Rewarding curiosity and gifting magic all over the Pacific Northwest
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Blog

This blog is an exploration of daily magic, featuring wild plants, creative recipes, meaningful ceremonies, and writings about our shared humanity. 

Welcome to the Blog!

Welcome to the Wondersmith's Writings! Here you can find magical recipes featuring foraged ingredients, musings on food and ceremony, and meaningful rituals to explore your own everyday magic. Though I have been focused on other writing pursuits, I am keeping all of my blog content up as a resource for you. You can use the search bar below to find what you are looking for. (Please note that sometimes you need to refresh the page to see the search results.) Happy reading! If you'd like to support my goal to spread magic far and wide, consider contributing to my patreon program!

Don’t see what you are looking for? Just search for it in the bar below! (Note: sometimes you need to refresh the page to see the search results)

Secret Recipe: Dragon's Blood Punch

When I sculpted these dragon's head rhyta (inspired by both ancient ceramics and tales of magnificent beasts), I knew I needed something special to serve in them. I brewed up this warm wine and brandy-based punch filled with winter spices and flavors such as rose hips, spicebush berries, and fresh ginger... warming, revitalizing, and the perfect drink to accompany a new quest! Whether you are slaying metaphorical dragons or just heading out for a brisk walk, this Dragon's Blood Punch quaffed (in moderation, of course) will set you on your way.

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Secret Recipe: Burdock Latkes with Winter Fruit Compote

Foraged burdock stalks add a lovely crispness and slight sweetness to these classic Latkes. Swap out applesauce for a delicious seasonal fruit compote for an extra special treat to celebrate light in the darkness.

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Secret Recipe: Lab Samples Drink (Halloween is a Playground!)

In the playful world of Halloween tricks and treats, boundaries are blurred and the taboo becomes inspiring. These refreshing elderflower and pear lab specimen drinks are the perfect intersection of disgust, delight, and pure play.

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Secret Recipe: Ancient Cheesecakes with Bay, Elderberries, and Figs

According to archaeologists, it is believed that some of the very first cakes ever made were simple concoctions of soft goat cheese, honey, and sometimes a little bit of grain. These cheesecake tarts are my homage to those ancient cakes. The flaky pastry crust gets a nutty flavor from buckwheat flour, but has also been adapted to be gluten-free. The filling is an aromatic mixture of homemade bay leaf-infused goat cheese and honey. A gorgeous topping of elderberry honey sauce really dresses these up, and a roasted fig with honey is the perfect compliment to the richness of the cheesecake below.

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Secret Recipe: Savory Sunflower Cupcakes and Little Lessons

These beautiful treats are a trick for the eyes. What first appear as beautifully-frosted cupcakes are actually savory muffins full of late summer veggies, cheese, and hearty sunflower seeds. “Frosting” made out of mashed potatoes finishes the lovely illusion with a pillowy bite. These are a great breakfast or snack!

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Secret Recipe: Chicken of the Woods Satay Stuffed Cucumbers (Mushroom Myths Debunked)

These mouthwateringly refreshing bites are the perfect plant-and-mushroom-based summer dinner. Packed with interesting textures, bold flavors, and foraged ingredients, they are sure to bring a smile to your face!

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Secret Recipe: Yarrow Tomato Consommé with Gluten-Free Herbed Ravioli

This refreshing chilled summer soup is full of the purity of summer sunlight, layered with fresh tomatoes, yarrow, and other herbs and spices to make a broth that is as light as it is delicious. Tender gluten-free raviolis filled with mixed herbs are the perfect addition to take this from an appetizer to a light lunch!

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Secret Recipe: Whipped Berry Sunrise Parfaits (Plus a ritual!)

A delightful summer fruit parfait with homemade granola and porridge is the perfect way to start and early morning… especially if that morning includes a ritual celebrating and capturing the sunrise!

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Secret Recipe: Persian Trouts and Fir Tip Pilaf

This recipe is a delightful ode to summer’s bounty. Fresh-caught trout are stuffed with fresh green herbs, stone fruits, and dried currants steeped in pomegranate molasses. A drizzle of saffron butter adds floral complexity, and they lay on a bed of rice pilaf filled with the fresh forest flavors of tender conifer tips and toasted pine nuts. A saffron and spruce tip aioli is the perfect finishing touch for this summertime feast.

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Secret Recipe: Elderflower Vanilla Floats

It’s surprisingly easy to brew fresh, fragrant elderflowers into a sparkling soda, and after just a day or two you’ll have a soda sparkling with the wild and enchanting essence of elderflower. I love serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the best float you’ve ever tasted. Cheers to the magic of elderflowers and the spaces they inhabit. Cheers to the people living authentically as themselves around the edges of societal stodginess. Cheers to the freedom to be exactly who we are.

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Secret Recipe: Strawberry cake with Brown Butter and Candy Cap Buttercream

This moist gluten-free cake is packed full of strawberry flavor, then covered in a luxurious browned butter and candy cap mushroom buttercream. Mushrooms and strawberries may sound like the strangest of bedfellows, but I promise they work!

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