Avocado and Artichoke Pasta Salad

Avocado & Artichoke Pasta Salad

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Yield 10 servings

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked gemelli or spiral pasta

1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

DRESSING:

1/4 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

1-1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, combine pasta, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, avocado and cheese. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Pour over pasta mixture; toss gently to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until serving.

Nutrition Facts

3/4 cup: 188 calories, 10g fat (1g saturated fat), 3mg cholesterol, 248mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 2g fiber), 6g protein.

Wassail – A Yummy Winter Drink

Wassail – It smells heavenly simmering on the stove.

Yields: 4 quarts.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

There’s just nothing better than the scent apple cider, fresh oranges, and cinnamon sticks simmering on the stove. Part of England’s Christmas tradition for centuries, wassail is a scrumptious spiced cider practically begging to be sipped fireside. Early versions of this Christmas punch included warmed wine, mead, or ale combined with roasted apples, sugar, and spice. This recipe holds fast to tradition with whole bobbing apples and a multitude of warming spices, plus a festive twist using apple cider and cranberry juice in place of the alcohol. Of course, for the grown-up version, a splash of bourbon or brandy adds a kick!

What is wassail?

This non-alcoholic Christmas drink is essentially apple cider infused with fresh orange, lemon, roasted apples, and lots of spice. Think: cozy cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and star anise. It’s important here to use both ground and whole spices, so don’t skip either. The ground spices flavor the roasted apples through their core and have a stronger aroma than the whole spices while the whole cinnamon sticks and star anise pods couldn’t be prettier floating in this drink! The final step before serving is adding in those sweet, tender roasted apples and cranberry juice cocktail. Not only does the cranberry juice add a bright, tart note, it gives the drink a gorgeous rosy hue in your punch bowl.

What is the tradition of wassailing?

The term “wassail” has multiple meanings. First appearing in the English poem Beowulf in the 8th century, the word has been used as a salutation or toast to good health. In England, it also describes a 12th night of Christmas gathering in fruit orchards where dancing, drinking, and singing encourage spirits to provide a good harvest in the coming year. Wassailing can also simply mean Christmas caroling door to door. But today, wassail refers to the cozy, hot holiday beverage that you’ll find here, too. It’s the most delicious way to warm up after a cold night of caroling!

What’s the difference between apple cider and apple juice?

Apple cider is the raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized juice from apples. Apple juice is the juice from apples that has been filtered, pasteurized, and oftentimes sweetened. The difference between apple cider and apple juice may seem subtle, but which one you pick does make a difference! Use apple cider for this recipe. If you can’t find it, apple juice can be used but you’ll be left with a sweeter drink.

Can you make wassail in a slow cooker?

Yes! You’ll want to bake the apples separately, but you can add all of the other ingredients to a slow cooker and heat on high for two hours or low for four hours. Add the baked apples and cranberry juice before serving.

Ingredients

6 small honeycrisp apples

6 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, plus more to taste

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1 gal. apple cider, divided

1 navel orange

10 whole cloves

2 lemons

2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving

3 star anise pods

1 c. cranberry juice cocktail

Bourbon or brandy, for serving (optional)

Fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed, for serving (optional)

See Nutritional Information

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Using a paring knife, cut out the core and stem of each apple, leaving about the bottom 1/2 inch of each apple intact. Using a small spoon or grapefruit spoon, scoop out any remaining core and seeds to form a cavity in each apple. In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Divide the brown sugar mixture among each apple cavity, firmly packing it as necessary.
3. In the bottom of a pie plate or baking pan, pour 1 cup of the apple cider. Place the prepared apples in the pan. Bake until the apples are very tender and collapsing, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut the orange in half crosswise and stick the whole cloves in the peel. Cut one lemon in half and thinly slice the second lemon.
5. In a large pot, add the prepared orange, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, and the remaining apple cider. Squeeze the halved lemon into the pot and add the sliced lemon. Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until aromatic, 1 hour.
6. Add the cranberry juice and the cooked apples with any of their juices to the pot and stir to combine. Taste for sweetness and add more brown sugar, if you like. Serve hot or warm, with alcohol of choice, cranberries, and a cinnamon stick, if you like.

Yule Log – It’s a Cake That Doubles as a Stunning Centerpiece

Chocolate Yule Log Recipe

Yields: 12 serving(s)

Prep Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours

The yule log is a classic Christmas dessert that not only looks pretty, it’s darn delicious, too. I remember seeing this traditional treat in the pages of cooking magazine for years, but it took years for me to try it myself. It turns out, it’s really not hard to make. If you doubt your ability to make one, just give it a shot. I promise you can do it. Just bake a cake, fill it with a sweet filling, roll it up, frost it, and ta da! It looks like a gorgeous woodland log straight out of a fairy tale.

