4 chicken breasts (or equivalent amount of another cut, or tofu)
6-8 large russet potatoes, peeled & rinsed, then cut into 1/2" thick half slices
chicken broth (+ water if needed)
crème fraiche (or sour cream, heavy cream)
dijon mustard
whole grain mustard
sliced white onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
~2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
butter
olive oil
bay leaf
garlic powder, onion powder, coriander powder, mustard powder, salt
tools:
2 mixing bowls
tongs
enchanted* skillet w/ matching lid
enchanted* pot w/ lid
potato masher
trim the chicken fat then season, while calling upon the spirits of mustard, garlic, onion, coriander, and salt to protect those who eat this meal from disease and illness.
place cut potatoes into pot & cover with chicken broth and/or water (reserve 1/4 cup chicken broth). add bay leaf and cover. call upon the spirits of potato and bay laurel to protect those who eat this meal from disease and illness. bring to a boil on the stove.
add ~1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and let heat, then sear chicken for ~15m on the first side. per side in the pan, or until outside is brown, flip and add the onions into the pan around the chicken. transfer to the oven if necessary. transfer to a plate with paper towel on top once cooked through.
in the pan, add minced garlic and ~1 tbsp minced fresh parsley, and cook for ~1 minute, until fragrant. add ~1/4 cup chicken broth and scrape the fond off the pan with a mixing spoon, clockwise. add 1/2 cup cream, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 2 tsp whole grain mustard, chopped parsley, & seasonings. warm this mixture but don't boil, and remove it from heat after.
remove potatoes when fork-tender, then mash and mix in 2-4 tbsp cream and 2 tbsp butter. slice cooked chicken while thanking the spirit of the chicken(s) for its sacrifice to feed us.
serve chicken on top of mashed potatoes, topped with mustard sauce, and remaining fresh parsley. pour the sauce clockwise while doing a final enchantment: this food protects those who consume it from illness and disease.
this is mostly UPG, with some information from The House Witch: Your Complete Guide to Creating a Magical Space with Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home, by Arin Murphy-Hiscock. i implore you to figure out your own associations with the tools in your personal kitchen.
apron: the adornment of the kitchen witch, empowerment & protection in magical works
spoon: the wand, directing energy, directing transmutation/alchemy, blending, combination of energy, hedgecraft
pot: concoction, slow and steady union of energies, alchemy
1 black tea bag (I am fond of lapsang souchong when I have it because the smokiness is perfect. But use whatever works best for you!)
Cinnamon chips
Ginger root
Orange peel
Adjust the proportions to suit your taste. I tend to prefer a little more orange peel, but my aunt always preferred a more cinnamon-forward note.
As the tea steeps for 5 minutes, watch the steam for a moment. Say, "Heat to the herb, life to the bone. I'm taking back control, I'm taking back the throne."
Adding honey and milk to your tastes and sip your tea, visualizing pulling yourself out of your rut and breaking through obstacles.
@asksecularwitch It begins...I haven't made peach cobbler in years, and then I had to wait a bit longer for these to ripen, but I'm finally blanching the skins off some nice fresh peaches today!
this photo shows the pierogis frozen-if i'd remembered id have taken a picture of them fried because it is much more appetizing!
sustaining healing pierogis 🥟🥔
this is a non-traditional recipe for pierogis that utilizes ingredients that are easy to acquire in my area. they can be useful for spells for peace, abundance, fertility, protection, and other purposes due to their composition being alike a generative egg.
ingredients:
two mixing bowls, cooking pot or pan, a rolling pin/tool, and a spoon — best if enchanted!
1/2lb ground meat (or double amount of vegetables to make vegetarian)
in a mixing bowl, add softened butter, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/4 cups water, kiss the egg & crack it within, then stir until combined. mix counterclockwise first, with the incantation: "i remove all traces of illness, ill-will, and irritability, from all those who eat this." then clockwise, with the incantation: "i restore the vitals and peaceful energies within all those who eat this."
add 1/2 tsp salt & 2 cups of flour, in the shape of the cross-seal of restoration or the cross-seal of ease. slowly mixing with the spoon until switching to clean hands. once kneading the dough by hand, repeat the following incantation until fully kneaded, with one line per fold, press, & turn sequence: "this dough banishes disease. this dough expels illness. this dough removes ill-wills, curses, hexes, and negative spiritual attachments. this dough excuses agitation, irritability, and the impulse of provocation. this dough instills peace of mind, heart, and soul. this dough restores all who eat it to a grounded, healthy state. this dough transmutes any negativity into serenity. this dough blesses all who eat it with health and happiness." knead for at least 15 minutes, then cover and let the dough rise for ~60 minutes.
