Third Infinity

It's too hot to cook, not even for ice cream. Here's some treats that don't need it.

LAMMAS (August 1st) HISTORY Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nus-ah-duh) means the commemoration of Lugh. He was a fire and light god of the Apollo-Hercules type.  His name may be from the same root as the Latin "Lux", meaning light "which also gives us Lucifer, the light bringer. In Irish legends, the god undergoes death and rebirth in the sacrificial meeting with the goddess.  He was associated in Anglo-Saxon tradition with corn harvest and the killing of the Corn King. In this manner did the pagans of long ago celebrate the first harvest of corn. In keeping with a pagan idea of balance, in a parallel to the "Greenwood marriage" is the "Charlestown marriage".  These marriages were trial marriages that could be dissolved after a year and a day by the couple simply returning to the high priestess who had handfasted them and informing her of their decision. THE ALTAR AND circle 1.  Decorate the altar with sheets of wheat, barley or notes, fresh fru...

Who screams for ice cream? Everyone. But who says it has to be plain? Try the ice cream sandwich cake. I wish I'd remembered this for my birthday.

Ever wondered about plums?

This sauce is so perfect over ice cream, you just won't believe it. Rhubarb is the chameleon of the sauce world. Add it to frozen strawberries and it tastes like strawberries. Add it to a frozen berry mix and it tastes like the mix! Amazing stuff. Keep this on hand. Rhubarb is cheap because so many people don't know what to do with it. Best of all, you can grow your own. I grew it even in the dry, cold climate of Denver. Use an orange you buy at the same time as the rhubarb. Pull out the Y-shaped vegetable peeler and shave off the peel. You can dry the extra peel, or put it in a jar packed in plain old sugar. It stores well. Best of all, the peels flavor the sugar! I keep lemon peels packed in sugar and orange peels packed in sugar. They flavor plain old sugar cookies to sublime levels. Think how much money you just saved over buying the dried peels from the spice aisle!

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 ...

If you've never had a corn fritter and you're a carb hound, prepare for orgasmic sensations.This is the kind of warm, lovely dish that just makes a Cakes and Ale special.

This stuff is too good to have only once a year. I'm a little lazy, so I throw all this in the crock pot. It's too darn hot to heat up the kitchen! Let the crock pot do the work. Only change is, don't add the milk until just before serving. If you're low carb like I am, you can substitute steamed and chopped (in the food processor) cauliflower.

Lammas is the holiday to love grain. Breads, rice, corn and I'll even throw in the legumes.For someone on a permanent low carb diet, it can be a little tricky. However, with good sense and some simple changes, even someone like me can celebrate the grain harvest, summer, and have fun. There are many options to suit any palate. I make baked brown rice, so the oven is already warm and ready when I mix up the casserole and I can shove it right back in. The rest of the rice I don't use in this recipe can be frozen in a zip-top bag for later use. You can even add meat to this casserole and save yourself a step. I keep cooked chicken in the freezer, all ready for recipes like this one.

This is one of those versatile "serve for several occasions" recipes. Zuchinni for Lammas, Apple for Mabon, and Carrot-n-Pineapple for Samhain. I substitute a full cup of Spenda for Baking for the sugar in the recipe. I like my quick breads sweet, but you're welcome to use the correct substitution amounts on the package first to see how you like it.

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 =

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.

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 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.