🧁 Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Kitchen Witchery!

BryWisteria · August 14, 2020, 9:41am

Hearty greetings to all!

Thank you once again to everyone who participated in last week’s challenge: Dream Magick! After exploring the hidden depths of our inner minds we will now delve deeper into a different place- our stomachs!

The theme for this week’s challenge will be…

Kitchen Magick!

“When your intention is love, when you’re doing something for people you love, it naturally turns out better. When you cook with LOVE, even if you make mistakes, the food just tastes better. It’s rather magical!”
~Mary Frances, Chef with Rendezvous

This challenge is all about incorporating magick into your food to make it more delicious, healthy, and give your food new benefits!

[From Kitchen Witchery and Simple Spells in Bon Appetit]

Cooking, baking, and crafting in the kitchen can be meditative practices that instill your love and intention into the food that you craft- not to mention adding herbs and spices will enhance the benefits and taste!

When made with love, care, and magick- the food will most definitely taste better and be more potent!

Whether you are a natural in the kitchen or burn everything you touch- this week’s challenge calls on you to learn about, experiment, and work on your kitchen witchery!

Are you ready? Let’s get cooking, it’s… CHALLENGE TIME!

[From Wicca Academy: Kitchen Magick for Beginners]

STEP 1: Practicing Kitchen Witchery

~An Overview: What is a Kitchen Witch?~
In her post about Nine Types of Witches, @MeganB shares this summary of what makes a kitchen witch:

A Kitchen Witch is someone whos witchcraft is mainly focused in the kitchen. Kitchen Witches cook their magick, imbuing magical spells, herbs , and potions with the culinary arts. Most kitchen witchcraft is associated with healing and protection, and kitchen witches use the tools at their disposal and their energy to create their magick.

~A Meditative Practice~

The benefits of meditation and being mindful are abundant. Just as it is possible to meditate while sitting, standing, or walking- so too it is possible to meditate while crafting in the kitchen!

[From UU World: Allowing Meditation to Be Messy]

Meditation has a host of benefits- it can help ease anxiety, assist with relaxation, improve sleep, and increase happiness, health, and your overall well-being. You can find Meditation Tips, a beginner-friendly Breath Meditation, and a thorough overview of Mediation to help you feel comfortable before you combine meditation and kitchen witchery .

The meditation app Headspace has been recommended a few times in the forums, and they have an interesting article discussing the benefits of using cooking as a form of meditation.

The benefits of mindful cooking

Mindfulness meditation — whether it’s practiced in the kitchen or on the couch — is proven to increase happiness and improve focus and satisfaction with life while reducing stress and irritability.

Cooking is an act of self-care, and reminds us that we are worthy of a home-cooked meal. What’s more, when you’re mindful of the ingredients you choose to cook with, the food you prepare will come out nourishing and deeply satisfying. And when you’re cooking mindfully for others, they will undoubtedly notice the care and consideration you’ve poured into their meal.

[From Headspace’s What is Mindful Cooking and How to Practice It]

~Using Medicinal Herbs and Spices~
Kitchen Witchery goes hand-in-hand with Green Witchery . Herbs and spices are the colors of the kitchen so-to-say, and can make even the blandest of food come to life and amaze your palate

Using herbs and spices imbues your food with their benefits- both medicinal and magickal!

While Green Witchery is an aspect that deserves it’s own challenge, here is a quick introduction to some common herbs. Spells8 has a lesson on Herbal Witchcraft, and a helpful YouTube video that introduces some common medicinal and magickal herbs:

Safety tip!
While many herbs have both medicinal (“medical”- having properties beneficial to health) and magickal properties, not all herbs that have magickal properties are safe to eat! And many medicinal herbs are only safe for external use (applied to skin, not to be eaten or taken internally).

When unsure about an herb, it is always a good idea to check with a trusted source to make sure it can be used in your kitchen crafting . Check on sites like WebMD or with a reputable herbalist.

Herbs can affect different bodies in different ways, and may interfere with certain medications- so it’s a good idea to start off slow when adding a new herb or spice to your food! Also it is important to note that many herbs can have uncertain or potential harmful effects when given to pregnant or nursing women- please check with your doctor and use herbs mindfully!

Here are a few places to learn more about some herbs that are safe to use in the kitchen:

~Spellwork in the Kitchen~

Every recipe can be improved with a little magickal intent! As you are making your food, put your intent and desire into words to cast a spell as you craft. Let the words come to you on their own, or find a chant or spell you can use. Here are some for inspiration!

Here is a great chant shared by @SilverBear:

[Laurie’s chant from the post Kitchen Witchery Chant]

And here is a bread spell from @Franscisco that goes along with @MeganB’s yummy Lunasa Bread Recipe:

[Franscisco’s Bread Blessing from My Lammas/Lughnasadh Bread Spell]

~Recipes for Inspiration!~

Kitchen Witchery refers to any edible product you make using your knowledge, skills, and magickal intent. Whether you have a kitchen equipped to make a master chef jealous or just a simple countertop- it is possible to work your kitchen magick!

