Tangled Webs
Page 14
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The emerald green liqueur is lovely as an after-dinner libation you can sip (straight-up, a little goes a long way) or as a fine accompaniment to a martini or cocktail blend.
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I’ll share two of my fave green goblin combos—you can adjust the strength to your taste/preference
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(Author Note: I live in the cozy confines of Cherrywood Hall for most of my writer life—they are known for their love of strong cocktails…#JustSayin).
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Remember, if you imbibe, no flying those broom sticks!
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V’s Green Goblin/French 75 style:
One part gin
One-quarter to one-half part Chartreuse (Remember, it’s strong!)
Top with champagne or Prosecco. This bubbly concoction is a deadly delight!
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V’s Green Goblin/Martini style
Two parts gin or vodka (If you like a strong cuke flavor, I have used cucumber-flavored vodka for this drink)
One-half part Chartreuse (Have I said this is powerful stuff!?)
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Four parts cucumber infused water (I make my own—just add cucumber slices to H2O and let infuse in the fridge for a day or two. Strain, or for an extra punch, blend and strain.) Two parts lime juice
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Shake with crushed ice and pour with a cocktail strainer.
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Choose pretty glasses and top this lethal libation with a thin slice of lime and/or sprig of rosemary!
© Christopher Austin via Unsplash
The world is an amazing place full of history, magic, rugged vistas, traditions and endless adventures.
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Before the internet existed, before cars, maps and phones… there were people who worked from sunup to sundown or explored unforgiving mountains and wilderness with nothing but a sense of wonder and massive courage.
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When they were done with the day, they needed something sturdy and comforting to wind down the hours, before sleep and a repeat.
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In Spirit Island, Bibiana mentions this delicious dish and thought you would enjoy the Alberta version of a savory British-style “pudding” with bangers.
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Rainy and blustery days were made for hearty comfort food like this.
Toad in the Hole
4 British Bangers (or four mild sausages in natural casings. For vegetarians use four roasted eggplant planks or char-grilled red or green bell pepper halves, cleaned and de-seeded )
High quality olive oil
1 cup organic, whole milk
3 organic eggs
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder
1 tablespoon dried or fresh (chopped) chives
1 teaspoon dried or fresh (ribboned) thyme leaves
sea salt
Baker’s Joy® or similar non-stick baking spray
Medium-sized round casserole dish, French stoneware works best, as cast iron gets too hot.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Be sure to set it on the lowest rack and take out the top one!
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To make the batter, combine flour, beef bouillon and mustard powder in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and milk and whisk continuously for several minutes until the batter is smooth and airy.
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***Let batter sit at room temperature for at least a half hour. Loosely cover with paper towel away from pets and children.
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Rub the sausages (lightly salt eggplant planks and/or bell peppers) with olive oil. Place them in a well-greased casserole.
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Use a medium-sized casserole dish. Be sure to well grease the sides of the dish too. The smaller the casserole dish, the puffier the Yorkshire pudding will be, which is desirable, but medium is tried and true for the best results.
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Roast the sausages in the oven for about ten minutes on each side until browned. If using veggies, cut the time in half.
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Remove the casserole dish and increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Lightly wipe out dish with a paper towel to soak the extra grease and spray with non stick. I know it seems redundant, the first one is about flavor and this part is about a beautiful release.
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The batter is super sticky and adding the non-stick will help it retain its gorgeous puff when serving.
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While the casserole dish is still very hot, pour the wet batter over the sausages. Sprinkle the top with the herbs.
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Bake for approximately fifteen to twenty minutes or until the Yorkshire pudding has risen and is browned and golden.
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Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. and continue to bake for another ten minutes or until the batter is cooked through and a skewer comes out clean.
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*** DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR during the first twenty minutes or the batter will not rise properly and the middle will be doughy and raw.
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Serve with a side of brown or onion gravy, a sturdy stout or hard cider.
© Lucian Alexe via Unsplash
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Veronica’s, Autumn Shepherd’s Pie
On a dark, and stormy night, or when the air is crisp and cool, there’s nothing better than a comforting casserole.
