Afternoon Fairy Repast

4 ounces butter
6 ounces brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
8-ounce ripe banana, mashed
8 ounces self-rising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
Optional cup each: sultanas, apple, or pear, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 350° F. In large bowl, mix cream, butter and sugar together until fluffy, then add eggs and milk, and beat. In a separate bowl, sift/mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. Add dry ingredients to eggs and milk and then mix with an electric mixer. Add mashed bananas. Mix until bananas are pureed, then stir in optional fruit by hand.
Transfer into a non-stick loaf tin. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and a toothpick test comes out clean. Once cooled, serve with butter and jam.
Yield: 1 loaf
Fairy beverage of choice: milk

Dwarf Dandies

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup pecans
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups dates; chopped
1/2 cup candied cherries; diced
2/3 cup flour
powdered sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. In large mixing bowl, blend shortening and sugar, then beat eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix together by hand. Spread mixture in a nine-inch non-stick pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cut into squares while still warm and roll in powdered sugar.
Yield: 6 servings
Dwarf beverage of choice: wildflower infused tea or a John Barleycorn brew.

Forrest Footstools

20 large white mushrooms, brushed clean
1 medium onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, finely minced
1/4 cup wine for sauteing
2 tablespoons carrot, finely shredded
1-1/2 teaspoons salad herbs (i.e. parsley, majoram)
2 cups bread crumbs
salt/pepper to taste

Remove mushroom stems, put mushroom caps aside, then chop and reserve stems. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add mushroom caps to boiling water. Cook for several minutes or until mushrooms begin to shrink. Drain boiling water (do not remove mushrooms) and fill pot with cold water to halt the cooking process. Drain water, then reserve mushroom caps.
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large non-stick saute pan, saute in the wine the onions, reserved mushroom stems, garlic, and celery. When vegetables are tender, add the carrot and herbs, and then add bread crumbs and mix well. Add salt/pepper to taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Fill mushrooms with a heaping tablespoon of the mixture, place on a lightly greased baking sheet, and cook for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Serve hot.
Pixies particularly enjoy Forrest Footstools accompanied by chilled asparagus spears and orange sections.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons diced green pepper
1/4 cup chopped mushroom stems
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 lb. large mushrooms, stems removed
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons cooked, crumbled bacon
12 small slices cheese (optional)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over low heat and saute the mushroom stems, green pepper, and onions until tender. Mix in the bread crumbs, bacon, thyme, salt & pepper. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps. Place the caps on a cookie sheet. Melt one tablespoon of the butter & drizzle over the caps. Top each with a cheese slice. Bake for 15 minutes.
Serve hot.
Yield: About 1 dozen.
Variation: Use large cherry tomatoes with the seeds scooped out instead of the mushroom caps. Substitute rosemary for thyme & add 1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese to the mixture before stuffing.

Noodles in Faery Butter

4 hard-boiled egg yolks
2 tablespoons orange flower water (optional: rose water can be substituted)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweet butter, softened
1 lb. noodles (any kind), cooked
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1 orange, sliced (garnish)

Beat the egg yolks, sugar, butter, thyme, basil, and orange water in a small bowl until smooth. Mix enough of the butter with the hot noodles to coat the noodles with a golden-yellow color. Garnish with orange slices (or buttercups and foxglove if available).
Yield: 8 Servings

Fried Honeycakes

1/2 cup sweet white wine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup honey
2/3 cup flower
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
oil for frying
1/8 teaspoon salt

Beat the wine & egg in a medium bowl. Combine the flour cinnamon, salt & sugar in a small bowl. Stir into the egg mixture. Let stand 30 minutes. Combine the honey & nutmeg in a small bowl. Heat 1/2-inch of the oil in a frying pan until hot, but not smoking. Drop the batter into the oil 1 tablespoon at a time; fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Dip into the honey.
Yield: 1 1/2 Dozen.

Elder Flower Fritters

1 egg
1 cup self-rising flour (If you are not using self-rising flour, add 1 teaspoon baking powder & 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1 teaspoon rose water
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
2 cups elder flowers, freshly picked & cleaned
2 tablespoons brandy

Mix the egg, rose water, honey, & brandy in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the flour & cinnamon; the batter should resemble slightly thick pancake batter. If the batter is too thin, add a little more flour; if too thick, add more brandy. Fold in the elder flowers. Fry like pancakes or drop by the teaspoon into a deep-fat-frier until golden brown. Serve with a sprinkling of orange water & fresh lemon, or dip into fresh sweet cream.
Yield: About 2 dozen
Variation: If you can't find elder flowers, substitute 1 cup finely diced apples and a hint of fresh mint.

