Matthaei Botanical Gardens

April's Educational Playdate: Ann Arbor Matthaei Conservatory

Polyvore: Practical Magic

Join 'Practical Magic' on Polyvore

Triple Chocolate Cake

Triple Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups chocolate fudge frosting

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan (or two 9-inch round pans).

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips into batter.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Frost Cake.

Thank you to my sister, Jessica, for being my model. I can only pay you with cake.

Picnic Basket Auction

I really wanted to host a Pagan Center Picnic Basket Auction for Beltane, but it's not working out this year. Keeping this on the back burner.

Polyvore: Addams Family

Join 'Addams Family' on Polyvore

Fish Fry

Dad had a fish fry for Ed's birthday yesterday, lots of yummy deep fried goodness: Onion Rings, Shrimp, Perch, Zucchini and Mushrooms. I brought the Hush puppies.

Cajun Hush Puppies
½ small onion
1 jalapeno, stem removed, leave in seeds
1 bunch scallions
2 tablespoons parsley
1 cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¾ cup whole milk
1 egg
oil, for frying

Puree onion, jalapeno, scallions and parsley.

Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, thyme and cayenne in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and egg. Stir in the vegetable puree.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes before frying.

Heat 3 inches of oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over high heat until it sizzles when you flick water on it. Carefully add the batter to the hot oil 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, working in batches of six; use another spoon to scrape the batter into the oil, keeping it in a ball shape.

Fry, turning, for a couple of minutes, until golden, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain briefly.

Polyvore: Gilmore Girl

Join 'Gilmore Girls Forever' on Polyvore

Ranch Dressing

I dip most everything in ranch, when I saw the following recipe in Martha Stewart Living (March 2009), I knew I had to try it - half the calories and no MSG! Guess what - it's good! It tastes pretty close to ranch, not 100%, but close enough. It's a little thin, but I think I can fix that if I play around with the recipe a bit, maybe more sour cream.

Now, it only lasts for a couple days, so what I did was made a triple batch and froze it into half cup full amounts. I pull it when I need it!

Lighter Ranch Dressing
Makes about 1 cup
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zest finely grated, juiced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
Directions
Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until combined. Use immediately, or refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 days.

Polyvore: Inara Serra

Join 'Inara Serra' on Polyvore

Garden Spells

Here is the cheat cheat for my Garden Spells Themed Garden

From the Waverley Kitchen Journal
By Sarah Addison Allen

Angelica - Will shape its meaning to your need, but it us particularly good for calming hyper children at your table.

Anise Hyssop – Eases frustration and confusion.

Bachelor’s Button – Aids in finding things that were previously hidden. A clarifying flower.

Chicory – Conceals bitterness. Gives the eater a sense that all is well. A cloaking flower

Chive Blossom – Ensures you will win an argument. Conveniently, also an antidote for hurt feelings.

Dandelion – A stimulant encouraging faithfulness. Frequent side effects are blindness to flaws and spontaneous apologies.

Honeysuckle – For seeing in the dark, but only if you use honeysuckle from a brush of vines at least two feet thick. A clarifying flower.

Hyacinth Blub – Causes melancholy and thoughts of past regrets. Use only dried bulbs. A time travel flower.

Lavender – Raises spirits. Prevents bad decisions resulting from fatigue or depression.

Lemon Balm – Upon consumption, for a brief period of time the eater will think and feel as he did in his youth. Please note if you have any former hellions at your table before serving. A time travel flower.

Lemon Verbena – produces a lull in conversation with a mysterious lack of awkwardness. Helpful when you have nervous, overly talkative guests.

Lilac – When a certain amount of humility is in order. Gives confidence that humbling yourself for another will not be against you.

Marigold – Causes affection, but sometimes accompanied by jealousy.

Nasturtium – Promotes appetite in men. Makes women secretive. Secret sexual liaisons sometimes occur in mixed company. Do not let your guests out of your sight.

Pansy – Encourages the eater to give compliments and surprise gifts.

Peppermint – A clever method of concealment. When used with other edible flowers, it confuses the eater, thus concealing the true nature of what you are doing. A cloaking flower.

Rose Geranium – Produces memories of past good times. Opposite of Hyacinth Blub. A time travel flower.

