This summer, we’re venturing deep into the realm of the fae with Summer in Faerie 2025—a season-long creative journey filled with enchanted recipes, whimsical crafts, and a touch of garden magic.

I wanted to take a quick moment to clarify what patrons over on Patreon can expect this summer.

🌟 What You Get as a Patron:

All patrons, regardless of level, receive:

• Participation in polls & creative challenges
• Early access to recipes, lore, and behind-the-scenes posts
• Access to seasonal recipes, crafts, and wonders—exclusive to Patreon until the end of the season
• A say in the direction of my work—including cookbook content, seasonal events, and worldbuilding!

Paid members (any tier) also gain access to exclusive content from The Adventurer’s Cookbook—my magnum opus project. You’ll get behind-the-scenes insights, historical tidbits, fantasy lore, and a look at how I bring it all together. Essentially, you’ll be with me every step of the way as I build a cookbook from scratch. During this summer season, we’ll be focusing on the section of the AC that touches on elven foods.

🌸 Seasonal Rewards | Summer in Faerie 2025

Supporters who stay for all three months of the Summer in Faerie season (June–August) will receive:

• A digital Summer in Faerie thank-you badge
• An exclusive recipe PDF or mini-zine compiling the season’s best recipes & crafts
• Recognition in the final Summer in Faerie post or zine (opt-out available)

PLUS — For $15+ Tier Patrons (all 3 months):
Those who support at $15+ for the full season earn the honorary title “Bearer of the Summer Sigil” and A mailed Summer in Faerie sticker badge, and can choose a handmade reward from the Pick-a-Perk Treasure Pool, possibly to include handmade or found faerie treasure, such as:

• Sealing wax bead sampler
• Pressed clover or flower charm
• Small phial of Vermont river garnets
• Spice or herb blends
• Hand-pressed flower bookmark or card
• Decorative recipe card or mini print
• Historical herbal salves
• Herkimer diamonds
• …and more!

Your support—both financial and emotional—keeps the magic alive. It fuels my recipe testing, photography, research, and storytelling, and makes this cozy, whimsical world possible.

I hope you all will join us over on Patreon. Let’s make some magic this summer! ✨

“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the disheveled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.”
— W.B. Yeats, The Land of Heart’s Desire

This summer, I’m stepping through the garden gate—and you’re invited to follow.

From June through August, I’ll be loosely guiding my creative work with a seasonal theme: Summer in Faerie. It’s a celebration of strange beauty, edible wonder, and stories that shimmer at the edges of the everyday.

Not every post will be about faeries, but the spirit of the season will be there—in every honey-drizzled berry, moonlit dessert, and flower-laced recipe. You’ll still find historical research, updates from The Adventurer’s Cookbook, and plenty of behind-the-scenes chaos—but this time, kissed by enchantment.

Expect:

🧚 Tiny treats and faerie-sized foods—tiny tarts, petal-wrapped cheeses, wild berries in honey syrup
🌸 Recipes with edible flowers, foraged greens, and ingredients from my garden
🧀 Experimental creations like petal-laced cheeses and glittering green wines
📝 Lore-rich nods to ACOTAR, The Folk of the Air, Redwall, LotR, and beyond
🌿 Craft projects for all ages—fairy garden furniture, twinkling windchimes, pressed flower lanterns, and more
🍷 Drinks both historical and fantastical—rosehip punch, glimmerwine, and dew-sweet cordials
🧺 Perhaps even a secret garden party… and a seasonal zine to bring it all together

For the duration of the season, all of the content will live on Patreon, where all supporters (paid or not) can access:

• Early access to recipes, with full-resolution photos
• Patreon-only posts, experiments, and lore
• Voting power and input on what we explore next
• A cozy spot in the story as it unfolds

If you’ve ever dreamed of sharing a twilight feast, or sipping something sparkling beneath the elder trees—now’s your moment. Come join me where the garden ends and the fairy tale begins.

👉 Join the faerie circle on Patreon

Pull up a toadstool. Stay a while. We’re just getting started… ✨

“Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the disheveled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.”
— W.B. Yeats, The Land of Heart’s Desire

This summer, we’re stepping through the garden gate and into something a little more magical. I’m excited to share that I’m starting a seasonal initiative, whereby June through August will be loosely guided by a new seasonal theme: Summer in Faerie. 

What does that mean?

It means that while not every post will be about faeries, the season as a whole will be inspired by the kind of strange beauty that might be found in a mossy glade or at the edge of a twilight feast. You’ll still see historical recipes, research tidbits, and plenty of behind-the-scenes peeks at The Adventurer’s Cookbook, but many will be infused with the flavors, flowers, and folklore of an enchanted summer.

