Didn't notice a difference, did you?

Weeks go by very quickly these days! But I wanted to stop in and tell you that although I used the Saigon Cinnamon in my recent holiday baking - I noticed no difference from the regular cinnamon which I have always used. Still, the dishes were good!

You can read more about my Saigon Cinnamon plans here.

And now, off to bake some bake some bread! ;)

A Spice of Life (Explored)

I love shopping at the local Farmers Market year round. Beyond local fruits and vegetables, eggs and locally-raised meats, there are several different vendors who specialize in spices. I realized that often their prices are better than the ol' grocery store, and because it is their trade, I can actually learn about a new spice at the moment of purchase and decide whether or not to try it out.

I noticed I was getting low on Cinnamon (during the fall and winter season I use more than usual baking pies and other "holiday spiced" desserts). This past weekend, I stopped and reviewed my spice and herb choices while shopping at the Market.

As my eyes roamed over the colorful packets, I chatted with the vendor. (She had asked where I had picked up a pine corsage which I wore on my coat.) When I considered the various Cinnamon packs and sizes, she interrupted and asked if I ever used Saigon Cinnamon. I wasn't sure if I ever tried it, although I knew it wasn't in my spice cupboard.

Upon her encouragement, I sniffed the pack and was rewarded with a strong scent. Very aromatic compared to her "regular" Cinnamon. I asked if she cooked with it and she said that she preferred using it.

I decided to give it a try! I knew that I had two pumpkin pies and another pumpkin dessert planned for this week, so I would have several opportunities to try it out. A couple loaves of banana bread seem likely too. (Note, as of writing this, I haven't used the Saigon Cinnamon yet, but will be baking for the next two days.)

Of course, I decided to do a little digging to learn more about Saigon Cinnamon. Here's what I have learned...

Saigon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum loureiroi) originated from Southeast Asia and was grown mostly in Vietnam. Most of us know that the spice (and oil) comes from the bark. Looking through a few of my herbal books and even Sloan-Kettering's website, common healing uses of Cinnamon involve reducing inflammation and settling a nauseated stomach (among other things).

James A. Duke (Ph.D.) says in his book, The Green Pharmacy, "My wife takes cinnamon tea when she is nauseated. It helps, and I'm not surprised. Cinnamon contains chemicals called catechins, which help relieve nausea."

Yet remember just because we associate herbs, spices, plants, etc. with "being natural" and thus "naturally" good for us, these wonderful Earth offerings can be dangerous in large doses, or simply unhealthy for some people - period. For example, I noted on Sloan-Kettering's website that you should not take a Cinnamon supplement if "you have hormone-sensitive cancer (cinnamon was found to have estrogenic activity and may be harmful)." Oh my! Who knew? So although a piece of pumpkin pie might not cause harm, for some people, consuming Cinnamon in larger than normal amounts might take away from their good health.

Both Paul Beyerl and Scott Cunningham refer to Cinnamon (all types) as a religious herb. I have read other authors and practitioners who have said the same. And if I may offer up, cooking for many of us IS a religious experience, or even a religious practice. "Common" cooking herbs and spices don't lose their legends, lore, magickal properties, or healing potential because the cook is unaware.

For those of us who enter our kitchens with loving intention, these wonderful gifts scenting our cupboards from across the globe remind us of natural opportunities to further our experience and broaden our knowledge of our craft. We should continue to do so - reading and studying, understanding origins, and trying something new when the chance presents itself. Our kitchens provide us with the setting for an excellent learning experience.

(Closing note, I will report back on the use of the Saigon Cinnamon and will let you know if I noticed a marked difference by using this particular type of spice in my holiday baking. Stop back and learn what I found out!)

Old Recipes

Today I was looking for a recipe in anticipation of company next week. I am carefully stocking up on the ingredients that are commonly found in many Western kitchens this time of year:

Cream cheese
Sour cream
Holiday spices (I am out of Cinnamon? What? Perish the thought!)
Pumpkin
MORE butter…

…Frank’s Red Hot (I like a little kick, don’t you?)

and on and on…

What recipe I was searching for and what ingredients I was noting to buy are not important here. What I realized today is that I held in my hands the magic of other women (and one or two men). I held their recipes for success, for comfort, for joy, for celebration. I held some recipes that were stained from multiple use. I drifted through others copied by my own hand many, many years ago when I still drew little circles over i’s instead of capping them with a simple dot. Some recipes simply said “Mom’s pie crust” which is now my crust and every bit just as good. I touched the recipes of people who were no longer in my life, but are still in my heart. I read my own earliest recipes I used over and over when I had more pennies than dollars, often accompanied by a grocery list in the margin and ballpark ingredient prices.

