December 30, 2010 at 12:46 (Uncategorized)
I was going to post something of interest about champagne, on account of the New Year’s Eve and all that. However, it seems that the dark that I hoped to leave behind with the Solstice is closing in and I’m not really up to writing anything worthwhile.
I apologize for the long inactivity and hope that You all will have a splendid New Year’s Eve party. May the coming year be nothing but joy to You.
Blessed be.
December 21, 2010 at 19:00 (Basics)
Tags: Books of Shadows, Candle, Candlemaking, Herbs, Incense, Magic, Solstice, Wine, Witchcraft
Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think
that those branches would turn green again and blossom
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Solstical pentagram in the snow
Tonight, the Northern Hemisphere will turn the tide of darkness, in more than one way. Starting tomorrow, the days will be getting longer here as Earth goes visibly towards spring. Plants and animals will start their way towards awakening, and Life itself will stir in its sleep.
A Solstice is always a special time, but today’s is so in many ways, universally for the world and specifically for me. However, You might be more interested by the former than in the latter, so that’s where I’ll start.
This year’s Winter Solstice falls on the day of total lunar eclipse.
The last time a lunar eclipse happened on a solstice was 372 years ago, in 1638. That’s right – Galileo was still alive, as was Anne Hutchinson, banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for her “heresy”, part of which included insisting that women should be allowed to voice their opinions. (Quite a lot of her followers were male, so let’s not get all self-righteous here.) And cardinal Richelieu has just appointed Mazarini his assistant. While king Louis XIV of France was born.
As You can see, it is quite a unique night, so I hope You can find a moment to celebrate and profit from the occasion. A solstice is always helpful when You want to turn the page in Your life, and a Winter Solstice, the day of leaving darkness behind, is the best. One as unique as tonight’s is not even an invitation, it is a requirement to change and to grow, as I hope You will all feel. Personally I am in the process of leaving behind quite a large pool of darkness of my own and I’m looking forward to the Solstice’s help*.
The lunar eclipse will be visible from Greenland, Iceland and North America, starting at about 2:41 in the night. For those geographically inconvenienced, NASA is supposed to be streaming the event on their webpage.
So Merry Solstice and Blessed Be!
ΦΦΦ
* As a solstical bonus for all of You, I have posted a recipe for spinach pancakes earlier today. Although personally I will be celebrating with the very-not-pagan spaghetti napoli.
December 21, 2010 at 14:53 (Other, Recipes)
Tags: Cheese, Cooking, Cooking tips, Cuisine, French cuisine, Pancakes, Recipe, White wine
We all know that pancakes are great. I think there’s no need to justify this opinion. But just to point out one of their many qualities – You can make them with anything You like and each time achieve a different dish. These particular pancakes were made for a spinach fanatic’s birthday, and he liked them.
I ought to say, perhaps, that these are french crêpes, thin and large, rather than american “puffy” pancakes. The french variety can be used with different fillings and rolled up easily (or folded however You want them). They go just as well with sweet and spicy fillings.
Ingredients
I will not be giving necessary amounts for this recipe, because they all depend on how You want the pancakes to be. The first part is for the batter, the second for the filling.
Preparation
Mix the flour (and bran) with a small amount of water first – just enough to get a thick mass. Add an egg (one should be enough, unless You are making a lot of pancakes or want them with egg aftertaste) and mix again. This will ensure that You get it mixed smoothly : if You just put everything in at once, You get water with round noodles. Once You have the egg distributed nicely, pour in more water. The batter for crêpes should be thin, with milk-like density.
With the mixture ready, You can see to the filling. Chop the onions and garlic and put them over medium heat with a drop of oil (olive oil will give them a nice finish). Add the spinach and fry it for some time. If You’re using frozen spinach, fry it longer so You can eliminate water surplus. When You get a soft, green mass but with a visible “leafy” texture, mix the spinach with quark cheese in 1:1 proportion and You’re done. Now all You need to do is fry thin pancakes and wrap the filling in them.
Crêpes aux épinards can be served straight from the pan, but You can also prepare them earlier and then heat them up in the oven. With some grated cheese and sunflower (or pumpkin) seeds on top, they can be even tastier that way.
December 16, 2010 at 15:42 (Recipes, Salads)
Tags: Cooking, Cooking tips, Cuisine, Gluten free, Recipe, Salad
I’ve never been one for diets. The only carrots that interest me,
are the number you get in a diamond.
- Mae West
This statement from one of cinema’s greatest sex symbols should really get more exposure, even though I agree with the first part more than with the second. Diamonds don’t really interest me, but as women and girls all around the world obsess over their weight, hurting themselves to conform to unattainable standards, Mae West remains, even in her forties and fifties, a stunningly attractive woman. Really, see for Yourselves. And I don’t think she either wore size 8 or was depressed about it.
While I admire her joie de vivre and witty comments, I’m ready to argue that carrots have actually quite a lot to offer. Not only do they contain a vast amount of carotene (making it a vitamer of vitamin A, one that is very important for all of us computer users), but they can be used in a number of interesting, tasty ways. I’m going to start easy, however, with a carrot and sunflower seed salad that goes perfectly with gratin dauphinois You saw here lately.
