Kitchen Concoctions is a fun and effortless approach to cooking healthy, living well, and celebrating life. By playing witch in your home, it teaches how to live your values, instead of focusing on details. People want to integrate new ways of being into their life, but all too often get caught up in the instructions. This book teaches how to approach eating, cooking, luxuriating, and sharing by following your instinct, seeing abundance, and using what you have around you.
There are recipes, but you don't need to follow them. There are spells, but you can make those up as well. There are many suggestions, and few rules. It's all about tapping in to your inner creator, and getting inspired!
Contact the author.
8.1.07
7.1.07
Illustrations
Susie Reneau is an artist who lives and works in La Jolla, California. She creates beautiful art using silk screen, as well as drawings and paintings. Her work is playful and enlightening, using animals and bright colors to demonstrate the feelings of peace and happiness that associate her work. She uses quotes in much of her work and has successfully created additional commodities from her original artwork by reproducing it in larger quantities, making postcards and other more ephemeral items. She also makes an annual calendar, largely by hand.
Images that recur in her work include penguins, cats, tea cups, and many other critters. Pigs, unicorns, and butterflies are also important players. She chooses quotes from the inspirational to the silly, and everything in between, addressing such issues that all of face in life: birth, death, nature, shopping, chocolate, friendship, and so many more.
For Kitchen Concoctions she has explored her vegetal muse.
Images that recur in her work include penguins, cats, tea cups, and many other critters. Pigs, unicorns, and butterflies are also important players. She chooses quotes from the inspirational to the silly, and everything in between, addressing such issues that all of face in life: birth, death, nature, shopping, chocolate, friendship, and so many more.
For Kitchen Concoctions she has explored her vegetal muse.
6.1.07
Introduction and Contents
It is my opinion that a witch can be of any race, nationality, creed, or religion. For me, being a witch is not a religion (though for some it is). The beauty is in the reflection of an individual’s personal journey, through any life, from any background. The kitchen witch incorporates all of this into what she brew’s up.
Cooking is one of the basic forms of creation, the others being birth and art. And I see food as an integral part of my being. Food isn’t something I do; it’s what I am. Take the self-professed “foodies” and take their approach to food and steep it in a profound sense of interconnectedness. That is the kitchen witch. Recipes, therefore, follow suit as the witch’s creation and art form. Mostly what you find here is a pallet. I won’t tell you exactly what to put into your dinner, but I’ll give you an outline.
And a spell is akin to a prayer; it’s just a little more poetic (in the largest sense of the word). For those of us who like walking more than sitting and thinking more than silence, spells can integrate our spirituality into the everyday. I speak to God everyday, through making my bed, driving to the store, mailing a letter, and chopping some vegetables. Spells just help me to remember that.
Pampering is the last portion of this book, and that is because we are all creations of the universe. The kitchen witch needs to feel good in order to do good. We need to be loved in order to love. Taking care of ourselves from the inside out and the outside in allows us to more easily tap into our highest selves.
1. Cook like a witch
Philosophy
Cauldrons and other Cookware
Oven Blessing
2. Ingredients
Grains
Vegetables
Greens
Fruits
Protein
3. Creating your Kitchen Shrine
Kitchen Blessing
What to stock
How to Create a Balanced Meal
Themes
On Accidents
4. Recipes
Basics and Condiments
Peanut Sauce Delight
Vinaigrette
Broth
Soups
Soup d’etat
Bean Soup
Miso Soup
Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
Casseroles
Italian Pasta Casserole
Mexican Tortilla Casserole
Home Cooked Macaroni Casserole
Italian Eggplant Casserole
Clean Out The Fridge
Fried Greens
Roasted Root Vegetables
Stuffed Pepper (or squash, or tomato, or…)
Pot Pie (or Shepard’s Pie)
Sweets and Treats
Hot Chocolate
Versatile Oatmeal Cookies
Easy as Pie
Fruit Crisp or Cobbler
Magically Appearing (and Disappearing) Cake
Frosting
5. Parties and Covens
Dinner Parties
Housewarming (and moving)
Spontaneous Picnics
Costume and Theme Parties
Tea Parties
6. A Witch’s Daily Spa
Fresh Facials
Tea Facial
Fresh Fruit Facials
Exfoliators
Moisturizers
Potions and Lotions
Oils
Essential Oils
Oils Infused with Herbs and Spices
Oils Infused With Fresh Herbs
Tinctures
Incense
Powders and Salts
Salt Baths
Body Powder
Flower Waters
Salves
Candles
Soaps
Lotions
7. Assorted Other Spells
Celebrating the Seasons
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Moon Spells
New Moon Spell
Full Moon Spell
Journal Blessings
Old Journal
New Journal
Spell by Mail
Gardening
Planting the Seeds
Tending the Garden
Returning to the Earth
Traditional Composting
Guerilla Composting
Speedy Composting
Conclusion
Resources for the Kitchen Witch
Cooking is one of the basic forms of creation, the others being birth and art. And I see food as an integral part of my being. Food isn’t something I do; it’s what I am. Take the self-professed “foodies” and take their approach to food and steep it in a profound sense of interconnectedness. That is the kitchen witch. Recipes, therefore, follow suit as the witch’s creation and art form. Mostly what you find here is a pallet. I won’t tell you exactly what to put into your dinner, but I’ll give you an outline.
