Over the course of the past couple of months, I have been researching and developing recipes for my Halloween/Fall Cookbook. This project was born of a desire to put together something of my own in homage to my favourite time of year. All of them have been through the Rue's test kitchen in some shape or form.

I've been working on my Halloween recipe book for a little over a month now. When I was working on developing this recipe for the pot luck yesterday, I thought it would be cool to add it to my Autumn/Halloween cookbook. It's devil's food cake studded with blood-red cherries. I jokingly said out loud:

What could I possibly call this, the devil takes her cherry?

We're going to friends for a Pot Luck dinner. The hostess has decided that the theme is 'Red'. The hostess suggested I bring dessert. Dessert?!

(cross-posted on the Witch's Kitchen)

Jagerschnitzel, very much like cacciatore and chasseur, means in the style of the hunter, specifically in this case, schnitzel, or breaded cutlet. The style of the hunter refers to 'with mushrooms', since mushrooms were traditionally foraged in the woods by hunters.

I'd like to extend warm wishes and blessings to all of you today.

I'd also like to send out this special wish:

Buon Compleanno, mia Carissima Sorella Donna!

&

Happy Birthday, Steph!

"May the Fire of Michael be above you,

May the Fire of Michael be below you,

May the Fire of Michael be beside you,

May the Fire of Michael be in front of you,

May the Fire of Michael be behind you,

May the Fire of Michael always be within you,

Amen."













Tomorrow is the feast day of Saint Michael Archangel.

Perhaps best known as the patron saint of police officers, Michael is also the patron of Italian witches, healers and psychic mediums.



When you feel you require the intercession of Saint Michael, first perform the Purification ritual followed by the protection ritual.

It's general knowledge to my readers that I am in love with Angelina. A smaller circle of friends know about my schoolgirl crush on Nigella, but I don't think I've ever told anyone about my reverence for Delia.

Like many others before me, Delia taught me How to Cook.

I look forward to trying my hand at one of our pub favourites:

Steak and Kidney Pudding with Steak and Kidney Gravy

I can hardly wait. Now to find a really good butcher....

We had friends over for dinner last night. I was so looking forward to it, and wouldn't you know it me and the girls got struck with a head cold. I felt alright during the whole dinner prep. Washed my hands raw for obvious reasons, but I am afraid we may have infected our guests anyway. Well, Boo may very well have!

Entertaining is always a pleasure when you stick to low-maintenance comfort foods you've prepared time and time again.

Having already checked out the Italian, Mediterranean, and European markets, today's adventure took place at the Oriental Supermarket. This store had almost everything my little heart desires!

This supermarket offers a full line of Chinese, Japanese, Thai, East and West Indian, and Latin market items.

I've never seen such a vast array of reasonably priced specialty items.

I could have gone nuts in there. I chose instead to get only what I needed for this weekend's vietnamese spring rolls. I'm referring specifically to the fresh and not the deep-fried variety.

The fresh, soft, aromatic filling of meat, vermicelli, lettuce, basil and mint rolled up in rice paper and dipped in a black bean/chili sauce.

I of course had to get myself a new tin of gunpowder green tea, and, Bee & Flower Rose and Sandalwood soaps, and fresh lemongrass.

Now I just need to find a store that stocks Johnson's Baby Cologne!

My aunt died in Rome this morning. My father's sister was a career nun. She was uber-educated and has been a champion of education in both Italy and Venezuela where she spent years setting up schools. I met her at least three times. Each time I spent a couple of months in the convent learning how to sew and embroider, and all the other domestic skills my father felt were important for my formation so that I would be a good wife some day. That, coupled with the fact that it was cheap daycare for a pre-teen while he checked out the singles' scene in Pescara, Capri, Milan....


In 1942, at the young age of 16 she heard a calling and left her parents' house to enter the convent. She never looked back.

I know there a people who were close to her. They will grieve her passing.

Last year she telephoned me a couple of times to wish us congratulations on the birth of our daughter. Up to my elbows in diapers, I never made it to the phone in time before it went to voicemail. Both messages were pretty much the same. A cold, irate woman saying how she has called numerous times and can never get through to congratulate us on the birth of our child. Why she didn't just send me a fucking email made no sense to me.

I bet I'm going to have at least one episode when I've forgotten that she's gone.

Right now, I'm feeling really sad about her passing. I would have liked to have seen her again.

This afternoon I saw a quick flash of black gabardine adorned with black rosary beads in my peripheral vision while I was playing with my little ones. It was nice of her to drop by.

Incidentally, I have no issues with otherworldly pop-ins, someone dropping in to award me an obscene amount of money, and my father-in-law stopping by without notice. No other exceptions. Ever.