Bourbon Bread Pudding for Marie Laveau. Photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
There has been a recent culinary revival towards Bourbon. Those of us who are lovers of history know that Bourbon has for decades been sipped and savored throughout the Southern U.S. It’s part of the Gothic mystique of the place. Fortunately no one knows mystique better than the city of New Orleans, specifically the city’s powerful Voodoo community. As far as sacred spirits for the spirit go, New Orleans is famous for Absinthe, Sazerac and other liquid libations. The recent St. John’s Eve festivities hosted by Voodoo Priestess Sallie Ann Glassman in Nola, featured a signature cocktail designed by Alan Walter called the “John’s Way,” containing spanish moss, jasmine, aguardiente, and genapi. That sounds like an interesting offering. Another exciting offering is our Marie Laveau inspired Bread pudding, which also highlights a favorite firewater, namely Bourbon.
Marie Laveau candle photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Here at Voodoo Universe we have featured recipes for cocktails like Voodoo Mojo Juice and savory delights including Sweet Potato Mash with Bourbon and Pecans. New Orleans Voodoo does an intricate and delightful dance with spirits of all kinds, and in that vein here is a variation on the recipe for Bourbon Whiskey Bread Pudding featured in my African-American Ritual Cookbook. It would make a wonderful offering for Marie Laveau, Dr. John or any of the strong spirits of the Crescent City. Food is the simplest and most vital way to connect to divinity. Enjoy this recipe, and if it makes you say “mmmmmmmmn pudding,” please like, share, and spread the bourbon!
Bourbon Bread Pudding
4 slices sweet bread
1/3 cup goat chevre or cream cheese
1 ¾ cup half and half
3 eggs beaten
1 egg yolk beaten
¼ cup butter
1/2 cup coconut or light brown sugar
3 tbs. Bourbon whiskey
2 tsp. Grated orange peel
1 tsp. Grated lemon peel
2 tbs. Orange juice
½ vanilla bean
2 tbs water
For the Bourbon Sauce: Melt ¼ cup butter in saucepan under low heat. Add ¼ cup sugar, vanilla bean, egg yolk, and 2 tbs. Water. Cook stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Take out vanilla bean, stir in Bourbon and orange juice. Save for later.
For the Bread Pudding: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread bread with cheese to make two sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into one inch cubes. Place in baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients together, mix well and pour over bread cubes. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of dish comes out clean. Remove from oven. Serve while slightly warm, covered with Bourbon sauce and fresh whipped cream.
Spring has sprung, and Ostara the celebration of the spring equinox is upon us. Maybe you have just seen the first crocus poking it’s petals out through the snow, or if you’re here in the south like me you have a yard full of glorious irises showing their tiny beards in the sun.
My favorite thing to do for any sabat or sacred holiday is cook. If you follow this blog you can find many recipes for many different occasions. This recipe makes beautiful pale green cookies highlighted with a lavender drizzle. Magickally lavender is said to grant luck, success, and blessings, while pistachio is said to grant happiness and good fortune.
Lavender Pistachio Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 package instant pudding mix, pistachio flavor
2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup pistachios, finely chopped
3 Tablespoons milk
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
3 Tablespoons ground lavender flowers
Instructions:
Place butter in a large bowl, and leave out at room temperature until completely softened. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slowly add pudding mix, sugar, flour, and salt to the butter. Mixing well after each addition. Then drizzle in 1 tablespoon of milk until mixture comes together. Grease 9 in cake pan, and press mixture into the pan. Prick mixture all over with a fork. Next sprinkle pistachios over shortbread pressing well into the dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture begins to turn golden brown at the edges.
Remove from oven and turn out onto a plate. While still warm cut the mixture like a pie into 8 segments. Cool completely. While the shortbread is cooling take a small bowl and mix together lavender and confectioners sugar. Slowly add the remaining milk until it begins to get to a drizzle consistency. When the shortbread is completely cooled, drizzle the lavender mixture over it. Enjoy!
As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to like, comment, and share ! Blessed Ostara to you all !
10 Easy Holiday Recipes for Pagans. Photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Last year when I wrote my popular Pagan Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup, people kept asking what’s pagan thanksgiving? Everyday is thanksgiving for pagans, a beautiful holiday and celebration of the earth and all the bounty it gives to us. I meant the recipes were pagan. Here are some more Pagan friendly recipes. They are delicious eats to place on your holiday table, that also have the added benefit of bringing sacred blessings into your life.
Holiday Love Nuts Recipe by Lilith Dorsey
Holiday Love Nuts This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. If you are fortunate enough to make it onto my delightfully nice, or deliciously naughty list this Yule you just may get some. It is a sensual treasure and is very easy to make.
