Spring Equinox

OSTARA (March 21)

Ostara is the spring equinox, occurring when the night and day are of equal length. It is a festival of fertility and balance. During this time eggs are colored and placed on the altar, as well as rabbit figures and baskets of fresh flowers. Bless seeds for future planting or you can begin planting seeds indoors to be replanted outside once it is warm enough.
Herbs: Honeysuckle, jasmine, iris, mint
Incense: Violet, strawberry, jasmine
Colors: Pastel pinks, greens, blues and yellows
Gemstones: Aquamarine, red jasper
Foods: Hard boiled eggs, honeycakes, fresh fruits, seeds and leafy greens

• You can celebrate the coming spring with a light and flavorful dish with lots of fresh veggies!

Eggplant Sandwiches

• 1 eggplant sliced into rounds
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 4 Tbls. olive oil
• 2 Tbls. lemon juice
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1tsp. fresh basil
• Fresh leafy salad greens
• Warm Italian bread
• Sliced tomatoes

Whisk oil, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper. Brush mixture onto each slice of eggplant. Place eggplant on baking sheet and broil for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip half of the slices over and sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining eggplant to form little sandwiches. Broil and additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and serve with bread, greens and tomato slices. Make additional oil and lemon mixture to toss greens and tomatoes with if you wish.

Or make homemade honey-lemon jelly for your offering cakes on Ostara!

Honey-Lemon Jelly

• 5 to 6 lemons
• 2-1/2 cups honey
• 1 package (3 oz.) liquid pectin

Grate rind from lemons to measure 4 teaspoons; set aside. Squeeze juice from lemons to measure 3/4 cup pour lemon juice through fine strainer, discarding seeds and pulp. Combine rind, juice and honey in 6-quart saucepan, stirring well. Bring mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in pectin. Return mixture to a rolling boil, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat; skim off foam with metal spoon, if necessary. Pour jelly quickly into 2 hot, sterilized pint jars, filling to 1/4 inch from tops; wipe jar rims. Cover immediately with metal lids and screw on bands. Process jars in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Cool jars on wire rack.

When it Snows - Make Snow Pea Salad!

I love snow peas! You can get them all year in your grocery and they are fabulous. So, we had a bit of a snow storm here in Kentucky and I thought I would make a little snow pea salad to fight off the winter blues.

This salad is full of magical properties: Snow peas - love and goddess magic, Radish - protection, Vinegar - purification.

Snow Pea and Radish Salad

1/2 cup thinly sliced radish

1 1/2 cups snow peas

6 Tbls. rice wine vinegar

1 Tbls. five spice powder

1 tsp. Chinese hot mustard

3-4 tbls. dark sesame oil

Blanch snow peas in boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking and combine with sliced radish. Snow peas should still be crisp. Combine vinegar, five spice powder, oil and mustard with a wisk or shake in a jar. Pour over snow peas and radish. Toss to coat. Eat now or chill. This is so good!

Kentucky Kitchen Witch Imbolc Brunch

For our Imbolc celebration our little Circle is having a brunch on Saturday, February 2, 2008, including bacon and potato quiche, lemon raspberry muffins, salad and mimosas! We are going to make fairy houses to celebrate the coming of spring. I will add a tutorial and pictures of our houses when they are finished!

Close the circle:

Call to Brigid
In unison:

"Amid the darkness the Lady is stirring,
Gently awakening from frozen dreams,
All the world has awaited this moment
The return of the Maiden,
And Her promise of oncoming Spring."

Circle closer:

"Hail Lady Brigid, Goddess of creativity and heralder of the Spring.
We ask that you enter our circle and join us as we honor and thank you
For the gifts you bestow."

The eternal flame within
Red candle is lit by Circle closer. Each person sets a white candle in front of them and passes the red candle lighting their white candle. The red candle is extinguished.

In unison:

"Blessed Brigid of the golden flame, listen as we call your name
I invoke your spirit to burn in me, as I will, so mote it be."

Look into the flame of your candle and visualize Brigid's power of inspiration and transformation flowing through you and making your goal a reality. Allow the white candle to burn throughout your celebration.