Consider what ingredients and appliances you have on hand while looking at recipes. There are plenty of recipes out there that don’t need an oven, stove, or many ingredients

And- as always- feel free to make adaptations and make a recipe your own! Experimenting is the excitement of the kitchen

On YouTube, the Green Witch has a playlist for Kitchen Witchery videos sharing her favorite recipes- mostly sweet treats!

Here is a video where she makes Blackberry Thumprint Cookies (one of my all-time favorite recipes!) made with a Prosperity Spell

[The Green Witch on YouTube]

STEP 2: Share Your Experience

To participate in this challenge, you must share your experience! Recipes, cooking spells or blessings, stories, knowledge about favorite herbs or spices you cook with- anything you do that relates to kitchen witchery is very welcome!

Please feel free to create a new post in the forums (and don’t forget to mention the challenge!) or write about your experience below!

This challenge will be open for: 7 DAYS!

To join in the challenge, please post about your cooking creativity by 5:00 AM (Central European Time) on Friday, August 21 !

After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given.

A shout-out and a small prize are waiting for all who roll up their sleeves and make some tasty magickal delights for this week’s challenge!

[Picture from Perks and Mini: Positive Message]

A warm reminder that this challenge is very open- all are encouraged to participate in a way that reflects their unique practice. There are no right or wrong answers so long as you practice respectfully, and there is no way to ‘lose’ the challenge if you participate!

The goal of this challenge is to help you help yourself through learning more about this mouth-watering aspect of magick, to further diversify and strengthen your practice, and to bring together the Spells8 forum family to inspire and support one another .

May you always have the ingredients you need at your fingertips, and let everything that comes to be in your kitchen be delightfully, deliciously, divine!

Blessed Be and Happy Cooking!

Francisco · August 15, 2020, 12:40am

Well said!! This challenge is perfect for the harvest season!! A great time for cakes and ale!

Thanks for hosting this new challenge @BryWisteria! I think I have an idea in mind!

Susurrus · August 15, 2020, 8:35am

I am up early today, I opened my eyes at 3:55AM, so I have had my coffee that I said the Coffee Consecration once it was made and charged it when I mixed the milk the sugar into it. Once the stores open around here, I am going to pick up some plain greek yogurt and make a chicken salad with apples plus the balsamic green beans with basil and maybe some oregano. Both are really good in the summer. They aren’t really heavy and it’s been hot and humid here for a couple of weeks now.

christina4 · August 15, 2020, 1:01pm

Ooh, sounds delightful!

christina4 · August 15, 2020, 1:03pm

Hmm, I’m not really that into kitchen magic lol. But I do stir my coffee with intent just like @Susurrus does. sorry it’s so short but that’s all I got lol but when I cook I use love as the main ingredient!

Susurrus · August 15, 2020, 4:08pm

My daughter says the best ingredient is love! So we cook everything with love too!

ana6 · August 16, 2020, 11:38am

@Susurrus that sounds delicious. You definitely were up BEFORE the crack of dawn

Susurrus · August 16, 2020, 11:39am

The last couple of days I have been waking up at 4AM. Yesterday I bought a little Basil plant and I am going to make other plants from it in my garden. Our Basil isn’t totally up yet and I love to use it in my dishes.

ana6 · August 16, 2020, 11:45am

4 AM? Wow - you must see some really beautiful sunrises. At that time, I’m dead to the world (not literally)

I have planted Basil in my container gardens and they’ve now bloomed and seeded. The leaves itself has now lost its strength in flavor. The heatwave that we’re also experiencing doesn’t help their cause

Susurrus · August 16, 2020, 11:51am

We were in a heat wave for the past 3 weeks, so my garden needs more love than normal at this time of year. We have a few things doing alright, but the herbs are having a tough time. I also think one or more of my bunny friends may have tried an herb or two before they had fully come up.

This morning’s sunrise was gorgeous here coming up over the water. The colors were mesmerizing on that side. The other side is gray and overcast. Usually, I don’t wake up until after 7 or 8AM, so I’m not sure why I am getting up so early lately. I don’t really mind, it gives me some quiet time to do my things before people in the house are hustling and bustling around and needing me for something. I like being able to have my coffee, meditate, shower, and say my blessings before I really get going for the day.

Today I am going for a walk because it’s not in the 80’s and we have a forecast of high 60’s, hopefully it stays this way. I think we are going to get some rain, which we also need desperately. I’m hoping the heat wave doesn’t kick back in next week and the temperatures and humidity aren’t too bad. The rest of the stuff I want to do, I can go at my own pace and maybe recruit help from others that are here.

ana6 · August 16, 2020, 12:33pm

It’s the same here in Ottawa. My herbs are way past the point of saving or harvesting for that matter. I may do that same as you - go purchase some plants and keep them indoors. Quite honestly I’m not much of a green thumb. More like black thumb LOL. This year, due to the global situation, I decided to try my hand at gardening. I’m starting with containers at the moment. They sit on my patio. So far I planted: basil, lavender, tomatoes, green pepper (unfortunately a raccoon got to eat half and threw the remainder into my tomato plant), oregano, mint, sage, and thyme.

