Gothic Granola

The old woman nodded as she listened to the soft, bubbling words [of the spirit of the well].  Then she went back to the cottage, her eyes bright with resolve, her step firm with courage. She took water from the sieve and sprinkled it over the doorstep.  When she got inside she saw a cake, dark reddish brown and unappetizing to look at, on the table.  'They didn't even wait for me to come back with the water,' she said to herself.  'They were greedy as well as wicked.  But thanks to the spirit of the well I know what is in that cake.' Geoffry Palmer and Noel Lloyd, "The Horned Witches," Nine Witch Tales, ed. Abby Kedabra (New York: Scholastic Book Services, 1998), 13. There were a few magical things about this cake I baked for my birthday: I still had the book from which the above quote is excerpted and the cake actually  worked this time.  

This post may be best placed on my other blog, Cemetery Spelunking , but it bears mention here. [caption id="attachment_4359" align="aligncenter" width="169"] Stained glass window next to the front door in the narthex of Arlington Metaphysical Chapel; view from the basement stairs.[/caption] When TC and I went mountain bike camping a few weeks ago, one night we hung out with this older gentleman and his dog since they were the only other people at this remote camping spot.  The old man kept playing classic rock and folk that neither TC or I knew (I like Pink Floyd and that's about the extent of my classic rock knowledge).  He kept saying, I want them to play this song at my funeral, playing songs by Cat Stevens , JJ Cale, Jim Crochee, and Lobo. I don't know what song I want played at my funeral, but I did hear this song recently on Pandora, " Without Faith " by ThouShaltNot.  It's perfect for a scene where I plan to kill off a major...

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPY5P0TaC4k     "Just walk away...and there will be an end to the horror."

I was right about a rant brewing, but my prescient vision was off by a week. Yes, I finally finished reading Frank Herbert's  Dune .  

It's Thursday, and it's time for a roundup of wellness bits and bobs, readers.

My friend Potter said the above years ago. I blogged about it without stating it in 2011 . Join me in a thought experiment. Nota bene that this thought experiment is in the setting of 20th-21st Century Western Hemisphere society.  

My assignment: Go maketh something tasty with the One-Day Deal item, strawberries. I wanted Mexican food, so yesterday I made strawberry salsa, which included avocado at the behest of the marketing team leader. Mango and pineapple salsas are a thing, so why not strawberry salsa? Aguacates y fresas son frutas tambien.

I went to the Library at Alexandria yesterday and borrowed a few books. I get such a kick out of saying I went to the Alexandria Library when in truth I patronised the Public Library System of the City of Alexandria, Virginia. While I was on the search for fiction, I checked out the cookery books as well. The few vegan or gluten-free titles they had were classed with the “health food” and “reducing diet” cookbooks. Really?

Circle 'round the wagons and pull up a rock or log to the firepit, folks... While walking on Friday morning, that small, still voice said to me, There will be voices and they will tell me what to do. Let's take a step back and not breathe in the smoke from the fire too much. In the abundant sunlight as I was walking outside, I felt warm when I heard this. I was reassured. In recent memory, this is the second conviction I have had, have received. From whom or what, I can't tell you because I don't know.

This was so gourmet I impressed myself. The pomegranate molasses elevated it from ordinary to extraordinary. Granted, the butternut squash tasted a tad bland with all the other spices going on, but you say "reduction" and "seared" and all else is forgiven. It's not a true reduction, but it's viscous enough to be like one . Seared Tempeh with Sesame Pomegranate Molasses Reduction, Braised Greens, and Butternut Mash 2 8-ounce packages of tempeh (I used the plain soy and flax flavours; make sure it's GF.) 1 quart water 2 yellow onions, half-mooned 2 cloves garlic, sliced thin or pressed pinch Kosher salt 1 teaspoon celery seeds 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses 1/2 teaspoon GF tamari 4 cups dandelion greens or other bitter greens, ribboned 2 cups roasted butternut squash 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 teasp...

Take a seat; there’s a sermon in here somewhere. Last week, I read Isaiah 24:16 before going to bed: “For the treacherous deal treacherously/ The treacherous deal very treacherously.” (NRSV) Treacherous cat is treacherous.

Dear ones, I'm taking a Sabbath, as in *the* Sabbath, according to these principles at Sabbath Manifesto.org .  The only thing I'm not getting behind on this list is the "drink wine" part, and the bread I might eat will of course be vegan and gluten-free.  Longer postage will resume next week. Q P.S. Sabbath puts me in the mood for challah .