Seasonal Activities

Baking!!! Why the heck not? Here is a great recipe that I received through another newsgroup…unfortunately the author’s/creator’s credits were not known…. 

Halloween Carrot Doughnuts

Halloween is the time to make good use of October's rich harvest of fruits and vegetables. These carrot doughnuts can be made a day ahead of your dinner or party and stored in foil or other wrap.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon soda
3/4 teaspoon each of salt, ground nutmeg and ground cloves
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 cup finely-shredded or coarsely-grated carrots
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
salad oil for frying
glaze ( recipe Follows)
about 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves; set aside.

2. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, best the butter and sugar together until they are evenly blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each addition until the mixture is light and fluffy.

With the mixer on medium speed, gradually add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until it is smooth. Stir in the carrots, orange peel and 1 1/2 cups more of the flour just until it is all blended.

3. Turn the soft dough out on a cloth or heavily floured board and pat or roll it to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough with a 3 inch doughnut cutter, dipping it in flour as necessary to prevent sticking.

4. In a deep saucepan heat 2 inches of salad oil to 375 degrees on a deep frying thermometer. Lower 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time into the oil. As they rise to the surface, turn them over. Cook the doughnuts, turning them until they are browned on both sides, about 3 minutes, Lift them from the oil with a slotted spatula or two-tined fork. Drain them on paper towels.

5. Set the doughnuts on a rack placed over a baking sheet; spoon 2 teaspoons of glaze over each; sprinkle with walnuts. Makes about 2 dozen.

GLAZE:

Combine 2 cups unsifted powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons each of orange juice and grated carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Craft of the Week

Make Your Own Potpourri

I love to have my indoor surroundings smell just like my flower garden on a warm summer day. The way to achieve that is to have potpourri in beautiful containers sitting in strategic locations thru out your house. Making your own dry potpourris is an easy and enjoyable process. Especially when you grow the plants yourself!
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Here you will find directions for making potpourri and a list of wonderfully fragrant plants that make excellent potpourri.

How to make your own Potpourri

First, you will need to collect and dry your potpourri material. Collect flowers, leaves and branches of the plants early in the morning after the dew has dried off of the plants. Many different types of flowers and leaves can be used. The most often used flowers are rose petals, lavender, lemon verbena, rose geranium and tuberose. Do not hesitate to try different varieties. If it has rained recently, wait until two days after the rain before harvesting material. Dry the material on a piece of screen wire suspended off the surface. Turn the material every couple of days until very dry.

Keep materials out of sunlight or the materials may become quickly faded. If materials tends to blow off, place another piece of screen over the materials. You do not have to harvest all of the materials needed for a potpourri at one time. Small quantities can be stored in airtight containers until needed.

  When enough materials have been collected and dried, it is time to start your potpourri. Start by mixing flowers, leaves and twigs until you have achieved the right visual effect. The right visual effect is whatever pleases you most. For every quart of flowers and leaves, add one tablespoon of fixative material. (Fixative can be found at your local craft store, like Franks Nursery). To this mixture add a couple drops or more of fragrance oil. Again, the right mixture is the ones that pleases you most.

When the mixture is complete, store in an airtight container to allow the various fragrances to meld together. The finished product can be stored in glass containers for a beautiful visual effect and the top opened whenever fragrance is desired. The mixture can also be made into sachets by placing in small teabags or muslin or cheesecloth bags.

  http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Pier/2968/potpourri.html

Spell of the Week

Walnut Charms for Prosperity by Lori Bruno

  For a prosperity spell, gather nine walnuts, nine old silver “Mercury” dimes (these have no copper in them and can be purchased at a coin store), nine whole cloves, nine crumbled cinnamon sticks, and some mustard seeds and bay laurel leaves.  To start, carefully open the walnuts and clean out the shells. In each half shell, place one whole clove, some crumbled cinnamon stick and bay laurel, eighteen mustard seeds, and one dime.

  During a Full Moon, let moonlight shine on the contents in their shells, and feel the energy entering the coins and herbs. After meditating on this, take Super Glue and seal the two halves of each walnut together, taking care not to spill the contents. Paint the walnuts with gold metallic paint and leave on your altar. Take a walnut with you when you need a charge of prosperity.  

Link of the Week

Thorsons.com

  This is the new age branch of HarperCollins Publishing that offers books and more. Consult them on Astrology, tantric sex, yoga and much more. They even offer an online newsletter to keep you up-to-date on everything they offer!

Fun link of the Week

  Astrology.org

Astrology.org offers a soul mate match, information on your western astrological sign, as well as daily and weekly predictions.

Think About This...

  Spells that Work!
Author is unknown to me

  Spell to Get Measles
1. Find someone who has measles.
2. Lick them.

Spell to Turn Day Into Night
1) Stand facing a large tree or wall.
2) Close eyes tightly.
3) Keeping eyes closed, run straight ahead as fast as you can.
 

Spell to Breathe Under-Water
1) Attach concrete block to your feet.
2) Jump into water.
3) Breathe normally and sing the tune to "Flipper".
4) Takes about 5 minutes for lungs to adjust.
 

Spell to Commune With Pink Elephants
1) Pour glass of vodka or alcoholic drink of choice.
2) Drink.
3) Repeat steps 1-3.
 

Spell to Attract Lightning
1) Cover yourself in metal: jewelry, chains, golf clubs, nails, nuts & bolts hubcaps. Etc.
2) Go out into a thunderstorm and hold a long TV antenna high in the air.
3) Wait.
 

Spell to Stop a Runny Nose
1. Get two cotton balls.
2. Shove one up each nostril.
3. Tape them there.
 

Spell to Make a Person fall in Love with You
1. Call person at least thirty times a day.
2. Park outside their house and shut your headights off.
3. Leave sweet tokens on doorstep (i.e.-roses without petals, a nice headless Barbie doll...).
4. Follow them everywhere they go... careful, they'll try to lose you!
5. Don't worry if they get that silly restraining order, that means the spell is working!  

Spell to Make Your Computer Fast
1. Open Window.
2. Throw Computer out window. (If the computer hit ground really fast, the spell worked.)  

Spell to Save on Gas
1. Cut holes in floorboards of car.
2. Remove shoes.
3. While still seated, pedal feet really, really fast.
4. Scream "Yabba Dabba Do!"
 Optional: Invite passengers to join in the fun!

  A Spell to Go to the Bathroom
1) Drink so much water that you think you will burst.
2) Drink another glass anyway.
3) Wait ten minutes, then guzzle a can of pop.
4) Repeat step 3 as often as desired to increase the spell's effect.  

Alternate Spell to Go to the Bathroom
1. Eat a bushel of prunes.
2. Take a dose of Ex-lax.
3. Wait. Stay close to the bathroom!  

**Stoopid Disclaimer**
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WARNING: These spells are meant solely for humor. Please do NOT attempt ANY of these spells! [Chances are, they WILL work, but their results will be less than desirable.]