Category: Food/Drink

Supermarket Magic

by Administrator, posted in Books, Food/Drink, Magic/Occult

Well this is a bit embarrassing. I bought a book to review because I thought it was brand new and it wasn’t until I went to the publisher’s website that I realized it was published in 2013. 2013! But the book is good, it’s still available to purchase, and it was new to me, so I’m sharing it with you! We’re going to be talking about “Supermarket Magic: Creating Spells, Brews, Potions, & Powders from Everyday Ingredients” by Michael Furie.


I love food, as my ever widening ass can attest to. Which is why I love books that let me look at food in different ways. I also liked the idea of using a supermarket to do your magical shopping. It reminds me of all the times I would buy supplies at the local dollar store. I guess what I’m saying is that it was inevitable that I would end up reading this book, and it didn’t disappoint.

Now when I picked up “Supermarket Magic” I expected it to be wholly focused on what kind of magic you can work when your local supermarket is the closest thing you have to a magical supply shop. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Furie discussed a lot of magical basics and ethics. He then divides the book up into the most frequently used categories of magic: clearing and cleansing, harmony, healing, love, lust, and beauty, luck, money, protection, and psychic ability and divination. He also includes a section about Sabbats.

In each chapter Furie discusses what is involved in the category. Items that are associated with that type of magic, and several spells and/or recipes to use. There is a shopping list at the end of each chapter listing all the items he mentioned in the chapter. I found that particularly clever. He stresses that “Supermarket Magic” isn’t a cookbook, however there are a lot of recipes for brews and potions that sound…..magically delicious. (I couldn’t help myself!) Seriously, if something is tasty AND can have potential magical benefits, why wouldn’t you want to give it a go?

One of the shopping lists.

With its blend of beginner and advanced ideas “Supermarket Magic” is a great addition to any magic user’s library, whether you’re just starting out, or have been working with magic for years.

You can learn more here.

And by the way, “Supermarket Sabbats”, also by Michael Furie comes out this October! You can learn more, and preorder it here.

Glens Falls Brewfest 2016

by Administrator, posted in Events, Food/Drink

Guess who is finally back? Granted, my ass is dragging and my head is aching, but that’s a whole other post. For now I’m back and I bring you beer! That’s right, I went to Glens Falls Brewfest 2016!

Let me tell you people, this little lady drank! There were a bunch of hard ciders represented and I don’t care what anyone says, hard ciders are great. Despite their wide representation at the event I overheard more than one attendee say, oh, they just do cider, and walk away from a booth. That’s just more cider for the rest of us! This worked out great for me because it meant lots of hard ciders and short lines. Hard cider drinkers of the world unite! I guess I should tell you what I drank, huh?

Champlain Orchards Cidery – Vermont Hard Cider – Heirloom: This was refreshing because it wasn’t overly sweet. According to their website their Heirloom “is pressed, fermented, and crafted from old and new world cider varieties.” I could see serving this to people who like hard ciders but also wine drinkers.

Elf’s Farm – which is maybe also the Adirondack Cider Company, it was all very confusing – the cider itself was…..cider. It was good. I’d gladly drink it again, but other than the cute name of Elf’s Farm, it wasn’t a superstar.

Downeast Cider House – Cranberry Blend: Seriously, just drink it. Drink lots of it. The tartness of the cranberry combined with the sweetness of apple combined with booziness is what makes life worth living.

1911 Spirits – Ciders – Founders’ Reserve Hopped: I noticed an alarming trend of adding hops to hard ciders while at Brewfest. I am not a fan of hoppy beers and so at first I was quite concerned seeing ciders, now with HOPS! However, the addition of hops to this cider added no bitter after taste and I found it to be a pleasantly sweet sip.

Naked Flock Hudson Valley Hard Cider – Draft: What made me pick this one was that it’s fermented with Belgian Trappist Ale yeast and used maple syrup. I wish I could say that I was all like, man I can really sense that Trappist Ale yeast, but honestly, it was just a tasty hard cider.

Awestruck Ciders – Lavender Hops: This bad boy wins for originality and taste. A great balance of sweet and dry. The scent of lavender is pervasive and I’m not sure what lavender tastes like, but I think this cider tastes faintly of it, and that it tastes good! It was so unusual it took a few sips for me to definitely decide I liked it, but once I did, I was telling everyone I saw to give it a try. Delicious!

