Beneath the Voiceless Trees

When elves awoke in days of eldThe world was wrapped in twilightAnd first of all their eyes beheldThe beauty of the starlight For they had risen long beforeBoth moon and sun, and walked aloneAnd heard upon the shimmering shoreThe song of water over stone. And though they searched both near and farThrough lonely groves and

“A Sense of the Season”: C.S. Lewis’ Birthday Pivot and the Cambridge Inaugural Address (Updated) — A Pilgrim in Narnia

In the autumn of 1954 at the age of 56, C.S. Lewis was at the height of his academic career. With a chance to speak to the academic community at Cambridge and the listening world on the BBC, Lewis used this moment to reposition himself in an unusual way. Two years previously, in the first […]

Medieval Monday: More Labors of November — Allison D. Reid

November was a busy month in the medieval world. Last week’s post focused mainly on the fall slaughter and preservation of meat for the coming months, but there was much more to be done. Garlic and beans were sown in November–typically around the 20th, which was St. Edmund’s day–but the heavy labors of the […] Medieval

Whole Roasted Onions Recipe

This has been one of my favourite simple-yet-delicious recipes ever since my sister discovered it a couple of years ago, and yet I’d almost forgotten about it until I came across this video the other day. The source is a 19th century English cookbook which leaves out a few minor details such as cooking time

Of god or (hu)man? — Author Scott Austin Tirrell

I’ve heard that there are two types of writers in the world. Those that map everything out and those that let the story guide them. When I was younger and king of the world, my rule transferred to my writing. I saw myself as a great architect and schemer planning the beginning, middle, and end […]

Beer Review: Tart & Thankful – A Collaboration between Highrail Brewing & NJ Craft Beer — The Tap Takeover

Name: Tart & Thankful Brewing Company: Highrail Brewing in collaboration with New Jersey Craft Beer Location: High Bridge, NJ Style: Fruit Beer | Fruited Sour ABV: 4.9% A delicious, balanced fruited sour perfect for the autumn/winter seasonal holidays. From the Facebook post announcing the beer: Tart & Thankful (4.9%), a bright and cheerful seasonal sour […]

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe — Strider’s Table

Who knew making homemade cranberry sauce was this easy? Why have I been buying the canned stuff all these years? Seriously, the first part of this recipe is just the same as making simple syrup, like you would for mixed drinks, […] Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe — Strider’s Table It’s National Eat a Cranberry Day, and

Roberta’s Recipes: Pumpkin Pie — Roberta Franklin

As I’ve said before, dear friends, autumn is a wonderful season; it offers lots of special culinary treats, too, and one of the best of them is pumpkin pie – ideal all through October, November and even December, from Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas. It does take a bit of time to do, but it’s […]

How To Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes

The secret to making perfect mashed potatoes that are creamy and fluffy without being gooey or gluey is to warm the cream and/or milk before adding them to the potatoes, use room-temperature butter, and to not over-beat the mixture. For this reason, I don’t use an electric mixer. I use an old-fashioned potato masher such

Medieval Monday: The Labors of November — Allison D. Reid

The Anglo Saxons referred to November as the “blood month,” because it was time to begin slaughtering those animals which would not be kept through the winter. The traditional time for butchering animals was Martinmas (November 11th), though the butchering and processing of meat could continue through January depending on the weather. While some meat […]