Ingredients
1 lb. Cashews (raw or dry roasted)
½ lb. Almonds or other nuts (raw or dry roasted)
2 tbs. Butter
1 tbs. Orange blossom honey
1 tsp Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce
½ tsp. Onion powder
¼ tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon powder
1 tsp. Smoky Paprika
¼ tsp. Black pepper
¼ tsp. Salt ( if the nuts are salted already you can omit extra salt here)
¼ tsp. Chili powder
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Melt butter and add honey and coco aminos or soy sauce. Place nuts in a large bowl. Pour butter mixture over the nuts and toss to coat. Sprinkle the nuts with the remaining ingredients, mixing well to combine. Spread the nuts in a thin layer onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Stir, return to oven and bake 10 minutes more. Cool and enjoy!
Oshun Butternut Squash Soup Recipe photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Butternut Squash Soup -Squash finds a way onto many a holiday table. A favorite of indigenous peoples of both North and South America it is said to represent fertility, bounty, and abundance.
Chipotle Deviled Eggs -The holidays are a time for celebrating where we have been and looking forward towards the future with joy and hope. This recipe honors the great serpents of Haitian Vodou Damballa and Aida Wedo. Many cultures use eggs to symbolize new beginnings and this is a delicious way to get yours started.
Maman Brigitte Beet Salad -There have been many holidays and celebrations where I cooked for a large number of people. Each make ahead dish I could prepare was a gift from the gods and goddess, because it gave me extra time to be with my loved ones and more fully enjoy the day. This Beet Salad recipe features deep red colors and will magickally help you to connect with the spirits of your ancestors.
WTF is Winter Wassail Recipe photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
WTF is Wassail -I can and do drink wassail from the day the temperature drops below 40 degrees til springtime. I even been known to mix it with lemonade and drink it in the summer too. This recipe literally warms my heart and soul, and I hope you make it often. I just saw a post that said it was even good for atheists, doesn’t get any better than that.
Spicy Sweet Potato Salad -When I wrote my first cookbook, The African-American Ritual Cookbook, I considered titling it “101 things to do with sweet potatoes.” They dominate the ancestral menu, and so many recipes in the old and new world feature them prominently. Spicy Sweet Potato Salad is a great make ahead recipe to carry you through the holidays. It is created to bring ancestral blessings,vitality and energy.
Corn photo by Lilith Dorsey.
Bright Blessings Corn Chowder -Corn is very often a staple on the holiday table. Corn has been used magickally throughout the ages for fertility, healing, success, and more. One of my earliest teachers and Pagan friends taught me that fertility can be of the wallet, the mind, or anywhere you need it. Don’t limit yourself with traditional definitions when making this sumptuous dish.
Corn Maque Choux –Maque Choux (pronounced Mock Shoe) could possibly derive from the Cajun French term maigrchou, and is similar to creamed corn. Corn comes in many different colors and forms, and is said to be spiritually ruled by the moon. In addition to providing fertility, corn is also said to impart protection and luck to those who partake of it wisely.
Cranberry pudding recipe 1906, photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Cranberry Pudding -Many of the recipes I am sharing with you here were treasured favorites of my ancestors. The Yule season is a time for making these recipes, and in that spirit I would like to share with you one of my great-grandmother’s favorites. Featured in the Taunton, Massachussets Women’s Auxilary Cookbook from 1906. This is a recipe that tastes as good now as it did over a hundred years ago. The instructions are in the accompanying photo (click to enlarge,) and for those wondering I would suggest baking at 350 degrees. Magickally cranberries are said to bring protection and purification.
Marie Laveau Bourbon Bread Pudding– No serious holiday menu would be complete without a serious dessert Marie Laveau Bread Pudding honors the New Orleans Voodoo Queen with a delightful blend of spices and Bourbon. Marie Laveau was the most famous queen of New Orleans Voodoo and she was also said to be an amazingly magickal cook. Create this recipe to bring blessings of protection and success in all you do.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my recipes, I’d love to see your favorite holiday selections in the space below. And if you have enjoyed what you have read here please take a moment to share this post!
Voodoo St. John Eve Altar photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
St. John’s Eve is the holiest day of the year for practitioners of New Orleans Voodoo. It occurs on June 23rd. The day was particularly sacred for Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau. Laveau performed headwashings, ceremonies, and rituals on St. John’s Eve. Fortunately, the legacy of these still live on today.
It is almost as if the soul of Marie Laveau can still be felt on this day. Feasts, rituals, and ceremonies honor her and the drummer and spiritual Dr. John Montanee on St. John’s Eve. In case you were wondering drumming and dancing are always on the menu. To find out what’s on the calendar please check out the website of the Voodoo Spiritual Temple and the upcoming events section of my page. Even if you can’t join us for the festivities, here’s a recipe you can use to celebrate on your own.
