Peach Cake

Summertime brings intense heat and therefore also a need for all things refreshing. This light cake made from yogurt and fresh fruit is a great choice for all of you that have a sweet tooth but who also feel like eating something refreshing. :) Actually any seasonal fruit (which doesn't lose its quality in the oven) can be used for this cake, but peaches give the dough that special juiciness which is why it stays soft for days after its been made!

You Will Need:

• peaches (I used 5 or about half a kilogram, but you can use however many you like)
• 2 eggs
• 100-150 g brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 dl) yogurt/cooking cream
• 2 cups flour
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1 dcl oil
• powdered sugar

How To Prepare:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix together eggs and sugar then add the yogurt and oil.
2. Add the baking powder to the flour and add this to the above mixture bit by bit. If needed, add some more yogurt so the final mixture isn't too dense.
3. Grease your baking tin with oil and sprinkle it with flour. Pour in the mixture.
4. Peel off the skin from the peaches, take out the pit and cut it into pieces (whichever size you like).
5. Heat the oven to 175°C.
6. Bake the cake for 10 minutes.
7. Take out the cake and "sprinkle" the peach chunks on it.
8. Put the cake back in the oven for about another 30 minutes (you'll know when the cake is done when you poke a toothpick in it and the dough doesn't stick to it).
9. When it has cooled down a bit, sprinkle some powdered sugar over it.

Enjoy!!! :D

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat

Biskvit od breskvi

Ljetno vrijeme sa sobom donosi velike vrućine, a time i potrebu za osvježenjem. Ovaj lagani kolač od jogurta i svježeg voća je zato super izbor za sve slatkoljupce koji imaju potrebu za nečim slatkim, ali istovremeno osvježavajućim. :) Zapravo bilo koje sezonsko voće (koje ne gubi na kvaliteti u pećnici) može poslužiti, ali breskve daju posebnu sočnost biskvitu koji ostaje mekan još danima poslije!

Potrebno je:

• breskve (količina po želji, ja sam ih iskoristila 5 tj. otprilike pola kilograma)
• 2 jaja
• 100-150 g smeđeg šećera
• 1 čaša (2 dcl) jogurta/vrhnja
• 2 čaše brašna
• 1 vrećica praška za pecivo
• 1 dcl ulja
• šećer u prahu

Priprema:

1. Električnim mikserom pomiješati šećer i jaja te dodati jogurt i ulje.
2. Pomiješati brašno s praškom za pecivo i pomalo dodavati u smjesu poviše. Po potrebi dodati još malo jogurta ako je smjesa previše gusta.
3. Namazati lim za pečenje uljem, pobrašniti ga i uliti smjesu.
4. Oguliti koru s breskvi, izvaditi koštice i isjeckati na komade (veličina po želji).
5. Zgrijati pećnicu na 175°C.
6. Peći kolač 10 minuta.
7. Izvaditi kolač i "pobacati" komade breskvi.
8. Vratiti kolač u pećnicu još 30ak minuta (biti ćete sigurni da je kolač gotov kada zabodete čačkalicu unutra i ništa se ne bude lijepilo za nju).
9. Kada se kolač malo ohladi posuti ga šećerom u prahu.

Uživajte!!! :D

Vaša Witch's Cat

Litha kao vrijeme suočavanja

Kada pomislimo na Lithu, pomislimo na ljeto, sunce, veselje i, za nas koje živimo na moru, kupanje (ali i za vas koji putujete na more). Ali kao i svaki drugi sabat, Litha je mnogo kompleksnija od toga.

Istina je da je Sunce za Lithu na vrhuncu snage i da je dan zbog toga najduži, ali ovo je ujedno dan kada se Sunce (mitološki predstavljeno figurom Boga) žrtvuje kako bi se Kolo godine nastavilo okretati, a zemlja mogla preporoditi od silne vrućine. Od ovog dana nadalje rastu sile kaosa, a sile kozmosa se smanjuju, dani postaju sve kraći i sunčeva snaga opada. Ova žrtva je potrebna kako bi se prirodni ciklusi nastavili.