if you are making pierogis with meat, cook the meat first in the pan. add worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar. after this, add seasonings one by one, calling upon the virtues of the individual herbs (see below). cook meat until browned, then transfer into a new mixing bowl.
in the pan, add oil if necessary, then add onions, leeks, and scallions. once translucent, add garlic and cabbage. once wilted and aromatic, add worcestershire sauce and 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, then seasonings in the same way as before. stir clockwise, and transfer into mixing bowl. add mashed potatoes, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and cream cheese into this bowl. taste and season as necessary. let cool until dough is ready.
prepare pierogis by separating pierogi dough into ~1/8 cup pieces, rolling them out on a flat surface until ~1/4" thick. fill each piece of dough with ~1 tbsp filling (less than you think). then fold them in half and crimp the corners. you can do this in simple to fancy ways with your hands, or the easiest mechanism which is a fork. while filling the pierogis, enchant each one by using the right hand ring finger to maneuver the pierogi, incanting: "this pierogi holds the power of peace and healing." transfer finished pierogis to a tray, and then into the freezer.
prepare pierogis either by boiling until they float to the top, or by frying them from frozen (or after boiling) in a pan. to fry, place them into the cold pan with water & cover, then simmer until they are cooked shiny. remove the lid & add a knob of butter, tilting the pan to spread it around, and let cook uncovered until pierogis are brown and crispy and come off of the pan without any hassle.
serve with sour cream and chives or scallions.
associations of ingredients; all excerpts are from The Green Mysteries: Arcana Viridia By Daniel A Schulke.
dill 🌱
The Spirit-Retinue of Dill: Expansion, Dilation, Dispersion, Brightness, Precision, Acumination, Fomentation, Fecundation, Calculation, Animation, Amplified Force, Vivified Thought, and Aroused Revelation.
Powers: Exorcism, Warfare, Protection from Maleficia.
Element: Fire.
Planet: Mars.
Deific Forms: Hekate.
Virtue: Expulsion.
Body Part: Spoor.
Medicine: Antibacterial, antiputrefadion.
Chemical Virtue: Allicin—C6H10S2O.
Chemical Element: Sulfur.
Therapeutic: Disruption.
Affliction: Stagnation.
Emblem: An upraised arm wearing a cestus, holding a blazing firebrand
nutmeg 🌰
Nutmeg is aligned with the Moon, its spectrum of powers aligning to the concept of bewitchment, which that planetary body governs. In occult operations, its magical properties are Beneficence, Allure, Fertility, Success in Gambling, Protection Against Disease, Protection from Maleficia, Enhancement of Memory, and Wealth.
The Spirit-Retinue of Nutmeg: Fervency, Warmth, Enhancement, Cumulation,: Conjugation, Impoundment, Tittivation, Crusade, Dysequilibrium, Conjvunded Delirium, Preternatural Arousal, Smoldering Eroticism, and Sovereign Remedy.
thyme 🌿
All species of the plant receive their planetary dispensation from the Sun, but also possess certain qualities of Venus and Mercury. Its occult properties are Allure, Beneficence, Healing, Wealth and Protection. The plant has also long been used as an offertory herb, in funerary rites, and for causing death.
The Spirit-Retinue of Thyme: Clarify, Encouragement, Refraction, Woe, Disinfection, Spiced Aridity, Idyllic Libido, Stalwart Vigor, Verduous Munitions, Virid Phalanxes, Righteous Execration, Meritorious Physic, and Elfin Comportment.
marjoram 🌿
Its planetary alignments are harmonized with Mercury and Venus, in equal measure, and understanding the botanical relationship between these two forces in the plant is a key to the success of using it. The occult properties of Marjoram are Marriage, Allure, Love-Charms, Longevity, Protection against Noxious Spirits, Protection from Maleficia, and House Ward. It also is linked with promoting Success in Commerce; a Marjoram plant grown outside a business, well tended and pampered, was said to lure riches across the threshold and drive away competitors. Medieval occult traditions considered it aligned with the Star Deneb Algedi (6 Capricorni), by tradition the plant belonged to St. Luke, patron of physicians. The aromatic plant was a common remedy againSt melancholy in ancient times, and preferred varieties of it were known in Egypt and Syria as Sampsuchum.
juniper 🍇
As a tree of magical power, and as an adjunct to ceremony and religious rite, Juniper possesses a diverse band of occult powers. These include Consecration, Oblation, Fertility, Allure, Prophecy and Vision. It is also featured in magical rites for protection of the home and livestock, hex-breaking, reconciliation of quarrels, and protection from nightmares.
