FRESH BROCCOLI SOUP IN BREAD BOWLS
- Round sour dough bread loaves, halved
- 1/2 pound Broccoli, fresh
- 1/4 cup Onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup Margarine
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 3 cups Water
- 4 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon granules
- 2 cups Milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Steam broccoli in small amount of salted water for 10 minutes or until crisp-tender; coarsely chop. In large saucepan, sauté onion in margarine until tender but not brown. Blend in flour. Add water, chicken bouillon, milk, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook and stir until mixture slightly thickens. Add chopped broccoli. Bring to boiling and stir in shredded cheese until melted. Serve soup in individual hollowed out bread loaf halves. Leftover soup freezes well.
APFELPFANNKUCHEN (German Apple Pancake)
- 2 large Apples, any cooking variety
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1 cup Flour
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg,
- Confectioners sugar
Preheat oven to 475. Peel, core and very thinly slice the apples: you should have approximately 1-1/2 cups.Melt 3 Tablespoons of the butter over medium low heat in a small fry pan, and sauté the apples until they are just tender. Keep apples warm while preparing the batter.Place a 9 or 10 inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat for at least 5 minutes--the pan has to be very hot for this to work. When it is well heated, add the remaining 2 T sp. of butter to melt and put the skillet back in the oven; the butter should be very hot buy not brown when you add the apples and the batter.Place the flour, milk, vanilla, salt and nutmeg in a blender and whirl until smooth. Remove the skillet from the oven, quickly arrange the warm apple slices over the melted butter, and pour the batter evenly over all. Bake for 15 min., reduce heat to 375 and bake 10 minutes longer. The pancake will puff and climb up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, then cut in wedges and serve with maple syrup.
ORANGE HONEY BUTTER
- 2 Tablespoons Grated Orange Rind
- 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon honey
Combine the orange rind, powdered sugar, butter and honey in a small bowl and blend until well mixed. Chill slightly and serve with scones or biscuits.
BUTTERMILK SCONES
- 3 cups Flour
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 3/4 cup Currants
- 1 teaspoon Grated Orange Rind
- 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Use an ungreased baking sheet. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir well with a fork to mix and fold air into batter. Add the butter and cut into the flour mixture, using a pastry blender or two knives, or work in, using your fingertips, until the mixture looks like fresh bread crumbs. Add the buttermilk, currants and orange rind. Mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Gather the dough into a ball and press so it holds together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly 12 times. Pat the dough into a circle 1/2-inch thick.Glaze: In a small bowl combine the cream, cinnamon and sugar; stir to blend. Brush the dough with the glaze. Cut the dough into 18 pie-shaped pieces. Place the scones 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops are browned. Serve hot with Orange Honey Butter.
Baklava
This Near Eastern pastry is made of many layers of paper-thin dough with a filling usually of honey and ground nuts. If you like honey, you'll probably like Baklava.
Ingredients:
· 2 cups unsalted butter
· 1/2 pound of phyllo dough
· 2 cups chopped pecans
· 1 1/2 tablespoons cloves, whole
· 3 cups water
· 1/3 cup white sugar
· 1 cinnamon stick
· 1 cup honey
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Melt the butter over low heat. Pour 2 tablespoons of the butter into the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Layer 3 sheets of the phyllo dough in the pan. Trim dough to fit.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of pecans over the phyllo dough.
Layer 3 more sheets of dough and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of pecans. Continue dough - pecan layers until pan is 3/4 full.
With a sharp knife, score phyllo dough to form diamonds. Press a clove at each end of the diamonds. Pour remaining butter over the dough.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until dough is golden brown.
While dough is baking, combine the sugar, water and cinammon stick in medium saucepan and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the honey and simmer for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and discard cinnamon stick.
Pour honey mixture over hot baklava. Let cool on wire racks. Cut into diamonds. Makes 2 dozen.
ZUCCHINI WALNUT TOSS
- 3 medium zucchini
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
- 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Cut zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half into 6 spears. In large nonstick skillet over medium heat, spread walnuts into single layer. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3-4 minutes, or until nuts are fragrant and start to brown. Immediately remove from pan; set aside. In same skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add zucchini and cook, stirring constantly, until crisp-tender, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and toasted walnuts; cook just until heated through. Top with parmesan cheese.
· 3 C. flour
· 1 tbsp. sugar
· 1 tsp. salt
· 1 pkg. dry active yeast
· 2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives
· 2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
· 1 tsp. fresh thyme
· 1 1/4 C. hot water
· 2 tbsp. Crisco
Mix 2 cups of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add herbs, water, and Crisco. Beat slowly, stirring in remaining cup of flour until smooth. Scrape batter from sides of bowl and let rise in a warm place for 35 minutes or until it doubles in bulk. Punch down and beat with a spoon for about 15 seconds. Place dough in a greased loaf pan, patting down and forming a loaf shape with your hands. Cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes or until it again doubles in bulk. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes. Brush top with butter or margarine and remove from pan to cool.
Raspberry Spinach Salad
- 2 Tablespoons raspberry vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons raspberry jam
- 1/3 C vegetable oil
- 8 C spinach, rinsed, stemmed and torn
- 3/4 C coarsely chopped nuts
- 1 C fresh raspberries
- 3 kiwis peeled and sliced
Combine vinegar and jam and blend adding oil in a thin stream. Place spinach in a bowl and add remaining ingredients in layers.
Tools, Symbols & Decorations
The sun, oak, birch & fir branches, sun flowers, lilies, red/maize/yellow or gold flower, love amulets, seashells, summer fruits & flowers, feather/flower door wreath, sun wheel, fire, circles of stone, sun dials and swords/blades, bird feathers, Witches' ladder.
Colors
Blue, green, gold, yellow and red.
Customs
Bonfires, processions, all night vigil, singing, feasting, celebrating with others, cutting divining rods, dowsing rods & wands, herb gathering, hand fastings, weddings, Druidic gathering of mistletoe in oak groves, need fires, leaping between two fires, mistletoe(without berries, use as a protection amulet), women walking naked through gardens to ensure continued fertility, enjoying the seasonal fruits & vegetables, honor the Mother's fullness, richness and abundance, put garlands of St. John’s Wort placed over doors/ windows & a sprig in the car for protection.
Animals/Mythical Beings
Wren, robin, horses, cattle, satyrs, faeries, firebird, dragon, thunderbird
Gemstones
Lapis lazuli, diamond, tiger’s eye, all green gemstones, especially emerald and jade
Herbs
Anise, mugwort, chamomile, rose, wild rose, oak blossoms, lily, cinquefoil, lavender, fennel, elder, mistletoe, hemp, thyme, larkspur, nettle, wisteria, vervain ( verbena), St. John’s wort, heartsease, rue, fern, wormwood, pine,heather, yarrow, oak & holly trees
Foods
Honey, fresh vegetables, lemons, oranges, summer fruits, summer squash, pumpernickel bread, ale, carrot drinks, mead.
Incense/Oil
Heliotrope, saffron, orange, frankincense & myrrh, wisteria, cinnamon, mint, rose, lemon, lavender, sandalwood, pine