Marie Laveau Bourbon Bread Pudding
Marie Laveau’s tomb detail, before restoration. Photo by Lilith Dorsey.
This is one of the many ritual bread pudding recipes in the Voodoo Universe archives.
4 slices sweet bread
1/3 cup goat chevre or cream cheese
1 ¾ cup half and half
3 eggs beaten
1 egg yolk beaten
¼ cup butter
1/2 cup coconut or light brown sugar
3 tbs. Bourbon whiskey
2 tsp. Grated orange peel
1 tsp. Grated lemon peel
2 tbs. Orange juice
½ vanilla bean
2 tbs water
For the Bourbon Sauce: Melt ¼ cup butter in saucepan under low heat. Add ¼ cup sugar, vanilla bean, egg yolk, and 2 tbs. Water. Cook stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Take out vanilla bean, stir in Bourbon and orange juice. Save for later.
For the Bread Pudding: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread bread with cheese to make two sandwiches. Cut each sandwich into one inch cubes. Place in baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients together, mix well and pour over bread cubes. Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of dish comes out clean. Remove from oven. Serve while slightly warm, covered with Bourbon sauce and fresh whipped cream.
Have a Blessed St. John’s Eve everyone ! Get clean, stay bright, and remember the potential that this time of year holds ! As always if you have enjoy what you read here please remember to share, share, share !
Fantastic food, fabulous fun, and wait for it…. family, are all part of dealing with the holiday season. This post could have been called a magick spell for dysfunctional family values. I’m sure everyone understands how difficult the holidays can be. Personally there have been many Holiday incidents that made the celebration less than ideal. There was the year my Grandfather Al won 5 turkeys on the night before thanksgiving. The turkeys were frozen solid and quite large. As it was so close to the holiday, I could only manage to give one away to my best friend. We had a turkey in the sink, a turkey on the fire escape, and I was terrified of not being able to defrost them properly. I’m surprised we still eat Turkey on Thanksgiving after that year.
Then there are the relatives, if we think about genetics it is a cruel mystery to ponder how we can have so much, and so little in common with people we are related to. Arguments, grumbles, and gripes can escalate during these stressful times and everyone knows it. One of my guilty entertainment pleasures is seeking refuge in holiday television during this time. Here’s one wonderful episode of Cheers with a Thanksgiving food fight. One of the main characters describes it as : “It’s Joy … It’s Dysfunction”
Yet we truly do have a lot to be thankful for. Hopefully, this year keeping the peace during the festive season will be on that list. There are certainly a few ways to make sure that happens. One of the ways you can do that is with the food that you place on the table. Check out my Pagan Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup with magick spell ancestor dishes like Marie Laveau Bread Pudding and Corn Maque Choux. One of my all time favorites is Sweet Potatoes with Lime, which my daughter serves with french fried onions, if you want to jazz it up a bit.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lime
4 large sweet potatoes
4 ½ Tbs. butter
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub sweet potatoes with butter and wrap in foil. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are soft and tender. Remove from oven. Slit potatoes lengthwise, add one tablespoon of butter and ½ teaspoon lime juice to each cooked potato. Mash together, and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.
In addition to recipes to make at this time consider performing a spell to help keep the peace. My new book Love Magic has one you may like- the Sweet Not Sour Lemon Spell. You can kick it up a notch for the holidays by adding cinnamon and other herbs.
Sweet Not Sour Lemon Magick Spell
Lemon Spell photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Ingredients
Slices of Lemon
Place a slice of lemon under each chair at the table. This will help to soak up any negativity and sourness. After the meal is finished gather up the slices and dispose of under a large tree. If you are worried about questions from others consider tying up the slices, along with a pinch of cinnamon (for invisibility and healing,) in a decorative way to disguise them. Happy Holdays !
As always if you have enjoyed what you read here please remember to share, share, share !
Pagan Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup photo by Lilith Dorsey. Copyright 2014.
Thanksgiving is a concept we should celebrate all year. Giving thanks for those we love, the food on our table, the roof over our heads, and the wonderful people who helped us get to where we are … should be performed everyday. Thanksgiving is a secular holiday, a cultural one really, where we celebrate difference and sharing. The following recipes are meant to be shared and enjoyed. Many of these offerings are for the ancestors, traditional recipes that we may still enjoy today.
Sweet Potatoes feature prominently on the Thanksgiving and Yule menus of Pagans and Non-Pagans alike. Many are accustomed to the sugary sweet, marshmallow topped traditions from our past. This recipe is much lighter and simpler, introducing a refreshing alternative to the classic menu.
