Mabon Feast

[Nitefalle]

So this year, again, I am having a potluck dinner party for the Autumn Equinox. Last year, I had a nice sized pot roast for the main course and made a yummy rice dish with the leftovers. I don't know if I want to do that this year, or if I should maybe get a honey glazed spiral-cut ham. Any other ideas / suggestions? It's going to be for about 5 people.

[Xirian]

I wish I could help, but I do not generally celebrate the Sabbats. I recognize them, but generally don't do much.

[Brigid Rowan]

I must have a little kitchen witchiness in me, because I love cooking for the sabbats. For Mabon 2007 Im planning the following:

A roasted bird of some type (chicken or turkey) with herbed stuffing, baked yams, mashed potatoes n gravy, rolls, asparagus. I'll maybe do pumpkin cookies and cinnamon apples and ice cream for dessert. All the fall foods my kids and hubby inhale.

I like having the kids help decorate, either with art, helping do a fancy table setting layout, candles on the table, or some such thing. Maybe we can do a nature walk and collect leaves and nuts.Depending on the weather, we may have our first fireplace fire of the year that evening.

Specific Recipes:

Brigid's Lemon Roast Herb Chicken

2 roasting chickens, whole
2 lemons, sliced in thin circles
2 handfulls of rosemary
2 tbsp each, salt and pepper
2 tbsp soft butter

Clean the birds, and with fingers or knife, gently seperate skin from the meat on the top/breast of the birds, so it makes a pocket. Mix together salt and pepper with soft butter to make a paste, and rub that in the pockets of the bird. After that, stuff in the slices of lemon reserving a few to toss into the body cavities. Now cram some rosemary into pockets and cavities, place it all in a baking dish, and cook at 325 until done.

Asparagus

Break off tough ends, and wash the tips/stalk that remains. Place on large baking dish or a square of foil, and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper. Place in oven (I just stick the aspaagus pan on lower rack under chicken baking pan) for last 20 min. of chicken's baking time, so it all finishes at the same time.

Pumpkin Cookies
1 30 oz can pumpkin
2 spice cake box mixes

Mix together, until doughy, place on greased cookie sheet (I use Pam), and bake 10-14 minutes. Will be cakey-soft. If you want, you can take a handful or two of raisens, and soak them in a 50/50 mixture of tequila and honey for an hour to soften, then toss the raisens and 2 tables spoons of the tequila/honey juice into the batter, then bake as usual. It adds a nice soft raisen/vanilla/honey taste, and as the cookies bake, the alcohal cooks off.

[Nitefalle]

Excellent recipes Brigid, thanks for sharing! I think I will try your roast chicken recipe for Mabon....or try some roast lamb, whichever is more convenient at the time. Can you tell me about how long you roast at 325 "until done"? Around how many hours is that?

I also love to make this for Fall / Winter Sabbats, as it always goes over well.

Peas w/ Caramelized Onions & Brown Sugar

1-2 bags frozen sweet peas or English peas
1 whole sweet yellow onion or vidalia onion
butter (for sauteeing)
salt, pepper to taste
2 tblsp brown sugar

Melt butter in med-high pan and put in sliced onion; sautee until soft, trying not to stir too often. Once onions are soft, add a little more butter and the brown sugar, stirring until the brown sugar is mixed in completely with onions & butter. Stirring occassionally, let the onions and the sugar caramelize together until onions turn a darker brownish color. Add the thawed peas and let heat through, adding salt & pepper to taste. (One year, for Yule I made this and threw in a few ladles of the apple cider we were heating, just for flavor and a tad more sweetness and it was wonderful.)

[Brigid Rowan]

Excellent recipes Brigid, thanks for sharing! I think I will try your roast chicken recipe for Mabon....or try some roast lamb, whichever is more convenient at the time. Can you tell me about how long you roast at 325 "until done"? Around how many hours is that?

Hmm, this is why I'll never write a cookbook with any success, I cook to much by poking and muddling around "until its done"..lol...I think it would depend on the bird size, and how closely they are together in the pan (if you bake more than one). Ive heard some folks do a similer recipe in a crock pot, adding some chicken broth around the bird, and bake it there for 8 hours, or until it falls apart.) To do it in the oven, how I do it, I'd estimate 2 -3 hours, but I do check on mine every 30-45 mintes, and remove it when the meat is barely hanging onto the bone anymore when I put a fork in the breast and twist...the juices run clear then, too.