Page 8

Cream Cheese Poundcake
Submitted by: Hestia Willendorf

• 3 sticks butter
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 cups flour

1. Mix butter with cream cheese for 4 minutes, until silky. Add sugar.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Add salt and vanilla. Add flour.
3. Pour into a greased bundt pan, or a loaf pan. Bake for 1hr, at 350 degrees. Check center with knife, it should come out clean.
4. Top with fresh fruit and whipped cream if desired.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Submitted by: Voxangelus

• 3 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/2tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. poppy seeds
• 3-4 6 oz cartons lemon yogurt (it depends on the humidity, start with 3.)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted

1. Mix first five ingredients in a large bowl, make a well in the center. In a smaller bowl mix the last three ingredients. Add wet ingredients to the dry, mix until just moistened. If it seems too dry, add the extra carton of yogurt. You may add lemon zest if you like.
2. Bake at 400F for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes in pans, turn out onto wire rack. Poke holes in muffin tops with a fork, drizzle topping over muffins.

Glaze Topping:

• 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 1/4 c. lemon juice

Yield: 12 jumbo or 24 normal size muffins.
Note: Also makes 2 loaves of bread if baked in loaf pans at 350 for 45-50 min.

Silverbeet, Mushroom and Capsicum Frittata
Submitted by: Catherine M.

• 1 lb silverbeet trimmed and coarsely chopped (also known as chard)
• 1 tblsp low-fat dairy-free spread
• 1 medium brown onion chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic crushed (or more!)
• 1 medium red capsicum chopped finely (also known as bell pepper)
• 2 trimmed sticks celery chopped finely
• 3.5 oz button mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots grated coarsely
• 1/4 cup polenta
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 3 egg whites lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup no-fat milk

1. Preheat oven to moderate and line an 8x12 cake pan with baking paper.
2. Boil, steam or microwave silverbeat and drain on absorbant paper. Melt non-dairy spread in a large deep frying pan and cook onion and garlic until softened. Add capsicum, celery and mushrooms and stir and cook until just soft. Remove from heat and stir in silverbeet, carrot, polenta and basil. Cool 5 minutes.
3. Add eggs, whites and milk and stir to combine, then spread mixture into cake pan and bake uncovered for 35 minutes until lightly browned and firm.
4. Serve with a fresh salad

Sima
Submitted by: Hestia Willendorf

• 1/4 teaspoon yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
• 1 1/2-2 C. fresh blackberries, cut in half (healing, money, protection)
• 1 large lemon
• 2 medium oranges
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 6 quarts (24 cups) boiling water
• 1 cup raisins

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Peel fruit, set aside rind. Remove as much of white membrane as possible from fruit. Place sliced fruit, fruit peels, white sugar, and brown sugar into large heat-resistant container.
2. Add boiling water. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in yeast mix. Cover loosely and let sit overnight at room temperature to begin fermenting.
3. Strain and discard fruit and peels. Place 3 or 4 raisins in each storage bottle. Pour in liquid. Cap tight and leave at room temperature until raisins float. Then keep cold.

Excerpted from the cookbook "A Kitchen Witch's Cookbook", by Patricia Telesco. All rights reserved. Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (February 1, 1998).

Tabouli
Submitted by: Catherine M.

• 3/4 cup dried cracked wheat (bourghul)
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mint
• 1 1/2 cups chopped parsley
• 3 level tablespoons lemon juice (or more - to taste after combining all ingredients)
• 1 level tablespoon chopped garlic (or more - to taste after combining all ingredients)
• large pinch of salt
• pepper to taste

1. In a medium mixing bowl soak the wheat in the water for an hour, stirring occasionally, then drain well and return to the mixing bowl.
2. Slice tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds - discard. Dice tomato flesh and add to bowl, along with parsley, mint, lemon juice, garlic, onion, pepper and salt and mix well.
3. Refrigerate.

In keeping with February's long-standing tradition as a month of passion, love and lots of delicious foods, here are a couple of chocolate based recipes from my heart (and stomach) to yours!

Callum Mostyn
   

Chocolate Truffles
While these may not be as exquisite as the ones from the best Swiss Chocolatiers, they taste very nice anyway - and you can make them anytime.

