It’s’ finally here again!

Autumn. My favorite season of the year. And it’s followed by Winter, my next favorite season!

During these two seasons, I become uncustomarily domestic. I love to bake, especially, but since we don’t have children and Ethan isn’t too big on sweets, I really don’t bake that often (since I’d eat it ALL). Ethan cooks more often than I do, and we normally make easy things for the convenience, since we hardly stop working long enough to eat. But during Autumn & Winter, I cook & bake. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes with you during these great seasons.

First, a little Mabon History & Lore:

Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox, is one of the four minor Sabbats. It falls generally between September 20-23, but I always celebrate it on the 22nd.

This is the second day of the year when the nights and days are split equally. Today is when the power of the sun begins to diminish, taking us to Yule (Winter Solstice) when the days are the shortest.

It is a time to be thankful of the things you have, which is a lesson that can be applied to the rest of the year as well. Be here in this moment, right now. This is all there is, and it’s beautiful and abundant.

“The Druids call this celebration, Mea’n Fo’mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees. Offerings of ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer are appropriate at this time. Wiccans celebrate the aging Goddess as she passes from Mother to Crone, and her consort the God as he prepares for death and re-birth.” (Mabon by Akasha)

So I will be painting my Green Men on glass ornaments today in honor of this day and in preparation for the coming Yuletide season. I’ll post pictures on Facebook and Twitter, so follow me!

We’re also going to celebrate Mabon today with great feasts! This morning, I will thoroughly enjoy a pumpkin spice mocha along with a pumpkin scone from Starbucks and this evening I’ll make my favorite dish: Harvest Stew. Recipe below:

Bountiful Harvest Stew
This is everyone’s favorite stew! It looks as good as it tastes, and the winter squash is a wonderful source of beta carotene. For a really festive look, serve it in a hollowed out bread bowl or pumpkin.

Nutrition info per serving:
132 calories
5 g protein
27 g carbohydrate
0.5 g fat
267 mg sodium
0 mg cholesterol
Servings: 8
Preparation time: 15 min
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 pound (about 4 cups) butternut or other winter squash
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 15-ounce can crushed or ground tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen

1. Heat the water and soy sauce in a large pot, then add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and most of the water has evaporated.
2. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds, then peel it and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.
3. Add the squash to the onions, along with the chopped tomatoes, water, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and pepper. Cover and simmer until the squash is just tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
4. Add the black beans with their liquid and the corn. Continue cooking another 5 minutes.

Tips:

• Cooking the onions in water instead of oil reduces the fat in this dish with no loss of flavor.
• Try frozen white corn for extra sweetness and flavor.
• Canned beans can be replaced with beans cooked from dry.
• Fresh or frozen tomatoes may be used instead of the canned tomatoes simply extends the cooking time to reduce cooking liquid to desired level. Peeled tomatoes are most commonly used, but leaving the skins on makes the dish more nutrient rich.

Enjoy! I know I will.

For more info on Mabon, check out these sites:

• Mabon Lore
• Mabon History
• Mabon by Akasha
• Mabon, the Autumn Equinox