Where to Aim

 For someone who goes on and on about the traditions I’d like to build and pass on, I sure don’t get around to talking about them much, do I? I’ve actually been outlining some things, trying to compile a personal path and all it entails in a manageable number of pages. Sounds daunting when I put it that way, but that’s fine. It is a daunting task. 

Being a kitchen witch, most of my traditions are centered around food and the magical purposes of the ingredients. Kitchen items can be used in other rooms and for other reasons, too, and I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned through a combination of experimenting and intuition. 

One of my biggest problems, though, is having too many ideas and no discipline/focus to finish even one idea before I start planning the next. 

I have most certainly bitten off more than I can chew with the big cookbook project I’ve been slowly picking at. I think it may do me good to take a break and give some attention to things that are finished, or mostly finished, yet unorganized. That might provide me with some sense of accomplishment and perhaps even motivate me to make more progress on bigger things. We shall see. 

I’d ideally like to put together some printable planner pages for the witchy week. I’ve been working on things such as what room to focus on for each day, matching planets, energies, and ingredients. Those ideas and energies would also spill over into meal planning, naturally. 

Other things I would like to be able to share with others include the sundown-to-sundown observance of sabbats with an overnight vigil and ritual at dawn, followed by an appropriate breakfast. Have I been working on recipes for that? What, are you new here? Oh, you are? Pardon me. Welcome. Yes. Yes, I have. 

If there is anyone left to read this, let me know where you’d like to see me focus my energies: Biiiiiig book only (get on it, witch!), path traditions (+ breakfast/brunch recipes), witchy planner, or throw it all in the bin and find another way to waste time? 

More Thoughts on Daily House-Witchin'

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been striving to set aside some special time to devote to spiritual growth. I’ve probably also told y’all a million times just how untidy my house gets! No, untidy is too mild. It’s friggin’ filthy at times.

I hate cleaning. It’s a futile effort because it never stays clean for very long. Not with five pets and an Aussie, anyway. I hate it, so I rarely do it. I’ll do the dishes, of course, but I have a smallish mountain of laundry to go through. The bed never gets made nicely, unless the bedding has been changed. Dust? Eh...You catch my drift. But that’s gross, y’all. I can’t be a happy kitchen witch here, or anywhere that isn’t at least somewhere tidy.

I have decided that, since I have nothing but time on my hands right now, I should come up with a schedule to help me utilize all of those free hours. Seriously, I need to step away from the computer once in a while!

So, what I have so far is a list of tasks that, if done consistently, shouldn’t take much time at all. This list is a combination of mundane tasks and witchy things to help keep the house protected and full of love.

This is my tentative plan:

Witchy Home Living, or Better Homes and Cauldrons

Sunday is set to be our witchy day here because it’s the day my boyfriend has off. The goal is to strengthen our paths and devote time and energy to our crafts.

Methods:

• Spend some time unplugged from technology, except for maybe some kind of music playing device
• Spend time in thought/prayer; to commune with deity - utilizing music, incense, whatever feels right at the time
• Read
• Tarot time

Sunday dinner is going to be the roast dinner that’s in my 2-week rotation plan. I can do some prep work on Saturday such as baking bread and making dessert. It takes a while to make a new routine an automatic one, so wish me luck! Let me know what you're up to, as well!

The Not-So-Rich Kitchen Witch

Kitchen Witchin’ on a Budget

Have you seen the prices in the grocery stores these days?  Holy cow!   This post isn’t just for kitchen witches; it’s for anyone who is astounded at the cost of food and wants to find a way of eating well without breaking the bank.   I’ll throw in a few witchy things here and there, too, of course.

These days, our money does not go as far.  I’m not even earning as much as I did at my previous job, and neither is my boyfriend.  He was out of work for a while, meaning I had to visit the Bank of Mom and Dad a couple of times – not one of my prouder moments as an almost 35-year-old woman.   

While we haven’t gone without food entirely, we have eaten some pretty craptacular meals during those times.   There has been Spam.  There has been instant ramen.  Now, I like those things once in a while, but by “every once in a while”, I mean a couple of times a year.  

I hope this blog post will provide some practical tips for all of us, myself included. 

Number one may seem like a no-brainer : Coupons.  However, I find that most of the things I buy don’t have coupons.  I buy a lot of fresh produce when I got shopping. I have a juicer that I like to use. I like salads in warmer months.  I adore asparagus in season, and I enjoy cooking with fresh herbs whenever possible.   Coupons are usually available for brand-name products that are heavily processed “junk”.  Think Coca-Cola products, snacks, etc.     Therefore, coupons really aren’t practical for me, and they might not be practical for you, either.  Instead, check out the grocery store circular to see if the things you do buy regularly are on sale.  Also, buy the generic stuff. 