Faery Tea

3 teaspoons English Breakfast Tea
1/2 teaspoon chamomile
1 teaspoon dandelion root
1-1/2 teaspoons elder flower
1-1/2 teaspoons hops
1/2 teaspoon mullein
1/2 teaspoon raspberry leaf
1-1/2 teaspoons rose hips

(Optional)
Drink this prior to working with devas and faeries. As you place the ingredients into the pot, chant: Black for strength, then apple of night, wild grown root and Lady's blessing. Leap for joy, then between the worlds, tangle of bramble and faery love knots. Brewed to invite the fair folk to tea, working together, they and me.

Magickal Spice Tea

Clove
Cinnimon
Ginger
Cardamon
Caraway seed
Dried bay leaves (2)
Strawberry leaves
Mint

Combine the spices and dried bay leaves in a tiny bowl; then crush them until they are semi-fine. In a very small sauce pan add some water, then let it boil. After the water is boiling, add only the strawberry leaves and mint. Let boil for 1 minute. Put the ground spices into a tea holder or make your own tea bag with cheese cloth. Add the tea bag into the boiling water. Boil for no more then 3 minutes then reduce heat to low. Strain ingredients out of the liquid. Drink as tea or add into other drinks.

(Optional)
Light a blue or teal candle at the stove where you are working; as your mixture is cooling, before straining, bless the liquid and put only your good energy charges into it. After straining, bury the spices and leaves or scatter over living plants for good luck.

Blackberry Wine

3 lbs of blackberries
3 lbs of sugar (or honey)
1 gallon of boiling water

Wash the berries, put them in a large bowl and pour over them the gallon of boiling water. Stir well, them cover the bowl and leave for 10 days, being careful to make sure no fruit flies or other insects get in the bowl. Strain the liquid through muslin or layerd cheeze cloth and add the 3 lbs of sugar or honey and stir well. Cover the bowl and leave it for three days, but stir daily. Put into bottles and cork, loosely at first, over time you push the corks down (a little seepage is normal). The wine will be ready in 6 months.

Faery Meade

1 pound honey (preferably dark)
1/4 pound cherries
2 pints of black berries
2 pints of blue berries
2 quarts water
champagne yeast

Matireals:

large cooking pot, to hold a minimum of 3 quarts of liquid
pasta strainer or potato masher
2 Measuring cups
sharp knife
cutting board
2 liter bottle
plastic tubing (clean aquarium tubing works fine)
vapor lock (Optional, but requires frequent care without it)
storage space with a washable floor (incase of spillage), or large bucket

Use the knife and cutting board to pit the cherries and slice open blackberries. Put the water, honey and fruit into pot, and bring to a boil. (It is easier to pour the honey if you slightly heat the honey in it's container first)
When it starts to froth, skim the foam off the top, and mash the fruit in the bottom of the pot, using the pasta strainer or potato masher.
When it stops frothing, remove from heat, and use one measuring cup to scoop out the liquid, and pour it through the pasta strainer into the second cup to strain out most of the seeds and pulp.
Pour it into the 2 liter bottle, but do not fill the bottle to the top. When the bottle is no longer too hot to lay your hands on for more than 10 seconds, add a small pinch of yeast. (adding the yeast while the mixture is still hot could cause it to ferment very quickly) Attach the vapor lock and add water to the vapor lock to seal it. Place the bottle in the bucket, or in a place with a washable floor, and leave it alone. The mead may ferment very rapidly once it begins and some may push it's way out of the vapor lock. If this occurs just remove and rinse the vapor lock and replace it again. Once this phase is over, move it to a cool, but not cold, location (a bathroom or basement is suitable) and wait a couple of weeks for the vapor lock to stop bubbling.
Use the second bottle and length of plastic tubing to siphon the liquid out of the first bottle, being careful not to suck up too much of the sediment at the bottom (the dead yeast and fruit bits). Put it in the refrigerator for storage.
This recipe is very versatile and you can substitute in essentially any fruit, and adding spices is another modification (just a pinch or two usually does it).
Some suggestions are:
lemons
apples
pears
nutmeg
cinnamon
ginger (if using fresh ginger root it is recommended that you chop finely or grate it to help in the cooking process)

For a non-alcoholic version of this recipe, follow the recipe above, but leave out the yeast. Once you have bottled it, cap it (a screw cap is sufficient) and stick it in the fridge immediately until you are ready to serve it.

Honey Meade

4 lbs honey
juice and pulp from 2 oranges and 2 lemons
10 whole cloves
cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon of yeast
1 gallon of water

Mix the honey, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves and lemon and orange juice and pulp and bring it to a slow boil. Simmer for about half an hour, skimming the foam from the top. Let it cool, and when it is a little warmer than room temperature, add the teaspoon of yeast. Strain it through some cheesecloth and put it in a crock or jug with a thick layer of cheesecloth tied over the opening with a rubberband so it can breathe, but still keeps insects out and let it sit for at least 30 days.

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