Day 4 ~ Utterly Wicked!!!

Dorothy Morrison, Halloween Luminaries, Judas Antenesque, Utterly Wicked

Hello everyone! I hope you are having as much fun reading and participating as we are in bringing this to you.
Can you believe it's day 4? I'm super excited for today's entry and without further ado, here we go...

Today's Blog

from Judas Antenesque from Stirring the Cauldron With Judas

Today is Ours

What is it about this time of year that turns even the sternest of Witches into little children? Is it the chill in the air, the apple cider, the pumpkin pies, or the pumpkin seeds? Is it the decorations for our homes, is it that we can put out our The Witch Is In signs, and no one will raise an eyebrow?

The countdowns to Samhain tickers have been going since the day after Samhain last year 2011, and I love it!

Why? Why do we all suddenly start acting like Linus gearing up for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin?

My thoughts this day is OURS, we have marked it, feasted on it, and celebrated it in public and secret. After years of hiding, it’s nice even if it’s only for one month to CELEBRATE our path. Sure they have tried to do to Samhain what was done to Yule, they try to change it, but we don’t allow it to happen. It is our day to celebrate our ancestors who have passed to the Summerland before us. It is our day to revel, and watch the Wheel turn yet another year gone. Yes it’s evolved, and there are now more “secular” activities, but it still retains the meaning. It’s evident in the decorations, witches, zombies, ghosts, all true things about this day that we enjoy.

We make special dinners, lay out snacks, enjoy the revelry of little children dressed up, all the while we are dancing inside like cats on a hot tin roof. We watch the clock barely containing ourselves as the last of the trick or treating comes to an end. Then it’s off with the outside lights, on with the candles or fire.

Some of us scry, do card readings, use Ouija boards, or just open ourselves to communicate with our blessed dead. We do away with the old year, and dance into the new. Some of us sit by a big fire covered in heavy blankets so we can remain outside long after the fire has died hoping to catch a glimpse of the dead returning home, or the Fae on moving night.

Maybe we are more like Linus than I thought, it may not be a pumpkin we are waiting for, but each of us waits for something. In this season I wish you all the happiness, and joy of decorating, and enjoying the imagination of your witchlings. Stir your cauldrons, my friends…see you again soon around mine.

~Judas

Today's Giveaway

Today's giveaway comes from Dorothy Morrison. She is giving away an autographed copy of her book "Utterly Wicked".

Remember:

Your first entry is to follow us here. (make sure you comment and tell us that you're following!)

Bonus entries:

Go to Wicked Witch Studios and peruse her wares. Come back and tell us what you like best there.

Like us on Facebook- come back and tell us (separate entry)

Blog about this giveaway (comment separately and send us a link to your blog post)

Tweet about this giveaway (comment separately and send us a link to your blog post)

Today's Recipe

Braaaaaains!!

From The Coexist Cafe

Nothing’s better than freaking out your guests, and what better way than to dig into a quivering pile of brains! Go on, let the zombie in you out. (Though please, don’t try to become an actual zombie. I don’t think

it’d be very successful…)

Note: This recipe is NOT vegetarian, as it contains gelatin.

Ingredients

* 1 cup milk

* 5 tsp unflavored gelatin

* 4 cups heavy cream

* 1 cup + 1 tbsp sugar, divided

* pinch salt

* 2 tbsp vanilla

* 8 oz pomegranate juice

* 1/4 cup cornstarch

Method

1. Place milk in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Stir and let sit for about five minutes so the gelatin can rehydrate a bit.

2. Combine cream and sugar in a pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir

in the vanilla and salt. Add the gelatin mixture and stir again until combined. Pour into (brain) mold, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or until mixture is completely set.

3. To unmold, gently tilt mold so sides of the panna cotta pull away a bit, then place on platter or plate. You can also dip the bottom of the mold into warm water to help in unmolding.

4. For the pomegranate sauce, I just got a small bottle of Pom Wonderful, added three heaping spoonfuls of sugar so it wasn’t so tart, mixed in about 1/4 cup cornstarch, whisked like crazy, then brought it all to a boil in a small saucepan while stirring. The consistency is rather disgusting, but that’s the whole point!

This looks especially creepy set out on a really nice platter. Also quite effective on a carving board with a large chef’s knife plunged into the center!

Todays Craft

Up next in the crafting department we bring to you:

Halloween Luminary Bags by Marie LeBaron from make and takes

Brown paper lunch bags

Pea gravel or sand (you can get them at any hardware store)

Votive candles

Instructions

Open the brown paper lunch bag. Sit it in the desired location.

Place 1 cup of pea gravel or sand in the bottom of the bag

Place the votive candle in the center of the pea gravel. Light the candle when desired. You can use these to light up the pathway to your home or place in your yard for a spooky ambience.

Tips: Color a design on the outside of the brown lunch bag with crayons. Cut openings in the sides of the lunch bag with a craft knife to allow more light to show. Use a tap light instead of a candle to avoid fire.

And the Winner is:

The winner of the giveaway on October second from Tess at East Coast Craft & Curio is: NCDad! Please be sure to email us your shipping information so Tess can get your gift certificate in the mail to you.

For the October 3 giveaway from Three Cats and A Broom, you have until 8pm EDT tonight to participate!