#feedingcreatively

The pear crisp I made that will be tonight's dessert. Happy autumn equinox, everybody! Pear Crisp For the Filling: 6 cups peeled and diced fresh pears (about 6-7 medium pears) 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. nutmeg 1 1/2 t. cinnamon 1 t. vanilla For the Topping: 1/2 cup flour 1/4 t. salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup rolled oats 1 stick of butter, cut into pieces 1/3 cup finely-chopped pecans Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Place the pears in a bowl. Add the salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla and toss to coat. Spread evenly into your prepared dish. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugars, and oats. Cut in the butter until a crumbly mixture forms. Add in the pecans and stir to distribute them evenly. Sprinkle the topping over your prepared pears. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown and crispy and the pears are soft. Let cool ten minutes before serving. #FeedingCreatively #KitchenWitch #WheelOfTheYear #Wicca #WiccanSabbats #CelticPaganHolidays #AutumnEquinox #Mabon #AutumnDesserts #AutumnBaking #PearCrisp #PearDesserts https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci0v6FyP6gn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Soul cakes were the original sweet of Samhain, or what we now call Halloween. Flavored with autumn spices, citrus zest, and sweetened with dried fruit such as cherries, currants, or raisins, they were baked and left out as offerings for the dead. Later, when Celtic lands were Christianized, children would go door-to-door asking for soul cakes in exchange for praying for their neighbors' deceased loved ones, the precursor to trick-or-treating. Soul cakes can range from being cookie-like to more akin to scones or biscuits. This recipe, which is of my own creation and was cobbled together after some online research, is for the scone/biscuit variety. However you celebrate the beginning of the darker, more introspective half of the year, I hope you enjoy. Happy Halloween and, to my fellow witches, blessed Samhain. Alicia Nyblade's Soul Cakes A pinch of turmeric 1/2 t. cloves 1/2 t. coriander 1/2 t. ginger 1 1/2 t. allspice 1 1/2 t. nutmeg 2 1/2 t. cinnamon 1 stick (1/2 cup, 100g) butter, softened 1/2 cup (100g) sugar 2 egg yolks 1 T. orange zest 1/2 cup (50g) dried fruit (I used dried cherries) 1 1/4 cups (250g) flour 1-2 T. milk 1-2 t. apple cider vinegar Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Blend the spices together in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale yellow. Whisk in the egg yolks, orange zest, and dried fruit. Mix in the flour and spices. Add the milk and apple cider vinegar until a dough forms. On a well-floured work surface, pat out the dough with your hands into a rectangular shape. Fold it into thirds, like a letter, and pat it out again. Do this three times. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter or small glass, cut out the soul cakes. Place the cakes on the prepared cookie sheet. Pour a splash of milk into a cup. Using clean hands, brush the tops of the cakes with the milk. If you wish, you can press a pentacle or cross into the cakes. Bake the cakes for 12-15 minutes, or until browned and the surfaces of the cakes are firm. #FeedingCreatively #AliciaNybladeRecipes #SoulCakes #SamhainSweets #HalloweenTreats #WiccanHolidays #Samhain2019 #Halloween2019 https://www.instagram.com/p/B4TGxkEnGbe/?igshid=u5lqg0lvqocx

Two of my favorite YouTube channels that feature historical recipes, Townsends (Colonial America) and English Heritage (Victorian England) recently did a crossover video. Mr. Townsend sent Mrs. Crocombe the ingredients and recipe for "an Indian pudding". He chose the dish because it combined the Old World with the New--Puddings were quite popular in England at the time and yet the items in this one, particularly blueberries, cornmeal, and maple syrup, are native to the United States. It looked so delicious--and thankfully, English Heritage always shares the recipes in the decriptions of their videos--that I had to try it myself. Made it yesterday and it's absolutely delicious. My sister, Heather, agrees, too. Here's my typed-out version of the recipe: Corn Pudding 4 cups milk 1 1/3 cups cornmeal 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature 4 eggs Sugar, to taste (I used 1/2 a cup) Cinnamon, to taste (I used 2 t. each of the spices) Ginger, to taste Nutmeg, to taste 3/4 cup dried blueberries Maple syrup Over medium heat, heat the milk until it’s hotter than lukewarm, but not quite simmering. Add the cornmeal, stirring continuously. Stir until the mixture thickens. Let stand until cool enough to add the eggs and butter. Preheat the oven to 320°F. To the cornmeal mixture, add the eggs and butter. Add sugar and spices to taste. Add the blueberries. Pour the pudding into a well-greased 8X8 dish and bake for 1 hour. Serve warm or cold with maple syrup. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU43YzYm57s&t=63s #FeedingCreatively #Townsends #EnglishHeritage #MrsCrocombe #ColonialCooking #ColonialDesserts #CornPudding https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp0RNpInE95/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=bpfsiceurm51