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Shepherd’s Pie is one of the savory, comfort foods I adore! For Fall (or Halloween), I substitute some of the more traditional ingredients for a taste of the season. I keep things easy-peasy in my cooking world for maximum taste and minimum clean-up.
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This recipe makes four-six servings—you can adjust up or down accordingly. Being a household of two, I prefer to make extra for this dish—it’s wonderful warmed up for left overs!
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Here’s my autumn variation:
1 pound ground beef
1 package maple sausage links (chop links into bite size pieces): Fry ‘til browned in a Dutch oven or large covered skillet. Set aside.
On a lined tray (with sides, there will be juices)
Mini peppers (orange, red, yellow—use as many or few as you prefer)
1 sliced red onion
2 large, sweet potatoes or yams
4-5 parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 package frozen peas
2 Gala apples, sliced. Spread veggies and apples on the tray. Season to taste with Himalayan salt, cracked black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and lightly coat with olive oil.
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Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes to one hour (the sweet potatoes/yams will need to stay in longer until fork tender). Set aside veggies; peel and mash sweet potatoes/yams. Pull stems from mini peppers.
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Pour peas into glass bowl with ½ stick of butter. Microwave 8-10 minutes (depending on power). Mash with stick blender until you have a mushy pea consistency (or use regular blender—this mix is hot, so take out the plastic topper on the lid to let the heat escape).
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Assembly: In a Dutch oven or covered skillet, spread sliced veggies over the drained, browned, meat mixture, adding juices from the veggie tray (If you like more juice, add Guinness or sparkling cider as desired).
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Take scoops of the sweet potato or yam mash and dot over the veggie layer. In between the potato/yam dots, spoon in the mushy pea mixture for a yummy, colorful ‘Monster Mash’ type topping. I also add dried cranberries, putting them between the dots for added effect.
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Cover and bake for another 30-40 minutes in a 400-degree oven. Uncover the last 15 minutes.
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This marvelous Monster Mash dish is perfect served with cornbread or rolls to sop up the juices and is a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!
> Babylonia’s Roasted Brussel Sprouts
1 pound fresh or frozen (halved) Brussel sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 strips of uncooked bacon cut in bite sized pieces (leave out for vegetarian and alternate with 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika sprinkled over the top once on baking sheet)
1 small sweet onion (chopped finely)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (approximately three cloves)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
salt
fresh ground black pepper
parchment paper
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Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a rectangular baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper to fit. Wash Brussel sprouts in cool water, cut in half, drain in a colander and set aside. ***Skip the first part if you have frozen ones. Wash and chop onion, peel and chop garlic. Cut bacon strips into bite sized pieces.
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Spread the Brussel sprouts across the baking pan evenly. Sprinkle with raw bacon, garlic, and onions. Sprinkle vinegar, and sugar over it. Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
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Bake for approximately 35-45 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
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You will know they are done, as the edges will look crispy and the onions will be browned. Serve with baked pork chops or a side of Butternut squash soup. This is my way of getting the family to eat more veggies. So good!
© Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash
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Bibiana’s Decadent Caramel Apple Pie
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1 bag of Granny Smith or similar tart apples
1 double pie crust, top and bottom (buy pre-made or make your own)
½ cup of granulated white sugar
½ cup of light brown sugar
1 fresh lemon washed and halved
1 tablespoon all purpose white flour
1/2 bag of old-fashioned wrapped chewy caramels
1 teaspoon Allspice
4 tablespoons high quality butter
1 dash of sea salt or pink salt
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 deep dish pie plate
nonstick baking spray
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Preheat oven to 350 F. Wash, peel, core and slice apples in a large bowl. Half lemon and squeeze on the apple slices to keep them from getting brown. Finish the stack of apples, it’s always nice to have help for this part.
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Sprinkle the last of the lemon juice on the apples and add flour, white and brown sugar, Allspice, salt and vanilla. Use a wooden spoon and gently fold the fruit into the dry mix. Spray the pie plate with non stick baking spray and add lower half of crust. Prick the bottom in a few places with a fork.
