Thanksgiving

A super wonderful day at our house.  we made the stuffing, cooked the turkey, ate too much, then had great conversation before cleaning up.

Here is a recipe I found in an old book I was reading last week,

Scripture Cake… it’s like a puzzle, you have to look up each verse to find the ingredients.  So grab a bible and look the clues up…the cake is delicious!  ( goes great with a cup of tea from Funky Kaarma)

Ingredients:

1 cup 1 Samuel 25:18

1 cup Isaiah 34:4

1 cup Numbers 17:23

1 cup Exodus 15:27

1 1/2 cup Leviticus 2:5

pinch of Leviticus 2:13

1 tsp Exodus 30:23

dash Song of Solomon 4:10

1 tsp Amos 4:5

3 Isaiah 10:14

1cup Jeremiah 6:20

1/2 cup Numbers 11:8

1 tbsp Judges 14:18

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In medium sized bowl comgbine Samuel 25:18, Isaiah 34:4, Numbers 17:23 and Exodus 15:27. Set aside.

In large bowl beat Isaiah 10:14 until light.

Gradually add Jeremiah 6:20 and continue to beat for 5 minutes.

Add Numbers 11:8 and Judges 14:18 and continue to beat for 5 more minutes.

Add Leviticus 2:5, Leviticus 2:13, Exodus 30:23, Song of Solomon 4:10 and Amos 4:5 a little at a time. Stir unti well blended.

Fold in mixture of Samuel, Isaiah, Numbers and Exodus.

Grease and dust with Leviticus 2:5 a large loaf pan and pour mixture into it.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until done.

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Mabon…

Happy Mabon! Well happy almost Mabon.  The summer is all but gone and the equinox is upon us.  While this might go down as the year of the great orange candle shortage, we still have plenty of supplies for your Mabon altar.

Red candles work well as apples ripen on the trees and are a fruit of autumn.  Purple candles match the blooms and berries of Woody nightshade, (commonly mistaken for belladonna) which is growing and thriving in the wild at this time of year.

Brown candles are traditional for fall as they represent the Earth getting ready to hibernate for the winter; also, pecans are almost ready for harvest.

For Mabon Anastasia wants to share this recipe with you. She feels that Apple Bread is overdone so she ‘s sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Bread.

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7×3 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, apple sauce, vanilla, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Mix in raisins. Pour into the prepared pans.

3. Bake for about 50 minutes. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

This freezes well too. So if you don’t want to share after you’ve made it, save the spare loaf or loaves.

Cranberries can be substituted for raisins.  And speaking of cranberries, a cup of the delicious Cranberry Tea from the Funky Karma Tea Room goes well with this bread. We have Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg and Cloves in the Herb & Spice Room.

All of these are related to the Autumn Harvest. We also have Mabon Oil nd Mabon Incense.  Stop in and see up for your ritual supplies, and have a Happy Mabon.

Fresh Apple Mint

Here is a new Apple TeaPot and the first of this years garden bounty " AppleMint"... So refreshing in Iced Tea! Only 2 bunches for sale so be the first to get yours!

 

Today I brought in the first of this years garden produce . The first  2 bunches of organic Apple mint…perfect in Iced Tea!

Herbs de Provence

Today I have just mixed up a new batch of Herbs de Provence, a traditional aromatic blend of vigorous, and resinous herbs that typically grow on hillsides throughout the Provence region of France. It has taken me several years to perfect the blend but now I am satisfied that I have arrived at the best formula. This much-loved blend of Mediterranean Herbs usually combines the subtle flavors of Thyme, the pungent aroma of Savory, the fresh scent of Rosemary , the anise-like flavor from Fennel, the clean scent of Lavender and sometimes Basil, White Pepper, Orange Peel, Marjoram, Mint or Bay Leaves. The trick in blending this formula is to let each flavor come out without overpowering the others. As it is a best seller in the shop I think we have arrived at exactly the right proportions!

I have used Lavender, Mint, Thyme, Rosemary and Basil from my garden, and Savory, Marjoram, White Pepper, Orange peel and Bay Leaves from an organic herb supplier: with all the right amounts of each, blended together these herbs are ready to flavor your fish, meats, olives, potatoes, stews, soups, sauces and vegetables.

Here are some interesting ways to use this herb blend.

A quick and easy salad dressing:
1 or 2 Tablespoons of Herbs de Provence
6 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
6 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Mix together in a jar, then shake, or whisk together in a bowl until well blended.

On meat, rub a light coating of olive oil then liberally coat with the Herbs de Provence, roast your favorite way. If roasting pork add a bit of sage.

Use 2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence in stir fried rice mixed with vegetables of your choice for a new taste.

Place 2 tablespoons of Herbs de Provence in the center of a doubled square of cheesecloth, tie the ends up with string and place in the cooking liquid of the dish being prepared. Remove and discard before serving.

Experiment with this herb blend, it will not let you down!

Spiced Cookies

We had a great 4th of July cookout Sunday afternoon, hamburgers and hotdogs with all the red, white & blue trimmings, including lots of friends. Pluma’s Auntie Jill came, Linda (who does readings in the shop), Ananda (she bought Janie colored pencils and jewelry making supplies) and Heather, who used to work in the other store and was visiting for the weekend from her new home in Texas.  Granddaughter Janie found a cookie recipe she wanted to make using several spices sold at Funky Karma.  I will post it here so everyone can try them. Henry’s friend Sam bought Janie fireworks and she had a ball with poppers and sparklers.  Later we drove to the Mall and watched the firework displays  from around the valley, Mesilla and Las Cruces. All in all it was a great Happy Birthday America day!

Spiced Cookies; (makes about 2 dozen)

1. Cream together 3/4 cup of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Sift 2 cups flour, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. ground Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ground cloves.
3. Mix flour and spices with creamed butter until throughly combined.
4. Stir 2 tbsp juice into mix. (we used orange juice but any juice will work)
5. Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheet, bake 350 degrees for 10 -12 minutes, then remove from cookie sheet and let them cool and crispen before serving.
6. These cookies could be frozen for up to 2 months but I’m bettin’ there won’t be any left over to freeze!…Enjoy.