Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

Fresh Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 large garlic clove, pressed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until blended.

Note: To prepare ahead, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature, and whisk before serving.

Basil-Peach Chicken Breasts

 Basil-Peach Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

4 skinned and boned chicken breasts (about 2 lb.) (Make sure chicken is patted dry before seasoning and placing in pan - other wise it doesn't brown properly.)

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth

4 large peaches, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)

Garnish: fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Cook chicken in hot oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add shallot to hot drippings in skillet, and sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 45 to 60 seconds or until fragrant. Add basil, chicken broth, and peaches. Return chicken to skillet, and turn to coat.

3. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.

Recipe can be found at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/basil-peach-chicken-breasts#

BASIC ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Pinch of dried oregano

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and whisk to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Being a Pagan means you walk your own path, responsible for your own actions and answerable to no one but yourself. In the end Karma has total control. 

THE MAGICKAL USES OF SANDALWOOD

Planet - Moon

Gender-Feminine

Element - Water

Basic Powers - Clairvoyance, divination, good luck, meditation, protection, success.

Scent - Woody, sweet, clean

Mineral association - Emerald and turquoise

Lore- Scatter sandalwood to clear a place of negativity. Burn for protection and healing. Possesses high spiritual vibrations especially when mixed with frankincense and burned at the full moon. Mix with lavender to make an incense designed to conjure spirits.

In the orient, sandalwood is a funeral herb believed to carry the soul into the next life. With sandalwood, deep states of relaxation take place on the spiritual level. Burning sandalwood incense can benefit healing work by promoting a deeper relaxed state in the healer, increasing spiritual energy. Sandalwood also relaxes the heart and throat chakras.

Burned to exorcise demons and evil ghosts, conjure beneficial spirits, and promote spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense is also used by many Witches for protection, astral projection, healing rituals and in wish-magick.

Lower grades of Sandalwood (light colored with little scent) are not recommended to use in magic.  Mix with Frankincense and burn at séances and Full Moon rituals.  Sandalwood beads are protective and promote a spiritual awareness when worn. The scents of frankincense and sandalwood have some of the highest vibrations inherent in any plant. They will resonate with aspects of ourselves or with Devic/Angelic beings of the highest order. 

Sandalwood is used as an incense base for: Protection; Healing; Exorcise; Spirituality; Wishes; Full Moon Esbats; Wards Negativity; Astral Projection; Reincarnation; Spirit Offering.

Stimulates clairvoyance, aids in seeing past lives, healing, clearing, protection, calms the mind.   Write your wish on a chip of sandalwood and burn in censer or cauldron. As it burns it sets the magic flowing, but remember to visualize your wish at the same time.

Sandalwood is one of the most valuable woods in the world. All parts yields Sandalwood oil, particularly the heartwood and the roots, which yield about 6 percent essential oil. Recorded in Ayurvedic medicine and Egyptian embalming, the oil is now used as an inhalant for its expectorant and sedative effect on coughs and as a powerful antiseptic for lung and urinary tract infections. Sandalwood makes a popular incense, as its calming effect aids meditation. It is commonly used for funeral pyres in India, where devotees believe the scent protects places from evil spirits. 

Sandalwood is often used as an as an aphrodisiac.  Sandalwood is recommended for use when consecrating altar cloths, and it is said to be associated with Hod on the Tree of Life.

http://herbalriot.tumblr.com/post/55502738623/the-magickal-uses-of-sandalwood

This image belongs to:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.corbisimages.com/images/Corbis-DP004355.jpg%253Fsize%253D67%2526uid%253Dd10fb972-b70a-42b6-93ce-4bacb87651dc&imgrefurl=http://www.corbisimages.com/stock-photo/rights-managed/DP004355/sandalwood-tree&h=433&w=640&tbnid=rsu0r1P116GfMM:&zoom=1&docid=afFKCo9yD7WiPM&ei=1U8xVcHeFtHkoATW0oEQ&tbm=isch&ved=0CE0QMygUMBQ

She Is The World

                                                       

CATECHISM FOR A WICCAN CHILD

When they ask to see your gods, your book of prayers, show them lines drawn delicately with veins on the underside of a bird's wing.

