Photo diary: week 43, project 365

 Our midterm break was spent mostly indoors, as we all took turns in having colds. Only my dear husband escaped, lucky devil. We sneezed and coughed. It wasn't fun, but it could have been worse.

The Teddy Bears of Witney make themed displays for all the holidays. Their Hallowe'en windows are arranged weeks before the event and are quite fun, as usual. You often see parents and grandparents with children stopping by to look at the teddies.

A couple of weeks ago I showed the first bloom on the red orchid, and just look at it now.

Tuesdays we measure by the new episodes of GBBO. 

It was a pastry week, and if I were there I would definitely be chucked out. I'm not good with pastry and prefer to buy it. And just who makes their own filo pastry?! I use it very rarely. Not a fan of baklava either, it's way too sickly sweet for my taste.

Last week I forgot to bake anything for the night's viewing, and my child complained that we didn't have anything sweet to munch (we did have some biscuits, but they were not homemade).

I made an effort and baked a chocolate cake with  a peanut butter cream cheese frosting, and decorated with cocoa caramel peanuts from The Curators. 

On Wednesday I was trying to finish reading Death in the Woods by Jo Allen for the next day reviewing. It's a crime mystery set in Cumbria, and the 6th book in the series. 

When you order wild mushrooms from Ocado, you never know what mushrooms will actually be delivered. This time there were pied de mouton. Just enough to make a risotto. I cooked the risotto and mushrooms separately, as my younger son wouldn't eat them, then divided his portion and added the mushrooms to the remaining risotto.

I have never been so fussy as a child, but then we didn't have much choice, if you didn't want to eat something, then tough. The only food that made me heave when I was a child, was boiled onions (as in a whole one cooked in soup for the broth, I couldn't even look at it).

The Leftovers by Cassandra Parkin was surely one of the hardest books I had to read in the past couple of years. It's a disturbing domestic noir which tackles such topics as sexual abuse, the issue of consent or absence of it, exploitation of vulnerabe people. 

One of the characters in the book is severly autistic, and for me there were too many triggers which I found distressing. 

I should have known better really, as two previous books by the same author were also disturbing and dark, but this one makes a very uncomfortable reading.

And more books... After several days of being stuck at home, we finally ventured outside, and of course, Eddie and I popped into the book shop.

We asked Patti if she could recommend us something scary to read for Hallowe'en, and one of her suggestions was Charlie Higson's The Enemy.

When we arrived home, we had a delivery of The Cursed Carnival by Rick Riordan, which I have pre-ordered a while ago.

In the end, we decided to finish Fear Street by R.L.Stine - there are four books in one volume, and we started reading the last one, called Missing. We do enjoy R.L Stine's stories.

The Enemy will be our next project. From the blurb it sounds a bit like The Sparticle mystery series on BBC.

Have you read it? 

Hope you had a more eventful midterm break week. 

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The Witch's Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Jayne Madara

 

 "As you navigate the following pages, consider the lives of witches and mystics long gone who continue to communicate with us through these recipes, and let their work inform your practice as you venture out from the edge of tradition and into the magical unknown".

I hope this intriguing quote has caught your attention. 

The Witch's Feast: A Kitchen Grimoire by Melissa Jayne Madara (26th October, Watkins; £25; 9781848994034) is truly a source of fascination and a must read for the coming Hallowe'en. This essential companion to kitchen witchraft is a beguiling compilation of history and art of magical cooking, with a wide selection of recipes. 

Melissa Jayne Madara is a witch, herbalist and chef, who will be your Virgil, guiding you through the realms of witchcraft, magic and cooking. They invite you to tour five dimensions or facets of the occult via culinary insights.

The book is divided into five parts: Feast of the Ancestors, Feast of the Stars, Feast of the Heavens, Feast of the Earth and Feast of Spells.

In the Introduction Melissa explains how they had always had an interest in chemistry and science, and how cooking offers "an opportunity for tactile engagement with the mysteries of chemical flux and the transformative power of fire". They talk about the metamorphic possibility of transforming ingredients into delicious dishes. Cooking, according to Melissa, is a liminal ground between science, magic and art, which becomes their artistic medium of choice. 