I have a stack of old index cards, sheets of notepaper with handwritten notes, and even photocopied recipes. I wondered for a moment if I should make it a side project to type everything up, order it neatly on my laptop, print off a nice clean copy, and tuck those recipes into a binder before placing with the growing stack of cookbooks in the corner.

And I was really was tempted… but then I looked at those recipes… the distinctive swish! of a former employer’s decisive cursive, the careful printing from an old friend I haven’t seen in years… my mother’s email with instructions to read the entire recipe for pumpkin bread first before starting the baking. Their energies and intentions are in those recipes. And I want to keep those energies in my kitchen. I want to continue them.

I still might buy a binder to better hold and care for those recipes, but I have decided to keep the papers and note cards just as they are now: some stained from cooking dinners and desserts of the past, some containing my handwritten notes in page corners, some creased from multiple folds over the years, and all full of the love and energy of the people who brought them into my life.

May you know the joy of collecting many recipes from other kitchens and enjoy all those wonderful energies that make our kitchens so magic.

I've been traveling...

Where have I been? It's almost been two years since my last post! There have been changes, joys, successes, bumps, hurdles, and a little bit of wandering. These are not complaints, however. They are just what they are.

As I write this, I sit by the fireplace - the house is cold and a true northern snowstorm has whipped up a snow globe right outside my window. Again I'm not complaining. In fact, I enjoy winter. I am toying with the idea of making a little hot chocolate too.

I suppose there is much to catch up on. Perhaps even share a "recipe" or two. ;)

I am happy to be stepping back into Sage Advice. I'll post back again shortly...

Rosemary is for Remembrance

I love cooking with Rosemary. The sparse stalk with its long-fingered leaves scents a Witch’s kitchen beautifully on a bright – but cold – February afternoon. You see, today I found myself reminiscing about the Sunday afternoon dinners that my mother used to make during winter, complete with pot roast and potatoes.

I needed to feel grounded, to return to my roots. So a quick trip to the market produced potatoes, onions, and carrots (veggies that grow underground = help one stay grounded) and upon returning home, into the kitchen crock pot they went. A chuck roast followed, along with fresh Rosemary.

As the day traveled from a sunny morning, to a bright but shockingly cold afternoon before diving into a starry evening, I inhaled the warm smells of a roast cooking merrily in my kitchen. All day I clearly remembered many an afternoon spent in my mother’s kitchen, her presence and energy alive in the ritual of preparing a meal that she had served up to our family on hundreds of Sundays before.

Rosemary is for remembrance, says Hamlet’s Ophelia, and while I have no plans to meet her end, I will call upon this herb should I find myself wanting to summon fond memories from younger days. As Nicholas Culpeper notes in The English physitian, when speaking of Rosemary: “It helpeth a weak Memory, and quickneth the Senses.” Indeed it does and when I yearn for a return to my childhood, to remember the warm kitchen of my mother, Rosemary is sure to lead me there.

The Ritual of Cooking Together

You don’t have to don robes and dance in a circle with your significant other to experience the magick of a loving ritual. You do not have to check whether the Moon is waxing or if She is talking to Venus in order to have a tender hour in the kitchen preparing food for dinner. You don’t have to go out of your way, or engage in activities that don’t mesh well with your busy schedule in order to call Aphrodite to bless your union. Kitchen witchery makes it easy to turn a mundane activity into something magickal.

Tonight Jack and I worked side by side in our kitchen, unplanned, but contentedly. While I whipped up dinner (a salad and spinach ravioli with vodka-enhanced tomato sauce), he sliced, diced, and simmered a beef barley soup. (The soup will serve as several wonderful lunches over the next few days.) Our conversation weaved itself into the aroma of sautéing beef and Rosemary, and danced alongside the roil of the water’s boil before I added the handmade ravioli. (Alas, my dear reader, I did not make the ravioli. We are fortunate to have a little shoppe that specializes in handmade ravioli and sauce – the best I have ever known. A good Witch knows when to use the better handiwork of another!)

The magick we created stemmed from the energy of our actions, our intentions, our friendly words, our attentions, and our desires (for food and for each other's happiness and success). This magick grew in our kitchen and empowered our food. We served up helpings of happiness and satisfaction as we shared our observations of the day. Upon completion of our meal, we agreed that dinner was wonderful and the scent of the beef barley soup is still filling our home with strong positive energy. We will experience that magick this week during lunch, whether it’s in on a campus several miles away (Jack), or in a cozy home office as one glues herself to her laptop for the afternoon (that would be me).

As I have said many times, kitchen witchery is natural, and so is the love that stretches between two committed individuals cooking together as the January evening settles across the hearth. Consider taking some time with your loved one. Experience the magick of making a meal together.

With Chamomile, relax after a stressful day...