Rose Petal – Encourages love.

Snapdragon – Wards off the undue influences of others, particularly those with magical sensibilities.

Squash and Zucchini Blossoms – Serve when you need to be understood. Clarifying flowers.

Tulip – Gives the eater a sense of sexual perfection. A possible side effect if being susceptible to the opinions of others.

Violet – A wonderful finish to a meal. Induces calm, brings happiness, and always assures a good night’s sleep.

Pasta with Spring Herbs

This is amazing! So simple and fraking delicious! Recipe is from Martha, my version has different noodles, herbs and olive oil.

Pasta with Spring Herbs

1/2 pound dried pasta, such as macaroni
1/2 cup roughly chopped mixed herbs, such as chives, cilantro, sage and basil
2 tablespoons extra-light virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese


Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain pasta, then toss with mixed herbs, oil, lemon zest and juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and 1/4 cup Parmesan in a large serving bowl. Serve with remaining 1/4 cup cheese on the side.

Themed Gardens

Wow I am ready to hit the dirt! The sun is so warm, birds are chirping, my daffodils and hyacinth are stunning. I love Spring!

The novelty of themed gardens has always appealed to me, my attempts in past years were piss poor and shabby (not the good kinda of shabby). This year I'm really giving it my all. Angelus is old enough to help now and loves playing with me outside. Here is what I've come up with so far:

Practical Magic
In homage to Practical Magic, I'd like to put flower boxes on my garden gate with rosemary and lavender.

"..there are some things I know for certain: always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can" - Sally Owens, Practical Magic

Headless Fairy Garden
My headless fairy garden is my most establish themed garden. It consists of lilies and fairy statues that have lost extremities. Queen of which has lost her head and keeps it safely in her skirt. It's full of day lilies right now and I plan to move all my lily varieties there in the next couple weeks. I've read online that moving bulbs in the fall is best but if I catch them before they get too big (less than 3 inches) they should still bloom for me this year. I'll try to not disturb the bulbs and get as much dirt as I can. Wish me luck! Lilies are my favorite flowers!

Salsa garden
Many of the seeds I sowed indoors are tomatoes and peppers, jalapeño, habanero, chili, you name it! I'll also plant chives and cilantro. I've never tried this before, but I'd like to try garlic and onions. I love homemade salsa.

Pumpkin Throne
The book I'm reading Trowl and Error by Sharon Lovejoy is amazing, full of awesome, fun and pretty easy ideas. One I'm eager to try is making a pumpkin throne. More on that later.

Midnight and in the Garden of Good and Evil patio
Last year I revamped my patio and was going for a moon garden theme which never really worked. I ended up using too many dark colors instead of whites and silvers. I've got the idea to theme it Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Dramtic and moody Coleus was a hit last year. I'm also going to transfer my queen of the night black tulips along the fence. I'll also plant moonflowers again.
I read in Martha's magazine that you should plant parsly with tomatoes. I'd like to try more companion planting, so this will be my first step. Most likely I'll do this in containers on the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil patio. I’m also going to try hanging cherry tomatoes and growing them upside down.

Sunflower Garden

I had a lot of success with my sunflower garden last year, which I used as an inexpensive privacy fence. A few improvements this year will be to tie the sunflowers stalks to the fence to keep them up-right and plant a lower growing ground cover between the sunflowers to help with weeds. My sunflower garden is also an homage to the Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood book. Remember Siddalee and Conner get married in a sunflower garden at Pecan Grove Plantation?

Garden Spells
I feel in love with Sarah Addison's books this year, including Garden Spells. The book includes a cute list of editable flowers and how they were used magically in the book. I plan to create a garden using some from the list.

Secret Garden
Right behind my lilac bush is a small space, just big enough for a child. It would be nice to turn it into a secret garden nook for Angelus. His Auntie Luna gave him an Adirondack chair for this birthday that will make a nice throne in his special place.

Rose Garden
When I move my lilies, I'll have more space to increase my rose garden to create a wall between my yard and the neighbors. Yea!


Lastly I leave you with something I found on the web years ago, don't ask me where.

