🧀🥛Imbolc Recipes 🧀🥛 (Patreon)

Happy Imbolc to witches in the Northern Hemisphere! Happy Lughnasadh to witches in the Southern Hemisphere! If you’re looking for a last minute recipe or two to celebrate Imbolc, check these ones out below! You can, of course, cook and bake these recipes all throughout the month, too!

1.) Bacon and Leeks

1 pound of bacon

3 fresh leeks, chopped

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic, pressed

Salt

Pepper

Fry the bacon and drain off excess fat. Remove from pan, and then chop into small pieces. Return to pan, and add garlic, leeks and onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When onions are opaque, remove from heat and serve scooped onto warm, soft bread.

2.) Baked Potato Soup

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups milk

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup flour

3 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 large baking potato, peeled and finely diced

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Toppings:

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup green onions

1/2 cup bacon bits

Heat chicken stock and milk in large saucepan over medium-high heat to almost boiling (do not boil as milk will scorch.)  Remove from heat and set aside.  Reduce heat to low.  In a large soup pot, melt butter.  Add flour, stirring constantly for 3 minutes to cook flour and make a roux.  Gradually add milk mixture to roux, pouring in a slow steady stream while stirring vigorously to blend and eliminate lumps.  Add bay leaves, pepper, diced potato, and salt.  Continue to simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and soup thickens.  Lightly mash potatoes in soup, and stir to blend well.  Pour soup into ovenproof soup crocks and top with sour cream, cheddar cheese, green onion, and bacon bits.  Bake in the oven to melt cheese.  This makes 4 cups and serves 2 to 4 people.

3.) Braided Bread

3 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed (this is in the frozen foods section at the grocery store) (Or make your own)

1 egg

Water

Sesame seeds

Allow the bread loaves to defrost at room temperature. Before it begins to rise, cut each loaf in half with a large pizza cutter or a knife. Roll each half out until it's about 18" long, and about an inch thick. You'll end up with six of these long strips.

Take three of the strips, and braid them together, trying not to stretch them out too much. When you've reached the end of the braid, tuck the ends underneath themselves. Repeat the process with the other three strips, making a second braid.

Place the braids either on a baking stone, or on a pan that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.

Beat the egg in a small bowl, and add 2 Tbsp. water. Lightly brush the egg and water mixture over the braids, and then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Let them rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, or until a light golden brown color. Remove from baking sheet, and allow to cool for 15 minutes or more before serving.

4.) Crescent Cakes

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup finely ground almonds

3 drops almond extract

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 tablespoon honey

1 egg yolk

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first four ingredients. Add the butter, honey, egg yolk and mix together well. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and then chill for 11/2 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. When ready, pinch off pieces of the dough (about the size of plums) and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents on a well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes.

The recipe yields about one dozen crescent cakes.

5.) Imbolc Moon Cookies 

1 cup (2 sticks/220 grams) butter or margarine, softened

1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups (185 grams) flour

1 1/2 cups (340 grams) ground walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla or peppermint extract

Icing

2 cups (445 grams) sifted confectioner's sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 tablespoons water

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy and light. Mix the lemon peel, salt, flour, and walnuts in a bowl. In increments, add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar. Mix until well blended. Cover and chill thoroughly for at least 2 hours.

When the dough is chilled, roll it to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.25 centimeters), and cut with a crescent moon cookie cutter. If you can't find a crescent moon cookie cutter, you can use a circular cookie cutter and cut a curved line in the middle, then roll the excess dough from the cookies and repeat.

Place the cookies 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

After baking, allow the cookies to stand for 5 minutes. Spread the icing over tops of cookies while they are warm.

To make the icing, combine the confectioner's sugar, vanilla, and water, mixing until well blended. Thin the icing with additional drops of water if the glaze is too thick.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

6.) Imbolc Ritual Cake

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tbs. poppyseeds

1 tbs. grated lemon peel

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tbs. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

powdered sugar

This is all done in one pan, so clean up is a breeze! Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking soda, and salt with a fork in an ungreased 9x9x2 baking pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except the powdered sugar. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, and the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes 8 servings

7.) Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake

cooking spray

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/9 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2/3  cup powdered sugar

4 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350° .

Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside.

Beat granulated sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla. Lightly spoon 1 2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 350° for 1  hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center conies out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Poke holes in top of cake using a skewer. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; brush over warm cake. Cool completely.

Yield: 12 servings

8.) Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Almonds

1 cup uncooked wild rice

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2 tablespoons snipped chives or chopped green onion

8 ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained

3 cups chicken broth

Preparation Tips:

Wash and drain rice. Melt butter in large skillet. Add rice, almonds, chives and mushrooms; cook and stir until almonds are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Pour rice mixture into ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Heat chicken broth to boiling; stir into rice mixture. Cover tightly; bake about 1 1/2 hours or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender and fluffy. 6 to 8 servings.

9.) Balsamic Vinegar Chicken with Almonds & Raisins for Imbolc

2 large red bell peppers (about 3/4 pound)

2 large green bell peppers (about 3/4 pound)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

6 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

6 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 egg whites

2 teaspoons olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 tablespoons water

1. Cut bell peppers into 2 x 2 1/2 inch strips. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers, saute 8 minutes. Add raisins,saute 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper, cook 1 minute. Remove from heat,- stir in almonds. Set aside, and keep warm.

2. Place each piece of chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in a shallow dish. Place flour in a shallow dish, dredge each chicken piece in flour, and dip in egg whites. Dredge chicken in breadcrumb mixture.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from heat. Place the chicken and bell pepper mixture on a serving platter,- set aside, and keep warm.

4. Add 4 tablespoons vinegar and water to pan, stir with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Spoon mixture over chicken and bell pepper mixture. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1/2 cup bell peppers)

10.) Honey Butter

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

Allow butter to soften slightly at room temperature. Using and electric mixer, whip butter and honey together in a bowl until well mixed.

11.) Rosemary Cheese Biscuits

Old fashioned biscuits are a treat at any season. According to Goddess lore, sprinkling rosemary into the dough helps us to attract love and longevity.

2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 1/2tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced

pinch cayenne pepper

1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, chilled

1/2 cup milk or more if needed

2-3 Tbs. dry sherry

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine the flour, cheese, baking powder, salt, rosemary and cayenne.

Cut the chilled butter into pieces and mix into the flour mixture, crumbling the dough. Add the milk and sherry and quickly mix the dough just until the ingredients are moistened.Lightly knead the dough inside the bowl a few times to

form a ball, and place on a floured surface. Roll out the dough with floured fingers or a floured rolling pin, to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter or jelly glass and place them on a baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are golden brown. Serve warm in a festive basket. Makes about 15 to 18 biscuits.

Excerpted from the cookbook - Recipes from a Vegetarian Goddess Delectable feasts through the seasons  by Karri Allrich. All rights reserved.  May 2000 Llewellyn Publications.

12.) Lemon-Poppy Seed Pound Cake

cooking spray

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter or stick margarine, softened

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/9 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2/3  cup powdered sugar

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1 . Preheat oven to 350° .

2. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; dust with 1 teaspoon flour. Set aside.

3. Beat granulated sugar and butter at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon rind and vanilla. Lightly spoon 1 2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour and next 4 ingredients (flour through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 350° for 1  hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center conies out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Poke holes in top of cake using a skewer. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl; brush over warm cake. Cool completely. Yield: 12 serving

13.) Waking Earth Cake

Celebrate the first stirrings of spring with this unusual not-too-sweet cake, a tasty way to begin fortifying ourselves for the new season ahead. It is sweetened with iron-rich molasses instead of sugar, and it uses no dairy or eggs. In fact, you will be surprised at how anything with so few ingredients could taste so good! This adaptation of a simple recipe by Peaceful Cook Harriet Kofalk is a nourishing tonic for the last cold days of late winter.