Many of you already know that Chamomile is calming. You can also brew a nice cuppa tea whenever you are feeling particularly stressed - or a bit depressed. Why, you can even make brewing Chamomile Tea a ritual in your kitchen...

Fill your tea kettle with cold water, and place on the stove to in order to boil.

1. If you are making the tea by the cup, choose a tea bag of your favorite Chamomile tea blend, or measure out loose Chamomile and Spearmint (often used in healing rituals) in equal parts (start with a teaspoon of each) and add to your tea ball. I love using the loose herbs! Blending your own mix is simple and yet so very personal!
   
2. If you are making a pot of tea instead of a cup, make sure you fill the tea pot with hot water from the facet to pre-warm the container while the tea kettle readies its water on the stove. When the tea kettle water is boiling, you will (1) dump out the warm water from the tea pot, (2) then put in your loose herbs (or tea bags) into the tea pot, and finally, (3) fill the tea pot with the boiling water from the tea kettle, covering the loose herbs. How much of the loose herbs should you use in a tea pot? Plan on a teaspoon of each herb per cup.

Now, as you are dunking the teabag/tea ball up and down in the cup, or pouring the tea mixture from the teapot, visualize a soft golden glow filling the liquid. Remember, after about 3 to 5 minutes of letting the herb sit in the water, the tea should be ready.

While dunking or pouring, chant softly to yourself:

Chamomile brew
Relaxing and true
With each cup
Lift my spirits up!

Now, if you are using a tea pot, the herbs will certainly remain in the pot much longer than 3 to 5 minutes. You do have the option of transferring the tea to a different container, of course, straining out the loose herbs from the tea pot.

Finally, as you enjoy the tea, envision calming, uplifting energy drifting up into your smile. Sip quietly and practice relaxing your body. If you need a little help in physically relaxing, you can even tense your muscles and then relax them as you take a drink. This practice can assist in mindful relaxation!

Some items of note...

Chamomile is a gentle herb and reportly can aid in sleep and digestion. There are two types: Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) and German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla). Parts of the plants that are used: the flowers. Some ritual practitioners consider this herb to be a representative of the element of Water, and ruled by the Sun.

Lore...

"Much of its (Chamomile) lore comes from the position it can hold within a garden, for it brings health to the other plants in the gardens and is said to cure nearly any plant that it grows next to." - The wonderful Paul Beyerl, herbalist and author of The Master Book of Herbalism.

And lastly, I am not a trained herbalist or a medical professional. Remember, plants and herbs can be dangerous - and even deadly - if taken in too high of a dose. Always tell your doctor what herbs you are using. Be safe, be responsible!

An Introduction, Welcome to Sage Advice

Welcome to Sage Advice, my little blog of kitchen witchery! If you have landed on this page, you are interested in taking control and making some positive changes in your life. When I say, taking control, I mean taking control of YOU. We cannot control other people. If you had hoped to learn how to control another person, then maybe you should visit another page. However, if you are ready to work some magick in your own kitchen, for healthy and positive reasons, read on!

Kitchen witchery is practiced intentionally and unintentionally. What do I mean by that? Simply put, some purposely cast spells for the greatest good right from the sacred space of their own kitchen. Others have been doing it all along, in varying degrees, and have never even heard the phrase, kitchen witchery. For example, think of eating comfort food when you are under the weather. When I was little and suffering from some nasty ailment, my mother would make homemade potato soup so that I would feel better more quickly – she did not make this particular soup at any other time. What were the ingredients? Obviously, potatoes. This root veggie, represented by the element of Earth (of course!) and ruled by the Moon, have significant healing and protective properties. Potatoes can be used in sympathetic magick as well – perfect for a poppet. Now, combine the ingredients of the soup with (1) my mother’s love and her desire to make me well, (2) the energy she put into the cooking task, maybe a little humming or singing as she blended the (3) ingredients, and there’s a fine example of unintentional kitchen witchery.

I do want to address right up front using magick does not mean that you never have to do any work! In fact, some of the most adept and successful magick practitioners work the hardest. But, this does not have to be unnaturally difficult. In fact, the "work" should come easy – it shouldn’t feel like work. But, you will have to put in the time, energy, and dedication to becoming an adept kitchen witch. You will have to study, do a little research, and practice, practice, practice. Sometimes, things will come easily and move beautifully. Other times, you might have to begin anew to achieve your intended purpose.

And lastly, life is wonderful in that there are no guarantees, that there is no absolute destiny that you must adhere to. As the old adage says, you are the author of your own fate. Magick can help you get to where you want to be, but ultimately it is YOU who affects the way your life will unfold.

So, my fellow kitchen witch, it’s time to roll up those sleeves, don your magickal apron, and pick up your wooden spoon. (It’s your kitchen wand, you know!) With a little help from Sage Advice, you are going to start cooking up some magick!