Limes are Sweet photo by Lilith Dorsey. Copyright 2014.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lime
4 large sweet potatoes
4 ½ Tbs. butter
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub sweet potatoes with butter and wrap in foil. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are soft and tender. Remove from oven. Slit potatoes lengthwise, add one tablespoon of butter and ½ teaspoon lime juice to each cooked potato. Mash together, and add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy.
Sweet Potato Recipe. Photo by Lilith Dorsey, copyright 2014.
The Yam, sweet potato’s African cousin has been celebrated for hundred of years in the African countries of Ghana and Nigeria. They are the center of an entire festival focusing on ancestors, strength, and harvest. The following recipe is designed to honor the ancestors too, and would be wonderful as a new Thanksgiving or Holiday Brunch treat. Ancestor Hash Brown with Sweet Potatoes
Corn is also a Thanksgiving staple. For many of the indigenous American people it was a primary part of their diet. Corn is believed to be magickally ruled by the moon, and is said to bless people with fertility, bounty and luck. Maque Choux is a Southern Louisiana corn delicacy. For a new take on an old favorite check out this ancestor recipe for Corn Maque Choux.
Surprisingly, there are very few pagan thanksgiving recipes on the internet. Considering how many kitchen witches there are out there, I hope that changes in the near future. I did find a collection by Jill Stefko that includes this great recipe for apple chips:
“Cut 2 apples crosswise into 1/8 slices. Put slices in single layers on aluminum foil coated with cooking spray or margarine in rimmed baking sheets. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ginger, blending thoroughly. Sprinkle evenly over apple slices. Bake at 200° in oven’s top and next-to-top racks until for about 2 hours or until apples are crisp and dry. Cool completely before storing in sealed containers. Keeps for 3 days.”
Then there is The Urban Pagan Homestead blog here at Patheos Pagan which recently featured a delicious Blackberry Soda recipe that would be a delightful addition to any Thanksgiving or Feast menu. In my tradition berries are always used to celebrate the ancestors. They are said to impart joy, bounty and wisdom.
I have given you sides, starters and drinks, and now we come to desert. When I was young I used to dream of eating a meal backwards, the desert would come first…a wonderful fantasy. Nowadays I like to think of the end of a meal as the start of my new and improved journey. The food that has just been eaten creates and new source of energy and moves me closer to where I need to be. The following recipe for Marie Laveau makes the perfect end to any meal .
Bread Pudding for Marie Laveau. Photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
For those who are unfamiliar with her, Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau is an American legend. She was the first person to hold open public ritual in the United States, and her ceremonies were attended by people of all races and social classes. Marie Laveau Bourbon Bread Puddingis a simple and elegant recipe that I’m sure you will enjoy. For more great ancestor and heritage recipes please see my African-American Ritual Cookbook, designed to please your body and your soul !
Everyone has their own favorite Thanksgiving or Ritual recipe, I would love to hear yours please put them in the comments below. In the spirit of peace and togetherness please share these recipes too, just click those lovely share buttons… and wait for the magick to happen. Many Thanksgiving blessings to you, your families and your tribes !
Sleepy Hollow cemetery photo by Lilith Dorsey. All rights reserved.
Honoring and recognizing the Ancestors comes first, last, and always in African Traditional Religions. Since this Voodoo Universe opened up its world, we have featured several articles for connecting with your ancestors. Through the ancestors we learn what is important, what to hold on to and what to let go.
Ancestor Food and Drink
New Orleans Voodoo, Haitian Vodou and La Regla Lucumi (Santeria) are all known for their sacred food and drink offerings for the spirit. These types of offerings are some of the most simple and sacred gifts to provide for those who have passed. Obviously, for the remembered dead you may leave offerings of the things they liked in life, Grandpa would love a can of his favorite beer or other beverage, and when you start serving it up on a regular basis you just might be amazed at the results. The following posts contain different recipes and ways to honor the spirit of those who have passed with food and drink. Please check them out!
In many ways Voodoo, Vodou, and La Regla Lucumi (Santeria) are mistakenly thought of as evil religions, which could not be farther from the truth. Many devotees of these traditions incorporate prayers and offerings to the saints as part of their practice. Some individuals, such as St. Dymphna and St. Expedite have taken on a whole new meaning in the religion. While others like St. Patrick seem to have been reclaimed and redeemed for a new era. The following posts tell these stories of turmoil, redemption, and spiritual resurrection.
Maman Brigitte Feast Altar. Photo by Lilith Dorsey
Altars and Shrines are not confined to the Voodoo religion. They are a time honored tradition for ancestor veneration. The posts below will hopefully give you some new and different ways of incorporating these sacred spaces into your own home.
There are a lot of great ancestors happening going on this month and every month here at Voodoo Universe. Do your ancestors and yourself a favor, subscribe to our RSS feed, and watch this space!
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