Tell them you believe in giant sycamores, mottled and stark against a winter sky,

and in nights so frozen stars crack open, spilling streams of molten ice to earth.

And tell them how you drank the holy wine of honeysuckle on a warm spring day

and of the softness of your mother, who never taught you death was life's reward,

but who believed in the earth and in the sun, and a million, million light years of being.

Reprinted from Church of the Iron Oak.

By J.L.Stanley

Image: La Couture Amore

~Morgause

Southern Hemisphere Pagan

Crisp Zucchini Bites with Garlic Aioli Dip

Ingredients for Zucchini Crisps:
1 large or 2 medium green or yellow zucchini, sliced into 1/2″ thick rounds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging (seasoned with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper)
2 eggs, beaten, for egg wash
1 1/2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
Oil for sautéing (Use something with a higher smoke point like grape seed oil or canola)

For the Garlic Aioli Sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

How to Make the Best Zucchini Chips:
1. Create an assembly line: In the first bow, mix together: 1/2 cup flour with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. In the second bowl, beat two eggs with a fork. In the third bowl, add 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs. Tip: You’ll be less stressed if you complete steps 1-4 and bread all of the zucchini before the oil is hot and ready, then you can keep an eye on them in the pan without worrying about them browning too much.

2. Dredge all sides of zucchini chips in flour.

3. Next, dip them in the beaten egg mixture; they should be completely coated in egg.

4. Transfer zucchini to the bread crumbs bowl and coat both sides of zucchini with bread crumbs. It helps to scoop the breading on top of the zucchini pieces so when you grab a hold of them to turn them, your fingers won’t get wet and later get so crusted up in panko that they aren’t useable (been there). If this does happen (and it might despite your best efforts), keep calm and wash your hands, then continue.

5. Heat a large, non-stick, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and add about 1/4″ oil (enough to generously cover the bottom). Note: The oil is hot enough when your zucchini is simmering in the pan, but it should not be snap, crackle and popping out of control. Once the oil is hot, add breaded zucchini chips and saute about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown on each side. If browning too quickly, reduce heat. Once zucchini are done frying, transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels and serve warm with aioli sauce.

How to make Aioli Sauce/ Aioli Dip:
1. In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup mayo, 1 pressed garlic clove, 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir to combine.

From Witches, Britches, Broomsticks

https://www.facebook.com/WitchesBritchesBroomsticks?ref=stream

Black pepper is used in spells and charms that banish negativity and provide protection. 

You can burn black pepper to rid your home of negative energies prior to using sage (smudging). 

Carry black pepper corns with you as a charm to ward off petty jealousy against you and it will help to free your mind of jealousy.

 Pepper is also used to promote courage. 

Mixed with salt and scattered around your property, it will clear and protect your home from negative energy.


From Witches, Britches & Broomsticks
https://www.facebook.com/WitchesBritchesBroomsticks?ref=stream

 French Toast Breakfast muffins (f you make them with skim milk and make 12, they only have 121 calories each.) Taste just like French Toast.

1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg (preferably room temperature)
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 c. milk

Topping (option: cut topping in half*)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium-large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir just until combined, but still a bit lumpy. Do NOT over mix; over mixing will ruin the texture of the finished muffins. Also? Don't over mix the batter. Finally, don't over mix. Scoop batter into muffin tins that have sprayed with cooking spray. Using a large ice cream scoop, I got 8 medium-large muffins out of this batter; I think you could get 10-12 muffins by distributing the batter a little less generously. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they just start to turn a bit golden at the edges.

For the topping, mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place melted butter in another small bowl. Dip the warm muffins in melted butter (you can dip just the top, but it's even tastier to dip the whole muffin!), then dip/roll the muffin in cinnamon sugar. 

Source: http://velvetlava.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-am-now-in-muffin-loop.html

My Own Path

Banish Bad Energy

Peace