The Garden Of Ill Omens


Tired of being a perky goth? Haven't had anything to angst about in a while? Need some bad luck in your life? Well, I have the solution. All of these plants foretell some sort of disaster, from wetting the bed to a death in the family....

Queen Anne's Lace
If brought into the house, snakes will follow it. In Yorkshire, this is known as Mother Die, or Stepmother's Blessing,since if it's brought into the house, your mother will die.

Bindweed
This was also known as Thunder Flower, since if you picked it, it would thunder before the day was out. This power was also ascribed to the poppy.

Hawthorn
Besides its association with fairies, this plant was considered bad luck
in the house, since it either indicated a sore throat, or a dead child.

MayFlower
This bad luck flower, if picked, meant you wouldn't get anapple crop, and that it would rain all summer long.

WhiteHeather
This was considered unlucky by Scottish loyalists becauseof its connection with the banishment of Bonny Prince Charles.

Mimosa
In the house, it is considered a forewarning of disaster.

Herb Robert
If picked, snakes emerged from the stem.

Primroses
It was considered unlucky to pickthese if it was before the chicks hatched, since the number of primroseblossoms picked indicated the number of chicks that would be born fromeach clutch. So if you picked primroses, you had to pick a lot. Thirteen was considered the optimal number.

Blackthorn
This is unlucky to pick because a scratch will cause blood poisoning.

Stag's Horn Sumac
If this is growing in the garden, itbrings marital strife. The same is said of Matrimony vine.

Ivy
Ivy is unlucky as a gift, and a person who keeps ivy will always be poor. The saying in Ireland is 'The house where ivy growswill surely fall.' Ivy may be brought in as Christmas decorations, but if it is not removed by Candlemas, death will visit the household.

Blackberries
These cannot be picked after Michaelmas, since after that day they'have the devil in them'.

Elder
In Ireland, it wasthought an Elder tree growing in the yard made the inhabitants prone toconsumption.

Broom (the plant, not the cleaning implement)
If brought into the house, it 'sweeps someone out'.

Speedwell
If you pick the flowers, birds will come and pick youreyes out.

Privet
It was rumored that privet leaves wereone of the sources of diphtheria.

Sassafras
If you burnthe wood, and it cracks and sputters, then someone will die.

Gray Pine
This is called the 'Unlucky Tree' because anyone whostands underneath it will misfortune befall them. It is supposed to affect women more.

Puff-Ball
These are thought to bepoisonous to the touch, to give you the itch, or if the powder gets inyour eyes, to blind you.

Bog Ashphodel
This is considered unlucky because it 'softens the bones'.

Sundew
Also known as 'Red Rot' because it 'rotteth sheep'.

Innocence
If you gather the flowers of this plant, it will make you wet the bed. The same is said of dandelions.

Moonwort
This plant had the country name of Unshoe-the-Horse,because it was thought that any horse that trod upon it would becomeunshod. This was also a property of Rest Harrow and Horseshoe Vetch.

Lavender
If it thrives in the garden, the young ladies of the house will never marry.

Crocus
An Austrian superstition says that if you pick crocus blossoms they will draw away your strength and make you weak.

Cyclamen
It was considered unlucky for a pregnant woman to even step on the plant for it could cause her to have the baby early.

Snowdrops
Snowdrop in the house is considered a 'death token' by English housewives who thought that the blossom looked like 'a corpse in theshroud, and that it always kept itself close to the earth, seeming to belong more to the dead than to the living.'

Cuckoo Pint
If young girls touch it, they will become pregnant. The Cuckoo-flower, also known as Lady's Smock, was also considered unlucky because it was associated with the Devil.

Rampion
Campanula rapunculus,besides being the bellflower that caused Rapunzel all her problems,will cause your children to be quarrelsome if grown in your garden.

Pansy
English folklore holds that to pick a pansy withthe dew still on it will cause the death of a loved one. Pansies wereconsidered by Victorians to be a bad luck gift for a man.

Violets
To carry violets (or snowdrops or primroses) into thehouse when they first bloomed was considered bad luck. And violets (orroses) which bloom in fall indicate an epidemic the following year.

Peony
Peonies are thought to be protected by woodpeckers, and if you gather the flowers for medicinal purposes whilea woodpecker is in sight, the patient will die.

