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Many Moons Breakfast Casserole
I believe the original recipe for this came from a friend so
many moons ago. Over the years I tweaked it to the current recipe.
6 eggs
6 slices of bread
2 cups milk
4-6
oz shredded cheese (cheddar or your choice)
16 oz Sausage (bulk) (for rich flavor use pork, for a healthier alternative,
use chicken or turkey breakfast sausage)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
Ground Pepper to taste
Optional: 1/2 cup
diced veggies of choice (red pepper, onions, broccoli, etc.)
Cook and crumble sausage meat. Drain on papertowels. Break
bread into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Beat eggs, mix with milk, salt, mustard and pepper. Pour over bread pieces
and stir. Add cheese, sausage and veggies if using, then stir again. Pour into greased baking dish (11 x 7 x 2) and chill
overnight in refrigerator.
Heat oven to 350’. Bake for 40 minutes. Makes 8 – 10 servings.
During
this festive time of year, life can be hectic. Add some ease to your life by preparing this hearty breakfast/brunch dish the
night before and refrigerating it. In the morning, just toss in the oven and bake. Enjoy!
Crockpot Wassail
From the book: Yule, A Celebration of Light and Warmth by Dorothy Morrison
A terrifc variation of
the ancient wassail mixtures this hot concoction just begs to be consumed. You won't want to forget leave out your friends,
the apple trees. Just set some wassail aside to cool, blend in an egg, then run outside to get the tree asperging ritual underway.
8
cups apple juice or cider
2 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange
whole
cloves (25-30)
Turn the crockpot on high and pour in the apple and cranberry juices. Stir in the sugar and allspice,
then add cinnamon sticks. Stud the orange with the cloves about 25-30 cloves should do the trick and toss it in. Cover the
pot and cook on high for 1 hour. Change the setting to low and allow to simmer for 3 more hours, then serve. Serves 10
Crescent
Cakes
Although more like a cookie than cake, these are perfect little treats to serve at Yule rituals of every
type. For a real boost of magical power, invoke the spirit of Yule by chanting the names of your favorite Deities while you
gather the ingredients. You'll be amazed at the results!
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup
ground almonds
3 drops almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp. honey
Combine
the first five ingredients in a large bowl, then add the butter, egg yolk and honey. Mix well. Cover and place in the refrigerator
for 2 hours. Remove the dough, pinch off 2-inch pieces and shape them into little crescents. Bake on a well-greased cookie
sheet at 350' degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes 12-15 cakes.
Orange Marinated Salmon
From the book:
Cooking By Moonlight, a Witch's Guide to Culinary Magic By Karri Ann Allrich
The sunny, fresh flavor of
oranges permeates this impeccable celebratory dish. Salmon signifies abundance, and oranges bring happiness and represents
the sun, making this a perfect choice for Yuletide gatherings.
4 salmon filets (or one per person)
1 orange,
washed
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. light brown sugar (as
an alternative can use honey)
1 tbsp. soy or Worcestershire sauce (as an alternative tamari)
1 tsp. cornstarch
Sea
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Garnish: Fresh cilantro, parsley or chives, chopped
Rinse the salmon
filets and pat dry. Using a zester or grater,grate the orange until you have 1 tbsp. of orange zest. Remove the rest of the
peel of from the orange and pull out the sections, cleaning away the pith and seeds, and set the sections aside. Combine the
orange zest, orange juice, lemon juices, sesame oil, brown sugar, soy sauce and cornstarch in a bowl to make the marinade.
Pour half of the marinade into a shallow glass dish. Place each of the salmon filets into the dish, turning once to coat each
piece with marinade. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (longer is best, 4 hours).
Pour
the remaining orange marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring 3 to 5 minutes, until it begins to reduce
and thicken. Remove from the heat and add the cleaned orange sections.
Set your oven to broil. Remove the salmon filets
from the marinade and place on a lightly oil broiler pan, then discard the marinade.Broil the salmon 6 inches from
the heat source for about 6 minutes. Remove from oven.
To serve the salmon, plate each piece and spoon the reduced
orange sauce and orange section over the salmon filets. Sprinkle with cilantro, parsley or chives around the plate to garnish.
Serves 4.
Coconut-Whipped Winter Squash
Winter squashes whip up beautifully with coconut milk.
Add your favorite spices for grounding and you have an easy winter side dish.
