Medieval Cookery Modernized?

Now I know that it's not typically commonplace to be haranguing on about a supper (unless I happened to be apart of a food group, but, alas my friends...we are not, nonetheless...). Though, I had to speak of my newest creation...

My mother had delivered a large amount of pork to us, more than our already busy freezer could handle. Usually we save meats for a more special occasion...Though, as the pork began thawing, I decided to incorporate a special, small family feast to the first harvest month.

I wanted something creative, though not taken from any known recipe. My recipe books consist of PA Dutch cooking, mostly. One Italian book, one Asian book and little salad, bread etc. books yanked from shelves of local flea markets...oh, and one bangin' Pagan Feast recipes book (which is unusual...these books usually have drab or ghastly recipes in them).

So, of course the first thing that comes to mind is CORN. May be partly due to my intense research on Zea mays, though usually at this time of year it's always a desired treat in our home anyways...particularly corn breads....Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

Onward...My next thought...fruit. So, I started to cook. I decided to cook in oil this time around...quicker for an already busy day. Before learning basic usage of the runes I used to simply use the Pentacle in my cooking. As aforementioned in another post, while not growing with Wicca, I still grew as an Earth Spiritualist in general...so incorporating the Pentacle into my focused energy workings was never hard to do...after all, what's Earth Spirituality without the elements and recognition of Deity? (At least on my personal terms...lol). So when I cook, I continue to inscribe the Pentacle into the pan. This is for a general blessing of the Hearth/food/pan and any Kitchen spirits that may be watching. ;) Then I customarily inscribe Othala (as a protection/blessing of our Home/Hearth...as well as for anyone else's that may be dining with us). Others used are Wunjo, Kenaz, Ansuz, and so on...the use of the remaining runes and/or symbols really depend on the intent, obviously. Though, since before the kids were born, I like combining them in an inscription (something Diane covers in her book). ;)

Well, So I did that, added the pork and then looked in the cabinet to see what I could ad into the pork. The resulting creation was this:
Pork w/ Black Cherry & Plum preserves, Sage, (Sweet) Basil, and at the end of the cooking I added a dash of Cinnamon. Just enough for a subtle flavor. Did I mention that I NEVER cook pork to be dry? It was the delicious juicy flavor or cherries and spicy plum sauce, with the right hint of sage and other spices.
The baked potatoes I cut little triangular shapes out the top (thing sandwich rolls, not kaiser roll style). Stuffed them from the top with organic sweet cream butter (I don't want to hear about healthy stuff, it was good!), basil, parsley, paprika and topped off with broccoli and then I added just a *hint* of oil on the bottom of the dish (it does affect the flavor positively without "frying" them this way).
The corn was raw in 1/2 cob sizes, steamed to about 100 degrees F; this way they weren't a starch. We also had a salad. I know this sounds like a lot, but keep in mind our family its things in small portions when we eat by ourselves, and consider nights out/restaurants a treat to splurge a little more.

Then a nice fruit dish for dessert. Now that I've posted a description on nothing but food, I'm going to start lunch for the kids. ;)

One night, with the groups consensus I'll make it again when they join us here...Though, I always try to cook seasonally appropriate for those occasions, so that won't be until the weather gets colder. ;) You know who ya'll are!

Valete.

***UPDATE***

The same pork seasonings/fruits cook equally awesome in chicken WHICH is equally awesome in a salad. ;)

As usual...Life is, well...Assiduous...

We FINALLY made it to the Asian market some friends have been talking of. YAY! It was really great...being of the mind of LOVING to cook foods from various cultures (unless it's spicy!), I felt opened up to a whole new world of tastes, and that was absolutely exhilarating.
We picked up some azuki paste, green tea pumpkin seeds, some of those *awesome* chocolate/strawberry filled biscuit candies we had at the 2nd last lore night, a LOAD of ideas and almost as many teas...lol. I wanted to try the difference between the teas that we purchase against the ones they sell. The only new tea that I got was Osmanthus Green Tea and Tung Ting Oolong, which were both delicious. Unfortunately Tung Ting isn't available through our current supplier. It's hard to find good teas organically sometimes. Oftentimes, I feel I should just hold in my bias and sell inorganic products as well, but then we're going against our principles...*sighs* No...it's best to stay to our aesthetics.
Well, anyway...that's not the point at all. =) The kids were a little taken by everything...lol...I asked them which snack they wanted and they wouldn't take any of it! OH, it was HILARIOUS! I told him I'd get him some sweet bean paste and the biscuits. It also took him a little to take interest in eating it in the car. Then they couldn't get enough of either. I just told him it looked different because the words on the packaging was in another language...after translating to 4 year old terms, he got it.
I picked up some Gunpowder green tea...it's good for travel, and I like to keep teas in my purse. I usually just take the stuff we buy in bulk with, but this stuff was in a perfectly small sized box, and only $1.25 for 125 grams (4.4 ounces, roughly). I should just buy from them from now on, though I feel slightly immoral doing so....lol!!