Ingredients
Preparation
Peel the carrots and grate them, but not too thinly. If You use a very mince grater, carrots will leak juice that will interfere unpleasantly with the sauce. Mash the garlic with olive oil (it will go much easier with it and the aroma is wonderful). This is best done in the same dish You plan to be serving the salad in, because it spares You the task of scraping up the mortar, or whatever You are using, and cleaning it, while losing half the garlic in the process.
With the garlic mashed and ready, add whatever You chose as sauce base. Mayonnaise and cream can support a bigger amount of garlic than yoghurt, so choose as You like it. Mix the mashed garlic with sauce base and sunflower seeds, before adding grated carrots. This will ensure even distribution of the seeds. You’re done!
This is quite a strong, piquant salad, so it can be used for dishes that need spicing up – fat, roasted meats, rich, creamy bakes etc. I made it when visiting my parents one day, to go with my mother’s Famous Roast Chicken (capital letter justified, believe me) and the salad vanished before the meat did. Extraordinary.
December 10, 2010 at 21:14 (Books of Shadows)
Tags: Books of Shadows, Hand-crafted, Magic, Witchcraft
Every Kitchen Witch needs a place to keep notes, recipes and all other knowledge that accumu- lates over time. Of course, there’s nothing difficult about that. You can use a notebook, an exercise book, a bunch of old envelopes pinned together..
Or, You can buy a hand-crafted and adorned Book that will be easy to use and beautiful to look at. I have been making those books for some time now and all of my customers are satisfied, whether they use it as a journal, an original gadget or as a Book of Shadows.
You can find pictures of some of the books I have made below. They all have been sold already and serve as a demonstration of my craft. They are all handbooks, in standard A6 format (4.1 × 5.8 inches), a reminiscence of the time when both me and the customers were still hiding in a broom closet. If You are interested in commissioning a Book, please contact me at the address given below.
Nature-themed hand-Book of Shadows
Golden Phoenix hand-Book
Silver Star hand-Book
Since the books are hand-crafted, they can be made in any colour, with any ornamentation You wish (to the limit of my abilities and reason). Books such as those above can be purchased for 40£ (+shipping, depends on destination), more heavily adorned would need additional consultation. I prefer to avoid working with leather, since it’s an expensive and hard material, but if You are determined, I can do that too.
The books are made from standard copy paper (density 80), which is easy to write on with any kind of pen or pencil. It can be left white or stylized (yellowed with natural dyes). Regardless, they will be left blank for You to write on. All of the books pictured above are a standard, A6 pocket-format, however other formats can be made, with the cost adjusted accordingly.To comission a customized Book, please write at
December 8, 2010 at 13:50 (Basics)
Tags: Candle, Candlemaking, Magic, Raven, Witchcraft
Quoth the raven. Get it? Yeah, very funny.
- Terry Pratchett’s talking raven, Quoth
I just saw this today and felt compelled to share. This beautiful bird would be the perfect familiar for any Kitchen Witch, especially since it bathes without constraint. Not to mention the additional bonus of shedding feathers, which can be then used for magic, or making jewellery. Or for magical jewellery.
Oh, and of course it can sit perched on a skull, between dribbly candles and go “caw” ocasionally in the approved , occult fashion. While wet, which means it won’t catch fire so easily.
All credit goes to the video’s owner. And the crow’s owner, of course, although I don’t think You can actually own a bird.
So what do You think would be the best name for a crow familiar? Quoth? Or maybe Edgar?
December 6, 2010 at 20:01 (Other, Recipes)
Tags: Cheese, Cooking, Cooking tips, Cuisine, French cuisine, Gluten free, Recipe, Salad, White wine
Du pain, du vin, du gratin
- almost a French proverb.
Winter hit us hard this year, probably to even the score with a particularly fine Autumn. When it’s -16 Celsius (3.2 Farenheit) outside the window and a heavy layer of snow covers everything, it looks beautiful, but that’s about it. The cold creeps into our houses, saps our strength and even grocery shopping becomes a feat of survival.
So what does a smart Kitchen Witch do in such circumstances?
Bakes gratin dauphinois.
This traditional French dish originates from the Dauphiné region and is only one of many bakes (or casseroles, if you wish) that French cuisine has to offer. It is also one of the simplest, and just perfect for the freezing weather that we are experiencing right now.
The delicious smell that accompanies its baking will, together with the warmth from the oven, instantly fill Your house with comfortable, cozy atmosphere. The aroma is also very delicate, so it will not linger unpleasantly. The dish itself is very sustaining, and of course delicious. It has the additional virtue of being gluten-free.
You will, obviously, need a casserole to cook this. Be prepared for some scrubbing afterwards, but I assure You, it’s worth it (I use an old clay casserole that’s been in the family for generations. It looks really menacing, all brown-black and with the words “heat-resistant ceramic” in heavy gothic script. Wonderful.) This is a very easy recipe and requires minimum supervision, so You can put it in the oven and go about Your business.
