The Witches of Muckmire Marsh • I wonder where this young witch is going?

 I wonder where this young witch is going?

The Witches of Muckmire Marsh • Is it just me or is the tree smiling?

Is it just me or is the tree smiling?

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie with Streusel Topping | TidyMom

I don't see how this couldn't be WONDERFUL!

Recipe here: Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie with Streusel Topping | TidyMom

Halloween Memories from Grade School

Does anyone remember singing along to Halloween songs in elementary school?

Halloween Past

Imagine! Captain Kangaroo - Eleanor Roosevelt and Halloween all at the SAME TIME! 

My goodness, it has been too long since I posted here! I've been busy with my Tumblr account sending all sorts of pretty pictures. I wish I knew a way to send those here!

Faeries in the Woods?

I'm afraid I must beg your forgiveness for being away from my postings for so long. It's been a beautiful summer so far here in Muckmire Marsh but the gardens have needed so much tending and there have been so many other exciting things afoot. I am sorry, but on to new things:

As you may recall, my last post had some photos of lovely things I discovered in a walk about outside and one of them was a simply adorable little toadstool. I had hopes that a ring of them might appear, signaling the spot of a Faerie Circle... but alas the little dear fell victim to Ezmerelda's rather clumsy travelings and was unceremoniously squashed beneath the heel of her boot. To my great disappointment, it never grew back let alone spawning a circle so it could not have been a visit by the Faerie Folk anyway. But this morning I found what I believe is proof that they are near: a beautiful and delicate little circle of graceful pink toadstools.

How exciting!  It is most certainly the work of the Faerie Folk and looks to me from the tall throne-like seat at one end that it could very well be from visiting royalty!  I have been very careful not to disturb it of course. It's never wose to disturb nature in all her glory, but it is very unwise to disturb a Faerie Ring. Have you ever seen a Faerie? I bet you have and didn't even know it. There are Faerie Folk around all the time, but they most always remain hidden to us big brutes. You may have passed one thinking it was a moth or a cobweb. Or maybe you glanced at a pea blossom or a bit of mustard gone to seed waving gently in the breeze. Sometimes they tease by lighting up like a firefly at night, blinking just long enough to get your attention and then disappearing, or brushing against your hand disguised as a bit of milkweed fluff.

Of course Faerie Folk are impossible to photograph, and you would make them quire cross if you even tried, but with great respect I asked aloud if I might take a snap of these beautiful mushrooms and no ill came of it so I chanced a few. I could have sworn I heard a faint giggle in the wind as I crouched down on all fours with my camera in the most undignified of poses, but that might have been my imagination after all. As I stood to leave, I thanked them aloud (just in case any were nearby) and wished them well, inviting them to stop by if they liked. Being very small creatures they need to know they are not overlooked or thought inconsequential and they do enjoy an invitation though they rarely accept.Many an unwary or bad-mannered witch or warlock has woken to a nasty surprise of some sort after failing to keep this in mind and offending the little dears. I myself have always been very cautions about it .Showing respect by being courteous and polite is always the best policy but with the Faerie Folk it is an absolute necessity.

Well, here is the photo my dears - enjoy. I do hope they visit us at Creepstone Cottage one night soon. There is little lovelier than a midsummer night's  frolic with a band of merry little Faeries, though we probably won't remember it, thinking instead it was all just a dream.

A few quick Spring photos from around the cottage

Pretty blossoms!

I just love seeing the vines starting to come out in leaves - all shiny and green with touches of red!

I noticed this adorable little toadstool poking up out of nowhere this morning! Pity there's not a ring of them...

Spring is in the air!

The Witch Hazel is in bloom and doing a magnificent job. Brava!

Spring Begins in the Marsh

What lazy witches we have been! After gorging ourselves on Valentine's Day chocolates and baked goodies, we settle down into a nice long nap... and slept through March! The good news is, winter seems to be waving goodbye and spring is showing signs of interest again.It's always so reassuring to know that whatever else happens, the slow step of the seasons continues on.

This morning we chanced out of the cottage and took a peak at the still sleeping gardens - grey and dreary. 
A closer look however showed not all of our botanical friends were still dormant. Many trees and bushes have their twigs adorned with suspicious bumps that could very well be buds. There rare a few red and green shoots poking up from the the ground here and there - crocus and snowdrops to be sure. And last but never least - dear old Salix Discoulor has come all out in delightful little furry catkins living up to it's more common name of the Pussy Willow.