In other topics, there was a reporter at our Pagan meetup at Borders two weeks ago. She is doing a story on Paganism in general, and came to listen to the meetup...our topic was "What drew you to Paganism, and what Paganism is to you." Pretty appropriate. We went to help get the Asatru side across as best we could. Kept it pretty basic, but still got the point across. She got everyone's numbers and I imagine called a bunch of people. She called us probably 3 or 4 times, emailed us for information and just yesterday came over for photographs of us in our home and at the altar. She said their going to try to get it out on the weekend, though they don't know if they can...but either way, there's a good chance it will be on the very front cover, yay! She said she came here because she put Jesse in the lead of the main article. I had her talk to him about the lore and such, he knows A LOT more then he speaks of...and he is so well spoken compared to me....lol....he really was the ideal person to pick for that. I emphasized more on Earth spirituality...it's what I know best anyways....and of parenting in our spirituality as well as daily practices. She said that she wrote a sub-column on pagan parenting where she discusses some of what I'd told her. I can't wait to see the article, and I'm so happy for Jesse!! He definitely is getting some light in these harder times right now...lol. =)

On another great topic, business has tripley picked up this summer!! Sorry...just needed a small boast. =)

The newsletter I'm putting together is coming along...just have to get it together. It'll be out this week. So many people celebrate the beginning of the harvest either on the first or closer to the 17th, we decided to sort of get in the middle of the two. Though, I'm not going to give away any topics just yet! Another big deal on the shoppe is that we're planning on starting at farmers markets with my cleaners, tea blends and so on. Though, we're in a dilemma as to how that will be accomplished. We need a sitter for the kids (that will feed them to our guidelines...lol) and also a way of transporting the products to and fro.

One of my biggest things right now is finishing old projects. I know that this is typically something done a little later in the year, but I want to get a head start on it.

Our garden has officially become raided by a groundhog, or two. Back when the chards and lettuce were ready for harvest, we went out the morning of, and they were gone! Down to the ground...and the borage...The rutabaga's weren't touched so far...neither was the tomato plants. But everything else is pretty much gone. We should have put a fence around the garden, but Jesse refused...lol...He's too used to nearer-city gardening. I don't think his parents really needed one, so I guess that's why he was against it....said it was unnecessary cost. Around here, especially being on the mountain, wildlife is everywhere, even for our location being so close to the main road in this "village." haha. Question is, how do we handle it? You know, that little sucker ate from our compost pile?! Now that was hilarious. We have one other problem, now too. Our new neighbors. Their dogs keep going in the garden. They have two large dogs that pretty much roam the back yards and go anywhere. Unfortunately they've taken favorites on OUR side. Even though they clean up after the dogs often enough, they don't get it all and it's right in our walkway and all. Now THAT pisses me off. And there are yellow spots everywhere in the grass, can't even walk bare-footed in the backyard anymore...which is something I've always done. Our previous neighbor always took his dog out front and walked him while letting him go. Well, enough complaining. This year was a trial run, and if not for dog trampling and groundhog chomping, we'd of had a magnificent harvest this year!! I can't wait for next year. =)

In a few days, we'll find out if the poem I wrote is going to get any rewards...lol...I deleted the previous post about it being published. It really wasn't a big enough of a deal to put it in the journal...I'd rather just forget about that one, lol. But the contest would be neat to win regardless.