Number two:  Buy things in season.  Strawberries in January are not only a bad idea, they are also more expensive as crap, not to mention tasteless and nasty.   Hit up a farmers’ market if you have one.  We have one, but of course the only time it’s open is when I’m at work.   Who has a market on a Wednesday only?  And from 10-2?  Come on! 

Oh, and did you know that avocadoes freeze well?  I use them in smoothies. Yum!  Buy them when they are dirt-cheap, cut the flesh into chunks, and freeze on a lined cookie sheet. Then just pop ‘em into freezer bags.  You can make guac, too.

Number three:  Buy non-perishables at a cheaper store like Aldi or Save a Lot.  Even Big Lots has things like canned beans, bags of rice, and other pantry staples at lower prices.  

That brings me to number four:  Have a well-stocked pantry so you can whip up a meal on the fly and on the cheap.  

Pantry staples:

·         Broth

·         Beans

·         Rice

·         Powdered or evaporated milk

·         Tomato products – diced, crushed, sauce, paste

·         Coconut milk

·         Bread crumbs

·         Pasta

·         Salsa

·         Peanut butter or another nut butter

·         Cocoa powder

·         Baking powder

·         Vinegars – your choice, but apple cider, red wine, and Balsamic are what I normally keep

·         Oils – again, your choice, but I like olive and grape seed (although it might not be the best choice)

·         Flour

·         Corn (I prefer canned corn to frozen, but that’s up to you)

·         Tuna or salmon if you like it (bleah)

·         Oatmeal

·         Preserves/jam/jelly

·         Olives, artichoke hearts, capers

·         Brown and white sugar

·         Unflavored gelatin

Number five:  Stock your freezer as well.  Vegetables, fruit for smoothies, extra butter, meat that you caught on sale.

Number six:  Menu planning is your friend.  I plan my menus before I shop, and then I organize my grocery list by store section so I don’t forget anything.  I try to cook several things on a Sunday for the week ahead.   Cooking on a weekend saves time during the week so you aren’t tempted to hit a drive-thru on the way home.   That’s not tasty, healthy or cheap in the long run.   Of course, we all do it from time to time.  I’m certainly guilty of ordering Chinese or Mexican takeaways when I am too tired to cook at times.    Still, I try to have plenty of options in the fridge or freezer to reheat.

Number seven:  Invest in a slow cooker.   You can buy cheap, tough cuts of meat and the slow cooker will turn them into velvety deliciousness while you’re at work during the day.  There are lots of free slow cooker cookbooks and recipes online, for everything from Chinese dishes to whole roasted chicken!  It’s amazing what you can do in those things. Even desserts.   Plus, a slow cooker can be just $20 or $30, depending on where you shop.  (I love Big Lots.)

Number eight:  Get creative with leftovers.  Leftover meatloaf?  Toss it with some jarred marinara sauce and serve with spaghetti.   Leftover beans?  Refried beans for taco night.  Leftover roast chicken?  Chicken salad, chicken soup, chicken pasta, casseroles… The list can go on and on.  The point is not to waste the food if you can help it.  Leftovers can get boring if it’s the same thing all the time, so use your imagination and turn yesterday’s meal into something different for the next night or the night after.  I prefer to rotate my leftovers so we’re not eating the same thing two nights in a row.

Number nine:  Herbs are very important to the kitchen witch.  Either buy them in bulk, or, if you have space, buy some potted herbs.  You can dry your own, too.   You can buy lots of different seasonings in bulk from health food stores and online.  I like www.spicesinc.com .  Their prices are decent and the quality is good.

Number ten:  If you eat meat, don’t focus so much on animal protein at every meal.  A few vegetarian meals a week will save you money and improve your health.   Grab some frozen vegetables, canned coconut milk, and some spices and whip up some delicious curry or korma one night.  Add some rice to complete the meal.   One of my favorite Indian dishes is aloo gobi, which is a potato-cauliflower curry.  I wrote a post a while ago about a way of using up those leftovers by making them into something like a frittata.  Delicious!  

Number eleven:  Save room in the freezer for those leftovers that you don’t use right away.  Lasagna freezes beautifully.  Chili and other soups and stews also freeze well.  Just make sure you have good containers and some heavy-duty foil to avoid freezer burn.  Try to use the leftovers within a couple of weeks just to be sure.

Number twelve:  Why buy what you can make?  Salad dressing is easy to whip up using pantry staples.  If you have some free time on the weekend, make and freeze your own marinara sauce.  I haven’t used a cake mix in I don’t know how many years.  Flour is cheap, and so are eggs and sugar.  Plus, if you make it at home, you’re not going to be ingesting weird preservatives and chemical flavor enhancers.  I make my own marinades, dry rubs, salad dressings, etc.

Number thirteen: Think internationally but eat locally.  There are so many cuisines that use flavorful spices and little to no meat.  My favorite is Indian.

Number fourteen:  SET A BUDGET!  Use a calculator to help you keep on track.  Check out those store circulars before you go so you have a rough idea of what you’re going to need and how much it’s going to cost.  See menu planning.

Some of my favorite cheap meals are:

·         Vegetable curry (or chicken if I have some in the freezer) with rice

·         Refried bean tacos

·         Not Quite Falafel – I pulverize chickpeas, cumin, and sauteed garlic and onion in the food processor and serve it in pita.

·         Chili – you can use meat, beans, meat substitute, or some combination.  Chili recipes usually make a ton.  It gets better over the next day or two, and you can freeze it.  It can be eaten with corn bread, turned into taco salad, or made into nachos.

·         Beans and cornbread – I make some black or pinto beans in the slow cooker.

·         Pizza – yes, pizza!  I make my own crust.  Again, flour is cheap, and so is yeast.  I make it on a weekend and top it with whatever sounds good at the time. 

·         Fried rice – This is one way that I use leftover chicken or pork, plus stuff like frozen peas and carrots.  

·         Frittata – Eggs and whatever you have.  You can do omelets or quiche as well.  I use frozen broccoli and/or spinach, cheese, mushrooms, bacon, onions…They’re good for any meal, really.

Chicken thighs are under-utilized by many people, eschewed for the breast meat.  Thighs are cheap, flavorful, and you can do anything with them that you would with chicken breast.  I make things like chicken paprikash to serve over egg noodles.  I make spicy drumsticks instead of wings, too.

Flank steak and skirt steak are usually decently-priced.  If you marinate and use your slow cooker, you can take those tough cuts and make great things.   Crock pot fajitas or tacos are one good example.

Bone-in cuts are usually cheaper. They also taste better.

Ground beef and pork make great meatloaf, meatballs, chili, Bolognese sauce...

Use those cheap cuts, people!  Cook ‘em nice and slow. Marinate them first.  You’ll be rewarded with a lower-priced meal than if you’d used a fancier cut.  Once in a while I will splurge on a nice steak that my boyfriend and I will split over salad, but I tend to gravitate toward the tougher, less expensive bits and pieces when I’m shopping.

In summary, although food prices may be going up and we’re still making the same amount of money (or less), you can still eat well without giving your hard-earned money to Taco Hell or McDooDoo’s.   This is something that I have to remember as well.  My money will go a lot further at the grocery store than at a restaurant, plus there will be leftovers for future meals. 

A lot of these tips are common sense things that you’ve probably read a thousand times before,  yet I think they bear repeating.  I just spent entirely too much money at Kroger, but I have pantry staples, frozen staples and quick meals for work, and enough cooked meals for the week when I’m tired after work and don’t feel like cooking.

Helpful Links:

http://www.wisebread.com/fresh-fruits-and-vegetables-by-the-month

http://bbq.about.com/od/grillinghelp/tp/aa061309a.htm - Cheap cuts of meat

http://snap.nal.usda.gov/resource-library/manage-your-food-resources-wisely/meal-planning-shopping-and-budgeting

There are also a bunch of websites that have recipes for budget meals.  Many of these are for four people.  I don’t know about you, but I’m only cooking for two, but that means I can eat at least twice if I cook something once. 

Keep it simple. Keep it versatile.  Use your imagination and make some magic, and maybe you’ll magically see your dollars stretch!

K is for Kitchen Witch

Since I’ve written several posts on what being a kitchen witch means to me, I thought I would do something a little bit different and discuss the various ways of introducing witchery into the kitchen.

Ways of Making Your Kitchen a More Magical Place

1.       First of all, repeat to yourselves: I do not hate the kitchen.  I do not hate the kitchen. I do not hate the kitchen.

For many people it is a place of drudgery.  Food prep, cooking, and cleaning can take up so much time that a lot of people prefer to avoid this space as much as possible.   However, we all know it is healthier and more economical to cook at home as much as possible. 

If you are like me and already love being in the kitchen and feel most at home there, skip to the rest of the list.

2.       Set up an altar.  The stove/oven combination is the closest thing most homes these days have to a hearth.  This makes it the ideal location to set up an altar.  On the back of the stove, you can place a small representation of your chosen hearth deity.  Add a candle to represent the hearth flame.  You can also leave a small dish for offerings nearby.   This is a good location because it is out of the way, but you should still choose things that are easy to move if you need to.

3.       Decorate.  Paint if you can.  Make it homey with earth tones or spice it up with bold colors like terra cotta, yellow, shades of red.  If you can’t paint, you can put up pictures.  Use poster putty if you aren’t allowed to put holes in the walls.  Hang up pictures of your kitchen deity, your favorite foods, and anything else that inspires you.  Put pictures on the fridge, or decorate it with paint that washes off easily. 

4.       Live plants are wonderful to have, especially if you have a place for culinary or magical herbs.  Just make sure you don’t grow anything poisonous in the kitchen!   Aloe is great for burns and for home protection.  Rosemary is a purifying herb that also imparts a wonderful flavor to many different dishes.   Check out a book on magical herbs (Cunningham, for example).  I also like Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen. 

5.       Keep it neat.  Yes, I know, this is the hardest part.  I can’t really tell anyone how to clean a kitchen since mine is usually a cluttered mess.  My boyfriend does the dishes and most of the straightening after I finish wrecking the place to make a delicious meal.   Still, a clean kitchen is a safe and happy kitchen.  You don’t need to get down on your hands and needs to scrub the floors, but a nice floor wash is a good thing to have.  Lavender and rosemary brewed together and poured into the mop bucket makes the room smell nice and gives it a bit of spiritual cleansing and protection as well.  No herbs?  Just use some salt.  Essential oils would work as well as an herbal infusion.

6.       Remember that cooking is a basic act of magic.  Not only are you taking raw ingredients and turning them into something nourishing and tasty, you are also infusing the food with your intent.   Relax.  Put on some music.  Try not to cook when you’re in a foul mood.  If you start out in a bad mood, smudge the area first.  Make a cup of tea.  Sit down and take a few deep breaths.

7.       Don’t forget your kitchen deity.  A small dish for offerings from meals can be used, but if you don’t like the idea of leaving food out, make artificial representations part of your altar.  You can make things out of polymer clay, use a picture, or buy some play food from the toy section.   Just as long as they know you are thinking about them.

8.       Prepare yourself for the ritual of food preparation.  Light a candle.  Decorate a special kitchen witch apron.  Acquire a special knife, wooden spoon, cutting board, pot, whatever.  These are your magical tools. These are your implements of creation, so get something you really like.  Scour thrift shops and garage sales if you’re on a budget.  Find something that really calls to you. 

9.       Add seasonal touches to celebrate the turning of the wheel of the year.  Real or artificial leaves, flours, and fruits.  Strings of dried herbs, garlic, or chilies.  Cranberries in the colder months.   Get creative!

1.   Chant or sing as you knead dough.  Stir clockwise to impart positive energy. Scrub/wash counterclockwise to remove negativity.

1.   Embrace your path.  It may not be glamorous; in fact, it is rather mundane, but it is so very, very important.  Know that you are sustaining life and honoring the gods and goddesses.  You are celebrating the harvest holidays.  You give and receive the blessings of nature.  You are goddess.  You are god.

What I Get from Cooking (And How it’s Part of my Path)

This is a rough draft.  I wrote this essay last week.

Of course I get food out of cooking, but I get so much more than a meal out of the process.  For me, the act of meal preparation is an exercise in spirituality as well.  Allow me to elaborate.

I am what I call an Agnostic Pagan, or Pagan-ish Agnostic, depending on the day.  I have written about this topic before, so I won’t go into it too much here.  I will say that I connect more with the wheel of the year, the changing of the seasons, than I do with the (to me) rather abstract notion of ‘god(s)’.

I must begin by providing some background information.

I do not have a garden currently.   I have a postage stamp-sized yard and a brown thumb.  However, I was raised by a mother who is also an avid gardener.  It is something she does because she enjoys growing food, and it is something she does so we can *have* food.   She may not identify as Pagan, but she does have a deep connection to nature and the seasons.   She depends on the earth, rain, and sun to help her crops grow.  She preserves everything that comes out of the garden, either by canning or freezing.

