Slatka pletenica

Ova osvježavajuća, slatka i ukusna pletenica dosta podsjeća na sirnicu i prikladna je za svaki blagdan, a pogotovo Ostaru i Uskrs.

Potrebno je:

• 500 g namjenskog brašna za dizana tijesta
• 1 instant kvasac
• 2 jaja
• malo soli
• 50 ml ulja
• 50 g smeđeg šećera
• 1 vrećica vanilinog šećera
• 50 g grožđica
• 200 ml mlijeka
• naribane korice limuna
• naribane korice naranče
• 1 bjelanjak

Priprema:

1. Pomiješajte brašno s kvascem, dodajte smeđi šećer i vanilin šećer, ulje, jaja, malo soli, kore naranče i limuna te grožđice.
2. U suhu smjesu dodajte toplo mlijeko i umijesite tijesto.
3. Pokrijte tijesto i ostavite da se diže na toplom mjestu cca. 1 sat.
4. Dignuto tijesto premijesite i podijelite na 3 dijela.
5. Dijelove oblikujte u "kobasice", zarežite po dužini na tri dijela (skoro od vrha pa sve do dna) i ispletite pletenicu.
6. Premažite bjelanjcem, pospite šećerom.
7. Obložite lim za pečenje papirom za pečenje.
8. Pecite 20 minuta na 175°C.

Sweet Braid

This refreshing, sweet and tasty braid resembles the traditional pinca (Croatian Easter bread) and is great for truly every holiday, but especially Ostara and Easter.

You Will Need:

• 500 g whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 packet instant yeast
• 2 eggs
• pinch of salt
• 50 ml oil
• 50 g brown sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 50 g raisins
• 200 ml milk
• grated lemon zest
• grated orange zest
• 1 egg white

How To Prepare:

1. Mix flour with yeast, add brown sugar and vanilla sugar, oil, eggs, salt, lemon and orange zest and raisins.
2. Add warm milk into the dry mixture and form the dough.
3. Cover the dough and leave it to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour.
4. Knead over the raised dough and separate it into 3 equal parts.
5. Form the parts into ropes, cut them lengthwise into three parts (almost from the top all the way to the bottom) and braid the dough.
6. Cover with the egg white and sugar.
7. Cover your baking tray with baking paper.
8. Bake for 20 minutes at 175°C.

Puslice s kremom od naranče

Ovi osvježavajući kolačići su savršeni za uvertiru u proljeće!

Potrebno je:

Za tijesto:

• 375 ml vode
• 75 g margarina
• 270 g brašna
• 5 jaja
• 1 žličica praška za pecivo
• 1 žličica cimena (malo više ako vam odgovara)

Za kremu:

• 1 puding od vanilije
• 3 žlice šećera
• 250 ml svježe ocijeđenog soka od naranče (cca. 3 naranče)
• 1 šlag-pjena
• 150 ml mlijeka

Za glazuru:

• 20 dag čokolade za kuhanje
• malo mlijeka
• malo maslaca (cca. 50 g)

Od ove količine materijala ćete dobiti oko 45 puslica.

Priprema:

Tijesta:

1. Prokuhajte vodu i dodajte unutra margarin da se rastopi. Maknite s vatre.
2. Dodajte brašno i vratite na vatru. Miješajte dok se ne formira tijesto.
3. Prebacite tijesto u posudu. Dodajte jaja i izmiješajte električnim mikserom.
4. Dodajte prašak za pecivo i cimet u ohlađeno tijesto.
5. Obložite lim za pečenje papirom za pečenje.
6. Žličicom (čajnom) grabite tijesto i stavljajte na papir za pečenje (biti će nešto rjeđe, ali bez brige! Samo ga nemojte ostaviti da stoji dugo vani prije pečenja jer će se "razliti" pa će se puslice manje dignuti u pečenju).
7. Pecite 20-25 minuta na 175°C.

Napomena: krema mora biti spremna kada izvadite puslice iz pećnice. Ako ih se ne napuni dok su još dosta tople, splasnu.

