Readers’ Questions, a Witchy Thesis and Time for Tea
This month,
here are some of the questions our readers asked...
I come from a small town and the only other Wiccan I know is my boyfriend. I was wondering if you could give me some chat rooms or something like that to talk to other people. Thank you so much.
Most internet servers that have chat rooms will also have a Pagan or Witch chat. On AOL there is one called Ask a Witch, located in the Life section.
If you need to find more information/like minds or even chats, you may want to contact the good folks at the Witch’s Vox at www.witchvox.com There are also a wide variety of e-lists available through Yahoo Groups.
Is there an herbal solution to whiten the eyes?
Some have utilized Eyebright Tea as a beverage, however, nothing substitutes for good sleep.
Since the eyes are a part of the mucous membrane family, it is not recommended to put anything inside the eyes without medical supervision. Most eye drops on the market mask the red by shrinking the blood vessels. However when it wears off, the eyes are more sensitive and more likely to look less lusterful.
For healthy eyes, it is important to have a diet rich in vegetables containing vitamin A which can be found in dark green leafy vegetables and dark orange vegetables such as broccoli, spinach and carrots to name a few.
After seeing a past Witch Hazel column with a tidbit regarding quitting smoking, one reader, Arianna, had a remedy to share.
This came from a group/e-list that I’m subscribed to called the Cyber Witch’s Broomcloset. The original source is unknown. I can’t vouch for it personally, but thought it may be helpful.
Ebbing Off Cigarettes
Mix a half-teaspoon of cream of tartar into eight ounces of orange juice and drink it before bedtime. The cream of tartar helps clear the nicotine out of your system. Each cigarette you smoke robs your body of about twenty-five milligrams of vitamin C. The orange juice will help replace the vitamin C. Once you’ve made up your mind to stop smoking and start this regimen, be consistent! Take the drink every night without fail. Then, the following day, when you reach for a cigarette, you may think twice about it. You may even decide not to have that cigarette. By reducing the number of cigarettes you have each day, you should be able to ebb off them completely and painlessly by the end of a month, if not sooner. Make it easier not to smoke than to light up. These suggestions can help–
As you’re ebbing off, every time you buy a pack of cigarettes, change brands to ones that are less appealing to you. It will reduce the pleasure of smoking and it can affect your blood chemistry reaction, making it less torturous for you to break the habit.
Do not buy cartons of cigarettes; buy one pack at a time, and only after you’ve finished a pack.
Each day, wait an hour longer than the prior day before lighting your first cigarette.
When you have a real craving for a cigarette, tell yourself you can have the cigarette in about five minutes; meanwhile, do something absorbing, something that takes your total concentration to do.
Another element that I think would help someone quit is living in New York City, where the price of a pack of cigarettes has been increased to a whopping $7!
We also had an anthropology student write in, who is gathering information for her thesis on the practice of Wicca among Goths as compared to its practice among non-Goths. If any one is interested in helping her out and answering a survey, you can drop her an e-mail at amazon_syren@yahoo.ca
Now I would like to share one of my favorite daytime rituals: tea time. Ever since the Mistress McCutchan introduced me to the ritual of high tea at the Plaza Hotel in NYC, I have been hooked! I even started collecting tea pots, and purchased a book of tea sandwich recipes from the local tea shop, where I have spent many Saturday afternoons in the fall and winter enjoying the delicate lady-like sandwiches, scones and cream, mini desserts, and of course, tea!
Summer time is excellent for hosting an elegant outdoor tea party, where you can offer your guests a selection of fine herbal teas, hot and iced, or if you’d like to go all out, include mimosas (champagne and orange juice) on your beverage menu.
Presentation is important when serving tea, and a great excuse to pull out the fine china, cloth napkins and lacy tablecloths. If these are not available, just use the best that you have and dress it up! Set up elegant platters of triangle shaped tea sandwiches, perhaps garnished with olives skewered with fancy toothpicks. You can set a tray of delicate deserts such as petite fours, gourmet cookies and chocolate covered strawberries. Morbid Outlook writer Kyshah Hell has some great tea recipes for scrumptious scones, clotted cream and crumpets. A platter of fancy cheeses and dainty crackers is another great compliment to your spread!
Tea sandwiches can be made with any sandwich fillings that you desire like tuna salad, perhaps thin sliced ham with Dijon mustard, etc. They should be made on thin, firm bread, either white or wheat. Pepperidge Farm makes a bread called Very Thin, which is ideal.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
Cucumber & Cream Cheese, the classic tea sandwich.
Very thin bread, white or wheat
One or two medium cucumbers
Cream cheese (I like to use reduced fat or fat free cream cheese for this recipe!)
For each sandwich, spread cream cheese on each of the two slices of this bread. Wash cucumbers very well, as these sandwiches taste better with the peel left on. Slice the cucumber as paper thin as possible and layer a few slices onto a piece of cream cheese covered bread. Top with the second slice of bread, remove crusts and cut into triangle shaped quarters. As an option, you may add a few sprigs of dill or capers to the sandwiches for added flavor.
Deviled Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches, an interesting variation of egg salad.
Hard boiled eggs
Thin bread (white or wheat)
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
Mayonnaise or Veganaise
The amount of eggs required depends on how many people will be attending your tea party. There are no set amounts of the seasonings; add until you are satisfied with the taste. If you go overboard, you can always add another egg or a little bit more mayonnaise/veganaise. Remove shells from hard-boiled eggs and place in a large bowl. Mash with fork until very fine. Add seasonings to taste, then blend in mayonnaise to bind. For each sandwich, spread egg salad mixture evenly onto both slices of thin bread. Put the sandwich together, remove crusts, and cut into triangle shaped quarters.
Tomato-Avocado Tea Sandwiches
1 large ripe avocado
3 large vine ripened tomatoes
Salt
Lemon juice
Thin bread (white or wheat)
This recipe works best with very ripe, soft avocados and fresh garden grown tomatoes. Remove rind and pit from avocado and mash into a smooth paste add salt to taste and just enough lemon juice to prevent browning. For each sandwich, spread mashed avocado in an even layer on both slices thin bread. Cut tomatoes into 1/8 thick slices and place one piece on a slice of avocado covered bread. Add salt to taste and top with remaining slice of bread. Remove crusts and cut into triangle shaped quarters.
You can cut into any shape desired, but the triangles are very pleasing to the eye and it makes a great presentation when you line them up in rows, point side up on a serving platter, surrounded by a little garnish!
Enjoy your tea time! If you have a favorite recipe, questions, or comments, doesn’t hesitate to write to me.
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