ANCESTRAL FOOD. HERBAL WISDOM. MAGICAL COOKERY. SEASONAL CELEBRATION.
This post is a sneak peek into Gather’s Patreon Cookbook which explores the “culinary goddess” found throughout history, folklore and myth. By this, I mean the “Lady of Life” who likely inspired cuisine itself. Whether she was called Isis, Inanna, Ishtar, Asherah, Astarte, Artemis or Cybele – to name but a few – the first […]
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I shared this lovely healthy Uzvar recipe with my Gather patrons last year, but I’m sharing it tonight in honor of Ukrainian Christmas and my beloved mother-in-law Rosie who passed away late November 2021. For the many, many years I’ve been married, I loved hearing her remembrances of this holiday, how the house was full […]
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In old Germanic folklore, Mother Holle or Frau Holle brings on winter when she shakes out her goose-down mattresses from her home in the clouds and the falling feathers turn into snow. Hence this Mother Holle Tart featuring little oatmeal dumpling “clouds” sprinkled with powdered sugar “snow” set in a rich and tangy wild cranberry […]
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Soon May Day Eve will be upon us – so I’m sharing this recipe posted last year at Gather Patreon. This Maibowle Cream Cake – made and glazed with Maibowle Wine – is infused with sweet woodruff, a pretty unassuming little forest herb linked with May Day fertility magic for literal ages. Said to bestow, […]
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This is an excerpt from the Winter Holiday Edition of the Gathery E-Cookery book on Gather Patreon In a culinary fusion of western and eastern goddess traditions, this Golden Rice Pudding is made with primrose infused cream and spiced with saffron, cardamom, orange zest and a touch of candied ginger. It is my offering to […]
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Today, the ancient rites of Imbolc, or Imbolg, are largely observed on St Brigid’s Day on February 1st, lasting till sundown on Feb 2nd. However, this Celtic holiday welcoming the first stirrings of spring and the arrival of the “bright” or “exalted” one, the goddess Brigid (Brigit, Brighid, Bride, Bridget, Bridgit, Bríde) was originally a “moveable feast” […]
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Moroccan inspired M’hencha with spiced chestnut, chocolate and candied clementine filling. This year I decided to try my hand at a Holiday Snake Cake. The question was which one? Many versions of snake cakes are baked across countries from Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Morocco and Algeria, some are sweet and some are savoury and many […]
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These were my very last-minute treats for last year’s Samhain celebrations. The cake I made was a disaster, and the second was carried off by crows while cooling outside. Casting around for a quick solution I spied the barberry bushes that line our driveway and came up with this simple sponge that takes all 3 […]
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Wreaths are time-honored symbols of the cycles of the seasons and the great wheel of the year. This Venusian Tea Wreath is woven with herbs and wild botanicals that embody the energetic principles at work in the heavens and landscape this season. It will not only cast a beautifying spell over the front door – […]
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I’m sorry to have been out of touch for so long! I’ve been so busy finishing the next batch of recipes for the Gather Victoria E-Cookbooks over at Gather Victoria Patreon it seems I’ve spent nearly the whole summer working without posting anything new here. So to rectify that I’m going to give you a […]
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If you’re looking to lift a toast for the Spring Equinox, I’ve got the perfect libation! We’re going to infuse aromatic healing herbs into honeyed wine, and offer a toast to Anna Perenna the Roman Goddess of long life, renewal and good health. Her annual festival and feast were held in March when her powers […]
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Happy Imbolc! In celebration, I’m sharing this recipe for Whiskey Milk Punch from the Gather Victoria ECookery book (for Gather Patrons) which is called Scailtin in Ireland. It can be dated back to the 1700s where it was commonly served in a punchbowl and drunk warm in a mug – but I’m serving it over […]
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