Ingredients
Yes, those are all the ingredients You need. Don’t add anything: no cheese (that would be gratin savoyard), no bacon, no salt, no pepper. Trust me. Or, at least try it once as it is before deciding whether it needs seasoning.
Preparation
Peel the potatoes and slice them. Not too thinly, because then the slices will stick together and won’t allow milk to flow in between. Remember they will shrink as they bake. About 4 mm is a very good thickness here.
Oil up the casserole (or coat with butter if You’re feeling generous) and fill it with layer after layer of potato slices. The best way to do this is to imitate the way bricks are being put, with edges overlapping and covering loose spaces. However, You don’t have to worry about gaps too much.
Layers of potatoes, half-covered with cream. You can see the milk level on the left.
Actually, the slices sticking to each other flatly are worse than gaps, because when You’re done with potatoes, You need to pour in the milk. Not as much as to cover them all and drown them, but about two-thirds of the whole height. It’s best for the milk to flow freely between the potato slices, because their baking in it is what gives this dish its unique taste. Hence the need to avoid impenetrable potato walls and columns. All this looks confusing in writing, but shows plainly on the photo.
With milk sloshing around the potatoes, You can coat the surface with cream. As it bakes, it turns into a smooth, creamy golden blanket, the most delicious part of the dish, so You might want to be generous about it.
Baking
Once You’ve put on the cream, You’re done! Just put the whole thing into the oven and watch out not to overdo the heat – You must remember that the whole dish should bake smoothly. Too big a fire would result in the bottom layers burning and the top ones still being raw.
Since the heat must be mild, it bakes slowly. The thicker the layer, the slower it cooks, so You need to plan Your timing. My “greatest” achievement in this field was 2 hours in the oven, but it was a huge portion put over a coward’s fire – my first gratin. Still, be prepared for an hour+ of baking.
When the crust develops a golden tint with brown patches, it’s ready.
Gratin dauphinois is a strong, filling meal and, in all probability, will suffice to feed a number of people on its own. The only company it needs is a salad, to supply vitamins and refreshment (carrot and sunflower salad goes great with this), and dry, white wine.
December 2, 2010 at 19:04 (Basics)
Tags: Candle, Candlemaking, Cleaning, Herbs, Incense, Magic, Witchcraft
I didn’t really intend to post “random musings” here on Kitchen Witchcraft, but something happened that compelled me to post general observations in- stead of another recipe.
The described situation took place some time ago, but another, quite similar thing happened recently that reminded me of it, and I thought it worth sharing, in a way.
I was visiting a friend out of town, and there was a party going on, on which the conversation steered slowly towards witchcraft and the fact that I’m practising it. A lot of people were (as always) asking for love potions and hexes to be cast on their enemies, some were joking, some were only half-joking. I’m sure this is all too familiar to any “out” Witch.
However, as the party was breaking up, one of the participants approached me with a story concerning an acquaintance of theirs, who has just moved to a new appartement and was experiencing some “spiritual troubles” as they put it. The symptoms included insomnia, inability to concentrate, violent mood swings and similar inconveniences. The person I was talking to was very concerned about their friend, and eventually persuaded me to come to their place and take a look at it, “maybe perform a purifying rite or at least advise”. I’ve never really felt enough of an expert to offer consultation, but I reluctantly agreed.
As we made way to the place, I was given some additional information. The person experiencing troubles could not account for them in any way : they had no financial problems, nothing disastrous going on in their love-life, no health problems. Thinking that basic comfort of living might have something to do with it, I asked whether the place they moved into was, perhaps, smaller than the previous one or otherwise a change for the worse. I was told it was a spacious appartement with a nice view. I was quite baffled and I don’t mind admitting it. However, just stepping into the place gave me the answer, and it was such an obvious one that for a moment, I thought they were playing a joke on me.
You guessed it – the place was filthy. Dust, trash, dirty clothes, cigarette ash, dishes moulding in the sink, and as for the beautiful view, it was nigh-invisible through the greasy windows. And those people were wondering why the “spiritual” problems, expecting me to “work some herbs” for them.
Of course, I told them that the only herbs they need are the disinfectant ones, and the ritual they need to perform calls for rubber gloves, sponges, a mop and a lot of scrubbing. Not surprisingly, they were very disappointed, clearly thinking it was possible to wave a magic wand instead of house cleaning. It took a lot of time to convince them that no amount of incense is going to help in this particular situation.
What’s interesting is that the person living in this mess was particularly uncooperative, claiming that they were keeping the place as they saw fit, and that they were comfortable in it. They insisted that cleaning would actually detract from their comfort. I had to enumerate all of their “spiritual problems” back at them a couple of times to get the message across.
Why am I describing all this? Well, sometimes we expect magic to solve problems that really just need some work. I know I do. And sometimes we overlook the most obvious solutions (or causes), especially when they stem from our self- indulgence. Sometimes we coat stupid behaviour with layers of excuses. What we don’t realize is that ultimately, we end up hurting ourselves.
Oh, and sometimes, we don’t keep our kitchen as clean as it should be, and this is a criminal offence if we are to do anything good in it.
