Imbolc ~ Brigid's Day ~ Sour Cream Honey Cake with Walnuts

 

Imbolc - Brigid's Day, February 1st or 2nd in the Northern Hemisphere, is celebrated halfway between Winter Solstice (Yule) and the Spring Equinox (Ostara). It marks the beginning or the return of Spring and is also known as Brigid's Day or the Feast of Light, The Feast of Saint Brigid and the Feast of Fire. Brigid is a Celtic Goddess of Fire, the Sun and the Hearth and represents the three aspects of the Goddess... Maiden, Mother, Crone. At Imbolc she has transformed from Crone and into her Maiden form. She is a powerful shapeshifter and has appeared as a pillar of fire or a snake in some stories and is associated with poetry, healing, fertility, the hearth and blacksmithing. The woven Brigid cross is a familiar symbol of Imbolc and the cross or knot honours the Goddess and brings positive energy and harmony when worn or hung. 

Although there may be snow on the ground and chilly temperatures, we start to see the first signs of Spring. The Sun begins to shine stronger and the days are becoming longer. It's the return of light and the coming of Spring. Imbolc is noted as a time for transformation, renewal and hope, as the Earth and nature slowly begin to reawaken from their wintery slumber, so do we.

Other celebrations around this time are: Chinese New Year - Lunar New Year - Spring Festival, dates usually range between January 21st and February 20th, Lantern Festival, Candlemas (Christian, February 2nd), Groundhog Day (February 2nd), Setsubun/Setsebun-Sai (Japanese, February 3rd), Losar (Tibetan Buddhism), Darwin Day (February 12th), Saint Valentine's Day (Christian, February 14th) and Lupercalia/Lupercal (Ancient Rome, February 15th).  

This scrumptious moist tea cake is an underrated favourite around this time of year. A cake that is incredibly easy to make with uncomplicated ingredients is modest but a delightful choice not only for welcoming the beginnings of Spring and Brigid's Day but for any occasion. 

Sour Cream Honey Cake with Walnuts 

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2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup (5 1/2 ounces) sour cream 

1/3 cup honey

chopped walnuts

extra honey, for drizzling

whipped cream, when serving, optional 

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). 

Line a baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter and using clean fingers work the butter into the flour mixture until it is well combined. Add the raisins and using a wooden spoon stir until combine.

Create a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the sour cream and honey. Mix everything together to form a dough. Place the dough onto the line baking tray and roll and form the dough into a rectangle, the best you can, until it is about 3/4 inch thick. This is a free form cake so it doesn't have to be perfectly shaped. 

Top with chopped walnuts. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. When done, remove from oven and carefully place the cake on a wire rack and generously drizzle honey over top. Allow the cake to rest for 10 minutes before cutting into desired pieces. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if you wish. 

  

Sour Cream and Honey Cake

At first I was a bit hesitant to make such a free form cake however I quickly got over that and just got on with it. The smell of the honey while it bakes is absolutely intoxicating. It's a scrumptious dense sweet tea cake that is exceptional and a pleasure to make.      

Sour Cream and Honey Cake

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1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup unsalted butter

5 oz sour cream

1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking tray with baking parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and raisins.

Rub in the butter with your fingertips. 

Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and pour in the sour cream and honey. Mix it all together to make a dough. Place the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and roll the dough out in a rectangle until it is 3/4 of an inch thick. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and cut into squares. 

Peach Cake

This cake is great when summer is ending and fall is beckoning. All the fuzzy warmth of summery peaches and just enough spice flavour to know fall that is around the corner.  

Peach Cake

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1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup caster sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon maple flavouring

1 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon British mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

approximately 6 to 8 peaches peeled, pitted and sliced

cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling

maple syrup, for drizzling 

Pre heat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a round cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment paper.

In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, mixed spice and ground cinnamon. Set aside. Dice half of the sliced peaches, reserving the remaining slices of peaches. Gently fold the diced peaches into the flour mixture.  

In another large bowl whisk together the sour cream, sugar, eggs, oil and maple flavouring until well blended and smooth. Add the flour peach mixture to the wet ingredients and fold... stir until combine. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, smooth the top and place the remaining peaches on top of the batter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 55 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to rest in the cake tin, on a wire rack, for about 20 minutes. During this time, using a toothpick, poke random holes into the top of the cake then drizzle maple syrup over the cake. Be generous however not heavy handed as you want to infuse the cake not soak it. After the 20 minutes carefully remove from the tin and allow the cake to cool further on the wire rack.    

Leftovers #45 ~ Chilli Mac

As always with leftover chilli one may feel the need to add an extra can of beans, serve it with rice or quinoa to stretch it a bit further however this time I added cooked pasta. Elbow macaroni would be ideal but any shaped pasta with do. Just cook the pasta according to package directions; then add the pasta to the heated leftover chili. Gently stir to heat together. Serve in bowls with shredded cheese and sour cream on top. 

Hope everyone is having a good week. - JD     

Dill Pickle Dip

Knowing that the tub of sour cream was about to expire I decided to quickly whip up a little something... a dip! This dip was so easy to make. I am sure you won't want to buy another ready made one again. My recipe is as follows:

Dill Pickle Dip
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1 cup light sour cream
2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 low sodium garlic dill pickles, chopped and diced
1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs, consisting of chives, parsley, shallots, onions and leeks 
or add
1 shallot chopped and diced
2-3 sprigs of fresh chives, chopped
some peeled and chopped onion
some parsley finely chopped

Mix all together and let mellow for about an hour in the fridge or overnight. Can also be spread on crackers or bread. Enjoy your weekend everyone! - JW 

Stroganoff Sauce

I made this Stroganoff sauce the other night to serve over spaetzle. It was easy and quick. This sauce can be whipped up in no time and served over rice, egg noodles and potatoes. Here is the recipe. 

2 cups sliced mushrooms 

1 chopped onion

2-3 tablespoons of butter

1 1/4 cups low sodium organic chicken/veggie stalk

I cup of light sour cream ( or about half of a 500ml container)

a pinch of salt and pepper

mild smoked paprika 

Over medium high heat melt the butter in a pan. Then add the mushrooms and onion. Stirring so that they don't burn. Sauté the mushrooms and onion in the butter. When onions and mushrooms have soften and shrunk in size add some salt and pepper. Then add the chicken or veggie stalk. Let simmer and stir occasionally. Then add the sour cream. Stir until smooth and let heat. Then add the paprika. Stir. Give it a few more seconds to heat. Then serve. 

I don't have an amount of how much paprika you should use. Depending on how much you like paprika... and I like it a lot. I kept adding the paprika until I felt it was the right amount. Until the sauce became a deep golden orange. 

The cold weather has come bringing a few flurries. Stay warm and enjoy your weekend!  
-JW