What a delightful time of year. We must all get outside and take it all in!

A Valentine Blessing for You

 The rose is red, the violet's blue,
The honey's sweet, and so are you.
Thou are my love and I am thine;
I drew thee to my Valentine:
The lot was cast and then I drew,
And Fortune said it shou'd be you.

 

You know, I always get a bit sentimental this time in February remembering all the lovely Valentines I have received through the many years that have come to past. Sometimes I even get a bit sad because I no longer have a beau to send me fancy cards, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, sweet smelling perfume or bouquets of dead roses... but then I remember myself and realize the cads are probably better off as toads and quite happy to be hopping about the marsh instead!
 
My blessing for you is:

 

May you have your true hearts desire

And may you all be remembered by your loved one 

On this special day

 

For those who have nor yet found that magical someone:

 

May your days be filled with the love of family and friends,

May you find the partner you seek with speed and with care

And may your lover be all the more wonderful when you find them

For you deserve no less than the very best

And by and by you shall find it

Until then, enjoy my picture of a few of my favorite Valentines from over the years as well as the lovely poem above.

 

 Happy Valentine's Day, my dears! 

 

RECIPE: Stuffed Green Peppers

Brrr! It’s been an extra a cold winter here in the Marsh! There’s been lot’s of fun in the snow, but lots of work as well keeping the paths shoveled and the walks clear. 

After a day out in the crisp, cold air, there’s nothing like coming home to a hot supper. In the winter, we often forgo the table and bring our supper into the living room where we eat snuggled up in our cozy chairs which we pull close to a crackling fie in the big hearth. There’s many good recipes for days like this: roast beef with carrots, potatoes and gravy; chili con carne and cheesy garlic bread; a hearty stew with lots of chunky vegetables; a nice beef barley soup; and perhaps Henrietta's personal favorite - stuffed peppers! For desert a warm apple crisp with a dollop of whipped cream or even a slosh of cold table cream on top. All reasons why we don’t mind winter one bit!

Here is Henrietta's recipe for the stuffed peppers. It's been simplified with items you can get from your local grocery store as many of our little friends don’t have gardens like ours and so may not have items like their own canned tomatoes on hand. Of course Henrietta usually makes several batches of stuffed peppers when the peppers are in season can be picked that day as this recipe freezes quite well to be defrosted and cooked later, but there’s nothing wrong with making them the same day with some lovely peppers flown into your grocers from a warmer climate.

What you 'll need: 

• Six  medium-sized fresh green peppers
• Half a cup of chopped Spanish onion
• Half a cup of uncooked long grain rice
• One teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce
• One and a half cups of shredded Cheddar cheese
• One pound of ground beef
• Two cups of tomato preserves (a sixteen ounce can of stewed or diced tomatoes works fine)
• One teaspoon of salt
• Dash of pepper
• Half a cup of water
• Two cups of seasoned croutons

How to make them:

1. Fill a large stockpot with water and add half of the teaspoon of salt, stirring to dissolve. Set the pot on a hot burner to bring it to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, carefully cut off the stemmed tops of the peppers much like you would a jack-o-lantern. Scoop out any seeds and membrane left in the peppers and wash the insides and out under cold running water.
3. Drop the peppers carefully into the boiling pot of salted water and cook for no more than five minutes. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, fish the peppers out of the boiling water one by one and let sit upside down on a cooling rack placed over your sink to drain and cool a bit. You won’t need the stockpot of water again so feel free to drain it and set it aside.
4. In a large, trustworthy skillet brown the ground beef and onions over medium heat. Add the remaining half teaspoon of salt, the dash of pepper, the canned tomatoes (complete with juice), the rice, the water and the Worcestershire sauce. Stir everything together well and then let simmer for fifteen minutes, covered.
5. Turn off the heat and uncover your mixture. Stir in half a cup of the cheese just until incorporated. Now it’s time to put it all together!
6. Place your drained peppers bottom side down in a high-walled baking dish (I’ve found soufflé dishes or casseroles are wonderful for this recipe). Stuff each pepper with the beef mixture just until full. Top each pepper with croutons and shredded cheese. At this point you can let the casseroles cool and then take them to your freezer to await a cold day to be used, or you can bake them in a three-hundred-and-fifty degree oven for twenty minutes and serve them right away. 