Open the Circle.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

1/2 cup plain yogurt

3 Tbls. vegetable oil

1 Tbls. lemon juice

2 egg whites

1/2 t. lemon extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 t. grated lemon zest

1 cup frozen raspberries

2 Tbls. sugar for decoration

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
• In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, egg whites, and lemon extract.
• In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Gently stir in raspberries.
• Spoon batter evenly into the muffin cups.
• Sprinkle with remaining sugar.
• Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool muffins on wire rack and enjoy.

Recipe for Imbolc Potato and Carrot Soup

Potato and Carrot Soup

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 head white cabbage, cored, thinly shredded

dash of nutmeg

1/4 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. fennel

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

5 cups vegetable broth or light chicken broth

6 Yukon Gold (or yellow) potatoes, peeled and cut

1/2 cup milk, or almond milk

1-2 Tbs. light cream, or soy cream

fresh chives, chopped, for garnish

In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat, and sauté the onion until softened. Add the carrots, cabbage and spices, sea salt and white pepper, stir and cook for ten minutes. Add in the vegetable broth and potatoes, bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. When the vegetables are done, carefully ladle the soup mixture into a blender, reserving about a cup of the whole vegetable pieces in the soup pot. Cover the blender and puree the soup mixture until it is smooth, then pour the pureed soup back into the soup pot, stirring it together with the reserved vegetable pieces. Stir in 1/2 cup milk, and gently heat it through, being careful not to bring the soup to a boil.
Add in cream, if desired.
Garnish with fresh chopped chives.
Serves 4-6

• Serve this soup with fresh baked herb biscuits and a salad topped with goat's milk cheese. All representing the coming of SPRING!

The lore of Brigid's Day (Imbolc)

One folk tradition that continues in both Christian and Pagan homes on St. Brigid's Day (or Imbolc) is that of the Brigid's Bed. The girls and young, unmarried women of the household or village create a corn dolly to represent Brigid, called the Brideog ("little Brigid" or "young Brigid"), adorning it with ribbons and baubles like shells or stones. They make a bed for the Brideog to lay in. On St. Brigid's Eve (Jan. 31), the girls and young women gather together in one house to stay up all night with the Brideog, and are later visited by all the young men of the community who must ask permission to enter the home, and then treat them and the corn dolly with respect.Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve. Before going to bed, each member of the household may leave a piece of clothing or strip of cloth outside for Brigid to bless. The head of the household will smoor the fire and rakes the ashes smooth. In the morning, they look for some kind of mark on the ashes, a sign that Brigid has passed that way in the night or morning. The clothes or strips of cloth are brought inside, and believed to now have powers of healing and protection.On the following day, the girls carry the Brideog through the village or neighborhood, from house to house, where this representation of the Saint/goddess is welcomed with great honor. Adult women - those who are married or who run a household - stay home to welcome the Brigid procession, perhaps with an offering of coins or a snack. Since Brigid represents the light half of the year, and the power that will bring people from the dark season of winter into spring, her presence is very important at this time of year.

You can purchase a corn husk Brigid doll kit at www.SacredMists.com a WONDERFUL pagan site!

Imbolc

February 2, 2008

Imbolc, (pronounced "IM-bulk" or "EM-bowlk"), also called Oimealg, ("IM-mol'g), by the Druids, is the festival of the lactating sheep. It is derived from the Gaelic word "oimelc" which means "ewes milk". Herd animals have either given birth to the first offspring of the year or their wombs are swollen and the milk of life is flowing into their teats and udders. It is the time of Blessing of the seeds and consecration of agricultural tools. It marks the center point of the dark half of the year. It is the festival of the Maiden, for from this day to March 21st, it is her season to prepare for growth and renewal.

The first of three Spring Festivals. Lavender and white candles can be burned in honor of the holiday. This is a good time to work in the house, changing curtains, room painting, etc. The Candlemas Sabbat marks the time to welcome the spring. This festival is for fertility and to celebrate the things that are yet to be born, just barely waking under winter's cold shroud.