Just as an aside, McKenzie’s Hard Cider and Doc’s Draft Hard Cider were both in attendance as well, but I’ve tried both of their ciders before so I skipped them. They both make some tasty and pretty widely available hard ciders.

And yes, I did have a couple of beers too.

Smuttynose Brewing Company – Amber (?): At the event my husband jotted down that what we tried was called Amber. It was pretty great. Very smooth and a touch sweet up front with an almost too bitter for me finish, but as I mentioned earlier, I’m a hops wimp. When I go to Smuttynose’s website I can’t find “Amber”, so who knows what I really drank?

21st Amendment Brewery – Toaster Pastry – India-Style Red Ale: How can you resist a brewery called 21st Amendment? You can’t. This was good. I wish I had something intelligent to add but all I’ve got was, it tasted good and I liked it.

This other one I found rather amusing. I work in an office, so when I see Avery, I automatically think office supplies. In fact, I and my friends were sipping our Smuttynose beers making fun of a brewery that would call themselves Avery. “I can’t do it,” I told them, “I can’t drink a beer with the same name as an office supply company.” But then I was like, “How can I NOT?”

Avery Brewing Company – Joe’s Pils: I’m not ashamed to say I like Pilsners and I’ll be damned if Avery doesn’t make a fine one. My friends had one of their stouts and were pleasantly surprised that the office supply company did a good job there too. And thus ended the office supply company jokes and instead we admitted we would just have to be content with enjoying their beer.

I also have to give a shout out to the awesome hometown heroes of Shmaltz Brewing Company. They were at the event as well but there were only two of their brews I really wanted to try, because I haven’t yet, Slingshot (American Craft Lager) and She’brew (Triple IPA) and they didn’t have those with them. But they’re a great bunch of guys so I wanted to give them a shout out!

If that wasn’t enough, there was food! Sadly demand was greater than what most vendors brought so by the time we got over there everyone had packed up except for The Queensbury Hotel, from which I tried some great corn chowder and a soft pretzel stick, and SUNY Adirondack Culinary, who provided a taste of suckling pig with a cauliflower puree. Delicious!

Glens Falls Brewfest 2016 was a great event and I had a lot of fun. I’ll probably be going next year.

The $10,000 Martini?

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Television

I’m not the kind of television viewer that goes out actively seeking shows with titles such as the “World’s Most Expensivest (insert whatever here)”. That’s not to say I haven’t watched shows or read articles about stupidly expensive food, drinks, travel locations, etc. Well, I became aware of a web series that GQ Magazine is doing and their first feature is a must see.

The series is “Most Expensivest Shit” with your host the rapper 2 Chainz. It’s already in its second season! The first episode of season two features 2 Chainz and his buddy Big Sean trying out a $10,000 vodka martini.

The video is only 4 ½ minutes long. You really just need to check this out.

I love how 2 Chainz keeps looking at the camera with a face that says, get out of here, is this for real? He’s hosting the show, and it’s like he’s wondering if he’s being pranked.

Seriously people?

Also, do any of us really think those diamonds are imbuing any flavor to that vodka? I vote no. It is the bar world’s costliest gimmick. Fellas, you want to dazzle a lady, spend that $10,000 on actual, physical, jewelry that she can wear immediately. Not a vodka martini that has a diamond that you’ll need to pay to get set into jewelry at a later date.

With all of that out of the way, I enjoyed “Most Expensivest Shit”. The follow up episode where 2 Chainz checked out a store that specializes in rare and expensive sneakers was a good time too. You can watch it here.

Natural Remedies for Inflammation

by Administrator, posted in Books, Food/Drink, Reviews

Inflammation has been in the news lately thanks to a study out of the University of Toronto that showed evidence of brain inflammation during episodes of depression. However even before that, celebrity watchers were familiar with the concept of battling inflammation by reading about Anne Hathaway’s anti-inflammatory diet that she ate in preparation for her role as Catwoman. So at this point you’ve got to be wondering, what the hell is the deal with inflammation and how does one deal with it? You know I wouldn’t type out the question if I wasn’t prepared to offer you some kind of answer.