• 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1 & 1/4 cups heavy cream
• Optional - 1 teaspoon cognac, rum, liqueur of your choice
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Cocoa

1. Process chocolate until fine in texture. Leave in processor
2. Heat cream to the boiling point and then pour over the chocolate while the processor is still operating. Add the liqueur and blend until smooth
3. Chill until firm but not solid, then scoop out tablespoon-sized portions onto a baking sheet and chill until firm
4. Lay out two sheets of wax paper. Sprinkle some Cocoa powder onto one of them and dust hands with more powder. Roll the scooped portions into rough balls and then roll over the powdered paper. Place on the reserved sheet of wax paper and chill until ready to eat it!

This recipe makes about 60 truffles and its from the February-March issue of The Wine News magazine.

Cacao Drink

This wonder drink helps heal many ills, and is the oldest Western usage of the Cacao bean. It is recommended to help cure mild depession, physical and mental exhaustion, loss of libido and also as an aid to healthy weight loss.
Originating in Central America, the Cacao bean was used as currency. In 1500 CE 100 beans would buy you a slave while 10 would purchase the services of a prostitue or buy a rabbit! Makes this drink quite expensive.

• In a wide based pan heat 24 raw cacao beans (available in Latin-American shops) on low for 5 minutes - stir constantly
• Remove and cool beans, then grind to a fine powder
• Boil 3 1/2 cups of water, add the powder and continue to boil for another 5 minutes
• Remove from heat and let cool - add a sweetener to taste. Avoid artificial sweeteners as the health benefits of the Cacao are reduced by the negative affects of Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.

The Cacao liquid will last in the fridge for a week maximum. Can be drunk hot or cold.
NBIf the beans are unavailable, look at organic Cacao powder - use one teaspoon per cup of water to make the same recipe.
I found this recipe at Planet Botanic.

Chocolate Mud Cake

An Aussie tradition I discovered during my University years. Thick heavy slabs of cake so rich and moist and solid they sent me to heaven and back again.

• & 1/2 cups strong black coffee
• 250 gm (or 9 oz) butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 250 gm (or 9 oz) dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped - use Australian or British Cadbury's, or a good Belgian. American chocolate isn't rich enough in flavour
• 2 eggs
• 1 & 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/4 cup self raising flour
• 1/4 cup drinking Cocoa - not drinking Chocolate. The taste of the Cocoa is crucial

1. Preheat over to 150 degrees C (or 300 degrees F)
2. Place the coffee, butter, brown sugar and chocolate in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until it has dissolved and melted into a smooth liquid
3. Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool
4. Beat in the eggs, sift the dry ingredients and add. Mix the batter thoroughly
5. Pour batter into a greased and lined 20 round pan and bake for 1 to 1 & 1/4 hours. Test with a skewer for internal cookedness
6. Cool in the pan. Dust with icing sugar or cover with fresh whipped cream and sprinkled cocoa powder to decorate. Place nicely shaped leaves atop the cake in a pattern and then sift the sugar over the top. Remove the leaves.
7. If inclined, melt more dark chocolate and let cool on a sheet of wax paper. Shave the resultant slab and sprinkle the shavings over the cake

Best eaten with fresh whipped cream, or heated with a scoop of plain vanilla icecream. Use fresh chopped mint leaves scattered over the slice and a handful of sliced strawberries to alleviate a touch of the overwhelming richness. A strong latte or expresso really sets this cake off well.

The Magical Foods We Eat
And Their Alternative Uses: An Expose on Honey
   
By Franconian Die Drud

Over thousands of years, humans have used honey for a variety of purposes. From an antibacterial salve, to beeswax candles, hair conditioners, and honeyed ritual cakes, there is a wide variety of glorious things to create using honey.

Join me as I explore various recipes using honey as well as some of the history of its practical and magickal uses. Come discover the food of the gods.

Unless otherwise indicated, all photographs are provided by and the property of the person submitting the article. Any artwork, images, photography, poetry, spells, rituals, or other written work displayed in this magazine remains the property of the owner of said work, and all copyrights are to be unheld. Beyond that, this magazine does not lay claim of ownership to any work not created by the magazine, and does not support plagarism or theft. Should you find your work in this magazine incorrectly credited, please contact the Web Designer with details so it can be rectified immediately.