The recipe includes a magical surprise idea to celebrate the seeds that are beginning to stir deep underground. You may want to top it with vanilla ice cream, a beautiful way to represent the snow covering this waking earth. Think of the cake hiding its surprise gifts just as the earth gestates the waking seeds.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup un-sulphured molasses

1/2 cup hot water

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses

optional: small non-meltable surprises for hiding inside cake (a clean coin, a polished crystal, a ring, a gold or silver charm) optional: yogurt, ice cream or non-dairy frozen dessert

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a large bowl, combine both flours and baking soda. Stir in the vegetable oil and the un-sulphured molasses. This mixture will resemble crumb topping. Remove 1 cup of it and reserve.

3. In a small bowl, combine the hot water and the blackstrap molasses. Add to the flour mixture remaining in the large bowl and mix well.

4. Now is the time, if you desire, to stir in any one or more of the non-melting surprises. Finding one of them in your piece of cake is good luck - but BE SURE to warn your eating audience to prevent accidental choking or broken teeth!

5. Pour batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan, sprinkle with the reserved crumb topping, and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Serve warm, with a dollop of yogurt or vanilla ice cream, if you like.   Source: Witch in the Kitchen by Cait Johnso

14.) Groundhog Day Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup quick oats, uncooked

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

Frosting 

Preheat oven to 350º F. Heat the water in a pan until boiling, then add the oats and stir. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chips in a double boiler or carefully in a regular pan, until evenly melted. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, sift together the flour, soda, and salt and make sure it's evenly mixed. In a large bowl, cream the butter and both sugars. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then blend in the oats and the chocolate.

Finally, add the flour mix. When it's all evenly mixed together, pour it into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 1.5-inch pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then turn out of the pan onto a flat surface. Do not ice until completely cool! Royal Icing works well if you don't want to use a store-bought icing; try dusting with cocoa. Source: Scott Cunningham, Wicca in the Kitchen Use for: Imbolc

15.) Baked Custard

The word "Imbolc" comes in part from the phrase "ewe's milk," so dairy products become a big part of February celebrations. For our ancestors, this time of year was hard - the winter stores were running low and there were no fresh crops. The livestock was typically preparing for birth, and the lambing season would begin soon. At that time, the ewes came into milk, and once milk arrived, you knew your family would have a source of food again. Sheep's milk is highly nutritious, and sheep were considered a dairy animal long before cattle. If you have eggs, then you've got the makings of custard, a perfect dairy dessert.

Ingredients

* 4 eggs

* 3 C. milk

* 1/2 C. sugar

* 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

* 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

* A pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor, and blend for about 15 seconds, or until well mixed. Pour custard mix into ramekins or custard cups. Place the ramekins into a baking dish, and fill the dish with hot water up to a depth of about ¾". Bake the custards for one hour.

16.) Make Your Own Butter

Imbolc is a Sabbat that often focuses on dairy -- after all, the very word Imbolc is derived from Oimelc, or "ewe's milk." This is a great time of year to make foods that come from a dairy source, and few are more representative of dairy than butter. Homemade butter is great because it's got a fuller flavor - mostly because you make with pure cream instead of diluting it with oils and water like commercially produced butter. Although back in the old days, people used to spend hours at a churn, you can put together your own batch of fresh butter with just a little bit of effort.

Ingredients

* Heavy whipping cream

* A pinch of salt

* Glass jar with a lid that seals tightly

Directions

Allow the whipping cream to sit at room temperature overnight to let it ripen. Don't leave it out more than 24 hours, or it will spoil. Pour the whipping cream into the jar, around two thirds of the way full. Tighten the lid so it's sealed - I like to use a Mason jar for this, but you can use any kind you like. Shake the jar for about twenty to thirty minutes. If you have more than one kid, let them take turns so no one gets bored.

Check the jar periodically—if the contents are getting too thick for you to shake easily, open the jar and use a fork to stir things up a little. Eventually, the cream will start to form yellow clumps. These clumps are your butter, which means you're done. If you're not going to eat all your butter immediately, keep it in the jar, refrigerated. It will last about a week before it begins to spoil.

You can add flavor (and help prevent early spoilage) by adding a bit of salt to your butter. If you like, add herbs or honey. Experiment a little, to see what sorts of flavors you enjoy best. Also, if you allow your butter to chill after mixing it, you can shape it into blocks for easy cutting and spreading.