Colors: White, pink, red and yellow

Herbs: Basil and heather

Stones: Garnet, Ruby and Bloodstone

Foods: Poppy seed cakes, all dairy products, garlic

CORN DOLLY

Supplies: 8 fresh husks from ears of corn (or dried ones from a craft store)

several cotton-wool balls, string, and a pair of scissors.

• To make the head and body, take a couple of corn husks and overlap them lengthways. Place a row of cotton-wool balls in the hollow of the husks, bend the husks over and tie them firmly at the neck and waist. Then slide a rolled husk, with the ends tied for hands, through the body.

• Position the arms midway between the doll's neck and her waist. If the cotton stuffing spills out through the armholes, push it back inside the body.
  

• To make the skirt, place some husks around the figure's waist so that they cover her head and body, and tie them firmly in place at the waist. Now fold the top ends down to make a skirt and trim them straight across the bottom.

• Stand your corn doll upright on her skirt and keep her through the winter until the following spring, when the new crops start to grow.

Kentucky Kitchen Witch Yule Celebration

The Greenman

The name "green man" was coined in the late 1930s. Other names for this figure are Jack in Green or Jack of the Green. Many believe the greenman is related to the pre-Christian Celtic deity Cernunnos; others that it is simply an expression of the forces of nature, or even a reminder that we, too, are part of the cycle of life. There is no real evidence linking the images to any particular philosophy, cult, or belief, although the faces are strikingly uniform through time. The greenman is not a strictly European phenomenon- similar images appear in Asian, Indian, and Arabic architecture and art as well. Whatever his origin, the Green Man serves as the embodiment of untamed nature, an emblem of the male principal, and a symbol of fertility and vibrant life energy.

Yule Ritual

The Kentucky Kitchen Witch Circle will be celebrating Yule on December 9, 2007, at 5:00. Our Yule feast will include turkey, homemade cheddar herb bread, cauliflower salad, homemade caramel apple cake. We will be making individual Yule Log candle holders to take home (see directions below).

Tools Needed: Boline, myrrh or olive oil, sea salt, wine, one green candle, wooden matches, Yule log of either Pine, Fir, Evergreen.

• Using your Boline carve a representation of the sun into the log.
• Place the log in your fire place or a burning pit. Open a circle and call the four elements:

South (fire) rub the oil onto the carved sun figure saying, "The Wheel has turned full circle, we call you back to warm us." (L)

West (water) pour the wine on the log saying, "You, who have died, are now reborn." (R)

North (earth) sprinkling salt over the log saying, "Since time began we celebrated the birth of God. The darkest of nights gives birth to the new sun." (Corwin)

East (air) taking the wood match, light the fire saying, "I light this fire in honor of all. Thank you God for the light you will bring us. Thank you mother for the warmth of your son. Live within us." (Bet)

"So mote it be!"

Close circle.

Cheddar-Herb Bread

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/4 black pepper

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

3 tbsp. chopped flat leaf parsley

3 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, melted

nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg. Stir in cheese, green onions, parsley, dill, thyme, and rosemary. In another bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, and butter; stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Let stand 5 minutes.

Lightly coat an 8x4x2 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center come out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan, cool 30 minutes more. Serve warm.

Magickal Properties

Cheese- Element - earth

Energies - joy and health

Dill - Element - fire

Energies - love and protection

Parsely - Element - air

Energies - money and protection

Green onions - Element - fire

Energies - protection

Caramel Apple Cake

Cake:

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups oil

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts

2 1/2 cups dried apples

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together sugar, eggs, and oil. Add flour; mix together until well blended. Add vanilla, nuts and dried apples. Spread into a lightly greased and floured 13x9 pan; bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center come out clean. When cake is done, punch holes in it with a knife and pour topping over.

Caramel Topping:

3/4 pound butter (3 sticks)

2 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup of milk

Heat all ingredients together over medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Let boil 2 minutes. Pour over warm cake.

Magickal Properties

Apples - Element - Water

Energies - Love, Health and Peace

Butter - Element - Earth

Energies - Spirituality