Powers: Exorcism, Binding, Healing, and Protection from Disease.
Element: Fire.
Planet: Mars and Saturn.
Saint: Luke.
Virtue: Antisepsis.
Body Part: Blood.
Therapeutic: Four Point Restraint.
Affliction: Sociopathy.
Emblem: A spherical whirlwind of fire with four demons chained to its core.
potato 🥔
In some areas of Europe, the Potato was considered aphrodisiac. The poisonous fruits, which contain the steroidal glycoside solanine (C45H73NO15), were used in love-philters of the 17th century. In Russian folklore, the Potato is a plant of Grange and maligned origin, originating from the anus of a magician’s corpse. Nigel Pennick, in his Secrets of East Anglian Magic, relays the modern magical use of mummified potatoes as talismans against cramp and rheumatism. Carried on the person, these shrunken tubers may be considered part of the larger corpus of magic known as root-charming. The practice is also known in various regions of North America, such as the Ozark Mountains.
wheat (flour) 🌾
Its planetary resonance it is linked with both Venus, Jupiter. Its occult properties are Fertility, Healing, Commerce, Wealth and Funerary power. Where intersection with classical deities is concerned, it is aligned with such goddesses as Demeter and Ceres, and those ancient grain giving divinities that preceded them. In addition to its aspects of sexuality and fertility, it is connected with Immortality, and the mystery of Resurrection.
The Spirit-Retinue of Wheat: Providence, Dependency, Stewardship, Ascendancy, investment, Birthright, Fellowship, Transmutation, Corporeality, Theophagy, Miraculous Bequest, Wondrous Rebirth, and Seminal Vigor.
a recent simple kitchen witchery working i did for my grandmother and i, to bring peace in the household as well as cooking something that is healthy and helpful to her specific health issues. this is a great meal for cooking for anyone who needs softer food, and/or food with antioxidants.
ingredients:
a pot (with a matching lid), a steamer basket (or a ceramic plate + a circle made of aluminum foil), a small bowl, and a brush or spoon; especially powerful if either of these are enchanted for kitchen-witchery
1 salmon fillet (or another fish)
use any vegetables that you have available, especially brightly colored ones. i used: sliced bell pepper, coleslaw mix (w/ sliced cabbage & carrots), & cherry tomatoes
in your pot, add the smashed garlic clove, fresh herbs, and sliced ginger. add 1-2" of broth into the pot, then put the steamer basket into the pot. put hardest vegetables in first, then cover and bring to a boil.
in a small bowl, add 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp garlic paste, and 1-2 tbsp water. add the seasonings into this bowl, in the sign of the cross (十), then stir clockwise. whisper over the bowl: "this meal brings peace and healing to those who eat it. i enchant this meal to invite calming serenity and easing restoration."
once the vegetables begin to look translucent, add the softer vegetables into the pot, as well as the salmon. brush (or spoon) the sauce on top of the salmon, place lemon slices on top. brush the remainder of the sauce on the rest of the vegetables, then cover again and cook until salmon is soft and flaky. while it is covered and cooking, use the pinky finger on the left hand, hovering in a clockwise circle, and incant "i remove all irritating, agitating, fiery energies from those who eat this meal." do the same with the ring and middle fingers on the right hand, incanting "i enchant this meal to bring peace, health, and wellbeing onto those who consume it."
squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon slices over everything in the pot in a clockwise circle. serve this meal with a side of carbs, or include some potatoes into your steamer.
photo from Body In Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self-Care by Maria Noël Groves
nutritional antioxidants requires for health are vast, some of which are vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, & a smattering of flavonoids and polyphenols.
sources of vitamin C include most fresh fruits & vegetables, but especially citrus fruits, peppers, brassicas, and berries. sources of vitamin A consist of orange and yellow vegetables (e.g. carrots, peppers) and leafy greens. sources of vitamin E are plant oils, nuts & seeds, leafy greens, & tropical fruits (e.g. mango, papaya, kiwi). other antioxidant sources include apples, coffee, walnuts, tomatoes, cucurmin (turmeric), & ginger.
thorn dividers by @pixopix
recommended reading on antioxidants:
Natural antioxidants from some fruits, seeds, foods, natural products, and associated health benefits: An update. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.3217
Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine; by David Hoffmann. Antioxidants and Free Radical Scavengers; pg. 165-168.
i really meant to make this a short post then i go on and on and on!