Healing Arts Press offers “Natural Remedies for Inflammation” by Christopher Vasey, N.D. Vasey does an excellent job describing inflammation and the different ways it can affect the body. As you can tell from the fact that we’re still discovering things that may be linked to inflammation, it’s still hard to say exactly what can or can’t be directly linked to inflammation. Yet Vasey highlights and explains many things that if inflammation isn’t the sole cause, it plays a large role in the malady. Arthritis, eczema, tendonitis, and gout are all characterized by inflammation.

Then Vasey dives in to discuss how anti-inflammatories work and how you need to decide if you want to block pro-inflammatory prostaglandins or increase anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. From there it’s a discussion of diet, plants, and supplements. (As we’ve recently learned, be sure you’re using plant sourcing and supplements you can trust.)

Of course what always impresses me with these types of natural remedy books is when they’re not afraid of traditional Western medicine. Frequently when describing conditions Vasey says you should see a doctor, or advises speaking with your physician before starting certain supplements. I personally tend to use a blend of Western and holistic/alternative medicine so I appreciate it when authors of natural remedy books don’t look down on Western medicine. Just like when I discuss alternative medicine with my physicians I expect them to listen to me, not just blow me off.

Anyone interested in learning about inflammation, how it works, and more importantly, ways to stop it, should absolutely grab a copy of “Natural Remedies for Inflammation” by Christopher Vasey, N.D.

Favorite Things 2014

by Administrator, posted in Books, Events, Food/Drink, Products, Reviews, Tarot

Here it is, actually past due for me to get all Oprah on you and give you my 10 favorite things from 2014. This year was really hard to pick just 10 things, and immediately after I did the list more things came my way. So next year you may see some things that were featured on the site late this year. Enough about that, let’s get to the favoriting! (In no particular order of favorite-ness.)

1. “Among the Mermaids: Facts, Myths, and Enchantments from the Sirens of the Sea” by Varla Ventura. As someone who has always loved myths and stories about sirens and mermaids, “Among the Mermaids” was a definite stand out for the year. Not only did Ventura fill the book with lore and legends of merrows, mermaids, and sirens, but the resources section in the back lists books, movies, and shopping. Shopping! Want your mermaid tail?

2. “The Encyclopedia of Crystals” by Judy Hall. I love gemstones, rocks, and minerals. The end. Okay, not the end. This book makes learning more about crystals super easy. The stones are divided up by color, but also listed in alphabetical order in the crystal index in the front of the book, and of course there is a thorough index at the back of the book. Each entry has a fantastic image or two to help with identification and then they list: crystal system, chemistry, hardness, source, chakra, number, zodiac sign, planet, and what it’s beneficial for. After that there is a paragraph with historical and folkloric detail.

3. “The Daemon Tarot” by Ariana Osborne. Based on Jacques Auguste Simon Collin de Plancy’s “Dictionnaire Infernal”, this 69 card deck isn’t just a divinatory tool, but a piece of occult reference. Obviously it cannot be used exactly as a tarot deck, but thanks to a researched and well thought out companion book, you’ll be doing a single card draw or a six card spread in no time.

4. “The Witch’s Broom: The Craft, Lore & Magick of Broomsticks” by Deborah Blake. As one would suspect, there are oodles of nifty, witchy, bits of broom magic to be found in “The Witch’s Broom”. However, it’s the tons of stuff that you can appreciate whether you’re a witch or not that makes this book a favorite. You can learn how to make your own broom, how to decorate store bought brooms, there are get great gift ideas, and there is fun broom folklore and history.

5. “Encyclopedia of Goddesses & Heroines” by Patricia Monaghan. Monaghan published the first encyclopedia of divine females in 1979, and that book has stayed in print in one form or another right up to today. The latest is newly expanded and features more than 1,000 heroines and goddesses from folklore, literature, and religion from around the world. It. Kicks. Ass.

6. “365 Tarot Spreads” by Sasha Graham. A different tarot spread for each day of the year. They’re unique and thought out. If you want a tarot workout in the New Year, get this book now!

7. “The Yoga of Cleaning” by Jennifer Carter Avgerinos. Weird, right? Nope. Avgerinos background as both a certified yoga instructor and having worked in the consumer packaged cleaning tools industry for the past several years indeed gives her a unique perspective on these two seemingly divergent topics. She brings them together in a way that, I swear, makes you want to clean.