Columbine
Besides being the symbol of folly, a gift of columbinesto a woman was considered bad luck.

Sage
It'sconsidered bad luck to plant sage in your own garden; a stranger should be found to plant it for you. A entire bed of sage without any otherplants in it was also considered bad luck.


There were many plants generally associated with ill luck or death, such as beefsteakgeraniums, cacti (in Hungary), lilacs, and any flower usually associated with funerals, such as chrysanthemums or lilies. The Germans believe that no flowers should be placed in the mouth of a corpse,because the dead man would chew on them and then become a 'Nachzehrer'who draws his relatives into the grave after him. It is unlucky to pickup flowers which have dropped on the ground. And any flower that bloomsout of season is considered 'touched by the devil'.

Breakfast on the Patio

It's 70 degrees out and beautiful! I pulled out the patio furnature and we had our first alfresco breakfast of the year!

And if you have nothing better to do than watch my kid eat, here are some of Angelus' patio breakfasts of '08.

Compost

It may not be pretty, but I love to see my compost pile. Angelus and I visit it two or three times a week and bring it gifts of kitchen scraps. I have two separate piles; One side is the working compost that I dump into and the other is usable compost that I put into garden beds and houseplants. I switch sides each spring.

Cheesecake

Cheesecake

Crust:
1¼c graham cracker crumbs
2tb sugar
3½T melted butter

•Mix ingredients and press into a 9 inch spring foam pan
•Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees



Filling:
24oz softened cream cheese
1c sugar
¾c sour cream
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1½ts vanilla
3 eggs

• Mix all ingredients except eggs for 3 minutes, and then mix in eggs until smooth.

• Pour into crust
• Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes

Topping:
1½c sour cream
¼c Sugar

• Mix Ingredients

• Spread over top of baked cheesecake

• Bake for an additional 6 minutes at 350 degrees

• Cool uncovered in fridge for 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate overnight

Easter Highlights

Easter 2009 Angelus had a ton of fun searching for eggs. So much so that he has me re-hide all the eggs 3 more times.

Easter Dinner at MaMaw and Papaw's house.

Too much candy.

On the hunt again at Grandpa and Mita's house

Found one!

Scottie and Emma lend a hand.

Shopping Cart Cover

I highly recommend to any mom or mom-to-be to get a shopping cart cover. It's made my shopping experiences with Angelus so much easier. Listen up though, this is important, it MUST have a movable and detachable pillow; otherwise it's just a pretty germ blocker. The pillow also lets Angelus sleep comfortably, like an angel, while I shop. I'll admit the one I have is hard to find, so if you can't find one with a movable and detachable pillow, buy a cover without a pillow and make your own. Attach a string to the homemade pillow to tie to the cover or cart when in use.

Gepetto's Antipasto & Pinochino Strings

An Italian style companion meal to enjoy while watching Pinochino.

Antipasto means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Traditional antipasto includes cured meats, olives, roasted garlic, pepperoncini, mushrooms, anchovies, artichoke hearts, various cheeses (such as provolone or mozzarella) and peperone (marinated small green bell peppers, not to be confused with pepperoni). The antipasto is usually topped off with olive oil. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipasto

Pinochino Strings
(Garlic Pasta)
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ onion, minced
1 tb butter
½c extra light olive oil
salt & pepper
16 oz thin spaghetti noodles, cooked


• Sauté garlic and onion in butter until soft
• Add oil, salt and pepper, heat until warm
• Toss in noodles, serve warm.

Dying Easter Eggs

Jessica, The Fairy Godbunny

Angelus calls all colors "green".

Uncle Rick contemplates an egg message.

The perfect shade of blue!

"I did it! I did it!"


I also tried a new technique, from Martha, where you wrap the egg in silk and cotton, simmer in hot water with vinegar for 20-40 minutes. The dye and pattern transposes to the egg!

Easter & Spring Cleaning Vision Board

My Spring Cleaning vision board for Easter. I want to get a lot done today, bake Cheesecakes for tomorrow and clean the house up so Angelus has a nice clean space to roam for eggs in the morning.

Easter Spring Cleaning by Dawn Howard featuring Sass & Bide shorts

Ode to water

This excerpt is a nice addition to a Grimore or Book of Shadows; the power of wonderful, wondrous water.

