yule party

last friday was our yule party! I planned and planned, but then ran out of time to make all the food I had planned to make. But we did do most of the crafts, and I like to think that everyone had a great time…I know I did.

I’m going to record all that I found, to make it easier to pull it all together next year….but now it is time to think about the vernal equinox shindig…hope to see you there!

Foods:

Wassail
• apple cider
• Ginger ale
• Spiced nuts
• Apples and Brie
• Easy Fruitcake
• Easy Mincemeat Pie
• mashed potatoes
• sun gingerbread cookies
• PLUS, potluck and lasagna, the staple party hot dish

Activities/Crafts:

• Decorate posterboard trees
• Citrus Pomanders
• Pinecone feeders
• Popcorn + cranberry chain
• Sparklers
• Fire Pit
• Yule ritual

Decorations:

• Mistletoe
• Holly
• Pine rope
• Ribbons
• Apple core votives
• Yule log

Shopping list:
2 gallons cider
cranberry juice
ginger ale
sugar
brown sugar
cinnamon sticks
whole allspice
whole cloves
6 cups nuts
1 c candied cherries
1 c. citron
1 c. raisins
1 c. chopped pecans
3 c. chopped walnuts
chestnuts
1 Package nut or date bread mix
2 jars mincemeat (from Trader Joes)
popcorn

20 oranges
10 lemons
potatoes
apples
pears
lemon juice
raw cranberries

peanut butter

4 pie shells
brie
gingerbread cookie dough
old, small bagels

Rum
Beer
Wine

Mistletoe
Holly
Pine rope
Pine cones
Ribbons
Birdseed
Thread
Needles with large eyes

Green tag board + things to decorate it – popcorn? red paper circles, orange paper circles.

Sparklers
Yule log

RECIPES:

Wassail Recipe:
2 qt. cider
1 pt. cranberry juice
3/4 c. sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp. whole allspice
1 orange
Whole cloves
1 c. rum
Stud orange with whole cloves. Put all ingredients into crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 4-8 hours. Serve warm from crock pot. Makes 12 cups. A good hot drink for the holidays.

Spiced nuts:
Melt 3 Tbs margarine. Stir in ½ teaspoon each garlic and onion powder, dry mustard and cayenne and 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Toss with 3 c mixed nuts. Bake 1 hour at 250º, stirring every 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Store in air tight containers.
OR
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. white pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 c. whole almonds, shelled or pecan halves
1 tbsp. coarse (kosher) salt (optional)
Extra garlic salt (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, combine spices and set aside. Either in a non-stick skillet over low heat or in a Pyrex 2-cup measure in the microwave, heat the olive oil and spices. In the skillet, heat about 3 to 4 minutes. In the microwave, give it 30 second bursts, stirring between bursts, for about 2 minutes. Place the nuts in a bowl and pour oil and spices over them. Toss and stir to coat nuts well. Spread nuts in one layer on a baking sheet (use non-stick sheet or tin foil over a regular sheet). Bake for 15 minutes, flipping nuts with spatula every 5 minutes. DON’T BURN! WATCH CAREFULLY! You may need to set your oven back to 300 degrees.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with coarse salt or garlic salt, if desired. Let rest 2 hours in a cool place. Store in airtight tins or jars. 1 lb. pecans = 4 cups. Spices can be made up in quantity and stored in an airtight glass jar. 1 tablespoon of the combined spices for every 2 cups of nuts and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Easy Fruitcake:
Stir 1 c each candied cherries, citron, raisins and chopped pecans and 1 tsp rum flavoring into batter from 1 Package nut or date bread mix. Bake as directed.

Ingredients
* 1 (18 ounce) jar prepared mincemeat pie filling
* 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
* 2 apple – peeled, cored, and chopped
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/4 cup rum
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1. Combine mincemeat, walnuts, apples, brown sugar, lemon juice and rum in a bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Take filling out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Prepare crusts. Stir filling well and pour into shell. Top with full crust and make slits or make a lattice top. Crimp edges.
4. Bake in preheated oven on low shelf for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Citrus Pomanders:
Pomanders are fragrant balls that perfume the air. Creating pomanders from oranges and lemons make a beautifully scented decoration. Citrus fruits are also symbolic of the sun, so they make a great mini-tribute to the Sun God.

To make a pomander, you will need oranges and/or lemons, a jar of cloves, some of your favorite scented spices, and a pair of latex or rubber gloves. The gloves are not necessary, but if the crafter has any minor cuts on their hands or cuticles, they will protect the wearer from stinging citrus juices accidentally running over the wound. Take a piece of fruit and a bowl of cloves and begin to push the stem of the cloves into the skin of the fruit. Make spirals, stripes, or any kind of patterns you like to decorate the fruit. When you are done, roll the fruit in a bowl of ground spices with rich holiday aromas, such as cinnamon and nutmeg, which will stick to the sweet juices.

Pomanders can be tied with ribbon and hung from the tree, or suspended in a corner or closet to make it smell good. You can also place several in a bowl and leave them out on a table, turning them once or twice a day until they dry out. The fruits will begin to dehydrate, but will retain the wonderful scents.

Apple candleholders:
Remove the core, hollow out, and insert votive candles or small pillars.

Yule ritual:
Gather around the cauldron (the Transformative Void of the Mother) and talk about the aspects of darkness and all that they signify. Then think about the dead weight in your life – the useless things you wish to get rid of – any negative aspects that you wish to transform into something more positive. During this process, remember that banished aspects are often replaced with their exact opposites, so it’s a good idea to consider whether you’re ready to admit those into your life.

Once you’ve decided what needs to go, write the objectives on scraps of paper and place into the cauldron with purpose and concentration. Know that by releasing them into the cauldron, you are pulling them out of your own darkness to make way for gifts of light.

Light the papers on fire knowing that all that is released into darkness is transformed by light. Let the papers burn to ash, then release them into the wind.