8. “Sacred Objects, Sacred Space: Everyday Tools for the Modern-Day Witch” by Dayna Winters, Patricia Gardner, and Angela Kaufman. These are the ladies that wrote “Wicca: What’s the Real Deal?”, and just like with their first book they did a fantastic job a packing an incredible amount of information into an easily digestible amount of book. This trio discuss just about any object you can imagine being used in magic, along with the appropriate care and ways to craft your own or personalize it. They also cover every space in which magic can be worked. This is a must own.

9. “The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences: How Understanding NDEs Can Help Us Live More Fully” by Dr. Penny Satori. There have dozens of books written about near-death experiences, however in my opinion this is the one we’ve been waiting for. Dr. Satori’s book is based off of the UK’s first long term prospective study of near-death experiences and she was awarded a PhD for her research in 2005. That’s right, it’s science. Although the research is grounded in science, Satori also includes many of her experiences from her 17 years as an intensive care nurse. This makes “The Wisdom of Near-Death Experiences” a compelling read.

10. Helderberg Mead. 2014 gets to be the year that I fell in love with Helderberg Mead. As Peter Voelker said when I interviewed him about Helderberg Meadworks, “Most mead that you can buy in the wine stores around here either tastes like a low alcohol honey syrup or a nice soft white wine. While there’s nothing wrong with that (I love a nice Vidal Blanc), HMW takes a different approach. We use techniques that would have been used many moons ago and produce a mead that has big, bold and feral qualities to it. We’ve adapted old world methods to modern day sanitation and palettes without catering to any particular group of consumers. This is mead as we think it should be. With that said, there are 2 major differences between HMWs mead and others. The first is our alcohol content, which has a range on the label of 15% to 16%. Our current “Burgundy Wax” batch is at the high side of that range. Most others are from 8% to 11%. The second difference is our use of oak aging. Back in the days before metals were commonly available, oak would have been the preferred storage vessel for nearly all drinks. We have taken this concept and applied it to our mead. The result is a powerful mead (shouldn’t all traditional mead be POWERFUL?) with a whiskey-like nose and great honey flavor without being overly sweet.”

Making Meal Time Magic

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Television

Long time readers know I’ve been a big fan of kitchen witch Dawn Hunt and her Cucina Aurora products for years. We’ve been fortunate enough to share several recipes/articles from her here on the site (Shepherd’s Pie, Spinach Quiche, and Pumpkin Cheesecake) and I got to interview her when the cookbook she contributed to and edited “Tastes From the Temple” released. My husband and I are also HUGE fans of Cucina Aurora Rosemary Oregano Infused Olive Oil. It’s great for dipping bread into and we cook chicken in it. SO GOOD!

As great as it is to read Dawn’s writing, it’s the best to see her cook and talk live. However if you’re like me and had to miss Celebrate Samhain this year (where she was presenting) and want to know what it’s like to see her live, now you can know. There is now an ongoing video series, “Making Meal Time Magic” with Dawn Hunt from Cucina Aurora. These short videos not only feature recipes, but also highlight food folklore and showcase a little bit of Dawn’s kitchen witchery. Try out Spicy Marinara Simmer Sauce:

If this video piqued your interest in Cucina Aurora you can learn more at www.cucinaaurora.com. If you’re inspired to try out some goodies while you’re there, now is a great time! Cucina Aurora is charging no shipping on orders until November 9, 2014! Enter Coupon Code WINGS at check out and enjoy free shipping on all orders. Limited to ONE use per customer. Valid only on online purchase at www.cucinaaurora.com. Offer expired November 9, 2014.

What’s Inside a Red Bull & Vodka

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink, Science

I tried Red Bull once. It tasted nasty. So I stick with my numerous other vices. However, I have always wondered what the heck was in it. I mean, you can read the side of the can, but what does it all mean? Fortunately, for information and entertainment, Wired Magazine’s web series “What’s Inside” answers this question.

When I think of Red Bull I always think of it as mixed in the “cocktail” Red Bull & Vodka. It’s actually why I tried Red Bull, the idea of drinking Red Bulls & Vodkas. Not happening. Anyway, it turns out Wired also did a “What’s Inside” about Vodka so why not complete the combo?

