Woodland Fairies

 Hello, Viewers!

While we are on the topic of fairies, let us take a look at what happened last fall - the unmitigated success of the Convocation of the Woodland Fairies! It all started with a so-called Woodland Fairy costume that I saw, then had to purchase, on the internet. It was purple and green and perfectly adorable, and it provided the inspiration for the color scheme of the event. "Violets & Moss" it said on the invitation, and that captured it all. 

(Image from squidoo.com)

Perhaps it should be added that, for modesty, I wore my costume with a long purple petticoat (same shade as the short one here) and a purple long-sleeved shell underneath - but it still looked lovely! I found perfectly matched green pantyhose and slippers, and also added a feather headband and peacock feather earrings. So much fun!

Sadly, the colors of these following photographs are not true to reality - the flash photo shows a tablecloth in a garish, blueish purple, while the flashless ones show a color that is almost burgundy. I must beg my readers to imagine the true color, somewhere in between - a rich, deep shade of plum that was wholly satisfying to all lovers of purple.

Let us take a closer look at some of the details...

The centerpiece consisted of three mossy twig baskets, sitting on a scrunched-up lime green table runner, held in shape with some gold-sprayed pebbles and pine cones.

One basket held three lime green twig spheres, pierced with peacock
plumes and decorated with lilac hydrangea and a sparkly, lilac bird.

The middle one held a small table waterfall, with more
hydrangea and a sparkly green bird.

The third basket held an artificial three-tiered topiary - again with
extra hydrangea, a sparkly bird, and a peacock as a crowning glory.

A lot of extra feathers, candles, curly ribbons and other sundries added to the almost magical ambiance! Gold doilies made sure that the woodland didn't get too rustic.

The "gold" soup spoons were given extended handles of small twigs, attached with golden duct tape. The green plates we have seen before, but this time they were ornamented with pine cones - carefully soaked in hot, hot soap water to remove any dirt or bugs; then dried in the oven, and finally gold-sprayed.

A lantern hanging from the chandelier - lots of atmosphere!

The project of the day was - wings! I decided it was about time all the fairies had their own set, so I bought a few different sets of wings from amazon.com, let them choose the color they wanted, and provided the usual boxes of fluff - plus some extra glitter paint! As usual, I was touched to see the creative energy unleashed; all the fairies were ready to take off into outer space!

This one is going to be airborne any moment!

The menu was inspired by the woodsy fall theme as well:

Kabocha squash soup - the delighted fairies dubbed it "Woodland Soup" 

Cornish hens with wild rice, orzo, mushrooms, pine nuts, aubergines and such...

Sticky brownies with whipped topping.

Woodland Soup 

(I received the rough outline of this recipe from a friend who must remain nameless, and have made a few adjustments to it.)

1 Kabocha squash

Olive oil

Garlic powder

Place squash in oven-proof dish; drizzle rather generously with olive oil; sprinkle very generously with garlic powder. Bake at 375° for 2 hrs or more, until thoroughly soft - squash will crack, and that is a good thing. I prefer to do this step the day before, to cut down on kitchen time on the day of the party, and to make sure the squash has time to cool properly - it must be cool enough to handle.

NOTE: Strangely enough, it seems that an under-baked (hard) squash cannot be softened later, with extra boiling of the soup - I tried it once when I had accidentally taken the squash out a bit too soon, and made this surprising discovery. Therefore, make sure it is really soft before removing it from the oven!

The next day...

Olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 whole head of garlic, trimmed with tips of peel removed

2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 parsnip, thinly sliced
handful of mushrooms - or more, if desired - sliced

2-3 2-inch pieces of ginger, peeled 

Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, marjoram, thyme - to taste

Big glug of dry sherry

1 Tbsp honey

1 quart vegetable broth - preferably without MSG, partially hydrogenated fat or other life-threatening ingredients (if you are less squeamish, you could use soup cubes & water instead)

Flesh of baked squash
Small bunch of dill, chopped

1/3 - 1/2 cup ground almonds

1. Sauté onions & garlic head in olive oil in large soup pot on medium heat
2. Add celery, carrot, parsnip, mushrooms, ginger
3. Season; let vegetables soften and "sweat" well, while stirring occasionally 
4. Add sherry, vegetable broth, honey; let simmer for up to 1 hr, or until vegetables are soft
5. Meanwhile, remove seeds from squash; scoop out the flesh and mash roughly with a fork
6. Add squash to soup (including roasted garlic powder from peel); simmer to heat through
7. Taste & adjust, if needed
8. Most likely, you will need to add more water - the soup is supposed to be fairly liquid; not a puré. For this reason you need to use some broth (or soup cubes); otherwise the soup will be either too watery in flavor - or else too thick in consistency
9. When soup is quite ready, add chopped dill
10. Remove from heat; stir in ground almonds - do not boil after this step

Seems weird, right? But it is DELICIOUS - ENJOY!

Regards from Rosebud!