Since both Galleys Between – Sacrifice and Creating New Pagan Family Traditions – Samhain are going to be late in releasing (probably), I thought I’d give y’all a sneaky peek at a couple of recipes from Samhain.

Hope you enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings

Main:

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 litre/quart chicken stock (fresh homemade is best)
4 medium carrots, cut in same-size chunks
4 medium potatoes, cut in eighths
1 medium onion, diced large
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp sage
salt & pepper to taste

Brown chicken breasts, cut in half, and place in crock pot. Cover with seasonings, and prepared vegetables. Deglaze pan using a half cup of water, and add to the crock. Pour stock over all, cover and cook on high for two hours. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the crock pot, altitudes, etc. Basically until the veggies are tender.

Thicken gravy in your preferred manner. Cover and return to simmer.

Dumplings:

1 c flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp oil
2/3 c milk

Mix dry ingredients, then fold in oil and milk. The batter should become fluffy and light. Drop by spoon onto the chicken & veggies. Cover tightly and return to heat (high) for probably an hour. To test, the top of the dumplings should be relatively dry, and spring back if pushed down. If they’re not – they’re not ready.

Pagan Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 kg hashbrowns
1 red onion
1/2 of each – red, yellow and green bell peppers
1-2 lbs fresh mushrooms
2 c sharp cheddar, shredded
1 c Habanero Heat shredded cheese
well sprinkled with Montreal Steak Spice (to taste)
1 750g of sour cream (1 500g & 1 250g)
1 1/2 c plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 can mushroom soup
dash or five of Worcestershire

Directions:

In a big roaster pan, mix all but the liquid ingredients. Blend all liquid ingredients until relatively smooth, then stir into the potatoes & veggie mix. Bake at 350* for an hour, top with bread crumbs or large slices of mushrooms (which is what I did) then sprinkle with extra cheese and broil for five-ten minutes, until the cheese just melts.

Hope you all are prepared for the great NaNoWriMo Race that’s about to begin! Don’t forget to check out Friday Night Writes for information on the 48 hour write-a-thon!