Red Bull & Vodka

Now you know exactly what’s inside those Red Bulls & Vodkas you toss back. I’m sure enough Vodka makes the Red Bull taste okay, but seriously, there are tastier ways to get drunk my friends. They usually involve rum. Mmmmm……..rum.

Visiting Helderberg Meadworks

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

Some of you may remember that I was lucky enough to interview Peter Voelker, the owner of Helderberg Meadworks. Apparently The Magical Buffet community made a good enough impression that I got invited over to actually see the mysterious, alchemical process that goes into making their varieties of mead! Squeee!

To be honest, it’s no serious mystery as to how mead is made. First you take some of this:

Water

Then you add some of this:

Honey

Although Helderberg doesn’t use any old honey, this is raw honey direct from a local beekeeper. I got to taste it and it was amazing. It was sweet, but then it had a zingy flavor at the end. Peter explained that the zippy flavor comes from where the bees live and travel.

Lastly, you need some of this:

Yeast

Then, you let it hang out and ferment.

FYI, it even tastes good while fermenting.

After three months it’s finally ready to be filtered and put into bottles. Then it gets the cool wax top.

Many crayons died to bring you this lid.

They put one of their bad ass looking labels on it.

You can get that on a shirt.

And you end up with something beautiful.

Beautiful.

Two people make all of THIS.

This.
And this.

So that all of us can do this!

DRINK!

Available right now from Helderberg Meadworks is Heritage, which is a honey mead, and apple Mead, which is their honey mead blended with Indian Ladder Farms apples. Both are smooth and very drinkable. Personally, I like the Heritage at room temperature and the Apple cold.

I know what you’re thinking, those sound great, I’m going to go get me some of that! That is fantastic, you should do that. However you should know that in August they’re adding TWO MORE varieties to their line up! Oh and they both sound wonderful!

There will be Maple Mead. Much like the Apple Mead, the Maple Mead will start life with the honey mead base but by working with Wilderhook Maple Farm they will be adding maple to the mix. I didn’t get to try this one but I was told that it maintains a maple flavor without being overly sweet. I’m pretty excited to compare this one with their Heritage Mead.

Now for the grand finale, Feral Mead. This mead is made from yeast that was gathered and cultivated from right outside the Meadworks. Seriously. Peter told us about collecting it. How he would gather some and it would be all weirdly colored and just dump it out. But finally he got something that looked right, and smelled right, so then he set about using it for a small test. And then the last test, he drank the results! That takes some kind of balls people! I’m no longer impressed by the guy who took down the 10 point buck. Have you gathered your own yeast in the wild? No? Then move along. The most important part of this Feral Mead story is this, it tastes AMAZING! Just so, so good. It’s like Heritage Mead’s beautiful sister.

If you want to learn more about Helderberg Meadworks and where you can buy their tasty meads, you can visit their website.

Me with the Helderberg Crew

Kirsten, Peter, and Me

Wychwood’s Scarecrow

by Administrator, posted in Food/Drink

Back in 2012 I shared with you my experience trying out Wychcraft from Wychwood Brewery. That’s when I learned that you guys love talking about booze! I knew I liked you guys. Anyway, I’m back again with another bottle from Wychwood Brewery, Scarecrow.

As I outlined in my previous article, I tend to prefer lighter beers like pilsners. Scarecrow is described on the label as a “Golden Pale Ale”; between that and how much I like Wychcraft I had to give it a try. It’s like the pilsner of the gods; light, refreshing, and with just enough body to let you know you’re drinking an English ale. What makes an interesting side note is that Scarecrow is USDA certified organic.

Yep, Scarecrow is an organic beer. The description on the back of the bottle reads, “Scarecrow Organic Ale is brewed using organically grown Plumage Archer barley malt & Target hops to create a refreshing tasting beer of exceptional flavor & character. Ingredients grown to organic standards prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides & fertilizers.”

Is it the organic nature of Scarecrow that makes it so delicious? Proponents of organic food and drink I’m sure would say yes. However I suspect it’s just the inherent magical nature of Wychwood Brewery that makes Scarecrow taste so darn good. It’s just what they do.