Expect:

• 🧚‍♀️ Tiny treats and faerie-sized foods—tiny tarts, petal-wrapped cheeses, and wild berries in honey syrup
• 🌸 Recipes featuring edible flowers, foraged greens, and ingredients from my own gardens
• 🧀 Experimental recipes like salt-free cheeses, moon-pale desserts, and glittering green wines
• 📝 A special focus on the worlds of ACOTAR, The Folk of the Air series, LotR, Redwall, Tales of the Shire, and more!
• 📸 Dreamy photoshoots, reels, and behind-the-scenes chaos from my kitchen and garden
• 🌿 Craft ideas for both adults and kids – fairy garden furniture, pressed flower lanterns, and so much more!
• 🍷 Drinks both historical and imaginary—from rosehip punch to glimmerwine
• 🧺 And quite possibly… a secret garden party finale, and a zine to compile everything from the season! 👀

All Patrons, whether you’re able to pay or not, get some pretty cool perks:

• Early access to every recipe, with full-resolution images and styled shots
• Exclusive content only on Patreon
• Bonus lore and storytelling
• Patreon-only experiments and misadventures
• Input on how the season develops

So come join us in the part of the forest where the real magic happens.

Pull up a toadstool. Stay a while. We’re just getting started…

Thoughts:

I know it’s been a while since we visited the Seven Kingdoms, but while digging through some old drafts, I found this gem—unpublished for nine years! I don’t know how I let this slip so far through the cracks, but I’m delighted to share it now!

The silky texture and unexpected combination of flavors in this soup is a true delight. While it’s equally delicious served hot or cold, I love it as a warm welcome after coming in from chores or a crisp autumn hike. The apple and parsnip meld beautifully, and the gentle spices give it a festive, almost holiday feel.

The only thing I might change? Roasting the parsnips next time. Even better—roast them in the coals of a fire before adding them to the soup. That would lend an incredible smoky depth, and apart from the puréeing step, it would make a perfect campfire dish. I’ve bookmarked it for future experimentation!

Where in Westeros?

This is a decadent, profoundly northern-feeling soup. The basic ingredients are found across Westeros, but the spices suggest a well-provisioned kitchen in a wealthier household—Winterfell comes to mind instantly. I imagine it served beside a slab of crusty bread, toasted over the hearth and slathered with a generous scrape of butter.

Recipe for Apple-Parsnip Soup

serves: 2       prep: ~10 minutes       cooking: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. butter
• 3 shallots, sliced thin
• 1 leek, white and pale green parts
• 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped small
• 2 tart apples, peeled, cored, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup apple cider or juice
• pinch each ground cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. juniper berries, crushed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallots and leeks, and cook until they are soft, 3-5 minutes. Add the parsnips and apples, tossing to coat in butter, then pour in the two liquids. Bring to a simmer, and continue to cook until the vegetables are very soft, 30 minutes or so. With a submersible blender, puree the whole mix until the texture is smooth. Add the spices, and place the juniper berries in a small mesh bag or tea strainer, which you then suspend in the soup. Simmer for another 15 minutes or so, then remove the juniper berries. If needed, puree again. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with a little extra spice for garnish.

One of my quick fixes to get me through part of this winter was a pretty hefty binge into the worlds of the videogame No Man’s Sky. It’s an immersive, open world space exploration game, and one of my favorite parts is scanning new flora and fauna on unexplored planets.

And, I mean, how amazing would that actually be? At least on worlds a little less inclined to murder red-shirts… It’s something that has really struck me as I started watching Scavenger’s Reign, also. It would be astonishing to suddenly have literally out-of-this-world ingredients to play with.

At any rate, until that day comes, we’ll have to make do with Earth ingredients!

In-game, the jam is created in a nutrient processor by combining Fireberries (found on scorched planets) and Processed Sugar (made from a variety of fruits). The “berries” look a lot like chili peppers, so both image and name fit the spicy profile. It’s described as having a flavor profile that is “otherworldly, chromatic, vivid”, which is both really fun, and not a whole lot to go on.

For my version, I opted for a mango base and blended spices like Aleppo pepper, ginger, grains of paradise, and long pepper for a lasting and varied burn. The result is a thick condiment that balances sweetness with a slow-building heat. It’s amazing paired with cheeses, or on a slice of toast, or probably atop some yogurt and granola, although mine didn’t last long enough to test that particular idea. And that shimmer from the edible glitter does give it a dash of that interstellar pizazz.