Words "art" and "artistic" are important in this context, as Melissa's recipes are truly a work of art, creative and thought-provoking. 

It's curious how Melissa says that the two disciplines of magic and cooking share some things in common, for example, both practices possess an air of secrecy, never revealing their secrets too readily (I'm sure we have all encountered reticent cooks whose recipes we admired and asked to share only to be fobbed-off with a vague reply. Yes, some cooks do not want to share their secrets).

Melissa's discussing the mystical link between magic and food. The author "extends an invitation to play with fire, both figuratively and literally, and through this playful investigation explore what power and potency kitchen witchcraft may offer us today".

As this is a magical cook book, not all ingredients are readily available in shops or online. Herbs and wild foods needed for some recipes might inspire you to go foraging. There are useful tips on foraging, if you haven't done this before, for example, never harvest more than a quarter of what you see, be respectful and mindful of nature.

The first captivating chapter is named Feast of the Ancestors which features traditional feasts, recipes and rituals of witches past. The historical research which went into the writing of this book is impressive. You will discover the ancient recipes of the Babylonians which were inscribed on the clay tablets from around 1700BCE, among other historical food data and cooking instructions. Melissa has adapted the recipes to make them more appealing to the modern public.

I have bookmarked several recipes to try in the future, for example, Pharmakos Cakes, the sacrifical cakes of the Ancient Greeks, or the Fornacalia Focaccia, immortalised by the Roman poet Ovid.

I read with interest the extract on Maslenitsa, the Slavic folk and religious festival. 

The Pancakes cooked for the Maslenitsa are part of my heritage, so I was intrigued to see what Melissa would offer for the feast - their recipe for Straw-infused crepes for the butter lady sounds fun (though fresh cherries are a bit of a poetic licence, as they wouldn't be available traditionally at that time of the year). Also ricotta cheese is a recent addition to the Russian tables. Cottage cheese would be more authentic (you can find decent cottage cheese in the Polish delis or Polish aisles of the supermarket. The British cottage cheese widely available in the shops is too soggy for the recipe).

So far I have tried only one recipe from the book - Hildegard von Bingen's Cookies of Joy. She was a German Benedictine abbess, mystic and visionary, and also an accomplished author and polymath. Her recipe for Cookies of Joy uses plenty of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. According to Hildegard, the spicy wholewheat cookies will keep you strong, happy and alert. How can one resist such a recommendation?

The chapted titled Feast of the Stars explores cooking through the wheel of the zodiac. Here Melissa talks about the fascinating art of astrology and offers a perspective on the work of the astrological cooking, which provides a useful new lens for our continued investigation into the tools of kitchen witchcraft. 

I chuckled to myself, reading about the Pisces that they are known for being easily swayed by indulgence (mea culpa!). I love Melissa's recipe for Roasted cauliflower with miso and yogurt, as suggested for Pisces. That's definitely on my must-try list.

Feast of the Heavens is all about the planetary magic in the kitchen. "A working knowledge of these spheres and their properties forms the basis for planetary magic, which draws its power and inspiration from the fabric of the cosmos itself". How does it apply to the kitchen? It means a careful selection of ingredients associated with the planets, and using them to create dishes at auspicious times and in conjunction with appropriate symbols, so that your meal is a worthy dedication to the celestial power.

For example, Melissa's menu for the Full Moon Feast includes a mushroom and parsnip soup, gnocchi with sage blossom pesto and black sesame cake. For the New Moon Feast the menu is equally delectable - a kale salad with hazelnuts and black garlic, five-spice fried mushrooms and a chocolate poppyseed cake. 

Feast of the Earth talks about the seasonal meals for the solstices and equinoxes. "In examining the religions of the ancient world, we often find the rhythms of nature personified, even deified, to reveal various aspects of spiritual mystery... This is the rhythm of the Sun, king of the cosmos and the central star in our galactic neighbourhood". The author finds great beauty and magical potency in following these crucial cycles, as well as a deep wisdom.

