Winter Solstice stirs in me the joy of cooking. These are a few of my favorite recipes. They make your house smell good while they are being prepared and they are great to share with your neighbors or friends who stop by. Also perfect for your sabbats and ritual groups to partake of. Julekage [pronounced yoo-ley-key-yeh] is Norwegian Christmas fruit bread that is not too sweet and if you so desire you can add icing and decorate with candied red and green fruit to make it a beautiful dessert. I prefer mine plain and it is great with a cup of afternoon tea.
The traditional, classic Yuletide hot mulled cider drink
4 liters apple cider or juice (freshly milled organic is excellent!)
1 orange, chopped
1 lime, chopped
1 lemon, chopped
4 cinnamon sticks or 1 t. ground cinnamon
1 inch-square piece of fresh ginger or 1/4 t. ground ginger
1 t. cloves, allspice, and/or star anise
Heat all and simmer in an enamel pot (aluminum can impart a metallic flavor) on low for an hour, then serve to cold, caroling folks.
Brandy or rum for adults, optional
Julekage
Ingredients:
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 package active dry yeast
1 egg
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 1/4 cups flour, divided in half
1/4 cup each of golden raisins, dried diced pineapple, and dried diced apricots
Instructions:
Mix all the ingredients except the fruit and the second half of the flour. Beat well. Add the remaining flour and the fruit. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a buttered bowl, turning once to coat, and then cover and let rise in a warm place until double. Punch down and let rise until doubled again. Punch down and shape into a round loaf. Put it into a buttered, round cake pan. Cover and let it rise until double. (The original recipe warns that this “could take all day,” but it didn’t take that long for me.) Bake at 350º F until golden, about 50 minutes.
Yield: 1 large loaf
Source: Marina T. Stern, The Fairy Party Book
SunShine Sugar Cookies with Orange Frosting
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine milk with vinegar to make sour milk. Let stand for 5 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugars, shortening, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in sour milk and mix well. NOTE: Dough will be very sticky and hard to handle so be sure to refrigerate either several hours or overnight. Roll on well-floured board to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with cookie cutters to desired shapes-a sun shape or large round circles are best to signify the sun with large cutters working best. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom. Frost with frosting (recipe below) and decorate.
Frosting
3 egg whites
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 Tablespoon of orange rind
1 Tablespoon of Orange Juice
Beat egg whites in a clean, large bowl with a mixer at high speed until very foamy Gradually add sugar, rind, orange juice, and extract. Beat at high speed until thickened. Spread over cooled cookies or put in a pastry bag with a piping tip attached and pipe onto cookies.
magickal associations:
orange – love, purification
vanilla – love, sexuality
eggs – healing, protection, fertility
sugar – love
nutmeg – psychic awareness
Ravenhawks' Magazine Magick for Mind Body and Soul 