1 large butternut squash, or 2 acorn
squash (Also works well with pumkin or sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup (or more) coconut milk, stirred well
2 to 4 tbsp. butter
or margarine, cut into pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon, allspice
or pumpkin pie spice
Preheat the oven to 375'.
Cut the squash in half and place both piece cut side down in a baking
dish or roasting pan. Pour 1 inch of hot water into the pan to help keep the squash from scorching. Bake the squash for about
45-50 minutes, or until it is fork tender. Remove from the oven and set aside until it is cooled enough to handle.
When
slightly cooled, scoop out the flesh and either puree' it in a food processor or put it in a saucepan and whip it with a sturdy
wire whisk. As you puree' it, slowly add the coconut milk, pieces of butter and salt, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon to taste.
Reheat gently on low heat in saucepan, if necessary. Serves 4.
Lavender Cookies
Here's a recipe
for a unique cookie, one of my families favorites, especially with tea by the fire (inside or out).
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. dried lavender
blossoms
2 tsp. baking powder
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and
lavender, mixing well. Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the batter, stirring until well blended. Drop by the
teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake at 375" degrees for 8-10 minutes, until lighly browned on the
edges. Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, and transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Yield @ 36 cookies.
Ornaments
You can make ornaments out of practially anything.
Kirigami Snowflake Ornaments
Kirigami is the Japanese art of folding and then cutting paper.
Materials:
- Paper squares - the fancier the better. Recommended is origami paper, especially the metallic or shiny sheets.
- Scissors
- Pencil, pen, or crayon
- Ornament hooks, thread or string
- Fold the paper, color side in, according to the diagram.
- Copy the patterns in the next figure onto the folded paper, or create your own.
- Cut the paper according to the pattern.
- Unfold and there is your snowflake.
- Using an ornament hook, poke a small hole in the snowflake and hang on your tree. Alternately, make a hole big enough
for your thread or string and pass the thread through the hole. Hang on tree.
Garlands
We will be making garlands to festoon the altar and other areas of the house.
You can make garlands out of
- Construction paper
- Popcorn
- Live or artificial evergreen branches
- Holly
- Other material that can be strung.
Construction Paper Garlands
Materials:
- Construction paper
- Glue or Stapler or Tape
- Tape or Thumbtacks
- Select the colors of construction paper you want to use.
- Cut all the paper into strips between 1 and 2 inches wide.
- Make the first loop: Fasten the ends together so that the strip forms a circle. If you use glue, let the glue dry a little
bit before continuing.
- All other looops: Pass one end of the construction paper through the previous loop. Fasten the ends into the new loop.
- Continue until the garland is the length you desire.
- Attach to walls, shelves, doorways with tape or thumbtacks.
Popcorn Garlands
These can be a lot of fun, but it's important to make sure the popcorn goes on the garland and not in your mouth!
A variation: Add berries, popcorn, and seeds for an outdoor garland for the birds and small animals that share your
space. Remember it's winter for them and they will appreciate the treat!
Materials:
- Plain popped corn, berries and all the things you will put on the garland
- Dental floss (extra fine, unwaxed). I like to use dental floss, because it is really hard to break.
- Large needle (it should be sharp to pierce berries and nuts)
- Measure out a length of dental floss. 4 to 6 feet (an arm's length) is good; any longer and you have potential knot problems.
If you want a really long garland, tie several together.
- Thread the needle.
- Tie a big knot at the far end. An alternative is to leave a couple of inches at the end and tie a loop around the first
thing you string on the garland.
- Pass the needle through the popcorn. If you children are too young to handle sharp needles, they can move the popcorn
down the length of the floss to the knot.
- Continue stringing until the garland is full.
- Hang the garland inside or outside.
Remember that popcorn tends to "melt" in the rain. Also, if it's an outside garland, the creatures will probably eat everything
in a couple of days, so if you put it out early, it won't last...
If you are planning the bird-food garland, consider hanging suet (animal fat) from the garland. Birds really like that
when it's cold outside.
More Ideas
Explain the concept of the holiday to your child. Ask him to draw you a picture of the sun being born, or make a sun from
clay.
Let your child stay up with you all night, and watch the yule log burn (if you can have one).
If your child (or you!) can't make it all night long, wake up extra early and plan a dawn picnic in a park, or on a hill,
or somewhere where you can watch the sun rise.
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