Third Infinity

Creamy Squash Soup ( a real favorite!) 4 cups cooked mashed butternut squash (can substitute 2 cups ofmashed cooked acorn squash for 2 cups of butternut) 2 (14 oz each) cans ready_to_serve chicken broth 1/2 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 cup whipping cream, divided (Don't skip this) 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg Process half of first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor, and pour into a large saucepan. Repeat with remaining half. Bring to a boil over medium heat; gradually stir in half of whipping cream, and cook until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Beat remaining whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Dollop on each serving of soup. Sprinkle with nutmeg. 7 cups. Review by Berdache, Jaysa, and Tira: Pretty good...Good color and taste. Acorn Squash Bowls Cut off tops of squash; cut a thin slice from bottoms to stand squash upright. Remove seeds, and brown tops of shells in a hot greased skillet.

Greetings, Just when you thought you'd never get used to the hot, muggy days of August, here comes September, with its cool evening breezes, shorter days, and the promise of changing leaves in the air. But for now, the trees are still green, the grass is still growing, and you've got lots of still-bloomin' beauties in your garden. So here's what you need to get going this month. ************************************************************************************** IN THIS ISSUE ************************************************************************************** **** STEP INTO FALL – AERATING LAWN SANDALS ON SALE – SAVE 25% **** COOL AS A CUCUMBER **** CAN-DO SUMMERTIME SMOOTHIES **** SUPERMARKET SECRETS WINNERS **** DIY DRYER SHEETS **** DIVIDE TO CONQUER YOUR PERENNIALS **** SAVE BIG BY SWAPPING YOUR CROP **** GIVE YOUR GARDEN GLOVES A "CLEAN" THUMB ****************************************************************************************** ST...

This bread transitions nicely from Mabon to Samhain very well. It's just too good!

If you haven't tried brining your meat, then I urge you to give it a try. I was a skeptic too until last fall, when we brined a turkey for Thanksgiving. What a huge difference! This is insanely flavorful and juicy. It also works well in the oven.

Yep, I'm reprising this craft this year by request. These dollies were easy to make and held up surprisingly well even in the heat and humidity of Florida. They'll probably do well in less moist climates even better.

2. Acorn Squash Cake 1/4 butter, softened 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 large egg 1 cup cooked, mashed acorn squash 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 cups all_purpose flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup chopped pecans Streusel Topping Beat Butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg, beating well. Stir in squash and vanilla.Combine flour and next four ingredients in a separate container.Gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed after eachaddition. Pour batter into greased 9 inch square pan. Sprinklewith Streusel topping. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes. cool cake onwire rack. Yield: 9 servings. Streusel Topping: 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup chopped pecans Combine all ingredients. Yield: 1©1/2 cups

1. Butternut Squash Casserole 2 cups cooked, mashed butternut squash 3 large eggs 3/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup softened butter 1/3 cup milk 1 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 tsp. coconut flavoring Crunchy Cereal Topping (following) Combine first seven ingredients; pour into a lightly greased 8¬inch square baking dish. Bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Sprinklewith Topping, and bake 10 minutes more. Yield: 6_8 servings. Crunchy Cereal Topping 1_1/2 cups cornflake cereal crumbs 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup butter, melted Combine all ingredients. Makes 2©1/2 cups.

This is so easy, you won't believe it. Try it over cake and you'll be begging the neighbors for a rhubarb plant. Go here: http://gurneys.com/category.asp?c=81&c2c=sc&Rhubarb+Plants&sid=506379&eid=c_81&bhcd2=1249060282 It's ornamental too!

Yeah, I'm really, really late. Forgive me? I found ambergris oil here: http://www.metapot.com/product.php?productid=3079&cat=62&page =

Okay, so this isn't *really* seasonal. I figure all the herbs you collected in June are probably dry by now. Add them to the sachets and gris-gris.

Notes from Lena-- This is delish, but spicy! If you have lightweights, double the cheddar and skip the Pepper Jack. For the hearty appetites I feed, I double this recipe. That means there are a few leftovers for lunches the next day.

You'll need to double or even treble this recipe. I'm not kidding. You've been warned. This filling recipe is one of those "Yell, 'Dinner's Ready!" and step back out of the way of the stampede" recipes. Note I added that this recipe should be served over cooked rice. You don't have to, but I recommend it. You can even make this in the crock pot to avoid heating up your kitchen. Just fry up the sausage, aeromatics, and salt until the meat is brown. Throw it all in the crock pot, give it a stir, set to Low, and walk away for 6-8 hours. Make the rice before serving, of course. Because this recipe can feed a crowd, cooks up in the crock pot, and be multiplied easily, it's great for serving the coven after ritual.