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Unwrap the caramels and cut them in half. Add them to the fruit mix and fold again with the wooden spoon. Add entire mixture to the unbaked pie shell. It’s okay of you have some dry mix left, just sprinkle it evenly over the mixture in the dish.
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Add three squares of butter on top of mixture.
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Cover all with second crust and trim excess with a sharp knife, be sure to crimp the edges well. It will be extra high and look bumpy. Prick the the top crust with a fork in a few places and add the last butter square on top with a sprinkle of white sugar to give it a pretty sheen.
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Place pie plate on a non stick baking sheet (in case it overflows) for approximately 37 minutes. You will know it’s done, as the top will be golden brown and some of the caramel will bubble over.
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Let pie sit uncovered on a trivet for fifteen minutes to cool and set. Serve with black coffee, vanilla ice cream or hot cider. Loosely foil pie plate in fridge to keep for approximately five days. (If it lasts that long.)
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Take a walk in the woods with someone you love and enjoy the spooky, awesome, season!
Author’s Notes/Acknowledgements
Veronica Cline Barton
I hope you have enjoyed our Tangled Webs collection of fabulous, scary tales!
When Bibiana and I decided to do this second book in the Haunted Series in late 2020, we weren’t quite sure what was going to happen in the world. Most of us were still in lockdown and didn’t know exactly what options 2021 was going to present us with.
The wonderful experience of collaborating on a project with a fellow author you click with is an awesome moment. No matter what is going on in the real world, we could exercise our storytelling imaginations and let them run free.
The first book in our series, Hearth Fires, has a theme of a Ouija board in each story.
In most instances, the tales did not involve an actual spirit calling with the board—but showed just a figurative hint of influence in the stories. It was a way to for us to unify the collection without using the theme literally.
We chose this same path with Tangled Webs. You may see a spider or two in the tales (and when you do, you really do, LOL!) but for most part, we were intent on exploring the psychological aspects of the actions and thoughts of the characters when faced with some rather bizarre and unsettling occurrences.
The stories also reflect paranormal, mystery and folklore mystique, most of which occur in luxurious settings and locales (is luxury paranormal a thang?). We incorporated a few of the more unusual experiences, conspiracy theories and behavior exhibited during lockdown in the tales---I for one, couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing at times! #Eek
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Hviske, drew me into the world of nature, conservation and the real threats of climate change and pollution on our planet.
The one benefit I will take away from lockdown is how clean the air seemed and how quiet it was without the constant buzz of air and automobile traffic.
Mother Earth/Moder Jord is alive and well in this tale, sending her minions out when mankind has perhaps been too disruptive and exploitive, pulling us back in line.
I’d like to believe there is some power guiding us and the planet to be a bit more sensible and appreciative of our surroundings. A tag line from a television commercial from my youth said it best I think… “You don’t fool with Mother Nature” (*lightning bolt/thunder crash*).
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Sculpture of the Dead, the seeds for this tale came directly from the tabloids. Apparently a limb had been tragically lost, the bones preserved, and sent back to the owner assembled in its original, structural configuration. The story stuck and off I went into the land of sculpture, learning about marble (the quarry outside of Aspen, Colorado is real and supplied the stone used in the Lincoln Memorial and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), carving tools, and the fantasy world of a famous actress and dancer who cherished her legs and high heels. Greer and Grace will forever be in my heart.
Pssst…I have developed a passion for high-heeled wonders myself!
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Mode de Veuve Noire was an interesting story for me to write.
It’s a dark tale, and set in one of my very favorite locales including a pretty real description of the ice castle experience (Note: you do sleep on blocks of ice, LOL)
One thing I observed during lockdown, is how the obsession we once had with celebrities and influencers in the social media world came crashing down. As people were literally fighting for their lives, it didn’t really matter what brand of clothing I wore or which make-up TV star XYZ used.
Many people revolted when the celebs and influencers tried to stay in our face to keep relevant. We found we had more important, essential topics to focus on.
The good news is that I think we have become less obsessed with being told what to do, what to wear, and where to shop by so called gurus and wannabes. The maybe not so good news---the emergence of the cancel culture.