A Bit of Butter History

Did you know that mankind has been making butter, in some way, shape or form, for around 4,000 years? According to WebExhibits' Butter Through the Ages, "We have record of its use as early as 2,000 years before Christ. The Bible is interspersed with references to butter, the product of milk from the cow.

Not only has it been regarded from time immemorial as a food fit for the gods, but its use appears to have been divinely recommended and its users promised certain immunities against evil... The word butter comes from bou-tyron, which seems to mean "cowcheese" in Greek. Some scholars think, however, that the word was borrowed from the language of the northern and butterophagous Scythians, who herded cattle; Greeks lived mostly from sheep and goats whose milk, which they consumed mainly as cheese, was relatively low in butter (or butyric) fat."

Using a Stand Mixer

If you have a stand mixer, you can actually make this in your mixer. Pour the cream into your mixer's bowl and add the salt. Cover the whole thing with a towel - trust me, this is important, because it gets really splashy. Put your mixer on the lowest setting and let it run for about five minutes. The cream will separate so that you end up with not just butter, but buttermilk as well, which you can use in recipes.

You can use as much or as little cream as you want, but just kind of as a guideline, if you're using the jar method above, a cup of cream will give you around half a cup of butter and a half cup of buttermilk. If you're using a stand mixer, a whole quart of cream will yield a pound of butter and about two cups of buttermilk.

17.) Candied Carrots

Carrots are one of those root vegetables that our ancestors would have stored away for the cold winter months. Come February, they'd still be edible, even when everything else was gone. Raw or cooked, carrots are awesome. They correspond to the element of fire with their warm, sunny color (although obviously they're associated with earth, too, being root vegetables), so why not cook some up to add to your Imbolc feast? The trick with this recipe is to not let your carrots get too soft—just heat them long enough that they're hot, but still have some of the crunch in them.

Ingredients

* 1 lb, raw carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces

* 1/2 stick butter

* 1/4 C. brown sugar

* Salt & Pepper

* A dash of ground ginger

* 1 Tbsp chives, chopped

Directions

Melt the butter over low heat. Once it's melted, add the carrots, sautéing until they begin to get a bit light in color. Add the brown sugar, and mix until dissolved. Allow the carrots to simmer over low heat for just a few minutes. Add the salt, pepper and ginger to taste. The ginger adds a nice little bit of zing to an otherwise sweet recipe. Top with the chopped chives. Serve as a side dish with your favorite main course, or as part of an Imbolc potluck.

18.) Curried Lamb with Barley

At Imbolc, the lamb is a true symbol of the season. In the British Isles, there were years when the spring lambing presented the first meat people had eaten in months. Barley was a staple crop in many areas of Scotland and Ireland, and could be used to stretch even the thinnest of winter meals to feed an entire family. Although curry was not native to the UK, it lends itself well to the theme of this Sabbat because of its fiery nature. The golden raisins add a bit of sunny sweetness. This simple dish is delicious, and reminds us that spring is truly on its way.

Ingredients 

* 2 Tbs. butter or oil

* 1 onion, chopped

* 1 1/2 lbs. lean lamb, sliced into thin strips (you can also use lamb still on the bone as in the photo, but plan to adjust your cooking time to a little longer)

* 1 C. beef or vegetable broth

* 1/2 C. barley

* 2 Tbs. curry powder

* 1/2 C. golden raisins

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the butter or oil. Sautee the onion until soft, and then add the strips of lamb. Brown the lamb, but not so long that it gets tough—you want to keep it nice and tender. Slowly pour in the broth. Add the barley, and cover the pan. Allow to simmer about 20 minutes, or until barley has cooked. Uncover, and add curry and raisins. Simmer for a few more minutes, and remove from heat. Serve as part of your Imbolc dinner — if you don't eat meat, never fear! This is actually excellent with some chopped zucchini or your other favorite squash in place of the lamb.

Sources:

https://pixabay.com/photos/bread-bakery-baked-flour-braided-5470532/

https://www.learnreligions.com/recipes-for-the-imbolc-sabbat-4125902

http://recipesforapagansoul.weebly.com/imbolc-feb-2.html

http://www.ravenandcrone.com/catalog/a31/imbolc-food-recipes/article_info.html