Everburning Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup mango, diced small (frozen and thawed is fine)
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. dried Aleppo pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. long pepper
• ¼ tsp. grains of paradise
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• Pinch of salt
• 2 Tbs. candied ginger, diced
• dash of cinnamon oil
• pink food coloring (optional)
• ¼ tsp edible red glitter

Combine the sugar, mango, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add in the spices and salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the mango is quite soft, then stir in the candied ginger, cinnamon oil, and food coloring and cook for a final 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the edible glitter.

The jam should keep for several weeks in the fridge. If you wish to seal it into jars, follow all standard canning procedures carefully.

Here’s a recipe I made last month for my daughter’s 5th birthday. She is in a shieldmaiden phase of her life (the first of many, I hope!), and has been especially interested in all things Viking, including “old letters”, or runes.

So in addition to a rather stunning crow cake surrounded by sparkly edible crow treasures, I thought it would be fun to make her some rune cookies, as well! I made several of her favorite designs, and then brushed the runes with some edible luster powder to give them a shimmery magical flair.

She’s 5, and knows her own mind, so she wasn’t a big fan of the flavor, but I found myself sneaking cookie after cookie for days, especially with a mug of tea or coffee. The flavor is subtle, but satisfying, and that little touch of magic might just be what gave me the extra oomph to power through the holiday-packed month of February (3 birthdays, and Valentine’s Day, our second biggest family holiday!). So here’s hoping it brings a little magic to you, as well!

Rune Shortbread Cookies

Note: I found that the cookie crumbles gave the cookies enough interesting color, but you could also add food coloring, if so inclined, to give the cookies a little more grey or brown tone.

Makes: about 2 dozen   –   Prep: 30 minutes   –   Baking: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup crumbled chocolate cookies (I used Oreos)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• edible luster dust (optional, but looks like magic!)

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar until it’s light and fluffy, then add in the vanilla extract, salt, and cookie crumbles. Gradually mix in the flour until you’ve got a pretty soft dough that doesn’t crumble apart.

To form the cookies, begin pinching off pieces of the dough and forming into balls roughly 1-2″ across. Using a rolling pin or the flat bottom of a glass, press the dough flat into a roughly stone-shape, reforming any cracks that might appear. Set the cookies on a baking sheet.

To make the Runes, I used the end of a wooden chopstick to press the shapes into the dough. I went with Norse Runes, but you could make any shapes you like! Chill the shaped and stamped cookies in the fridge while the oven preheats to 350°F.

Bake the cookies for around 15 minutes, until just turning golden on the edges. Remove from heat and allow to cool until they can be handled. (it may take several batches to bake all the cookies, depending on the size of your oven and baking sheets)

Using a clean small paintbrush, brush the edible luster powder onto the runes to give them a magical shimmer.

It feels both strange and natural to find myself always coming back to The Inn.

It’s somewhere I’ve dwelt, at least partly, for over a decade now, and in my heart, probably much longer than that. This past weekend, I had the chance to remind myself why I do what I do, and how much it matters to me.

One thing you might not know about me is that I throw one hell of a themed party. For several years, I’ve thrown a Midsummer Fae party, with various sub-themes changing each year according to the fae court hosting: Flowers and Funghi, Ravens and Rivers, Moonlight and Forest Shadows, that sort of thing. Last year was the last of those in the old house, and it felt bittersweet because of it.

So it felt absolutely right, as the chaos of the last couple of years began to clear, amidst the lingering madness of renovating a new home and (STILL!) waiting for the old one to sell, of divorce and an old-friend-turned-new-partner, and of two clever and wildly strong-willed kids under the age of 5, to throw the most elaborate party yet: Corsairs and Sea Fae.

And because my new place has a barn that’s even longer than the house, I finally got the chance to start building out a tavern. A key difference between this location and the old house is that I have much less land/yard/woodland to work with now. But a properly cool barn from the 1800s that was one of the big selling points for me when it came to choosing this house for the next couple of years. I wasn’t sure of the theme of the party when I did my first walkthrough, but it radiated potential.

The concept: a shipwreck, where a former Corsair queen’s ship was driven against the rocks of Crackhull Isle. But the nearby Sea Fae, impressed by her courage, befriended the queen and began an alliance between their two peoples. The party was a meeting between both sides to strengthen those bonds of friendship. So the barn became the wreck of The Raven, with parts of it submerged and parts above the waterline. There was a vibrant reef with jellyfish, an alcove for a fortune teller, a quieter lounge adjacent to the noisier tavern, and the tavern itself; lawn games and challenges of skill and strength had been planned for outside, but were rained out.