I'm about ready to wrap this up, but before so...just a few smaller updates.
Jesse didn't get the first shift job...he has most likely 2 weeks left though, so we're going to enjoy them while we can.
Our 4 year old started writing letters a little bit, and even began on the rune workbook I started. =) He says making all the letters is too hard, so I'm trying to change that attitude!!
The two year old is officially talking and mocking...and has now gotten into the realization of "no" and testing the limits. Fun, fun.
Well, I can't think of much else to update on, other than those that are even more boring than this...lol...just thought I'd keep distant friends updated on what's going on in our hearth. =)

Asian Piece...

This is an interesting piece we got a little while ago for a few dollars...I think it's a smoking device...the spout is too small to be for liquid, it's only about 1/4." The top photo is the Lid.



Below is the handle:


Side and Spout #1:




Belly #1


Belly #2


Now the little people and characters on the belly sides are almost not visible when you look at it...the flash really made them come out. The glass is a very dark forest-olive green....very neat looking. I'm just crazy over the detail on this piece!!

Verboten Magnetism

Forgive me if this is too much. I just recently got asked about this from a friend from back in 2003. I wrote this, which I'd forgotten all about. Upon reading t tonight, I became suddenly re-inspired, and thought maybe I'd share it with ya'll. =)

Now, forgive the orientation of it, if you are not open-minded! Enjoy!!

Forbidden images evade this controlled atmosphere
Saught-out ideas yearn reality
Impulse so strong to elapse from logic
A silent break now invokes creation

Long incursions partake emotions never before enacted
Fascination of the corporeal world eases,
and oscillate within another dimension

Imagination runs wild in chaos
Enraptured minds surrender to purpose of being
A bite tender enough, dangerously feeds temptation
A slippery touch upstates to blindness

Streams of demulcent bliss arouse hunger
Energy stimulates insanity
An opening entrance inhibits its match

This harboring cave begins rolling in habitual motion
Undulations of life engulf the invading entity
Ecstasy engorges,
This magic has become our incarnated pattern

-Rebecca Radcliff (Miller), Copyright 2003

What Kind of Witch Be I?

What kind of 'witch' are you?

You are an earth witch. You have a bit of each of the other elements in you, but still stay your solid self. You are loyal, giving, and trustworthy which unfortunately may cause people to take advantage of you at times. You draw your power from the earth around you and have great respect for Gaia/the mother, and as the earth, you too are beautiful and can make a wonderful mother.
Take this quiz!








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Thousand Hand Guan Yin

Found this on one of my dancing forums. WOW, one of the most breath-taking performances I've seen in a long time. I was almost in tears!!! =)

This dance is called,

"Thousand Hand Guan Yin." The astonishing part of this is that the performers are all deaf, members of the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe. That being said, the choreography was an amazing achievement.
Guan Yin, short for Guan Shi Yin, is the bodhisattva of compassion, hallowed by Buddhists as the Goddess of Mercy. Guan means to observe, Shi means the world. Yin means sounds, specifically the sounds of those who suffer. Bodhisattva, when broken down, is as follows: Bodhi means wisdom, or enlightenment, sattva means being, or essence. So, in translation, a bodhisattva is a being who is enlightened and ready to transcend the cycles of birth and death, but chooses to return to the material world in order to help other people reach the same level of enlightenment. This is the ultimate demonstration of pure compassion. Many times, the bodhisattva is mistaken for being Guan Shi Yin, but a bodhisattva is a representation of Guan Yin's abilities, I suppose you could say.

There just aren't enough words to describe the beauty of it. The choreographer, Zhang Jigang, had the perfect description for the dance:

As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart
A thousand hands will naturally come to your aid
As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart
You will reach out with a thousand hands to help others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24SoPihLdq4

I couldn't get it onto my website, because the server won't allow me to place on a wmv file, so I researched it on YouTube, and what do you know, it was there. =)

Valete.

Wo bist Du mein Sonnelicht

So I was searching European music, and stumbled across this band on YouTube...called Grup "Tekkan". (Anyone who personally knows me, knows just how much I favor European over American music!!!) I played them, and I was astounded...it's basically german "hip hop" (sounds like rap...I knew it existed...just never heard it...especially from guys who look like this!). My four year old is C-R-A-Z-Y over this song! He was just mesmerized the first FIVE times he listened to it. I suppose if he is going to listen to "rap" or "hip hop" I'm much more proud to hear him listening to this kind than the kind in America. =)
Gehen Sie Gruppen Tekkan!