Herman Melville's (Ishmael's) ode to water in "Moby Dick"

But look! here come more crowds, pacing straight for the water, and seemingly bound for a dive. Strange! Nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the land; loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not suffice. No. They must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling in. And there they stand–miles of them–leagues. Inlanders all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and avenues–north, east, south, and west. Yet here they all unite. Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all those ships attract them thither?

Once more. Say you are in the country; in some high land of lakes. Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream. There is magic in it. Let the most absent-minded of men be plunged in his deepest reveries–stand that man on his legs, set his feet a-going, and he will infallibly lead you to water, if water there be in all that region. Should you ever be athirst in the great American desert, try this experiment, if your caravan happen to be supplied with a metaphysical professor. Yes, as every one knows, meditation and water are wedded for ever.

But here is an artist. He desires to paint you the dreamiest, shadiest, quietest, most enchanting bit of romantic landscape in all the valley of the Saco. What is the chief element he employs? There stand his trees, each with a hollow trunk, as if a hermit and a crucifix were within; and here sleeps his meadow, and there sleep his cattle; and up from yonder cottage goes a sleepy smoke. Deep into distant woodlands winds a mazy way, reaching to overlapping spurs of mountains bathed in their hill-side blue. But though the picture lies thus tranced, and though this pine-tree shakes down its sighs like leaves upon this shepherd’s head, yet all were vain, unless the shepherd’s eye were fixed upon the magic stream before him. Go visit the Prairies in June, when for scores on scores of miles you wade knee-deep among Tiger-lilies–what is the one charm wanting?–Water–there is not a drop of water there! Were Niagara but a cataract of sand, would you travel your thousand miles to see it? Why did the poor poet of Tennessee, upon suddenly receiving two handfuls of silver, deliberate whether to buy him a coat, which he sadly needed, or invest his money in a pedestrian trip to Rockaway Beach? Why is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at some time or other crazy to go to sea? Why upon your first voyage as a passenger, did you yourself feel such a mystical vibration, when first told that you and your ship were now out of sight of land? Why did the old Persians hold the sea holy? Why did the Greeks give it a separate deity, and own brother of Jove? Surely all this is not without meaning. And still deeper the meaning of that story of Narcissus, who because he could not grasp the tormenting, mild image he saw in the fountain, plunged into it and was drowned. But that same image, we ourselves see in all rivers and oceans. It is the image of the ungraspable phantom of life; and this is the key to it all.

Pirate Songs

These are the special songs that I sing to Angleus along with my amateur, and sometimes funny, interruptions.

Yo Ho (A Pirates Life For Me)
(A song about unconditional love)
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We extort, we pilfer, we filch, and sack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Maraud and embezzle, and even high-jack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.


Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest Pirate Song
(A lesson in changing what you can, and accepting what you can now)
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.


What Shall We Do With A Drunken Pirate
(Moral: no one likes a drunk)
What shall we do with a drunken pirate, (3×)
Early in the morning?

Heave-ho and up she rises, (3×)
Early in the morning.

Put him in the longboat ’til he’s sober, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Spray him with whiskey and light him on fire, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Take him and shake him and try to wake him, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Hit 'im on the head with a broken hammer, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Put him into bed with the captain's daughter,(*) (3×)
Early in the morning.
You've never seen the captain's daughter, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Put him in a dress and call him Suzie, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Shave his belly with a rusty razor, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Put him in the back of the paddywagon, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Put him in his bunk with his pants on backwards, (3×)
Early in the morning.
Send him down to Davy Jones’ Locker, (3x)
Early in the morning.

That’s what we’ll do with a drunken pirate, (3×)
Early in the morning.

Hoist the Colours
(Symbolic of reincarnation and the physical journey of our spirituality.)
The king and his men
stole the queen from her bed
and bound her in her bones
the seas be ours
and by the powers
where we will, we'll roam

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the Colors high.
Heave ho,
thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

Poison Apples

Poison Apples
8 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2c powdered sugar
2 ts. vanilla
1 cup granola (any kind)
6 apples, cut into wedges

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.

Top with granola.

Dip with apple wedges.

Enjoy with Snow White.