What’s the tradition behind a yule log cake?

Over the history of Christmas, yule logs date back to the 1600s when families would burn the real log on Christmas Eve to symbolize the coming of the new year and good luck. Then, they were popularized in French bakeries during the 19th century where they get their other common name, Bûche de Noël. Many of these lovely cakes are garnished with elaborate meringue mushrooms or other edible woodland creatures, but you’ll love the simplicity of this one.

What’s the difference between a Swiss roll and a yule log?

While both desserts feature a thin layer of cake and fluffy filling rolled into a log, the difference between a yule log and a Swiss roll is how the two are decorated. Swiss rolls are typically kept plain while yule logs are cut, frosted, and adorned to look like, well, logs! Some versions are artfully topped with meringue mushrooms and other intricate things, but simple garnishes like pomegranate seeds and fresh rosemary work perfectly.

How do you roll a yule log without it breaking?

The key is to roll the cake, unfilled, fresh out of the oven. Cake is much more pliable when it’s hot, which means you can easily roll it up and shape it into a log without fear of it cracking and breaking. Once the cake has completely cooled, you’ll carefully unroll it, fill it, and roll it up again! If you do end up with any cracks, don’t worry—the frosting will cover them!

How do you decorate a yule log?

This is the fun part: Once you get the log in place, slather the whole thing in the chocolate frosting. Then run the tines of a fork over the frosting to create a bark-like appearance. Stick a few sprigs of rosemary around the log and top with pomegranate seeds. If you don’t want to use pomegranates, sugared cranberries look pretty! A sprinkle of powdered sugar is great, too.

How do you store a yule log?

Wrap it tightly in plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Wait to add the pomegranate seeds and rosemary until just before serving.

Ingredients

Cake

4 Tbsp. salted butter, melted, plus more for the pan

6 large eggs, separated

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/4 c. strong brewed coffee, at room temperature

1/4 c. powdered sugar

Filling

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting

12 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 c. heavy cream

1 Tbsp. light corn syrup

Rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds, for garnish

See Nutritional Information

Directions

1. To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Butter the parchment.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until frothy. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In a separate large bowl, combine the egg yolks, the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and the vanilla. Beat on high speed until thick and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the melted butter and coffee until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and beat on low speed until well combined. Fold a spoonful of the beaten egg whites into the batter until no streaks remain. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites until combined.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, gently nudging the batter so it fills the corners. Give the pan a little shimmy to even it out. Bake until the top just starts to spring back when gently pressed, 10 to 12 minutes (the top might still feel a little tacky). Do not over-bake or the cake will crack.
6. Place a clean dish towel on a large wire rack. Dust the cake with 2 tablespoons of the powdered sugar. While the cake is still hot, loosen the edges from the pan, then turn out the cake onto the towel; carefully remove the parchment. Dust the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
7. Starting at one of the long sides, use the towel to tightly roll up the cake with the towel inside. Position the cake seam-side down and let cool about 1 hour.
8. To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until just smooth. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the heavy cream 1/4 cup at a time, making sure the mixture is smooth before adding more cream. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for a few more seconds, just to combine.
9. Carefully unroll the cooled cake and spread evenly with the filling, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border on all sides. Re-roll the cake, using the towel to help you. Cover the cake roll with parchment paper and then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.
10. Meanwhile, for the frosting: To a medium bowl, add the chocolate. In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream and corn syrup to a simmer, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let thicken at room temperature until spreadable, about 2 hours.
11. Unwrap the cake on a cutting board. Cut off one-fourth of the cake on a sharp diagonal for the branch. Position the branch against the remaining cake roll on a platter. Cover the cake with the frosting using an offset spatula, then drag a fork through the frosting to create a bark-like texture. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds.

Welcome to WOTC! A Thought for Today

May your and your family’s lives be filled with love, happiness, laughter, joy, and all things positive!

Blessed be.

Let’s Have Some Fun – 9 Summer Solstice Crafts & Recipes for a Magical Litha

Source: moodymoons.com

Foraged Fairy Ladder/Trellis

It’s the season of fairies, and nothing delights the inner child more than playing with the woodland spirits.

This one is so easy, it’s almost self-explanatory.

Literally: Glue some sticks together. Yup. That’s it. I used hot glue for the one above.

If you want to get fancy, add little bits of (affiliate link —–>) sheet moss to get that aged-in-the-garden feel.

You can even train roses or herbs to grow on it.