Sometimes for an extra treat, Henrietta sprinkles a bit more cheese on them just as they come out of the over for a wonderfully stringy and gooey topping!

Footprints in the Snow

This morning as I built the fire in the hearth to make my morning tea, I glanced out the front kitchen window and saw that some had walked by Creepstone Cottage sometime late last night, leaving a trail of footprints in the newly fallen snow. As I sipped my tea and nibbled on a warm buttered scone, I mused about who it might have been and a little poem began to form in my mind. 

It's not very good poetry but I thought I'd share it with you anyway and so here it is:

In the cold winter months
When white blankets the ground
And the Nettlewart vines slumber on
I wonder who's passed
In the quiet dark night
Leaving tracks I discovered at dawn

Who was it that walked
Down the path past my gate
Shuffling along without stopping to rest?
Was it friend? Was it foe?
Was it someone I'd know?
Was it someone I'd want as a guest?

Were it not for the snow
I guess I'd never know
That they came by this way at all
But still I must wonder
Who's footprints are yonder
Where they came from, are going and all

Dear Traveler Who Came
(I do not know your name)
Should your travels return you to me
Give a knock on my door
Stamp your shoes on my floor
And stop in for a cookie and tea

Happy New Year!

RECIPE: Henrietta's Peanut Butter Balls

Waiting to be chilled before being rolled in icing and coconut.

I'll tell you a little secret about Henrietta, one of her greatest weaknesses is anything containing peanut butter. It follows that every Christmas, she makes sheets and sheets of these wonderful little morsels, often doubling the recipe. She's had great fun trying endless variations (a few of which are below), and many friends of the witches love to get a small tin full of nothing but these scrumptious treats as a holiday gift.

The only real secret in making the rolled darlings is to keep your ingredients cool once they are mixed to avoid sticky situations, and to keep the wet to dry ingredient ration in balance. You don't want a dry ball that cracks, nor do you want a wet ball that looses its shape.

Try them for yourself and do let Henrietta know if you come up with any fun variations. She'll use any excuse to make another batch and none of us here at Creepstone cottage mind one bit!

What you will need for the basic cookies:

• One cup of smooth peanut butter
• Two tablespoons of butter at room temperature
• One half a cup of finely chopped dates
• One cup of icing sugar (some people call this confectioners sugar) 

How to make the cookies:

1. In a trustworthy medium-sized bowl, stir the peanut butter and butter together with a sturdy wooden spoon until well blended.
2. Add in your icing sugar a little at a time until it is completely mixed.
3. Carefully stir in dates until incorporated.
4. Grease your hands with a bit of butter and use them to form the mixture into bite-size balls.*
5. Place the dear little things on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or tin foil.
6. Chill the trays in your refrigerator until they are firm and well set (about an hour).
7. Coat the balls as desired

Coatings:

The traditional coating is to roll the chilled balls in a thin icing made of milk and icing sugar, and then in sweetened flaked coconut. Let these set again on the wax paper covered baking sheet in fridge.

Another fun coating is chocolate or butterscotch. Instead of chilling the balls in your refrigerator, place them in the freezer until quite hard. Then roll them in gently melted semi-sweet chocolate or butterscotch chips, turning them to coat evenly. Let set on wax paper covered baking sheet in fridge.

Some of Henriettas other variations include:

• Substituting mini chocolate chips, crispy rice cereal or raisins for the dates
• Rolling in toasted, crumbled peanuts
• Rolling in holiday coloured sprinkles
• Rolling in white sprinkles for a snowball look
• Rolling in melted white chocolate
• Rolling in crushed corn flake or crispy rice cereal

Henrietta is also fond of putting each peanut butter ball in a little paper baking cup for a nice presentation. These come in many festive looks including plain white, berry red, holly green, sparkling gold or with joyful, printed Christmas designs.

HENRIETTA HINT: If you find the mixture is sticking to your hands but you are certain you have the right dry/wet ingredient ratio, it may be you are too warm yourself. Wash your hands off and then cool them under the coolest tap or well water you can get, or in a bowl of ice water. Re-grease them with butter and carry on.

