Category Archives: Oestara/Easter

The first thing I MUST do is give a big shout out to Weaver Creek Farms. It was an Instagram post from earlier this year that inspired me to give snow dyeing a try. March 18th is Goddess of Fertility Day. It is celebrated yearly a few days before the spring equinox, in honour of […]

Looking for a quick to make contribution to an equinox potluck? Black and white combinations are an appropriate choice. Equinox cookies or dark & light meringues are also good options when a little more time is available. This wafer roll highlights that coming together of opposites and it doesn’t get any simpler. Really! It is […]

The flavour combination of chocolate and hazelnuts was popular centuries before Nutella. In the 1800’s, in Turin, Italy, there were many hazelnut orchards and cocoa was expensive and difficult to get. Combining hazelnut paste and cocoa produced a product known as gianduja (pronounced “john-doo-yah”). This soft smooth chocolatey confection was a hit and has stayed […]

Hot cross buns are a traditional addition to spring celebrations in Europe and North America. It saddens me to say that they have been available in some stores here since January. I think it takes away the specialness of foods when seasonal items are available all year round. But that is just me. Whether the […]

Along with all the images of fluffy bunnies and decorated eggs or falling leaves and bountiful cornucopias, the Wheel of the Year at this time of the year, has an additional underlying theme of balance, a time when light and dark hold equal time before switching dominance. We all get out of balance for one […]

It is interesting to see traditions being formed in present day. I wonder what people will say about them in 50 years. One example is carrot cake. As sugar and other sweeteners were scarce in England during the war years, carrots were an oft used alternative. Although there are references to cakes that go back […]

I usually think of birthdays as a time when the birthday person should feel special and receive, as much as possible, what they would like. I have pictures of my grandfather in Indonesia, in the early 1900 hundreds, sitting on the “birthday chair”, decorated with fronds and flowers and although not all cultures chose to […]

Earth Day will be here April 22nd and I wanted to do this post now so that if there is time this Easter weekend for family projects, this one could be added to the possibilities. Seed bombs or Seedles are a mixture of dirt, compost and wild flowers seeds, combined and dried and then offered […]

Last weekend I was scheduled to teach two children’s chocolate classes making Easter treats at a local museum. Upon arrival for set-up, I realized that the bunny mold was still sitting on the counter in the laundry room, too far away to drive home and collect. What’s a girl to do? Thankfully the first group […]

This year Ostara and Easter are about as far apart as possible so there are still several weeks to enjoy the flavours of the season. Hot Cross buns are one of those flavours. This no knead, overnight bread is a simple way to create a tasty addition to a lunchbox, weekend brunch or afternoon tea. […]