Tuesday Try A New Taste - Midsummer Feast

As I did for Beltane, I now do for Midsummer - but further in the future, so if you see something you like, you actually have time to make it…LOL I am going to do a non-vegetarian meal today, and a vegetarian menu next Tuesday.

So…Eat, Drink & Be Merry!

Easy Mead
from Llewellyn's Witches' Calendar 2000; written by Breid Foxsong

Ingredients:

• 1 quart dry cider (hard or alcohol-free)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup sliced citrus fruits
• 3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

Combine in a container just large enough to hold everything. Seal and refrigerate, shaking or stirring daily for five days. Strain before drinking.

 

 

Old Fashioned Root Beer
From Excellent Recipes for Baking Raised Bread, from the Fleishman Company, 1912.

Ingredients:

• 1 cake, compressed yeast
• 5 lbs, sugar
• 2 oz, sassafras root
• 1 oz, hops or ginger root
• 2 oz, juniper berries
• 4 gallons, water
• 1 oz, dandelion root
• 2 oz, wintergreen

Wash roots well in cold water. Add juniper berries (crushed) and hops. Pour 8 quarts boiling water over root mixture and boil slowly 20 minutes. Strain through flannel bag. Add sugar and remaining 8 quarts water. Allow to stand until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in a little cool water. Add to root liquid. Stir well. Let settle then strain again and bottle. Cork tightly. Keep in a warm room 5 to 6 hours, then store in a cool place. Put on ice as required for use.

Summer Salsa
Source Unknown

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 small Serrano peppers
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small purple onion, diced small
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped small

Stir together the thyme, marjoram, basil, and olive oil. Stir in the lemon and lime juice. Remove the seeds from the Serrano peppers, and mince the remainder. Stir in the minced Serrano peppers, purple onion, red pepper, and cilantro. Allow to sit for at least half an hour before serving to blend flavors.

Chilled Cucumber Soup
by Anna Franklin and Sue Phillips
found at White Wicca

Ingredients:

• 1 large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/2 pt plain yogurt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Chopped fresh mint
• Dash olive oil

Place the cucumber and yogurt in a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Add the oil and seasoning and blend a little more. Chill in the fridge. Garnish with the fresh mint to serve.

Green Nations Herb Bread
Source Unknown

Ingredients:

• 1 c white or wheat flour
• 2-2 1/2 cups assorted grain flours of your choice (or more white/wheat flour if you wish)
• 1/2 to 1 cup assorted herbs
• 2 T sugar
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/4 oz yeast (1 pkg.)
• 1 1/4 c milk
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 egg

In a large bowl combine 1 c flour, sugar, salt and yeast and set aside. In small saucepan heat milk and vegetable oil until lukewarm. Be careful not to get your milk and oil too hot or it will kill the yeast. Add egg and warm liquid to flour mixture and mix well. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes. With wooden spoon stir in herbs and remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough out onto lightly floured board. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if needed. Dough should be elastic without being overly sticky or stiff. Place dough in warm greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, 45-60 min. Punch down dough, knead and place on a pizza pan or cookie sheet, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise again to double it's size. If you feel fancy sprinkle sesame, poppy or dill seed on top before baking. Heat oven to 400 ° and bake for 35-40 minutes or until done. Serve this bread warm with butter and honey.

What herbs you use depends totally on your personal tastes. Some suggestions: powdered rosemary, parsley, basil, cumin, coarse cracked black pepper, fennel, dill, dried and powdered radish tops, flaked dried carrot tops, nettle greens, calendula petals, finely ground dandelion greens, and thyme.

Orange Honey Butter
Found at Pagan Poet

Ingredients:

• 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 Green Nations Herb Bread, scones or biscuits.

Herb Roast Chicken
From Red Deer & Elenya @ University of North Carolina

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Dry white wine
• 1 Lemon (juice of)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 4 pounds Chicken, quartered
• 1/2 cup Olive oil
• 1/2 cup Tomato sauce
• 1 Onion, minced
• 1 Green pepper, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Cumin

In a shallow dish combine wine, lemon juice, garlic, 1 /4 teaspoon oregano and pinch of salt. Add chicken, turning to coat well and marinate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a saucepan combine remaining ingredients and 1/4 teaspoon oregano and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Put chicken in a baking dish and top with sauce. Bake for 1-1/2 hours, or until done.

 

 

Litha Mushrooms in Cream
Source Unknown

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Mushrooms
• 2 T. Butter, melted
• 1 C. Cream
• Fresh thyme, parsley, garlic, rosemary, or other herbs of your choice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Clean but do not peel the mushrooms. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place them in a single layer in a buttered baking dish and dribble the melted butter over them. Bake at 400° until soft (about three minutes). Pour the cream over the mushrooms and turn the oven to 250° so the cream does not boil. Sprinkle with your choice of fresh, chopped herbs and a dash of salt and pepper before serving,
Serves 4.

The sudden appearance of wild mushrooms and their rapid growth were once believed to be a sign of magic. Campestri Agaricus (meadow mushrooms, those white caps commonly purchased in the produce section of the grocery store) growing in a circle were thought to be faerie circles where those wonderful, immortal creatures danced. Mortals were warned not to enter such a place or to fall asleep in a faerie circle because they were believed to be gateways to Faerie. Mushrooms in Cream honors the Fey Folk. Unless you are an experienced mushroom hunter, it is best to use mushrooms purchased through your green grocer. I like to use crimini mushrooms, who are in reality,  portabellos picked before they reach mature growth stage, large cap size. When picking through the mushroom bin on the produce aisle, always look at the under side of the caps and choose mushrooms whose gills have not yet opened.

Frosty Strawberry Pie
Submitted to All Recipes by: Jill D

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-oz) package strawberry flavored gelatin
• 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1-1/4 cups boiling water
• 1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust
• whipped cream
• walnut halves (optional)

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water and gradually add ice cream, stirring until melted.Note:If pie is to be chilled 3-4 hours before serving, increase to 1-1/2 cups water. Chill until thick but NOT set (15-25 minutes), and then fold in strawberries and pour into pie crust. Chill until firm; garnish with whipped cream and walnut halves. A very yummy summer treat....and you can substitute sugar-free gelatin. Be sure to keep it refrigerated! Garnish with whipped cream and walnut halves.
Makes 1 - 8 or 9 inch pie.

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