Pumpkin and goat cheese pie

Pumpkin is in season and it is so very versatile. It is one of my favourite ingredients to use in food. So here is my recipe for this savory treat. 

Ingredients

Pie dough 

You can use a store bought one or make your own. If I buy mine I usually go for a rye dough. Here is one recipe I use when I make my own:

100-150g butter (at room temperature)

1,5 dl shredded cheese

2 dl flour

2 dl rolled oats

3 table spoons cold water

Filling

500g pumpkin, cubed
100g goat cheese
100g ricotta
3 eggs
3/4 dl milk
Fresh basil
Salt
Pepper
(Curry)
Olive oil

Cube the pumpkin and toss the cubes in some olive oil. Put them on a roasting tray and roast for about 30 minutes (175°C) or until soft. While they bake, combine all ingredients for the dough, knead and press into a pie dish. Cool for 15 min. When the pumpkin is soft, take it out an let cool. While the cubes cool, prebake the pie crust for 10 minutes. Mix eggs, milk, ricotta and the spices. Place pumpkin cubes and goat cheese in the crust and pour the eggmixture over it. Bake for about 40 minutes in 175°C. Garnish with more basil and enjoy.

Enjoy!

~Stella

Killstar Haul and First Impressions

I have been ogling Killstar's items for a very long time and recently decided to order some items from them. I have been needing a new handbag and wallet for some time and some items from Killstar's fall collection just spoke strongly to me. Here are the items I ordered:

• Tryals cast-out vest top [link]
• Book of Spells handbag [link]
• Dee Ceased Book wallet [link]
• Book of Spells journal [link]
• Netflix socks [link]

So I placed my order on a Tuesday afternoon and the package arrived in less than a week, which was much faster than I had expected. The items arrived in a plastic bag (picture below), which always makes me a bit nervous about in which condition the items would be. I really like the look of the bag though, this Ouija-board style print. So I could not wait to get home and tear open the packaging to get to the items inside.

As I opened the bag and started pulling things out of it I must say that they were really nicely packaged. The wallet came in it's own box, which was slightly dented in one corner but this did not affect the wallet itself. Here is a picture of all the items I got and below will follow my first impressions of them:

• The Tryals Cast-Out vest is a knee length top. It has some (decorative) lacing in the back and text printed on both sides, from a pamphlet of 1693 about casting out witches and devils. I really like the soft cotton stretch fabric of the top. It feels super comfortable to wear and it is the right length for me. I got the size XXL based on the size chart on Killstar's page for this item, but I could probably have gotten away with ordering a size L. This kind of material stretches a lot and the armholes feel a bit too big. A size large would probably also fit more snugly around my bust. But in all I am really happy with this top. I got it because I liked how the cut of it looked and the text printed on it reminds me of all the prejudice that witches and other alternative people have faced in history and still face today.

• The Handbag then. I am positively surprised by the handbag. It has two main compartments, one of which contains a small, zippered pocket. Zippers are all silver and shiny.The lining is woven with the Killstar logo in the fabric and it is also anchored to the bottom of the bag, which is a marker of good quality. The bottom of the bag has four studs on it for the handbag to stand on and protect it from wear and tear. The handbag also came with a detachable shoulder strap. I have not tried that out yet, but I will in time. I am a little bit concerned about how well the edge paint on the vegan leather will hold up, but we shall see. In all I feel like this might be one f the better quality non-leather handbags that I have owned. 

• The Dee Ceased wallet with the text "Handbook for the recently deceased" on it. This feels like a robust wallet. It has the text and some gravestones printed on the front, and a small zippered pocket on the back. The zippers and corner details are in a dark silver grey finish. Once opened the wallet has space for 12 cards, with two bigger "pockets" for notes or receipts, and a zippered pocket for coins. I find that the wallet i also big enough to house a small notepad and a pen. As with all new wallets and card holders they need to be broken in. The card holders in this one are really tight so I will try to break it in really slowly. In contrast to the handbag, the wallet has barely any edge paint, and edges are instead turned in. The only place I can see edge paint on are the books bands on the spine. The wallet fits very snugly in the handbag so I might be using an other wallet in the handbag instead f this one.

• Book of Spells Journal: I was super surprised by the feel of the cover of this journal. It is not in any way velvet, but this kind of soft matte cover that feels velvety to the touch. I can't put words on the feeling properly, but it feels nice to the touch. The print is embossed. The inside of the journal is lined cream paper. It has a satin band to mark pages and a rubber band to use for keeping the journal closed.  The first thing I did with this was to write my name in it, and of course, the title will tell you what the contents will be.

• Netflix socks: These have the text "Netflix and don't touch me" on them, in bold letters. I got these because when I saw them they made me laugh remembering an episode that happened a few years back. I had just met this guy who seemed really nice and he asked weather we could have this "Netflix and chill"-evening. I wholeheartedly agreed as I thought "Oh yeah, watching Netflix and having a chill evening." Sometimes I take things a bit too literally... Anyway, you can imagine how surprised I was when he made a move on me in the middle of a Jessica Jones-episode. Therefore, I got these socks to remind myself of that time and to keep unwanted suitors away (secret: when I watch a movie or TV-series I really like, I don't want to be disturbed by anything).

So in all I am very happy with the things I got (although my bank account is bleeding). I will try to make reviews of at least the handbag and the wallet once they have seen some wear. In the meantime: Stay witchy!

~Stella

OOTD: Comfortable Cozy Autumn Outfit

So Autumn is here and winter is making itself known. We have even had our first snowstorm. So, as the days grow darker and the weather colder I feel like dressing really comfortably for work. As I can't do the full on dark witch look for work I tend to go for something comfortable. So here is one of my favorite outfits.

I recently found this long black hoodie and it has become a new favorite for the season for me. The leggings are a saffron yellow with cute little kitties printed on them. They are probably the nicest pair of leggings I have made myself. I chose to wear the big Ankh from Killstar and a pair of small Ankh earrings that I've had for years. The boots are bought at a flea market and are super comfy.

For work I usually only wear eye-makeup and lipstick, and I skip the foundation, contouring etc. Because of being outdoors in the woods over half of my work time I tend to downplay makeup. That gives me more time to do elaborate makeup for evening wear.

That's it for today. Dress comfortably in what makes you happy!

~Stella

Turning a page

Hello dear reader!

It has been a while but the withing hour is here. I am getting back to black after a time of being lost in the light. For reasons beyond my control I gained a lot of weight and therefore lost most of my old wardrobe. Not being able to wear what I felt comfortable in I lost part of myself. Now, re-establishing a dark wardrobe is quite pricey but I am slowly getting there. I will how to create such a wardrobe and how to keep it in nice shape in this blog. Along with that I will also share some other aspects of my life.

This is me from last year's summer in a steampunk-inspired outfit I made.

I also moved during the past year so getting any sewing done has been challenging. Now, however, I have my sewing station up and running again. I will get back to sewing and post things I make. I will try to make tutorials and post ideas for DIY-projects.

Besides the sewing posts I also plan on making lookbook-style posts and haul-posts (of fabrics and other items I get). As fashion is a big part in making myself feel like me, and I feel like I lost a great part of that as I lost my wardrobe, fashion is something I may focus on a lot in this blog. I will, however, also try to post about all the magical and witchy aspects of my life.

Well, more will follow soon!

Many blessings and stay dark!

//Stella