Upstairs was my pet project: a ship’s deck with furled sails, fabric alcoves for whispering and mischief, a ship’s wheel, and a long feast table set for dinner. My cohost Ciel worked absolute wonders on the floral arrangements up there, with an installation of lights and fresh flowers, an explosion of dahlias, zinnias, gomphrena, hydrangea, verbena, sedum, and autumn wildflowers that dripped down over the table in an impossibly lush arrangement. And the best part was, we kept the entire ship’s deck a surprise from everyone. So the moment they all walked across the planks upstairs to the sound of a creaking ship, and ducked below a beam onto the deck with audible gasps, was a triumph.

But after all of that, the dinner and lush desserts, the heart of the party was the tavern. It’s where folks returned to again and again, where raucous games of Liar’s Dice took place, the grog flowed, and new friendships were forged.

And you know what? Despite the work involved, and the months of brainstorming, the weeks of setup, I can’t wait to do it all over again. We’re even toying with the idea of creating a side-business doing small specialty events like this. Or renting out all the crazy fun props and dishware I’ve acquired over the years to other stylists and photographers. Cobbling together multiple businesses is definitely a Vermont thing, from snow-plowing to maple sugaring, so this would be my version of that, I suppose!

But it’s tricky, in so many ways. We throw ourselves at the prep for an event like this (and it shows!) but we are only 2-3 people, and everything is so often right down to the wire that I don’t have time to play with food, which is something I’d love to incorporate into the parties again. I had a whole pinboard of food ideas I didn’t get to try out (a theme for October, perhaps?)

Putting magic into this world, and inviting others to step over the threshold between this world and another, is where I am happiest, I think. It’s what I’ve done with my cookbooks and recipes, and something that’s very important to me. I want to find new ways to do that!

So what do you think? I know there are many elaborate (and expensive!) Fae balls and such being thrown out there, but what about a smaller, more intimate sort of event? Or a tavern setting for gaming in the evenings? Or something wild and awesome I haven’t even yet considered? Is there something in all of that you’d enjoy attending or hearing more about?

Huge shout-outs to the teams behind the scenes: my co-host and partner Mark, who labored into the night so we had benches for dinner, and generally Got Things Done; my co-host and co-dreamer Ciel (@skyinfrench) who always brings such vision and stretch goals to bear on these endeavors; Nick (@nmj_pottery_and_gardens) for growing us such incredible flowers; Talia and Sarah for their annual efforts, Orion, and the slew of friends, grandparents, and neighbors who all pitched in to make this party happen.

“I slept badly that night, but this was getting to be so usual that it was an effort to try to decide if the nightmares I’d had were the kind I should pay attention to or not. I decided that they probably were, but I didn’t know what kind of attention to pay, so I wasn’t going to. I went in to work, turned my brain off, and started making cinnamon rolls, and garlic-rosemary buns for lunch. Then I made brown sugar brownies, Rocky Road Avalanche, Killer Zebras, and a lot of muffins, and then it was ten-thirty and I had the lunch shift free.”

― Robin McKinley, Sunshine

I’ll start by happily telling you that this is one of my favorite books. It sits on my library shelves, little reference flags poking out all over the top of the spine marking where I found an enticing food within the pages. It is one of the more unusual vampire stories I’ve ever read, and is a mouthwatering marvel when it comes to the descriptions of the baked goods that Rae dreams up in the coffeehouse where she works. More about that soon over on Patreon…

There isn’t a description of what these baked goods actually look like in the book, which can be daunting, because there’s not much to go on, but also liberating, because it’s all up to my imagination. In my research, I read that the author, Robin McKinley based these cookies on a kind of pinwheel cookie recipe, so I based my recipe loosely on that. I really wanted a flashy cookie with cool looking zebra stripes, and given the pinwheel connection, I figured the stripes would be in the dough, rather than drizzled over the top. Mind you, this is just my personal take on them, so by all means, shop around online to see what other bakers have dreamed up, too!

My first attempt at these cookies was less than successful- I had too many warring flavors going at once, and didn’t chill the dough enough, so when I tried to fold it into stripes, it sort of mushed into indistinct muddy brown.