Bake the strata uncovered for 45 minutes to an hour or until the top is golden brown and the egg mixture is set. Start checking at the 45-minute mark to make sure it’s cooked. Let the strata rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tomorrow’s breakfast for St. Paddy’s Day: Irish soda bread with orange zest and dried cranberries. Recipe from Frannie Loves Food. @frannielovesfood #FeedingCreatively #StPaddysDay #StPatricksDay #IrishBaking #IrishSodaBread #CranberryOrangeIrishSodaBread #FrannieLovesFood https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp4EW-Buggx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

This year's Imbolc dessert: Cheesecake with hot raspberry sauce. And this isn't any ordinary cheesecake. The recipe comes from a TikToker named murped and rather than the traditional graham crackers, its crust is made with NILLA WAFERS! Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and this one is absolutely delicious! I'll definitely be making it again and again, especially with the raspberry sauce, which murped says it's "illegal" to eat the cake without. And he's right: It takes it to a whole other level. Happy Imbolc and/or St. Brigid's Day, everyone! Blessed be! Nilla Wafer Cheesecake For the Crust: 1 box Nilla Wafers 1/4 cup melted butter For the Filling: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened A dash of salt 1/2 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 t. vanilla 2 t. lemon juice For the Topping: 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup sugar 1 t. vanilla 1 t. lemon juice Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate. To make the crust, crush the Nilla wafers into a fine powder. Pour in the melted butter and mix to combine. Using a fork, press this mixture into your pie plate and shape it well to create a sturdy crust. Set aside. To make the filling, combine all the ingredients until smooth and pour it into the crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling is no longer watery. Take the cake out of the oven and set it aside while you prepare the topping. For the topping, combine all ingredients until smooth. Spoon it over the cake, spreading it out evenly, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge for a few hours until it’s completely chilled. Serve with hot raspberry sauce. #FeedingCreatively #KitchenWitch #WheelOfTheYear #WiccanHolidays #Wicca #CelticPaganism #Imbolc #ImbolcRecipes #EasyCheesecakeRecipe #NillaWaferCheesecake #BrigidCelticGoddess #CatholicHolidays #ChristianHolidays #StBrigidsDay #StBrigidsDayRecipes #IrishSaints #StBrigidOfKildare https://www.instagram.com/p/CoTiL7gLDL4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I present to you tonight's dinner, a new recipe, one of THE most delicious things to come out of my kitchen: Tomato-braised Italian pork chops! Seriously, this was incredible. It was so easy to put together, and it tasted like a million bucks. This is one of those "You don't feel like cooking on a Sunday but still need Sunday dinner" recipes. Your family's gonna think you cooked all day, but all you did was season up a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes, layer that sauce in a baking dish with pork chops, and pop it in the oven. It's THAT simple. And if you're not into pork, just switch the chops out for some chicken breasts. No matter what meat you use, I hope you enjoy this if you try it. Tomato-Braised Italian Pork Chops 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes Salt and pepper, to taste Basil, to taste Oregano, to taste Red pepper flakes, to taste Minced garlic, to taste 5-6 boneless thick-cut pork chops Cooked egg noodles, for serving Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9X13 casserole dish. Pour the tomatoes into a bowl. Fill one of the cans halfway with water and add it in. Add the seasonings and garlic and mix to combine. Line the bottom of your baking dish with a thin layer of sauce. Arrange the pork chops in the dish, then pour over the rest of the sauce so they’re submerged. Cover the dish with foil and braise in the oven for three hours. Let rest for 15-20 minutes. Serve over egg noodles. #FeedingCreatively #TomatoBraisedItalianPorkChops #EasyItalianDishes #SundayDinner #EasySundayDinner #PorkChopRecipes #DinnerForCompany #EasySpecialOccasionSuppers https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnvjs7Jr8Lb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Today, Dec. 12th, is the birthday of one of my favorite singers: Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra! So to celebrate I made, according to several Internet posts, his spaghetti and meatballs recipe! I followed the recipe exactly as Frank himself would have made it. The only difference is I baked my meatballs (425 degrees F. for 15 minutes) instead of pan-frying them. I know, I know, the traditional way is to pan-fry, but I always bake my meatballs, whether it's for pasta like this or Swedish meatballs. It's less of a mess, you know they're all cooked through, they finish at the same time, etc. Potential meatball-cooking-blasphemy aside, this recipe was absolutely delicious! The sauce comes together relatively quickly, simmering for only an hour (as opposed to other sauces that take all day), and leaves your house smelling amazing. And it leaves just enough time to down a few glasses of wine, as I'm sure Blue Eyes would approve of. Cheers and happy birthday, Frank! We love you! Frank Sinatra's Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe: https://www.allcreated.com/frank-sinatras-spaghetti-and-meatballs/ #FeedingCreatively #PastaNight #SinatraFans #FrankSinatra #FrankSinattasBirthday #EasySpaghetti #RecipesOfTheStars #SinatrasSpaghettiAndMeatballs https://www.instagram.com/p/CmGLm2Vu7lx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=