Foraged Fairy Ladder/Trellis

Honey Cakes

Fairy Door

Mermaid Oil/Ocean Potion

Beehive Garden Decoration

Midsummer Altar

Wishing Spell Candle Float

Herb Infused Honey Potions

Drunken Green Witch Potions

December 18, 2024

Source: MoonGiant.com

You can use this link to go forward or backward in time for Moon phase information. If you are curious, you can even find out what phase the Moon was in when you or anyone else was born.

The 8 Lunar Phases

There are 8 lunar phases the Moon goes through in its 29.53 days lunar cycle. The 4 major Moon phases are Full Moon, New Moon, First Quarter and Last Quarter. Between these major phases, there are 4 minor ones: the Waxing Crescent, Waxing Gibbous, Waning Gibbous and Waning Crescent. For more info on the Moon Cycle and on each phase check out Wikipedia Lunar Phase page.

Useful Moon Resources

Check the weather before a night of Moon gazing at weather.com

For a list of all the current meteor showers visit American Meteor Society

Moon Phase

The Moon’s current phase for today and tonight is a Waning Gibbous. During this phase the Moon can be seen in the early morning daylight hours on the western horizon. This is the first phase after the Full Moon occurs. It lasts roughly 7 days with the Moon’s illumination growing smaller each day until the Moon becomes a Last Quarter Moon with an illumination of 50%. The average Moon rise for this phase is between 9pm and Midnight depending on the age of the phase. The moon rises later and later each night setting after sunrise in the morning.

Visit the December 2024 Moon Phases Calendar to see all the daily moon phase for this month.

Today’s Waning Gibbous Phase

The Waning Gibbous on December 18 has an illumination of 87%. This is the percentage of the Moon illuminated by the Sun. The illumination is constantly changing and can vary up to 10% a day. On December 18 the Moon is 18.27 days old. This refers to how many days it has been since the last New Moon. It takes 29.53 days for the Moon to orbit the Earth and go through the lunar cycle of all 8 Moon phases.

Today’s Moon Sign: ♌ Leo

The current zodiac moon sign is Leo, positioned at 11.73° within the sign. The Moon entered Leo on Dec 17, 12:52 PM and will shift into Virgo on Dec 19, 8:02 PM. The zodiac moon sign represents the position of the Moon as it moves through the twelve signs of the zodiac. Each zodiac moon sign lasts about 2 to 2.5 days as the Moon travels through that part of the sky.

Phase Details

Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 87%
Moon Age: 18.27 days
Moon Angle: 0.51
Moon Distance: 390,718.37 km
Sun Angle: 0.54
Sun Distance: 147,182,728.61 km

Welcome to WOTC! A Thought for Today

Another busy day first I have to go get 4 immunizations, then Big Dawg and I have to go serve papers. So, some posts will be done this morning and the rest when we get home late afternoon.

May your and your family’s lives be filled with love, happiness, laughter, joy, and all things positive!

Blessed be.

Welcome to WOTC! A Thought for Today

I only have time to get these few posts up today because we have to go serve paperwork and then spend time with my 2 youngest grandsons. I will be back tomorrow with the full daily posts.

May your and your family’s lives be filled with love, happiness, laughter, joy, and all things positive!

Blessed be.

Some Humor for Your Day

Big Dawgs nickname for Crystal is “Little Monster” so when I saw this I just has to share it.

May the rest of your day be filled with relaxation, love, and all positive things!

Until we meet again blessed be.

If you want to see some information on any tradition of witchcraft or herbs or flowers or anything pertaining to witchcraft, please put it in the comment section or email Lady Carla Beltane at ladybeltane@witchesofthecraft.com. I will try to find some information to post about it. If you want a friend to talk to please email me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. We can do it by email or audio or video Skype. I am an ordained minster the reason this might be important to you is I cannot discuss anything we talk about with anyone else (even Big Dawg, my husband)

Spell For Sunday – How to make Florida Water: Traditional Recipe and Uses

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)

How to make Florida Water: Traditional Recipe and Uses

Despite the name, Florida Water 💧 is not a water-based potion! Most people use vodka to steep the herbs and flowers. Its strong magical properties have made it an essential ingredient in Hoodoo, Voodoo, Santeria, Wicca, and Witchcraft practices.

Why this Spell Works

This Traditional Recipe has been used for hundreds of years, adopted by Southern practitioners of the Hoodoo and Voodoo traditions to cleanse the home and use in rituals. Originally named as the American version of Eau de Cologne in the 1800’s. 🧐

The Herbs listed here each have their own magical properties which, combined with your intention, will aid in cleansing and protecting from negative energies.

How to make Florida Water

Recipe by SilverBear

Florida Water has many uses – it can be used to cleanse yourself, your home, your tools and crystals. It can be added to bath water, used to anoint candles and as a spell ingredient.