For the forthcoming Winter Solstice Melissa invites you to create a feast of fire cider pickled eggs, lentils and roasted roots with walnut sauce, cheesy celeriac mash and cranberry gingerbread. There is a beautiful story of Melissa celebrating the Winter Solstice by going to the forest at dusk and sharing the story of the past year with their special inhuman family. 

The final chapter, Feast of Spells introduces you to potions, rites and dinner spells. The recipes here represent the simplified, stripped-down versions of what Melissa makes at home, because the kind of work they do is highly personal. The author invites their readers to bring in their own traditions and relationships to spirit, and thus personalise their own withcraft practice.

Here the concept of the Feast table as a sacred space and magic circle is re-introduced. Melissa discusses in-depth the practice of sigilcraft, consecration, divination and even sacrifice, including the vegetarian options. The recipes vary from a rosemary star bread for home-blessing to ritual bread masks, from chocolate, beetroot and grapefruit celebration cake to pressed-violet offering cookies.

The Witch's Feast is an unusual, original cook book, with a plethora of mouth-watering recipes to please the most discerning gourmet. If there's a foodie or a cook book collector among your family or friends, this book will make a fabulous gift for Halloween, birthday or Christmas. You don't have to be a follower of witchcraft to appreciate the culinary aspects of the book and historical research which accompanies each chapter.

 

About the Author

Melissa Madara is a witch, herbalist, storyteller, activist and chef. 

They are a co-owner at Catland Books, Brooklyn's most famous occult shop, and Catlands educational courtyard garden, which features an array of medicinal, magical, and poisonous plants. 

They are also the editrix at Venefica Magazine, a radical arts & occulture journal. Their work as a chef since graduating from New York's The Natural Gourmet has run the gamut from traditional french pastry to health-focused meal planning. 

Melissa has been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Teen Vogue, Refinery29 and many other media outlets for their work as a witch. 

Their writing has been published in Venefica Magazine, Susie Magazine and Fiddler's Green. Their work on kitchen witchcraft has been featured in Vice.

Find Melissa's Instagram at @saint.jayne 

Photo diary: weeks 44-46, project 366

We're heading into a festive season, but not many people are in the right mood. 

Hallowe'en has passed barely acknowledged. We had some themed decorations and window displays in town, but none to the usual extent. Even the gadget repairs shop, Ability Systems, which always has the most spectacular window display with big-sized witches, bubbling cauldrons and all the paraphernalia, did nothing this year.

The Bonfire Night was a painful reminder for me that my Mum is so far away. In the last few years she was visiting this time of the year, and would build up a bonfire in the garden. Her enthusiasm is catching, she is like a big child who enjoys roasting marshmallows over the fire. I thought of doing it this year myself, but in the end lacked any mojo.

And now that we're approaching Christmas, who knows what lies ahead. It would be lovely to have some semblance of normality.

These last few weeks I've been struggling with winter blues. I'm going through motions, and haven't done much blogging, except for the book reviews, which I have promised to write a while ago. Hence a three-weeks' load of photos for the Photo diary, apologies if you resent posts with multiple images.

The last week of October is already a distant memory. We had some dry-ish days, when we ventured to the playground.

We're still playing Pokemon Go, in fact tomorrow is our first month's anniversary, since we started the game.

Raindrops on the lilac branch in our garden.

M&S has released a big range of Harry Potter-themed food items and children's clothes. I bought a chocolate Golden snitch and a couple of mini tins, and plan to buy a pyjama for Eddie. I did order a pyjama online, but when it arrived, it was huge. I returned it back, just the before the second lockdown, but they didn't have the same PJ in the shop.

Silly things keep us amused. We were buying a birthday card for my husband, and saw this Dracula face mask. Of course, someone just had to buy it.

Every year we choose one of our favourite characters for the carved pumpkin. In the past we had the Gruffalo, Meg and Mog, Hiccup and Toothless, the dragon from Merlin, etc etc. This year Eddie is taken by the Mandalorian series, so I decided to carve The Child for Hallowe'en.

Knowing that the bookshops would be closed soon, we headed to our Waterstones almost daily to chat to the ladies and get more books. 

The Midnight Guardians is Waterstones' book of the month. It had fantastic reviews, and if you've seen the quotes inside the book, from famous children's authors, you would think this is the masterpiece of the century. 