Kreme:

1. Pomiješajte puding i šećer i dodajte sok od naranče. Miješajte i kratko kuhajte dok se ne zgusne (nekoliko minuta).
2. Istucite šlag pjenu i mlijeko električnim mikserom i dodajte u ohlađeni puding s narančom.
3. Napunite štrcaljku dobivenom smjesom i punite puslice.

Glazure:

1. Na pari otopite čokoladu.
2. Dodajte maslac.
3. Dodajite mlijeko dok glazura ne postane dovoljno rijetka da se može lagano preliti preko puslica (ili po vašem ukusu).
4. Žlicom prelijte puslice glazurom.
5. Ostavite puslice da se ohlade kako bi se glazura stvrdnula.

Orange Cream Cakes

These refreshing little cakes are perfect for an overture for spring!

You Will Need:

For the dough:

• 375 ml water
• 75 g margarine
• 270 g flour
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (a little more if you really like it)

For the cream:

• 1 vanilla pudding mix
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 250 ml freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 oranges)
• 1 whipped cream pack (this is the one I used)
• 150 ml milk

For the glaze:

• 20 dag chocolate (for cooking)
• some milk
• some butter (about 50 g)

This will yield about 45 cakes.

How To Prepare:

The dough:

1. Boil water and add margarine until it is completely melted. Put aside.
2. Add flour and put the mixture back on the stove. Mix until the dough forms.
3. Put the dough in a bowl. Add eggs and mix using an electric mixer.
4. Add baking powder and cinnamon into the dough when it has cooled down.
5. Cover your baking tray with baking paper.
6. Using a teaspoon, take some dough and slide it onto the baking tray (it will be a bit thin but that's normal! Just don't leave it out too long before you put it in the oven because it may "spread out" a bit and then the cakes won't raise as much as they normall would).
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 175°C.

Note: the cream has to be ready when you get the cakes out of the oven. If you don't fill them while they're still warm, they sort of shrink a bit.

The cream:

1. Mix pudding and sugar and add orange juice. Mix and cook over a small flame until you get a nice thick mixture (this will take only a couple of minutes).
2. Prepare the whipped cream (usually you would use the powdered mix and mix it with milk using an electric mixer). Add it to the cooled-down orange pudding.
3. Fill your filling/icing syringe with the cream and fill your cakes.

The glaze:

1. Melt the chocolate over steam.
2. Add butter.
3. Add milk until you get a glaze that is liquid enough so you can easily pour it over the cakes (or to the thickness that you most prefer).
4. Use a spoon to pour the glaze over the cakes.
5. Leave the cakes to cool down so the glaze can harden.

Blagoslovljena Ostara 2015.

Ove godine je Ostara za mene mnogo drukčija nego za druge i gledam je iz apsolutne drukčije perspektive nego što je bio slučaj prijašnjih godina. Danas, na dan proljetnog ekvinocija vrlo rano ujutro (ni manje ni više nego na noć tamnog Mjeseca), preminuo mi je djed. To je cijela obitelj očekivala već dva tjedna koje je on proveo vozeći se između bolnice i staračkog doma. S obzirom na njegovo fizičko i duševno stanje, svi smo se složili da se spasio što je preminuo i da je sada konačno miran. Ne planiram vas u ovom postu zamarati tužnim detaljima ove priče već iznijeti svoje shvaćanje Ostare potaknuto upravo ovim okolnostima.

Proljetni ekvinocij označava važan okretaj Kola godine i predstavlja poljoprivrednu Novu godinu. Ovo je prvi dan proljeća, dan kada sve već cvate, sjemenke već klijaju, kada su dan i noć jednake duljine, a time sile kaosa i kozmosa u ravnoteži. Meni ove godine ipak do izražaja najviše dolazi reinkarncijski aspekt ovog sabata. Hoću reći da proljeće predstavlja vrijeme buđenja zemlje, ponovnog rasta biljaka koje su drijemale sve donedavno i novi, važni korak u nadolazeću godinu. Ljudi znaju zaboraviti da kada nešto novo počne, često uz to bude nečemu drugom kraj. Da bi drvo raslo, njegovo lišće mora pasti da istrune i nahrani zemlju. Da novi hrast može izrasti iz zemlje, jedan žir se mora "žrtvovati" i pasti na zemlju koja će ga primiti u svoju utrobu.

