Once Bitten Chapter 14: The Feast and The Facts, a merlin fanfic

And here you have it- the recipes for the feast in chapter 11. Should you choose, I would love to hear what you thought of them. Most of them came from the Taste of Home cookbooks. Enjoy. Fun facts are at the bottom.

Venison Stew (Note: For those of you who live in cities, you can normally find venison in specialty stores. Those of you who live in the middle of nowhere, good luck. For more information about Dutch Ovens, look up Lodge Dutch Oven company. This can also be made in other types of pans. Feel free to experiment.)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 pounds venison stew meat

3 large onions, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups water

7 potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cold water

Bottled browning sauce, optional

Directions

Heat oil in a Dutch oven. Brown meat. Add onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and water. Simmer, covered, 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender.

Add potatoes and carrots. Continue to cook until vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Mix flour and cold water; stir into stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add browning sauce if desired. Remove bay leaf. Yield: 8-10 servings.

Rosemary Romano Bread (Note: Okay, they wouldn't necessarily have had French bread, but work with me here. This is a very tasty and easy party food, by the way.)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 loaf (1 pound) French bread, halved lengthwise

Directions

In a microwave, melt butter. Stir in the Romano cheese, garlic and rosemary. Spread over cut side of bread.

Place cut side up on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Slice and serve warm. Yield: 14-16 servings.

Leg of Lamb (Note: A very tasty and relatively easy to make dish. Very good for family reunions, and holidays.)

Ingredients

1/2 leg of lamb (3 to 4 pounds)

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

Cut five slits in the meat; insert garlic. Combine salt, pepper, thyme and garlic powder; rub over meat. Place on a rack in a roasting pan. Broil 5-6 in. from the heat until browned; turn and brown the other side. Turn oven to 350°. Add 1/2 cup water to pan. Cover and bake for 25 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 160° for medium or 170° for well-done. Remove to carving board and keep warm. Pour pan drippings into a large measuring cup, scraping brown bits. Skim fat; reserving 1/4 cup in a saucepan; add flour. Add water to drippings to equals 2 cups; add all at once to flour mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes more. Slice lamb and serve with gravy. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Pheasant and Wild Rice (Note: Rice was not grown in England in the Middle Ages, as far as I can tell. Pardon the incompleteness. You can remove the rice for authenticity if you want. As I don't like mushrooms, I take those out of mine- this is a very forgiving recipe.)

Ingredients

1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

2-2/3 cups water

3/4 cup chopped onion

2-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon pepper

6 bacon strips, cut up

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large oven roasting bag

2 cups uncooked wild rice

1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

1 large pheasant, halved or two small pheasants (about 4 pounds)

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine first nine ingredients; bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, place flour in oven bag; shake to coat. Place oven bag in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan; add the bacon. Sprinkle rice and mushrooms over bacon. Add pheasant. Pour soup mixture into bag.

Cut six 1/2-in. slits in top of bag; close bag with tie provided. Bake at 350° for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180°. Let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Spinach Greens (Note: Spinach, when not cooked, is wonderful. Give it a try. It's like softer lettuce.)

Ingredients

4 bacon strips

12 cups torn fresh spinach or beet greens

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp; remove to a paper towel to drain. Add greens to drippings; cook, stirring constantly, just until wilted. Stir in the sugar and salt. Crumble bacon and stir into greens. Serve immediately.

Fresh Pear Cake (Note: Should you want to use less oil, substitute part with applesauce.)

Ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups pears - peeled, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and oil; beat thoroughly. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda; add to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in pears and vanilla. (The batter will be stiff.) Spoon into a greased and floured 10-in. tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until cake test done. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and milk; beat until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake. Cool completely.

(Relatively) Fun facts:

Galatine: Galatine is actually a sister sword to Excaliber, a fact I left out as my Galatine is considerably older than the one in legends.

Griflet of Wyvern's Aerie and Kendral Fief (later known as Wyvern's Reach): Griflet was borrowed from Arthurian legend just as all the other knights are. In the truest Arthurian sense, I took the original idea, warped it, twisted it, and flung it out the window, keeping the basics and putting together a new version on a far different framework. (In short, all Arthurian authors are glorified fanfiction writers.) I wanted a knight that had really been involved with the person King Arthur becomes, and so he became. The first I met Griflet was in Gerald Morris's The Squire's Tales, in which he seems to be a rather pompous and self absorbed knight. Possibly one of my favorite not-exactly-OC's, Griflet is a very warped person, but he turns out all right in the end. We may see more of him again.

Kestrel, porvan-torn of the Buregatin: TOTALLY FICTIONAL. He's not inspired by any knights, and if there's a Sir Kestrel hiding in Le Morte d'Arthur, I'm terribly sorry. Kestrel's a curious creation, having started out as another slave in Kendral with a very minor role. However, that didn't last, and he quickly shoved his way in. The Buregatin are a fictional group as well, inspired by German, Native American, Indian, Italian, and Japanese influences.

Lord Aden Chillingham of Kendral Fief: Named for Chillingsworth of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. The name Aden comes from Oden, who was one of the great Norse Gods. His name is also a tribute to the fabulous Ultra Geek's Lord Alcott, who inspired this story.

Morris: Named for the famous Morris dance of England (and surrounding environs). He was inspired by a guy I saw in ONE EPISODE and can't find again who was helping Uther put on a jacket. If anyone knows which episode this is, please tell me, because it's driving me up a wall.

And that's it- the grand finale. Do tell me if you have any questions about the story- leave them in a review, I shall reply.

Yours,