RECIPE: Auntie Patricia’s Christmas Shortbread

These old fashioned cookies are an absolute favorite at the cottage! A melt in your mouth buttery treat with a hint of maple flavoring, what sets this simple recipe apart from other shortbread is the use of brown sugar and no cornstarch. We’ve read where these are sometimes known as Cornish Shortbread, but we’ve not seen any evidence the recipe originated in Cornwall. The taste is so satisfying and hearty, It’s best not to over do the decorations with heavy icings so use candied cherries, glace fruits or a sprinkle of colored sugar instead.

What you’ll need for the cookies:

·         One pound of butter at room temperature

·         One cup of golden brown sugar (lump free if you please)

·         Four cups of flour

·         Red and green candied cherries cut into halves

·         Colored decorative sugar

Instructions for the cookies:

1.       First thing to do is to preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Then get out a good sized mixing bowl and place your butter in it.

2.       Next, cream your butter using a nice. Flat wooden spoon or if your new fangled, your electric mixer. Mind that you just cream it – don’t liquefy!

3.       Once that is done, add your brown sugar and cream it into the butter.

4.       Then slowly add the flour a bit at a time until everything is combined. (Be careful not to over work the dough or your cookies won’t be quite right.) By this time you should have a soft dough, but if you find it is too sticky, add a bit more flour. If it is a bit too soft o work, gently lay a dam tea towel over the dough and chill it for a while in your icebox or fridge.

5.       Lightly flour a large board and your most faithful rolling pin so that you can roll out your dough to an even ½ inch thickness.

6.       Cut the dough into shapes with either your best cookie cutters or the bottom of a juice glass. (Henrietta finds circle and round flower shapes work best though diamonds and stars do well too.) Gather the unused portions of dough form around the cut cookies and save them for another batch.*

7.       Cut a rectangle of parchment paper to the size of your most beloved baking sheet and fit it to lie flat. Transfer the dough cut outs to the parchment paper carefully using a thin, flat spatula. Space them about 1” apart.

8.       Gently press half a candied cherry into the center of each cookie or decorate with colored sugar as you fancy.

9.       If you find your kitchen is very warm and the dough is very soft, you can always place the tray of cookies in your freezer for a few minutes at this point, or even set them outside on a garden table (or other surface where the animals wont get to them) for a few minutes before baking them.

10.   Place the cookie tray in your preheated oven, but not for very long! They should bake until the bottoms are just ever so slightly browned on the bottom but still a bit soft and ivory white on the top. It is very easy to burn or over cook them so watch them very carefully.

11.   Remove them from the oven and let them sit still on the cookie sheet on a cool counter. After a few minutes, transfer the cookies from the sheet onto wire cooling racks and let it until completely cool.

Keep stored in a sealed, airtight container, or freeze them until you need them.

*HENRIETTA HINT: Always try to cut as many cookies at once as possible because every time you roll out the leftover dough scraps, the resulting cookie gets tougher. If you use more than one cookie sheet, you can have one being filled, one in the oven, and one cooling.

We're back!

It's been a long time since we've posted, but we are back at last! For those of you who are unfamiliar with our witchy ways, we generally sleep through most of November and this year was no exception.

October was a splendid month but busy, busy, busy. So many parties and events, so much to do and see. Priscilla and Henrietta made a visit to Toronto on their way to the annual All Hallows Eve Party and met lots of lovely people including a charming couple dressed as Alice and the Hatter from Wonderland.

The party itself was a smashing success and we danced around the bonfire until dawn munching on baked apples, candy corn, roasted pumpkin slices and lots of other goodies. Well done, sisters! We were so sleepy and contented by the time we arrived back at Creepstone Cottage, we barely had the strength to change into our night clothes, sip on some warm milk, and put ourselves to bed for a good, long sleep.

As we slept, the cottage and gardens did too. We had finished harvesting what was left of our fruits and vegetables before Halloween, and hung all the herbs we had left in the pantry to dry out for winter so the garden was ready for its long winter slumber. The nettlewart flowers have long since fallen away leaving their crisp brown vines woven over the outside walls and the pumpkin patch gave up the last of her golden fruits some time ago. Lord Oak and Lady Elm threw off their colorful fall robes piece by piece to ready for their wintry naps while Scotty, Fraser and Douglas (who stay awake and green all seasons) watch over them quietly.