The second test, though, after I made some tweaks, was WOAH. Those stripes! That Mexican hot chocolate flavor! The texture of the cookies is that of a crisp shortbread that starts to melt instantly. There’s a slow burn from the chipotle that warms and lingers on the tongue, which makes these a surprisingly perfect offering for the short cold days of winter. That touch of white chocolate on the bottom completes the flavor journey, smoothing out the bite of the spice so you keep coming back for more. These cookies didn’t last long at all in my house, and neither will the next batch, I’m sure!

Seriously, check out the book, and make up a batch of these amazing cookies, then come on back and tell me what you thought of both! ;)

Recipe for Killer Zebras

makes: about a dozen cookies – prep time: 10 minutes – chilling: at least 1.5 hours – baking: 12-15 minutes

Ingredients:

This wine is served at the Summer Solstice, to celebrate the start of the season and an abundant crop. I was first leaning towards apple or pear as a base, but those will be more autumnal, since that’s when they’re harvested. Instead, I looked to the fruits and flowers of springtime- strawberries, elderflower, that sort of thing. I also took some inspiration from German May wine, which is infused with sweet woodruff. My mind cast back to the snowberry cordial I made for Elder Scrolls, red wine infused with cranberries and fortified with brandy. It’s a doozy, and the notion stuck. However, the faerie wine at the solstice is described as being fizzy, so I adapted it! I made a strong flavored syrup that can be mixed with either prosecco or champagne, or a sparkling non-alcoholic cider for those not imbibing alcohol.

Faerie Wine Recipe

Makes: enough for at least 6 servings – prep: 15 minutes – Chilling: at least 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries
• 2 cups white grape juice
• 1/2 cup honey
• a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• generous pinch ground cardamom
• 1/4 cup elderflower liqueur
• dash of edible luster powder
• 1 bottle prosecco, chilled

Begin by combining the white grape juice, berries, honey, thyme, and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Bring to just under a simmer, when it’s started to steam and the honey has dissolved. Remove from heat and strain into a clean bottle. Allow to cool somewhat, then add the elderflower and the luster powder. Allow to cool completely.

You can either mix each serving to taste, or make a larger punch bowl.

Mocktail Variant: Substitute the white wine for white grape juice, the elderflower for an elderflower syrup like Ikea sells, and the prosecco for a ginger ale.

“A really old sandwich made by Shamway. It will take away the hunger but it will also make you sick”

This is a recipe first devised by my husband, who is part of my current 7 Days to Die raiding party of friends. The result was a surprisingly simple and yet tasty sandwich that absolutely looked the part of (mostly) shelf-stable provisions.

In the longstanding Beta of the game, the hotkey for the sandwich was a horribly green, moldy thing that was entirely unappealing, unless you were starving. Even then, there was a good chance it would make you sick. On account of the mold, it is also an ingredient for making the oh-so-crucial antibiotics you need to counter infection, should you tussle with the wrong zombie.

For my recipe, the same effect is gained with a little matcha powder, which gives the sandwich a decidedly dusty green mold look. (You could employ the same trick to any food that needs to be stored in a work fridge, so nobody touches your lunch.)

I opted for a variety of deli meats as the primary filling, largely because I didn’t have a can of Sham… uh… Spam handy. I’d also suggest that if you’re feeling creative, or you have a garden that gives you produce, I think some slices of tomato and/or some sliced peppers, as well as a bit of lettuce, would be a tasty addition to the sandwich, if not entirely in keeping with the in-game item.

Sham Sandwich Recipe

Makes 1 sandwich – Prep: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 slices sandwich bread
• 1 wedge laughing cow cheese, room temp
• several slices salami
• several slices deli ham
• thinly sliced pepperoni
• sliced sandwich cheese, such as American, provolone, etc.
• powdered matcha

Start by spreading the laughing cow cheese over the insides of both slices of bread. Layer on the salami, pepperoni, and other cheese.

Now, here comes the fun part: using a small spoon or clean paintbrush, apply some of the matcha powder to parts of the sandwich to give it a decidedly moldy look. Bonus: you could employ the same trick to any food that needs to be stored in a work fridge, so nobody touches your lunch. ;)

This sandwich is also extra tasty if you lightly grill it before adding the matcha, although I would argue that in the world of 7D2D, you might grill it to bring it back to life a little, since who knows just how long it’s been sitting in that abandoned kitchen…

I’ve got more 7D2D recipes coming up soon, but consider pairing this with a mug of Blackstrap Coffee, in the meantime. And as always, if you like this content, consider checking out our Patreon community, where you will also get behind the scenes looks at recipe development, brainstorming, and the chance to influence which recipes I make next. It’s free to join, so please come say hi!