We're reading it now, almost finished, and to be honest, I'm not so enthusiastic about it. In fact, we were quite underwhelmed, reading the first third of the book. It gets better, as you get involved in the story more and more.

This is a YA fantasy novel, set during the WWII in England. I might be too harsh, but I think it would have benefitted from more rigorous editing and being slightly condensed. The author loves the expression "the hair's breadth" and used it about six or seven times. 

Pukka teas sent me a small parcel of their herbal teas for reviewing. Pukka Night Time is supposed to help with sleeping, but I'm probably beyond help now. I do enjoy herbal teas, and Night time is a tasty combination of oatflower, lavender and limeflower, but I'm too stressed right now to feel any difference in my sleep patterns. 

My first mince tart of the season, and the last trip to Costa in a while.

I walked to the nearest playground by the Trinity Church to check if the playground is open. With all cafes and bookshops closed, I was dreading what we'd do with Sasha at the weekends, as he expects to be taken out to his favourite places. There was a lady spraying some antibacterial solution over the play area equipment. I asked her if the playground would be open, and she confirmed that this time the playgrounds would not be closed. That's a relief, at least we could do something at the weekends.

This is our local church, where Eddie was baptised. 

The white doves smooching among the riot of colour on the "ghost house" in the neighbourhood.

How dismal-looking are these clothes in H&M? 

I remember reading one fashion blogger who has never been to Russia, claiming that the clothes during the Soviet times were all uniform black and grey. Not sure where she got that piece of information, but her statement stayed in my mind as one of those astonishing propaganda views. If anything, the colours I remember were clashing and very bright. I used to have one of those blindingly yellow fur coats in my school years (pretty ugly, but sooo dazzling). I also recollect with fondness my red jeans and turquoise blue pants with big pockets. All those brightly coloured shawls and scarves...

If anything, I wear more blacks and greys now. I do like black, but these clothes below just make me sad.

Well, this window display is probably what some people would assume the Soviet fashions might have looked.

Walking past St Mary's church, we saw that they are cutting the cypress. I read about it in the local papers that the tree is 200-years' old. It's not diseased, but the roots are ruining the graveyard, so they decided to get rid of it. So, so sad. They plan to use the wood for making furniture for the church. It's quite typical of the local church authorities.

Every time the rain stops, we tend to walk over to the playground.

View of St Mary's from the Leys in the afternoon, when the dusk is settling.

More of Witney landmarks - famous Witney Mill.

For the 11th of November Eddie's school asked children to paint poppies on rocks. They chose several to put at the base of the Witney War memorial which marked its 100th anniversary this September. Eddie was disappointed that his poppy didn't make it to the final few.

It was my husband's birthday. I bought two cakes, one for him to share with his colleagues in the department, and one for us. This is the Neapolitan cake from Waitrose. It's not bad, though very-very sweet. Smells lovely of strawberries and chocolate.

The candles were a bit of a jokey token, as I didn't fancy putting over half a hundred candles on the cake.

I liked the pattern of the shadow on the blinds of Next shop.

Last week the town has been slowly transformed for the festive season ahead, with the Christmas lights and trees. Of course, there is no switching the lights on ceremony this year, sigh.

Are you still here? If you haven't fallen asleep, scrolling through three weeks of photos, you deserve a medal.

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Kilgharah the dragon pumpkin

In the last couple of months, Eddie and I have been binge-watching 5 seasons of Merlin.
After the very last episode we were let bereft. I suggested we could watch it on a loop.
It was inevitable that our favourite dragon Kilgharah will appear on this year's carved pumpkin.

Are you carving a pumpkin for Halloween?

Happy Halloween!

Photo diary: week 43, project 365

October is coming to an end, with a mix of golden warm days and rather chilly mornings. This morning we woke up to a layer of frost on the slate roof. Yesterday there was a burst of fierce rain which hit ground with great force, then as if changing its mind, it got sunny again, with bright blue skies.
Last Sunday Eddie and I went to see Goosebumps 2. We loved the first film, and though Eddie though it was as good, I found the 2nd film a bit disappointing and not as creative.
We walked home through back lanes, looking at all the glorious golds and yellows.

