Elderberry Mead, with kit For those of you looking for an easier approach to meads, let me recommend the kits sold by Ambrosia Farm. I tried out their Elderberry mead kit, and was delighted with the result! It produces a short mead, similar to what was enjoyed in the 1600s, and can be found in
“An exquisite scent of olives and oil and juice rose from the great brown dish as Marthe, with a little flourish took the cover off. The cook had spent three days over that dish and she must take great care, Mrs. Ramsay thought, diving into the soft mass to choose an especially tender piece for
Thoughts: Concord grapes are such a fundamental element of my autumns that I simply cannot get enough of them. Perhaps because it is one of those increasingly few foods that is still seasonal, and briefly so, at that. I tend to compulsively buy boxes of them whenever I come across them in the store, because
“Well, never mind. This day’s done and there’s a new one coming tomorrow, with no mistakes in it yet, as you used to say yourself. Just come downstairs and have your supper. You’ll see if a good cup of tea and those plum puffs I made today won’t hearten you up.” –Anne of Avonlea, by
Thoughts: Cider, for me, is the epitome of Autumn. Dense, moist, and characterized by that distinctive spiced cider flavor, this cake is an easy new favorite. I initially wondered if the cake would need icing, since it calls for so few ingredients, but after tasting it, I love it as is. It’s delightfully simple, and while
Tea Eggs Thoughts: I originally made these as part of Breakfast in Meereen, and liked them so much I have kept making them. Their flavor gets into the egg, smoky and filled with spice. It makes them more unique than ordinary hard-boiled eggs. They’re great for parties, or just as a snack
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.” – C.S. Lewis
“I found the castle stirring but not yet fully awake. I ate in the kitchen as I had when a child, finding that there, as always, the bread was freshest and the porridge sweetest. Cook exclaimed to see me, one minute commenting on how much I had grown, and the next lamenting how thin and
Thoughts: This recipe is from an old family cookbook, but I’m not sure who “Aunt Em” is in the great family tree. So naturally, I’ve decided to also use it for the Wizard of Oz. Hey, a girl can dream! The original recipe was actually just a list of ingredients, without any instruction. I tried
“He found Dolorous Edd at the fire, complaining about how difficult it was for him to sleep when people insisted on blowing horns in the woods. Jon gave him something new to complain about. Together they woke Hake, who received the Lord Commander’s orders with a stream of curses, but got up all the same and soon