S obzirom na sve što sam doživjela nedavno, naprosto ne mogu sagledati Ostaru kao blagdan strasti, plodnosti, seksualnosti i općeg veselja. Umjesto toga ga trenutno vidim kao predstavnika neminovnih životnih promjena koje su ujedno prirodne. Kolo godine je refleksija kola rađanja, smrti i ponovnog rađanja. U takvom kolu Ostara (rekla bih uz Yule i Imbolc) predstavlja jedan aspekt prije spomenutog ponovnog rađanja. Stoga trenutno razmišljam o ovom ciklusu koji pokreće biološki sat prirode. 

Svakako je lakše prihvatiti smrt ako ju se shvaća kao sastavni dio života ili čak nastavak života nakon čega slijedi kratki period odmora i onda ponovno rađanje. I tako iznova i iznova. Možda je reinkarnacija samo jedno od mnogih viđenja svijeta i ljudske egzistencije koje nam pomaže da ostanemo staloženi i pozitivni u najtežim životnim situacijama. Da ona i jest samo to i ništa više, opet sam sretna što mogu sagledati svijet i prirodu na takav način. Ona me podsjeća da su i oni najteži trenuci u našim životima tu da nas nauče nečemu ili da nas osnaže.

Pouka koju sam izvukla iz ovog iskustva (koje mi je, moram priznati, sasvim novo) jest da je sve ciklično i da je jedina konstanta u životu zapravo promjena. Ništa ne možemo vječno konzervirati jer je promjena prirodna.

Ove godine ću Ostaru obilježiti sa svojom najbližom rodbinom i voljenim ljudima iako u ponešto sjetnije raspoloženju nego što bih voljela. Zato želim da za vas Ostara bude puna veselja, blagoslova i strasti!

Do sljedećeg posta,

vaša Witch's Cat

Blessed Ostara 2015

This year, Ostara is very different for me than for other people and I see it from an absolutely different perspective than was the case in previous years. Today, on the day of the spring equinox, early in the morning (no less than on the night of the New Moon), my grandfather died. The whole family had been expecting this for the past two weeks which he spent moving between the hospital and an old people's home. Considering his physical and mental health, we all agreed that death came as a blessing for him because he is finally at peace now. I don't plan to exhaust you with the sad details of this story but rather to explain my understanding of Ostara which was prompted by these circumstances.

The spring equinox marks an important turn in the Wheel of the Year and represents the agricultural New Year. This is the first day of spring, the day when everything is in bloom, when seeds are sprouting, when day and night are equal in length and the forces of chaos and cosmos are in balance. Yet this year, the reincarnation aspect of this festival stands out for me. That is to say, spring represents a time when the earth wakes up, plants come out of their slumber and a new, important step is taken into the year to come. People tend to forget that when something new begins, something else often comes to an end. In order for a tree to grow, its leaves have to fall and rot to nourish the earth. In order for a new oak tree to grow from the earth, one acorn has to sacrifice itself and fall to the earth which will welcome it into its womb.

Considering everything I have experienced recently, I simply cannot see Ostara as a festival of passion, fertility, sexuality and general merriment. Instead, I currently see it as the representative of unavoidable life changes which are natural nevertheless. The Wheel of the Year is a reflection of the birth-death-rebirth cycle. In this wheel, Ostara (I would say along with Yule and Imbolc) represents one aspect of the aforementioned rebirth. And so I am currently thinking about this cycle which sets nature's biological clock into motion.

It is surely easier to accept death if you understand it as an integral part of life or perhaps as an extension of life after which comes a short period of rest and then rebirth. And this goes on and on and on. Maybe reincarnation is just one of many perspectives on the world and human existence which helps us to stay composed and positive even in the most difficult of situations. Even if it is only this and nothing more, I am still happy to be able to understand the world and nature in such a way. This reminds me that even the hardest times in our lives are there to teach us something or to make us stronger.

The lesson that I got from this experience (which, I have to admit, is something completely new to me) is that everything is cyclical and that the only constant in life is change. We cannot preserve anything forever because change is natural.

This year, I will mark Ostara with my closest family and loved ones albeit in a somewhat sadder mood than I would prefer. This is why I wish that happiness, blessings and passion fill your Ostara celebration!

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat