A Potion Brew for New Beginnings ✨

:exclamation: Friendly Heads Up- there is meat used in this recipe and shown in pictures. If this is upsetting to you, please avoid this post!

Hello all! :heart:

Although the skies were rainy and grey here, I drew on the blessing of last night’s full harvest moon to make my entry for this week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge- Potion Making!

Some of you probably already know how much I love soup (Litha Soup, Thunderstorm Panacea, Mabon Feast). Broth is one of my favorite dishes and a base for many of my go-to recipes :yum:

While there are ways to make fancy and expensive broths, my all-time favorite is making a healthy mix from scraps that otherwise would end up in the trash or compost.

Got some scraps on hand? Let’s give them a new purpose and make something healthy, delicious, and magickal! :sparkles:

:herb:A Potion Brew for New Beginnings:bowl_with_spoon:

Ingredients:
Three types:

  1. Meat/Bone scraps- leftover chicken bones? Half-picked apart turkey? Pork chop bones? Fantastic for soup :yum:
  2. Veggies- the unused ends and bits of carrots, onions, potatoes and more aren’t the prettiest for other dishes but are great to make broth!

Note: unless you are using organic produce, veggie skins may have chemicals or preservatives. I would recommend removing any part of the fruit/veggie that may have been treated.

  1. Herbs and Spices- raid those kitchen cuppoards! Spices are easy and cheap- grow them in your garden or you can find them dried in just about any grocery store.

For this particular broth, the key elements I choose are:

Leftover chicken scraps from baked chicken thighs for dinner, a soggy tomato, pieces of an old onion and carrot, and of course my beloved…

Garlic :garlic: and Ginger :orange_heart: - both with a host of medicinal and magickal properties :sparkles:

I raided the shelves for anything else that would make it good and wholesome and took out- my basil plant, himalayn salt, pepper, sweet paprika, rosemary, turmeric, marjoram, and thyme :herb:

Throw it all in the pot, cover with fresh cold water, and turn on the heat! :fire:

As you give it a few first stirs, you may want to say a chant or spell. Your inner intention is the most important thing, but if you choose, here are some words to enhance the brew:

Scraps and bones, leaves and spices-
Cooking this mess to making something nice.
Mixed with love, making a brew-
That which was old is now born anew!

I never feel more like a witch than when I’m tossing things into my big cauldron pot and stirring it all up with a big ladle :joy:

Wow, now that looks like a nasty mess, huh? :laughing: Rest assured, it is going to be delicious and beautiful! We are taking something unwanted and less-than-ideal and giving it a new purpose after all :raised_hands:

Cover your pot and let it simmer on a low-medium heat (depending on your stove) for as many hours as you can. The longer you let it boil, the more nutrients and flavor will be absorbed by the liquid! I would recommend 4-6 hours if you have the time. Aside from stirring it occasionally, you don’t have to do much while it cooks.

After a few hours, strain the liquid (but we are keeping the broth- don’t accidentally pour it down the drain, I speak from experience!) and get rid of the now flavorless gunk. You’ve taken out all the wonderful goodness within and now the leftovers can be disposed of!

Ta-dah! You’ve now got a beautiful, shimmering, and hearty broth to enjoy. It is so wholesome and delicious, I usually have a cup of just the brew once it’s ready :yum:

You can use this broth to make countless other dishes, freeze it, or chop some more veggies and make a hearty stew :stew:.

I decided to use mine to make Chicken and Dumplings soup- perfect for the rainy weather here!

Anyone else as enthusiastic about soup as I am? :raised_hand_with_fingers_splayed: I really love it- adaptable for every occasion, so delicious, and great for your health! It’s also a nice way to get the absolute most out of your ingredients and limit waste.

Happy potion-making to all and Blessed Be! :sparkling_heart:

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This is so gorgeous :heart: thank you for sharing!
I love soup! I imagine this broth just with noodles would be delicious… I need this in my life. :heart_eyes:

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Wow!! That looks delicious!! Definitely enjoy it! Its definitely soup weather coming up!

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OOH, this would be so good during the winter when you’re not feeling well. Great job! :hugs:

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I loved reading this recipe, especially the incantation! I can totally imagine stirring the cauldron while chanting it!!

And the pictures look great!! It looks absolutely delicious and perfect for Samhain season! :jack_o_lantern:

Thanks for sharing, @BryWisteria!! :sparkles:

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Thanks so much @LimeBerry, @walter, @Amethyst, and @Francisco! :hugs::two_hearts: It is a good brew for Samhain season- trying to keep those autumn illnesses at bay as we enter the dark months! :laughing:

To anyone who decides to make a brew for themselves- good luck and enjoy! May it bring you new beginnings, much joy, and good health :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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I could eat soup all the time! There’s a shadow side to my past to where I was only allowed to eat a can of soup every other day. So, I figured out how to make it taste yummy. But, your soup looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!

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It sounds like you took memories of a dark time and shone a new light on them, @christina4- I am glad you can enjoy some tasty soup now! :bowl_with_spoon::two_hearts: I’ve always felt like a nice warm serving of soup is like a bowl of happiness- wholesome, nutritious, and delicious! :heart:

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Yes! I LOVE SOUP! I made Lasagna soup tonight for dinner, but I can really just eat any kind. My fave would be Vegetable Beef Soup.
Your dumpling soup looks scrumptious! :yum:

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Awww thanks, @Rowan! :two_hearts: I’ve had vegetable beef soup (yum yum!) but I’ve never heard of lasagna soup! :heart_eyes: Gosh that sounds amazing- from one soup-lover to another please tell me more! :laughing: And if you have a favorite recipe for it I would LOVE to see it!

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Lasagna soup?! What?! Sharing is caring :joy: :heart:

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@Limeberry @BryWisteria
Here you go! https://pin.it/6Afjjri

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This is so weird :joy: I have to try it! Thanks for sharing :heart:

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I know, that’s what I thought!:laughing: I mix cottage and ricotta together and put it in the pot not just ricotta on the top.
I also put one jar of sauce in it. Makes it extra soupy.

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Oh! That looks good! I bet that’s a fan favorite for dinner at your house.

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It is, it’s so filling too!

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This looks delicious and simple! Thank you for recipe!! I love lasagna, but so time consuming to make. Lol

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You’re very welcome! Let me know what you think if you make it.

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Ahhhh I am drooling over lasagna soup- thank you so much for sharing, @Rowan! :two_hearts: Like @walter I love lasagna, but yes- it takes forever to make! This soup looks like it gets the same delicious flavor but comes together much faster. And I like your idea of adding extra sauce to make it soupy! :bowl_with_spoon::yum: Will be trying one of these days!

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