We had the presence of mind to put up the storm windows and latch all he shutters tightly before we went to bed and Hyacinth made a lovely charm for the stove and fireplace that kept them lit and slowly burning so that the cottage wouldn't get too cold while we were in dreaming upstairs. Imagine our delight when we awoke to find it was December already and the cottage and marsh were covered in a sparkling blanket of fluffy, white snow! Even the spare pumpkins we left on the back porch now have jolly white caps on.

With December of course comes Christmas and after a good hearty breakfast (three days long, mind you) we are now bustling about getting ready for you know who to visit on the eve of December 24. We can't wait!
 In the following days we'll post some of Henrietta's favorite Christmas cookie recipes as well as some lovely poems, crafts, cards and other fun holiday thingamabobs.

Happy December and keep checking back!

Halloween Greetings

Love,

The Witches of Muckmire Marsh

Balls Falls Thanksgiving Festival 2010

This photo of our trip to Balls Falls for the Thanksgiving Festival this year was just sent in by a Mr Jeff Winger. Henrietta is looking proud as a peach in her new hat and dress and Priscilla is stunning as always in a new lace skirt. Granny and Tessie seem to be having  marvelous time of it and teh Wizard... well, he looks confused as always!

RECIPE: Caramel Apple Pie

Hello darlings, Henrietta here with a new recipe for you to try! I recently found this delightful looking concoction on a wonderful blog called Orange and Black - the Spirit of Halloween. The author of the bog had discovered it in the Apple a Day Cookbook by Janet Reeves. I must confess this is one cookbook that isn’t in my collection but I do love apples so it seems time I found a copy! The recipe sounded delicious and many of the blogs followers had tried it with success so I made up my mind to do so as well.

The perfect opportunity came when the Princess invited Priscilla and I over for dinner and a spooky movie last week, after our visit to Balls Falls. We volunteered to bring desert and agreed this pie would be the perfect thing. Priscilla whipped up the pie in no time (I was having quick nap after our long flight home) and we took it with us, baking it while we dined on a lovely feast set out by the Princess. 

As we sipped tea and talked of our days adventure, the enticing aromas of cinnamon, caramel and apples came wafting through the castle and beckoning us back to the kitchen where the pie was cooling. It was irresistible! I’m embarrassed to say we could wait no longer and sliced the pie up before it was properly cooled. The result was steaming clumps of apple, caramel and pastry. We should have waited longer and let it set but it was delicious all the same. It’s a lovely pie, and surprisingly not too sweet. The Princess declared it the best apple pie she had ever had and even had seconds. Priscilla and I agreed – it’s our favorite new recipe for Fall.

Here it is then, with a few alterations by Priscilla – Caramel Apple Pie.

Ingredients you will need for the pie:

·         Pie pastry to line a nine inch deep dish pie pan

·         Four cups of apples, peeled, cored and sliced

·         One and a half cups of brown sugar

·         One half of a cup of softened butter

·         One half of a cup of all purpose flour

·         One eight a teaspoon of salt

·         Two teaspoons of cinnamon

·         One half of a cup of chopped pecans

Instructions for the pie:

1.       Start by preheating your oven to a toasty three hundred and fifty degrees.

2.       Then line a sturdy nine inch deep dish pie pan with your pastry. Trim and finish the edges of the pastry. I haven’t included a pastry recipe because I find each cook has his or her own favorite – but if pastry isn’t your strong point feel free to buy a frozen pie crust, I won’t tell.

3.       Arrange the apple slices in the pastry-lined pan.

4.       Sprinkle the apples with the pecans and salt. Set aside.

5.       In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, flour, salt and cinnamon until a paste-like consistence forms.

6.       Pat the brown sugar paste mixture on top of the apple slices to form a top crust.

7.       Place pie on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for fifty minutes.

8.       Remove pie form oven and transfer onto a cooling rack.

9.       Let sit to cool until just warm (at least 45 minutes). I know it’s a chore but do try and wait if you can. We let our enthusiasm get the better of us and sliced it early but the result was mounds of pie instead of slices!

10.   Serve with freshly whipped cream or a rich vanilla ice cream.

Let us know how your pie turns out and if you agree it’s the perfect desert for a crisp cool day.

Click here to buy The Apple a Day Cookbook



Click here to visit Orange and Black: The Spirit of Halloween