It's hurricane season, and something I keep an eye on. TS Ana was a waste of time from the beginning. This is not true for TS Bill and TS Claudette.    TS Bill will likely be a hurricane before the middle of the week, according to forecasts. I think I'll pull out my hurricane checklist and get ready, just in case.   TS Claudette is just going to be a pain in the butt. Still, she's one to watch.   Anyway, if I stop talking, you know we've temporarily headed for safer ground.     Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...  it's about learning to dance in the rain.   Lena Austin http://www.LenaAustin.com Writing blog: http://depravedduchess.blogspot.com Recipe and Pagan blog: http://third-infinity.blogspot.com Low Carb Diet blog: http://fatfrogdiary.blogspot.com  

Lammas Recipe—Slushy Punch Hint: Keep the slush in the freezer at all times in the summer for spur of the moment guests. For each serving, combine equal amounts of slush and carbonated water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage like Sprite or 7-Up. 1 cup sugar 2-3/4 cups water 2 ripe medium bananas, cut up 3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice 1 6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1-liter bottle of carbonated water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage Stir sugar and water together until sugar dissolves. Combine the bananas, half the pineapple juice, and orange juice concentrate in the food processor and whirl until combined. Add to sugar mix, and then stir in the lemon juice and the rest of the pineapple juice. Make sure it’s thoroughly blended. Transfer this to a 13x9 baking pan or a similarly shaped freezer container for long-term storage. Freeze for several hours until firm. To serve, let mixture stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. To form a slush, s...

   I'm SOOOO going to do this. YUP YUP YUP. *grins* I love chowder. LOVE IT! I was given an old family New England Clam Chowder recipe by a woman whose daughter died unexpectedly and I've become the caretaker of this 100 year old recipe. It's been refined over the years-- and because I know many people don't have access to fresh clams, I've adjusted it to my living in Florida.     2 cups chicken stock 2 small cans of clams- rinsed and drained 2-3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2" or so pieces 1 onion, finely diced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced butter 1 can evaporated milk. (NOT sweetened condensed!)   Place a huge pot on the stove, turn the stove onto medium-high. Using the butter, carmelize the onions and the garlic. Reducing the heat to medium, dump in the chicken stock and the potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are almost fork tender. Add in the clams, cook for another 5-8 minutes. Turn off the heat, then dump in the evaporated m...

I am from the South. Corn bread is part of my heritage, and no southern belle worth her fan and portrait hat would be caught dead without a corn bread recipe to make men worship at her feet. Don't skimp and use cheap supplies! I personally use the yellow corn meal, and I make the corny corn bread with ALL the sugar the recipe allows. And, if you've never made the loaf, cut it into slices, and toasted it the next morning, you've missed a treat. (You can add blueberries to the batter for the loaf, if you like.) Around here, it's a trick to save the corn bread for the next morning, so slice and hide your treasures before serving.

Who doesn't love ice cream? In these last days of summer, these frozen treats can really hit the spot. Please note both are made well ahead of time and frozen. The torte can be made up to six months ahead! Note also the Chocolate Velvet does not use an ice cream machine. Is that cool or what? Together, they are sublime! Make the Chocolate Velvet and the pound cake one day, then put them together in the torte the next! Spend a little time, and give your tongue something divine.

Granted, this is heavy on the carbs, but if you have JUST ONE, you're not harming yourself too much. Besides, look at the variations. I mis-marked the fruit one as Lammas when it's really Mabon. (Yes, I have dummy moments.) Keep this one handy. It's easy and delicious.

There are some recipes worth repeating year after year, even passing them down. This is one of those recipes. It's heavy on the carbs, but tasty.

We all don't have to like the same grains, but this is the grain harvest. Here's a recipe that lets you pick what works for your family and coven. If you're allergic to wheat, choose rice and so on. By technicalities, this is a vegetarian dish or side dish, but by adding cut up cooked chicken, this can become a meal. It's also a great way to use up leftovers. When we have rice (often) we may end up with half a cup or so of leftover rice. I pour it into a freezer bag and freeze it flat, adding more whenever the leftovers warrant. I can accumulate a lot of rice, but freezing it flat allows me to break off chunks when needed to thicken a soup or stew, add a bit of bulk to a stir fry, or a recipe like this. Same goes for chicken. There's *always* one last piece of chicken no one will eat. By scraping off the meat into a freezer bag, I can pretty much guarantee I've cut up cooked chicken for a fast stir fry, "impossible" quiche, or casserole. If you don...

Some things just bear repeating. The cake is to die for! Really!

Any kitchen witch (pagan or not) can appreciate convenience and healthy foods. This recipe isn't just for pagans. I use any nuts I can get in place of the sunflower seeds. They don't agree with DH's digestion.

This coffee cake should be in everyone's BOS as one of the most versatile things you can serve all year 'round. There's rarely a time when a fruit of some kind isn't in season, but there's always canned or frozen. I've even used canned pie filling, skipping the first paragraph, since essentially that's what you're making. A hint from me: instead of using two tablespoons to scoop out small bits, get a 2 tablespoon disher and use it. You'll be a whole lot less frustrated. I use the dishers anytime I need to scoop out small amounts, like when baking cookies.

Honoring my friend Cynnara Tregarth and her cooking today!!    Mmmmmmmm I've got to try this. Since you shared, I'll share my Con Job Rub   1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup kosher salt 1 tbsp chili pepper 2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbsp dried cilantro 1 tsp Creole seasoning (By Zatarann) 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp onion powder 2 tsp Italian seasoning   Mix together in a bowl. Place into a ziploc freezer bag-- keep in cool dark place for up to 3 months. When putting on meat- pat it on and gently rub it in. Marinate the rubbed meat in the fridge for 6 hours-- then rub some more just before smoking or grilling.   Cyn . __,_._,___

Note that y0u can use this recipe twice! While it's wonderful for Lammas to have a Corn Fritter, it's great to have Apple Fritters at Mabon! Don't you just love recipes you can use more than once a year?