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finally got around to redesigning the celestial and seasonal celebrations of the pagan year to make em more cryptid- happy belated litha folks!

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yule log cake --- must love herbs

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cranberry bliss cookies

cranberry cake

cranberry curd

cranberry sauce

cranberry jalapeno dip

cranberry thumbprint cookies

cranberry & raspberry sauce

lavender cranberry dumplings

orange cranberry muffins

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endless night

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chocolate orange bundt cake

cranberry, rosemary & chocolate cake

cranberry, rosemary, & orange cake

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St Lucia of Syracuse is a 3rd century saint who was martyred for her faith. She gave her dowry to the poor & refused to marry her betrothed, promising herself to God. In some legends, her eyes were gouged out, which brings her association with being the patron of the blind & those with occular problems.

She is associated with saffron & the colour yellow, & is almost always depicted with a crown of candles representing the coming light as we approach on the solstice. She has a major association with baking due to the legend of her bringing food to Christians hiding in the catacombs. I have recipes commonly associated with her listed below ♡

Lussebullar (saffron buns) --- when curled up, they are called lussekatt, "Lucia cats"

Lucia pepparkaka (gingersnaps)

Cuccìa (boiled wheatberry pudding) --- commemorates Lucia's intervention in ending the famine in Sicily in 1646

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simple chocolate cake

3 large eggs

⅔c granulated sugar (133g)

½c butter, melted (113g)

1tsp vanilla extract

flour (oat flour = 1c oats // 80g --OR-- all-purpose flour = 0.8c // 96g)

⅓c cocoa powder (27g)

1tsp baking soda

½tsp salt

preheat oven to 350F

whisk together eggs, sugar, butter, & vanilla

blitz oats into flour (if using them), then whisk together with cocoa powder, baking soda, & salt

grease an 8x8 pan & add the batter

bake for 25-30min, or until an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly

I've used both oat flour & all-purpose, & both work great! To be clear: Either use 80g of oats/oat flour OR 96g all-purpose flour, not both ♡

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Mihály von Zichy (Hungarian, 1827-1906) Romantic encounter, 1864

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cookie tin inspo

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💥✨️

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recipes:

hot chocolate mix

marshmallows (no gelatin)

italian-style thick hot chocolate

hot chocolate brownies

hot chocolate cookies

mexican hot chocolate snack cake

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image is one of my favourite blankets from Eighth Generation

Beam Paints --- watercolour paints by Anong Migwans Bean, M'Chigeeng First Nation (located in Ontario), who was taught to harvest pigments by their parents ((recommended by @airbenderinalbion))

Beyond Buckskin --- created by Jessica Metcalfe, who is Turtle Mountian Chippewa, they feature and sell works such as moccasins, jewelry, clothing, and blankets from over 40 artists --- featured is a beaded Yakima Plateau bag ((recommended by @sassytail))

Haipažaža Pĥežuta --- a couple, Lakota and Dakota, from Ocheti Sakowin Tha Makhoche (Sioux Nation) who make soaps, shampoo bars, bath and body products, salves, & more herbal products, incorporating traditional knowledge and using minimal packaging + natural ingredients ((recommended by @wittywallflower))

Sequoia Soaps --- soaps, candles, lotions, body mists and body scrubs, founded by Michaelee Lazore, who is Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) from Akwesáhsne and Northern Paiute (in Nevada) ((recommended by @trialofasphodel))

this is a great time of year to buy from native stores or donate to native organizations. you can figure out who's land you're on here, and below i've listed some (of many) businesses you can support ♡

B.Yellowtail --- jewlery, clothing, and home goods designed by Bethany Yellowtail, citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation and from the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation

Cheekbone Beauty --- sustainable, low-waste beauty products from Jenn Harper, an Anishinaabe artist based in Canada

Trickster --- atheletic products from Tlingit and Deg Hit’an Athabascan siblings (Alaska)

NativeHumboldt on Etsy --- the artist, Shayna McCullough, and their fiancé make designs inspired by traditional designs from their culture; she is from the Yurok tribe and descended from the Hupa, Karuk, Redwood Creek, Pit River, Yuki, Wintun, Pomo (tribes in California), and Chetco tribe (in Oregon)

OklahomaThirtyNine on Etsy --- they mostly sell beaded work, particularly earrings, as well as some necklaces

xBeadsByMandyx on Etsy --- handmade beaded earrings, from a Cherokee veteran

food products, from wine to sauces to teas to mixes to fish to jerky and nuts, sorted by store with details beside each store

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spritz cookies! a simple butter-sugar-egg-flour recipe, that i only make a few changes to:

57g (1/4c) salted butter, softened

28g (2tb) thick yogurt

67g (1/3c) granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

1/2tsp vanilla extract

120g (1c) all-purpose flour

preheat oven to 350F

cream together butter, yogurt, & sugar on medium until light & fluffy

add in vanilla & egg yolk, & cream til fully combined

fold in flour until just combined

transfer dough to a 16" piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip ((see images below))

pipe dough into small spiraling rounds on ungreased baking sheets --- the "tail" of the cookie is separate from the centre by one length in between

bake for 12-16min, or until the bottoms are golden

cool on the baking sheets 5min, then transfer to racks to cool fully

they are so fun & easy to make (even if my hand does cramp), & they look & taste so good!

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chai blondies

chai coffee cake

chai sugar cookies, with spiced cream cheese frosting

chai tiramisu

spicy chai molasses cookies

vanilla chai muffins

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a few minutes ago, at exactly midnight, i heard soft distant honking and looked out the cracked window to see a group of trumpeter swans flying low over the fields, huge and white and unearthly, their shadows flung crisp-black onto glittering snow by the moonlight, and then they were gone and a moment later their voices were gone too and in the wake of them was a sort of loneliness that is hard to quite get words around