Crafty Kitchen Witch

This is a pretty fudge to make and serve especially at Christmas time, just be sure not to get it too hot when melting, and don't cook it too long and you will have perfect fudge every time. So Easy Yield: About 2 pounds What you need: 3 cups (18 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk 4 tablespoons butter, divided Dash salt 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup chopped nuts 2 cups miniature marshmallows How to make it: LINE 8-or 9-inch square pan with wax paper, extending paper over edges of pan. MELT chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons butter and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and nuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan. MELT marshmallows with remaining 2 tablespoons butter in medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Spread on top of fudge. With table knife or metal spatula, swirl through top of fudge. CHILL at least 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by l...

It's candy making time, so I'm making two favorites we like here, chocolate and butterscotch Mmmm it's yummy and so easy, just be sure not to overcook , keep it low not too hot too and your fudge will turn out great. Yield: About 2 pounds What you need: 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (6 oz.) butterscotch chips How to make it: LINE an 8- or 9-inch square pan with wax paper, extending paper over edges of pan. MELT chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; stir in nuts, if desired, and vanilla. Spread evenly into prepared pan. MELT butterscotch chips and remaining sweetened condensed milk in clean heavy saucepan over low heat. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. CHILL 3 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of wax paper. Cut into squares.

Yule Goddess Doll Items needed: newspaper unbleached muslin (1 yard) sisal rope white glue florist wire small egg-shaped Styrofoam ball trim Directions: 1.Fold one section of newspaper in half and roll it lengthwise. 2.Fold the roll in half, and twist a twist tie at the upper third of the folded roll to form the body and legs. It may be helpful to stuff the legs into a large bottle while you work. 3.Cut off a 20 inch section of florist wire and twist the ends together. Twist the ends into a loop approximately 1 inch long, and bend the wires close together. This will be the arms and hands 4.Stick two pieces of florist wire approximately 6 inches long into the wide end of the Styrofoam ball and fold them around the ball, twisting them together to hold it securely. With the remaining wire, secure the ball to the loop of the newspaper - this will be the head. 5.Thread the arms through the paper of the loop, not the loop itself, to help it ...

Yule is a time to look on the past year's achievements and to celebrate with family and friends. The Yule log and tree, mistletoe, holly, pine, cedar, juniper, spinning wheels, the colors red and green, and gift giving are all part of the Yule celebrations.  Red candles are used to symbolize the fire and heat of the returning sun as the days begin to lengthen. The tree also dates from old European or pagan rituals. It was the time to celebrate the renewal of the earth, and greens were used as the symbol. The yule log is the counterpart of the midsummer bond fires, which are held outdoors on Litha (Summer Solstice) to celebrate the shortest night of the year. It is also customary to place mistletoe around the fire, which is the plant that grew on the oak tree, sacred to the Druids, the priests of the old Celts. In Europe the yule log is brought in and placed on the hearth where it glows for the twelve nights of the holiday season. After that, it is kept in the...

How to Successfully Navigate a Mercury Retrograde This article was written by Bernie Ashman  Do you start to get filled with anxiety when learning Mercury in the sky is about to turn retrograde? Don't feel bad if you answered yes. Many people experience the same nervous reaction. In my new book, How to Survive Mercury Retrograde (And Venus and Mars, Too), I give a new perspective in how to get positive results when dealing with retrograde time periods. What is a retrograde planet? It is the apparent backward motion of a planet as it moves through an astrological sign. This is really an illusion, as planets don't in reality move backward. Think of it as a faster moving planet passing a slower moving planet, making it seem like the slower planet is moving backward, or retrograde. In reality both planets are moving forward, but the slower one has you thinking it is moving backward. Mercury turns retrograde four times a year, about every three months. The durat...

Calling all Ancestors Samhain Samhain  Calling all Ancestors Samhain Samhain  Calling Your Wisdom in Samhain Samhain  Calling Your Wisdom in Samhain Samhain The Veil is Thin.  We call your Wisdom In.  The Veil is Thin.  Calling all ancestors. Samhain Calling all Ancestors Samhain Samhain  Calling all Ancestors Samhain Samhain  Calling Your Guidance in Samhain Samhain  Calling Your Guidance in Samhain Samhain The Veil is Thin.  We call your Guidance In.  The Veil is Thin.  Calling all ancestors. Samhain *** Tis near Halloween When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, "tis near Halloween.

Purpose: to honor the ancestors and friends whom have gone before us. This ritual also gives honor the witches and pagans that died before us in the Burning Times. Materials: One large black candle in a high sitting holder Birthday candles (white) Sand Cauldron God and Goddess candle. Procedure: Gather all the supplies and place them on the alter table. Put the sand into the cauldron. Cast the circle. Call the quarters. Invoke the deities. Say: Crone, Goddess of the Cauldron of rebirth, on this night when the weil is thin we invoke you. Lady of the summerland, matron of death and rebirth, in this rite we honor you and our ancestors. We invoke yea wise crone! So mote it be! Lord of winter and of shadowed sleep, co-ruler of the under world we invoke thee! So mote it be! Light the black candle. Say: We light this candle to all the witches and pagans that died in the Burning Times. We honor their sacrifice for our freedom. So mote it be! We call our ancestors and...

Samhain is more than tricks and treats; it's a sacred night in which we teach our kids to honor their ancestors. Excerpted with permission from "Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions" by Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill (Random House) On the night of Samhain we honor our ancestors and visit our beloved dead. Often we hold a feast to "feed the ancestors" and connect to our shared history. But try telling children they are going to miss trick-or-treating, costumes, and hauling home sacks of candy, just to sit home and talk about the past. We'd hear the howls all the way to Hawaii! Families have different solutions for Halloween. In my family, there is a surge of energy that belongs to that special time and adds power and relevance to our worship. It's a wave we have to catch if we want to ride. The adults in our home never accept invitations to secular Halloween parties. Our family treats Samhain as a sacred day spent with o...

When you wake up each morning do you give thanks? Do you wake up grumpy asking why do you have to face this day? You know how you face your day is going to have a reaction to how your day will go! It's very true, when we wake up grumpy and we start our day off grumpy or with I don't care, I don't want to do this, Why me, do I have to deal with today, our day will reflect upon us and treat us right back with the attitude we give off. I am living proof this is true. There have been days I feel really terrible and if I can barely face the day, get started off on the wrong foot the whole day can go wrong, but if I get up and say "thank you for giving me another day" "I'm going to make the most of this day" Then my day will go 100% better and I advice you to remember this and try to follow this method of living, really enjoy and live life to the fullest you can.  That can mean different levels to each person and that's ok, do what you can do to make...

What Magick When? This is a general description of times in which performing certain magickal workings and celebrations may be appropriate. Although the cycles of the moon are not exactly 28 days, these four phases of seven days each will suffice for most needs. When you wish to work full moon magick, it is generally accepted that it is proper to do so anywhere from three days before the actual full moon to three days after the actual full moon. This is a total of seven days that 'Full Moon energy" is present. This makes coven meetings easier because it is difficult for a group of people to coordinate their schedules to meet on exactly the full moon. When you wish to work magick under the new moon or 'the dark of the moon', the procedure is similar. Three days before to three days after the new moon are considered acceptable new moon working times. Again, this is a seven day period. Some practitioners view this period as a time to 'plant seeds' or to s...