Next season I want to expand it to my backyard - except for the mint. That can stay in my container.

My normal wake up time is between 6-7 am. I love how quiet everything is. I adore hearing the birds first thing in the morning. I have my and just sit and watch them flit back and forth. They are not that much different than us - wake up, get breakfast - minus the coffee, get back to the family, and carry on with daily duties.

Susurrus · August 16, 2020, 12:49pm

I am the same way, I am not a green thumb at all. My daughter started some plants on our back porch too and then my husband and her made the plants into a garden in the back. Then she added some things to it. I know that she has lemon mint and mint that are really thriving. Our thyme, basil, and parsley are the ones that are having a hard time. I know how to pull the grass from the garden and we have a timer on our hose so we don’t have to think about watering.

I like to sit on one of our porches with my coffee in the morning. We have different birds that come to our yard. If I sit in the front there’s about 4 or 5 different ones that I see. This year we have a group of little birds that have a bright yellow chest and head. Sometimes in the day lilies we have humming birds too.

ana6 · August 16, 2020, 1:26pm

Oh that sounds soooo lovely.

daniel4 · August 16, 2020, 3:48pm

Today we are making a vegetable soup.

We all sat at the altar and talked about feelings, emotions, dreams, etc. Decided on one thing the 3 of us really wanted to focus on.

Each of us went and gathered fresh herbs and vegetables from our garden. We made sure every pluck, cut, break was done with care. We thanked each herb, vegetable for it’s contribution and blessed the remaining plants that they will continue to bring us a healthy harvest.

On the inside we washed our Dutch oven (the girls call it their cauldron, but it’s just a cast iron pot) with moon water that has clear quartz in the bottom. Just a light spray and wipe.

All the ingredients were cleaned with a water lemon juice mixture to clean them. Then cut and prepared and added to the pot.

We decided for the next week we will not eat meat. So we are also planning our vegetarian meals for the week.

After the soup is ready to cook and we purchased items that we didn’t have in our garden, we started to slow cook our meal.

We took the time to be thankful for my first few full weeks back to work, Bella’s surgery going great, our health, and other good things. Pushing all the negativity out. Cleansing the house with sage.

When it’s time to eat we will use moon water on our dishes as we set the table, and continue to talk about possitive things, future plans, etc.

After dinner it will be time for tea and cuddles so we can sleep well, dream good and be ready to start a new week.

christine4 · August 16, 2020, 4:22pm

What a great challenge!
I found this video online by Harmony Nice, which is a recipe for a vegan lemon cake (I LOVE lemon cake ) and a cleansing spell in one
I plan to do it this week, I’ll keep you updated

Susurrus · August 16, 2020, 4:55pm

My day started much earlier than now with my daily blessing, coffee consecration. Once I was ready to leave the house, I went to the store to pick up items for dinner. It’s a cooler, rainy day here, so I decided a pot roast in the crock pot with the balsamic green beans and mashed potatoes would be a good dinner. I made the green beans in a container and used about 1/3 extra virgin olive oil, 2/3 balsamic vinegar, and I used basil, oregano, and thyme for seasonings. As I combined them in the container I said a simple blessing over them and placed them in the refrigerator to chill before dinner. In the crock pot I put a can of beef broth, 3 tablespoons of butter, a three pound roast, and sprinkled a packet of au jus gravy and a packet of the hidden valley ranch seasoning over the roast with some basil and I said the same blessing for it while it cooks for the next 6 hours.

haley · August 16, 2020, 9:27pm

Someone posted recently about moon water ice cubes! I took a tray, filled it with the last of my full moon water & popped a raspberry in each. I’ll use a few in my water bottle for my walk tomorrow!

I also have a cake to bake tomorrow evening, so I’m excited to throw a few more small magic moments into my kitchen time!

Susurrus · August 16, 2020, 9:46pm

@haley I’m looking for the perfect ice cube trays to freeze my moonwater for my drinks too! Putting a raspberry in them is a great idea too! Enjoy your walk & I hope your cake comes out fantastic!

BryWisteria · August 17, 2020, 9:08am

You’re very welcome, @Francisco! I can’t wait to see what creativty tasty treats you make!

That absolutely counts, @christina4! Love is the best magick of all- and I am sure your food is very delicious because you make it with care!

Best of luck with your basil, @Susurrus! It’s a great herb- I can’t wait to see what you make with it

Sounds like it’s time to begin harvesting the seeds for your basil plants next year, @ana6! I hope you were able to get lots of tasty basil while it was still thriving

This sounds lovely, @daniel4! How did the soup come out? It sounds like you all used some great ingredients- I’m sure it was a lovely supper! And it’s so wonderful you could use so many things from your own garden- grown with love and care!

Looks delicious, @christine4! Best of luck- let us know how it goes! Enjoy

What a great idea, @haley! Moon water ice cubes on the go- powerful and refreshing! Best of luck with the cake- what kind of cake will you be making?

haley · August 17, 2020, 3:05pm

@BryWisteria I’m gonna do a carrot spice cake, with cream cheese & cinnamon frosting it’s usually my go to autumn season cake but it just sounds so good!