I have seen what a drought can do.  I have seen what a severe storm can do, flattening stalks of corn to the ground and making my mother almost cry from frustration.  Nature has a lot of power, and I grew up respecting it.   Late winter was a time to plan; spring was a time to start seeds.  Summer brought hoeing, watering, weeding, and the first harvest of green beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  

Since I have never been very talented at growing food, I helped to harvest it.  To this day, I still love picking and shucking corn.  I still gag at the smell of tomato plants.  My back and knees hold the memories of stooping to pick green beans (ouch!).   

I also learned to take the bounty from our two small gardens and turn them into delicious dishes.  These meals are my way of giving thanks, not only to the earth, but also to those who worked so hard to plant and tend these edible gifts. 

Food is tangible.  We can touch it, smell it, and taste it.  Nature is also tangible.  The concept of god(s) is not something we can see, taste, hear, or touch.   It isn’t even something that I proclaim to feel all that often.   

I won’t go so far as to say food is a manifestation of the Divine.  If it were, wouldn’t everyone have enough?  Would there still be starving people in the world?  I would hope not.   What I will say, however, is harvesting and preparing food and giving food to those who need it helps me feel a closer connection to the Divine.  

Nowadays, most of us don’t have gardens.  We don’t depend on our own agricultural efforts, but we do depend on the agricultural efforts and talents of others.   In these modern times, we can get strawberries in January (yuck) if we want them or asparagus in October.   Food is grown all over and shipped great distances.   Most of us don’t even know where the majority of our food comes from, let alone have an actual hand in its production.   I count myself in that group.  I try to know where my food comes from, yet I still don’t grow it or slaughter it myself.     Our connection is waning, but I am trying to get some of that connection back.   I long to feel a deeper connection to the Earth.  From there, I believe that I will feel the essence of the Divine.  

Sure, I’ve plucked chickens and helped cut up venison and such, but it’s been a long time.  I haven’t lived with my parents for many years, and I can’t really do much in this little trailer park.  What I can do, though, is support local farmers by buying locally and seasonally.  I can show my gratitude to them in that way.  

Other ways in which I practice my path in the kitchen include being mindful and trying not to waste food.  I admit that things do sometimes get pushed to the back of the refrigerator and forgotten about for a while, though.  I’m a good cook but a lousy housekeeper.   

I used to identify with the term ‘kitchen witch’.  I suppose I still do identify with it to some extent.   Once upon a time, I read and researched the magical properties of certain fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains, and nuts.   My goal was to include ingredients with similar energies into my recipes and to make meals that were harmonious as well as delicious.  I strived to make foods for certain purposes.  I devised recipes for love and prosperity.  To this day, I swear my Prosperity Shortbread recipe helped me land a new job after I left that horrible high school teaching gig.

Currently, my focus is a bit different.  I still try to keep similar energies together when I combine ingredients, but it isn’t a prime concern.  I still cook with intent.  Maybe I’ve read Como Agua Para Chocolate too many times, but I don’t like to cook when I’m angry, for fear of putting negativity into my food.   I still feel that my emotions could affect the outcome of the meal.  Maybe it won’t affect the diners’ emotions outright, but I don’t think anyone should have to ingest another person’s stress or anger.

Even though I still feel that the Divine may not be terribly invested in humanity, I still chant when I knead dough.  I say prayers for the health and well-being of those who eat what I prepare.  I try to prepare everything with a peaceful mind and a grateful heart.  I am grateful for the food itself, for some people have little or none.  I am grateful for those who eat the food because it means I have friends and family.    To me, that’s what it’s all about. 

To me, it isn’t about casting a spell for love by making an apple pie.  Instead, it’s more about recognizing the end of the year and enjoying the sweetness of the apple pie and sharing it with someone I love.   That, to me, is recognition of the Divine:  Love.  

It all boils down to love and thankfulness.   That’s where I am on my journey to the Divine right now.  It could change, of course, and it most likely will.  That’s what happens when people grow.    When I make a family recipe, I feel love and gratitude.   When the seasons change and different produce is available, I feel gratitude.  I am alive, and that’s a gift.  

There you have it.  My path is about love, gratitude, and a reverence for the life that grows upon this planet.  My path is about nourishing bodies with things that grow in nature and about feeding people’s spirits as well.  I am trying to spread the love around.

Sit at my table, and I will feed you.  I will set before you a plate of food that has been cooked with love.  I will share with you not only a plate of roast and vegetables, but also my sincere hope that you push away from the table with a full belly AND a full heart.    That is how I experience the Divine. 

Eat up.