I've been picking some of the hawthorn branches with berries for my "art installation" in the entrance room, and also added some other dried bits for an extra autumnal touch.

Tuesday was much anticipated by both Eddie and myself. Our local Waterstones arranged a Harry Potter-themed party, inviting everyone to come dressed up as their favourite characters.
We bought this Harry Potter costume earlier this autumn, and it was the right time to show it to the "world".
The party was lovely, with a Beast quest, where you had to find a dozen of fantastic beasts' images through the store and mark them off on the piece of paper.
There was a drawing competition, where you had to create your own fantastic beast, name it, tell where it lives and what it does.
To our total surprise, Eddie's monster won, and he was offered a choice of Hogwarts school badges. Obviously, he opted for Gryffindor.

On Wednesday I had a very nervy kind of day. My Mum was flying from Moscow to visit us. She was very poorly earlier this year, has been in hospital, and basically nearly died.
She cancelled her trip twice, and we were not sure if it was wise for her travel at all.
She arrived safely, thanks goodness.
To calm my nerves, I baked cookies and had one cup of tea after another. I looked at the small stash of books I bought recently, deciding which one to start. I've opted for Hallowdene as it feels like the right kind of book for pre-Halloween reading.

On Thursday Mum and I were catching up on everything, and I didn't take any photos, so the next two pictures are both from Friday.
Our Waterstones hosted another party on Friday, this time a pre-Halloween one. While the Harry Potter party was well-attended, for some reason the Halloween party was less popular. In fact, when we arrived, Eddie was the only child who attending.
This time he wanted to be Newt Scamander, to continue with the magic and wizards theme. I crafted a waistcoat from my husband's old corduroy trousers, and the dinner jacket is another one Eddie's Dad's old things.

They did another quest in the bookshop, and an arty project with paper plates.
Eddie did a Trump portrait as a pumpkin. And as they have a fab Trumpkin in the window, they also put Eddie's drawing on display.
Needless to say, my child is super thrilled.

Today we had a quick trip to the supermarket and passed by one of the travel agencies in town, where Eddie spotted a selection of Halloween cupcakes for some fundraising event. Of course, we had to pop in and buy a couple.

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Monster Brew from Adagio Teas

The rain is knocking at the windows,
The shadows dance across the garden.
I'm blissfully content with my cup of tea.

There's no denying that autumn is a great source of inspiration for many creative souls: artists, poets and tea experts. I love autumnal flavours of tea: fruity, spicy, flavourful and zingy.
All tea and coffee lovers rejoice, when autumn comes, as there are so many vibrant seasonal flavours appearing in the shops. And while I'm not euphoric at the arrival of Pumpkin spice latte at the famous chain (it's so sweet, it sets my teeth on edge), I do love seasonal teas from my favourite brands.
And if they come in a cute tin, then it's even better.

Monster Brew from Adagio Teas would appeal to those who love all things Hallowe'en-related.
Adagio Teas' blurb on the tin says: "A flavourful tea to help you battle demons and monsters, including the few that like to hide under the bed".

Its ingredients include: honeybush, green rooibos, raspberry leaves, orange peels, cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, coconut, apricots, cherries, cherry and orange flavours and strawberries.
You need to leave the tea to steep for 5 minutes.

It is quite a mild tea, all the flavours are well-balanced, and none of them screams Me-me-me! It is a fruity brew which is caffeine free, and thus perfect for a second half of the day, even before bedtime.
Some of the teas with chocolate flavours that I have tried in the past had an overwhelming chocolate taste. Not Monster Brew, thankfully. As much as I love chocolate, in tea I prefer only a subtle hint of it.

The tin - what can I say?! It's uber-cute. I collect tins, and this is one is a definite keeper. Eddie's already got his eye on it, he says it's a good box for some of his minifigures.

Even if you can't be bothered with Hallowe'en and all the dark paraphernalia, treat yourself to a fruity brew and celebrate autumn.

Disclosure: I received this tin for the purposes of tasting and reviewing. All opinions are my own.