Mercredi: The Art of Beauty

Over at the dear Susan Ardelie's wonderful Life Takes Lemons blog, her clever post for today is titled "Ladies in Turkish Dress: A Visual Feast." Click over and find the idea of Turkish attire as seen through the mirror of European taste. A fascinating study in and of itself.

With all respect to Susan, and given that my time is limited, here is my offering for ladies of Turkey or Turkish ladies (such a wonderful simile!).

To all my readers in the U.S., have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you are close to those you truly love, and that you are all kind to one another. Eat up; you've earned it no doubt.

And to all who stop by from every corner of the globe, I'm thankful for your readership today and always.

Header: Turkish Lady with a Servant by Jean-Etienne Liotard c 1742 via Wikimedia

Lundi: Recipes

Thanksgiving is only three days away and, while I could certainly put up a recipe that I like for the Holidays I would be remiss if I tried to do better than the master.

Here then, a little twist for today's recipe post. Click over to Alton Brown's Thanksgiving Recipe Primer and find a recipe for absolutely anything you can imagine putting on a holiday table. Keep this one for Hanukkah/Yule/Christmas/Kwanza et al because there are some seriously delicious offerings at this site.

I know I'm adding the deviled eggs and the Parker House rolls to my Solstice table.

Bon Appetite ~

Header: A charming, Scandinavian inspired Christmas card c 1947 via Mid-Century

Lundi: Recipes

Hey, Thanksgiving is just around the corner here in the U.S. and that means piles and piles of flippin' food. Cook, damn you!

It also means no pie on my table. I can bake a cake like nobody's business but I just can't seem to master pie. So what the heck; instead of pumpkin pie, here are some awesomely easy to make cinnamon pumpkin cupcakes that can also be dressed up to look like pumpkins.

1 18.25 ounce package yellow cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Your favorite vanilla frosting & orange food coloring

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a muffin/cupcake tin with liners (preferably ones with a holiday theme).

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the cupcakes and mix well, either by hand or with an electric mixer, until most of the lumps are gone. Now spoon batter into the cupcake liners until each is about two-thirds of the way full. Bake on center rack about 12 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Remove pan(s) from your oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Now pull your cupcakes out of the pan and let them cool completely on the wire rack. If you're like me and you only have one muffin tin, you'll need to repeat the baking process a time or two.

When your cupcakes have cooled, combine just enough orange food coloring to your frosting to achieve a nice pumpkin-y color. Then frost them up and let the kids lick the bowl. If you're channeling Martha Stewart, consider placing a green gummy candy or a little chocolate morsel on the top to represent the stems. These can also be made for Halloween using licorice to make Jack-o-lantern faces.

Of course, for me at least, all of this is hypothetical. We're going over the river and through the woods to my mother-in-law's house for Thanksgiving. Which means there will be pie; oh yes, there will be pie. But then, there's always Christmas... Bon appetite ~

Header: Woman and Child Pouring Milk by Anne Kerr Hirschberg via American Gallery

Jeudi: Root Work

It's Thanksgiving here in the country where I was born and I will step up straight away and say I have much to be thankful for.  I have a wonderful family, a cozy home, reliable transportation, good health and the best dog in the world.  Really, beyond enough to eat – which I am also blessed with – what else is there?

All that said, this time of year carries exceptional burdens and many of them are unfortunately linked to finances.  The so called Holidays loom large and, if you are like me, the expectation of giving is beyond the reality of budget.  Thankfully (there’s that word again) real need is a powerful tool in magick.  Tomorrow, coincidently, is not only the start of the Holiday season but a brand new moon (the birth of the Long Night Moon in Wicca).  That makes it the perfect time for a money-drawing working to get you through the “season of giving” with a little extra cash to spare.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 green candle

Olive oil

Sea or Kosher salt

Peridot or olivine chips or sand (optional)

Green fabric square

Gold or yellow embroidery floss, ribbon or thread

While concentrating on or even stating aloud your need for money, dress your candle with olive oil.  The olive is a symbol of prosperity as is the color green.  Make a ritual of this and have a clear picture of your need in your mind.  If it will help, go through your finances and write down a reasonable figure on a scrap of paper using green ink if possible.  Place this under your candle on a plate or candle holder.

Once your candle is anointed and set in a safe container, ring it with a thick band of salt.  Salt, which was once as valuable as gold, draws money.  You can add peridot chips or olivine chips/sand to the salt if you like.  The green color of the stones is also money-drawing; the debate is ongoing as to whether or not they are actually the same stone.  Peridot chips in particular are easy to find at craft stores like Michael’s.  The stone chips are not at all necessary to the success of this working, however; if you’re in a real bind, just plane table salt will work equally well.

Once your ring of salt/stones is complete, light the candle with intention.  Again, speak out loud about your need if you like; the universe will hear you if your thoughts/words are sincere.  Let the candle burn down and out in a safe place away from flammable objects.  Remember to keep it in your sights.  If you like, you can meditate on wealth and your thankfulness for what you have already been given as the flame burns.

When the candle is out and cool, save any remaining wax in a plastic bag.  Then collect the salt/stone ring in your fabric square.  Green fabric is nice but white fabric will work just as well.  Bundle up the ends of the fabric and tie the bundle securely with thread or ribbon, using three knots to bind the tie.  Carry your bundle with you, in your purse or pocket, throughout the season. 

When your need is fulfilled, thank your spirits and bury the bundle, along with any wax from the candle, in your yard or in a flower pot to keep the prosperity coming your way in the new year. 

Happy Thanksgiving and bonne chance ~

Header: Jeanne d’Arc Finding the Sword of St. Catherine de Fierbois by Miles W. Mathis

Lundi: Recipes

Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and for many of us that will mean leftover turkey.  Turkey sandwiches are one of the primary ways to enjoy those leftovers but the same old turkey on wheat with Swiss can get a little old, even if you do change up the condiments.  So here is a different approach to the turkey sandwich: turkey pesto on French rolls.

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp pesto

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp black pepper

4, 2 oz French bread rolls

2 cups trimmed arugula

8 oz sliced turkey

8 slices of tomato

4 slices mozzarella cheese

Preheat your broiler.  Thoroughly combine the mayo, pesto, lemon juice, oregano and pepper in a small mixing bowl.

Cut rolls in half horizontally and spread both halves with the mayo mixture.  Divide arugula, turkey and tomato slices between rolls; top each with a slice of cheese.  Place the bottom halves of the rolls (with turkey and cheese on them) on a foil lined baking sheet.  Broil about 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.  Remove from broiler, cover each with the top half of its roll and enjoy!  Bon appetite ~

Header: Thanksgiving by Doris Lee c 1959