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In The Kitchen With Skarlett
Apple Cider Donut Cake Apples are one of the sacred foods of Samhain. In Celtic tradition, apples were buried at Samhain to feed the dead as well as used in various forms of divination. Apples are good for faerie protection, abundance, protection, long life, health and creativity. Butter is there to bind things together and to ease transitions. Cake mix for happiness. Eggs for fertility and beauty. Sugar for attraction, love and romance. Now to the apple pie spice: Allspice for money drawing and good fortune. Cinnamon for protection, wealth and passion. Cloves for abundance, lust, protection and courage. Ginger for protection, power and prosperity. Nutmeg…
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The Kitchen Witch
“Doctored-Up” Pizza Whenever my mother was in a hurry and wanted to cut corners in the kitchen, instead of making her own marinara (for instance), she would open a couple jars of Ragu and add a can of crushed tomatoes, chopped onions, mushrooms, herbs and spices, red wine, homemade meatballs or cooked Italian sausage. By the time it was ready for the table, you never knew that this sauce had started out as an ordinary jar of Ragu. My mother called this “doctoring up” the sauce. She did this to all kinds of store-bought items. She was Sandra Lee long before Food Network. I think this is definitely a kind…
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The Kitchen Witch
The Humble Boxty Many years ago, I went out with a guy named Tim. We were just kids; I was a little older than he was, but we were still kids, basically. I was twenty and he was eighteen. At that time, the drinking age was eighteen years old in New York State. We went to a lot of concerts and to clubs that featured live music. Tim was a major Deadhead and I loved anything I could dance to. But like so many young people, we drifted apart. I didn’t hear from Tim for many years – not until I reconnected with him on Facebook around 2007 or so.…
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The Kitchen Witch
Air-fryer Chicken Wings I am just about the last person I know to get an air-fryer. My sister has had one for several years now. At the last family gathering – which was before COVID – there was a spirited conversation about air fryers, which brands cooked better, the trading of recipes. Recently, I was on a bus and I heard some people behind me talking about air fryers and what they cooked in them. I thought, I have got to get one of these things! But I wasn’t in a real big hurry to purchase one – I’m never in a hurry for anything. The day I went out…
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The Kitchen Witch
Blueberry Pie Nothing says summer more than blueberry pie! Whether you’re using fresh blueberries picked from your own patch or from a blueberry farm or blueberries bought at a farmer’s market or blueberries frozen from an earlier picking session, this is probably one of the quintessential pies of summertime. Perfect with vanilla ice cream, it’s a treat that everyone loves. I have made blueberry pie several times in my life. Usually I just make my standard pie crust – the simple one I have memorized and have made hundreds of times – and simply mix fresh blueberries with sugar and flour and then bake until the crust is a…
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The Kitchen Witch
Using Leftovers ~ Fried Rice We all have leftovers. I have lived with people – men, mostly – who have refused to eat leftovers. But I come from a family who don’t waste anything at all – not food, not clothes, not anything at all – and I am the same way. And honestly – if you throw away food – you’re throwing away money. That’s how I look at it. And I do not like to waste money. Of course – some people think I waste a lot of money – buying books the way I do – but we all have our addictions! I have a three-day rule…
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The Kitchen Witch
Molasses Crinkles When we think of Valentine’s Day, it’s normal to think of big heart-shaped boxes of chocolates for our loved ones – “sweets for the sweets” – and who doesn’t love to get one of these beautiful boxes of chocolates – usually accompanied by a big bouquet of red roses? I mean – I know I do! But – there are other ways to show how much we care for our loved ones. I personally think a nice home baked spice cookie says a whole lot more – and who isn’t ready for a spicy night on Valentine’s Day? Molasses Crinkles is my favorite spice cookie. There are dozens…
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The Kitchen Witch
Applesauce Custard Pie It is my personal tradition to make something with apples for Samhain. Whether it’s an apple pie, a yummy apple kuchen, German apple cake or just simple baked apples, my home is always aromatic with the smell of apples and cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar at the end of October. To be sure – the smell of apple and cinnamon is present almost all year long! I had made applesauce earlier in the week and I wanted to make something with the batch of applesauce that I had. I have more than one recipe for applesauce cake – including the famous one that Olivia Walton makes in…
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The Sacred Spoon
Heavenly Hound Cake This dog cake recipe is wonderfully healthy for your loyal familiar and infused with all of your loving, caring, and appreciative energies. The love and appreciation is what makes this cake so heavenly for your familiar. Love goes a long way in healing an animal, as it’s their biggest source of joy and healing positive energies. Even if they’re not sick, like us dogs undergo daily stress that requires daily healing. Every familiar deserves all the extra love it can get for all of their unseen help. If you’re having trouble connecting with your familiar, check out my article on familiars and crystal magic. It…
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The Sacred Spoon
Balancing Meals – Third Eye Chakra Veggie Stir Fry with Plum Sauce The Third Eye Chakra is connected with spirituality and perception as well as the color purple. When many people think of the third eye they think of foresight and advanced awareness. While this can be the case, oftentimes someone with an open third eye is more receptive to their surroundings and they pick up on energy shifts faster than others. When the third eye chakra is blocked we experience a lack of concentration and focus. We find it more difficult to sense energies or process information as quickly. Our ability to channel or connect becomes limited, if not…