Prema Kolu godine, sve kulminira na Lithi - svi naši planovi i ciljevi koje smo "posadili" za Imbolc su klijali i rasli preko Ostare i Beltanea dok nisu dosegli svoju punu snagu upravo za ovaj sabat. Što je sada ostalo napraviti? Sagledati unatrag što smo napravili i jesmo li ostvarili sve što smo naumili. Stoga je ovo vrijeme introspekcije. Ovo nije lagan zadatak i može uzrokovati isplivavanje raznih emocija i saznanja na površinu, ali je nužan za daljnji individualni rast i razvoj.

Za mene je ova Litha bila upravo to - prilika za introspekciju. Moram priznati da sam saznala dosta novog o sebi i svojim bližnjima te da mi većina ovih saznanja nije baš lako pala. Ali očito je da je ovakvo nešto bilo potrebno. Zahvaljujući tome znam što dalje trebam činiti i kakve ciljeve postaviti.

Uobičajeno je za Lithu iskoristiti golemu količinu energije koja kruži za suočavanje s problemima i rješavanje istih. I toga je bilo u mene. Neki će ovu energiju koristiti za pomoć drugima, bilo ljudima, životinjama ili biljkama. Njegovanje je zato još jedan važan aspekt Lithe. U ovom pogledu sam doživjela najljepša iskustva u životu koja su mi vratila nadu u ljude, u njihovu dobrotu i velikodušnost. Ovo razdoblje mi je općenito bilo jako burno, iako postajem svjesna da su i takvi periodi potrebno. Oni šokantni trenuci nas prodrmaju, razbude i ukažu nam na toliko toga (iako ponekad na grubi način) što nam je potrebno za nastaviti dalje kroz život.

Potičem vas da i sami stanete, osvrnete se na prošle mjesece i dokučite nešto novo! Možda neće biti lagano...čak će vam ovo novo saznanje možda biti bolno, ali naposljetku svako "zašto" ima svoje "zato".

Neka vam ova Litha bude blagoslovljena i donese mudrost, razboritost, odlučnost i hrabrost.

Vaša Witch's Cat

Litha as a Time of Confrontation

When we think of Litha, we think of the summer, sunshine, happiness and, for those of us that live near the sea and for those of you that travel to get to the beach, bathing season. But as is the case with every other Sabbath, Litha is much more complex than this.

It's true that the Sun is at the height of its power on Litha and that this is the longest day of the year because of this, but the summer solstice is also the day when the Sun (mythologically represented by the figure of the God) sacrifices itself so the Wheel of the Year could continue turning and the earth could regenerate itself after the intense heat. From this day onward, the forces of chaos grow and the forces of cosmos decline, the days become shorter and the Sun begins to lose its strength. But this sacrifice is necessary for the natural cycles to continue.

When you look at the Wheel of the Year, everything culminates on Litha - all of our plans and goals which we "planted" on Imbolc and watched grow through Ostara and Beltane to this point have now reached their full potential. So what is left for us to do? Look back at what we have done and see if we have achieved everything we planned to. Therefore, this is a time for introspection. This is not an easy task and it may lead to many emotions and facts coming to light, but it is necessary for further individual growth and evolution.

This Litha was precisely all that for me - a time of introspection. I have to admit that I have come to know a lot more about myself and my loved ones and that most of this knowledge was hard to take in. But obviously this was necessary and thanks to all of this, I now know what I have to do next and which goals to set myself.

It is normal for Litha to use the huge amounts of energy flowing around in order to face certain problems and solve them. This aspect of Litha was also present for me. Some use this energy to help others; be they humans, animals or plants. Nurturing is therefore another aspect of this Sabbath. I had some of the most touching experiences of my life in this respect. They restored my faith in people, their goodness and generosity. Generally, this period was very tumultuous for me, although I am becoming aware that these phases are also a necessary part of life. It is these shocking moments that really shake us and wake us up and point out (albeit sometimes in an indelicate way) so many novelties to us which are necessary for us to continue in life.

I urge you to stop, look back at the past few months and grasp something new! It may not be easy... This new knowledge may even be painful for you, but in the end, every why has a wherefore.

May this Litha be blessed and may it bring you wisdom, prudence, determination and courage!

Yours,

Witch's Cat