cake flour)
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar. Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed. Add vanilla. Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting. Stir flour, baking powder, and salt into oil mixture. Chill several hours to overnight. Heat oven to 350 deg F [175 deg C]. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into a ball (yes, it’s messy). Drop balls into confectioner’s sugar & roll around until coated. Place about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 min. They will be a little soft but should not be mushy. Edges should be firm. Don’t overbake—these burn easily. Makes about 3 dozen

Samhain Meat Pie

1 bay leaf
10 bacon slices
2 leeks or onionschopped into 1 inch pieces
3 carrots chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 chicken, cut into serving portions
3 TBS chopped parsley
3 sliced potatoes, peeled or not
1 TBS red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, optional

Place the bay leaf into the bottom of a Dutch oven or cauldron. (You will need a lid.) Place half the bacon over the leaf and cover with half of the mushrooms, leeks and carrots. Place the meat pieces atop the vegetables and then cover with the rest of the mushrooms, leeks and carrots. Season to taste, adding half of the chopped parsley, and one of the crushed garlic cloves. (Extra water or broth can be added if thought necessary, just not too much.) Place the potatoes on top of everything else. Add a bit more salt and pepper, the rest of the garlic and parsley. Place the rest of the bacon over this and pour the red wine vinegar over them. Place a tight lid on the pot and cook in the oven at 325 degrees for two hours. Do not check inside too often, as it will dry out the meat. Be sure to discard the bay leaf
Samhain Pasta

1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cooking wine
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped bay leaf
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 ounces fettuccine, cooked

Sauté the mushrooms and onions in the butter until tender. Add the salt, pepper, and wine; simmer over low heat until the mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, bay leaf, celery seed, and thyme. Bring to a low boil. Pour over pasta.

Autumn Butter

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup whipping cream
1 cup butter, softened

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Spread onto your favorite muffins, quick bread, sweet crackers, or drop a dollop onto morning pancakes.

Cinnamon Butter

2 sticks butter
½ 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.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Butter

4 tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 tbsp canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp freshly grated or dried nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator up to three weeks.

* ½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice can be substituted for cloves, ginger and nutmeg.

Raspberry Butter

1 cup raspberries
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon blackberry liqueur
¼ 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.
Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake
Servings: 10

1 ½ c Gingersnap Crumbs
½ c Finely Chopped Pecans
1/3 c Margarine, Melted
16 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
¾ c Sugar
1 t Vanilla
3 ea Eggs
1 c Canned Pumpkin
¾ t Cinnamon
¼ t Ground Nutmeg

Combine crumbs, pecans and margarine; press onto bottom and 1 ½-inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F., 10 minutes. Combine cream cheese, ½ c sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reserve 1 c batter, chill. Add remaining sugar, pumpkin and spices to remaining batter; mix well. Alternately layer pumpkin and cream cheese batters over crust. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect. Bake at 350 degrees F., 55 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.
Quickie Shortbread Soul Cakes

1 stick of butter, softened
4 Tbs sugar
1 ½ C flour

Cream together the butter and sugar. Use a flour sifter to add the flour to the bowl, and mix until it’s smooth. Divide the dough into two parts, and shape each half into a flat circle about half an inch thick. Put them on an ungreased baking sheet (baking stones are really nice for this) and poke lines with the tines of a fork, making eight separate wedges in each cake. Bake for 25 minutes or until light brown at 350 degrees.

Buttery Soul Cakes

Two sticks butter, softened
3 ½ C flour, sifted
1 C sugar
½ tsp. nutmeg & saffron
1 tsp each cinnamon & allspice
2 eggs
2 tsp malt vinegar
Powdered sugar

Cut the butter into the flour with a large fork. Mix in the sugar, nutmeg, saffron, cinammon and allspice. Lightly beat eggs, and add to flour mixture. Add malt vinegar. Mix until you have a stiff dough. Knead for a while, then roll out until ¼" thick. Use a floured glass to cut out 3" circles. Place on greased baking sheet and bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while the cakes are still warm.

Irish Cakes

4 C flour
1 pkt active dry yeast
1 C milk
2 Tbs butter
½ tsp each cinnamon & salt
¾ C sugar
½ C lemon zest
1 ¼ C golden raisins

Cream yeast with 1 tsp sugar & 1 tsp milk, let it get frothy. Blend flour, spices, & salt together, then cut in butter. Add the rest of the sugar to the flour mix and blend. Add milk & beaten egg onto the yeast mixture; combine with flour mixture. Beat until stiff.

Fold in raisins and zest, cover with a damp cloth and let rise. Divide in two, place each half in greased 7" round pan. Cover, let rise again for 30 minutes. Bake 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Cookies

100 g butter
100 g fine white sugar
3 eggyolks
½ pound plain white flour
1 teaspoon mixed spices
40 g raisins or sultanas
milk

Melt the butter in a microwave, then stir in sugar until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. Stir in the eggyolk, again aiming for smoothness.

Add flour and spices, stir and mix well, then add raisins. Add enough milk (slowly!) until you have a soft but still formable dough.

Form this dough into round, flat cookies with around 4 inches diameter and slightly less than an inch of thickness, arranging those on a greased baking tray. Then “carve” decorations into the cookies with a blunt knife – try Celtic spiral designs for that extra effect.

Bake the cookies at 180 degrees Celsius (360 Fahrenheit) for ten to fifteen minutes until golden brown.