And a spell is akin to a prayer; it’s just a little more poetic (in the largest sense of the word). For those of us who like walking more than sitting and thinking more than silence, spells can integrate our spirituality into the everyday. I speak to God everyday, through making my bed, driving to the store, mailing a letter, and chopping some vegetables. Spells just help me to remember that.
Pampering is the last portion of this book, and that is because we are all creations of the universe. The kitchen witch needs to feel good in order to do good. We need to be loved in order to love. Taking care of ourselves from the inside out and the outside in allows us to more easily tap into our highest selves.
1. Cook like a witch
Philosophy
Cauldrons and other Cookware
Oven Blessing
2. Ingredients
Grains
Vegetables
Greens
Fruits
Protein
3. Creating your Kitchen Shrine
Kitchen Blessing
What to stock
How to Create a Balanced Meal
Themes
On Accidents
4. Recipes
Basics and Condiments
Peanut Sauce Delight
Vinaigrette
Broth
Soups
Soup d’etat
Bean Soup
Miso Soup
Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
Casseroles
Italian Pasta Casserole
Mexican Tortilla Casserole
Home Cooked Macaroni Casserole
Italian Eggplant Casserole
Clean Out The Fridge
Fried Greens
Roasted Root Vegetables
Stuffed Pepper (or squash, or tomato, or…)
Pot Pie (or Shepard’s Pie)
Sweets and Treats
Hot Chocolate
Versatile Oatmeal Cookies
Easy as Pie
Fruit Crisp or Cobbler
Magically Appearing (and Disappearing) Cake
Frosting
5. Parties and Covens
Dinner Parties
Housewarming (and moving)
Spontaneous Picnics
Costume and Theme Parties
Tea Parties
6. A Witch’s Daily Spa
Fresh Facials
Tea Facial
Fresh Fruit Facials
Exfoliators
Moisturizers
Potions and Lotions
Oils
Essential Oils
Oils Infused with Herbs and Spices
Oils Infused With Fresh Herbs
Tinctures
Incense
Powders and Salts
Salt Baths
Body Powder
Flower Waters
Salves
Candles
Soaps
Lotions
7. Assorted Other Spells
Celebrating the Seasons
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Moon Spells
New Moon Spell
Full Moon Spell
Journal Blessings
Old Journal
New Journal
Spell by Mail
Gardening
Planting the Seeds
Tending the Garden
Returning to the Earth
Traditional Composting
Guerilla Composting
Speedy Composting
Conclusion
Resources for the Kitchen Witch
5.1.07
Excerpt & Recipes
Creating your Kitchen Shrine
Plenty of delicious meals can be made from just a few ingredients. These are the basics of a healthy diet, and while they are delicious when cooked up in various combinations that are also refreshing and satisfying served on their own. When purchasing ingredients for recipes and spells, always keep in mind your connection to the things you are bringing into your life, and very likely your body. When you buy a banana, you are connecting yourself to the grocery store that stocked that banana, the truck and the driver that delivered the banana to the store, the plane or ship that carried that banana to the truck, another truck and driver in the land that grew that banana, the farm where the banana came from, the farmer the cared for the banana as it grew, and the family that farmers supports with his wage. Wow! What a banana, huh?
The other part of creating your kitchen shrine is the aesthetic of your kitchen. Keeping your kitchen clean and functional is part of that aesthetic. But more than that, it’s how you decorate and design your kitchen. Do you store your pots hanging from a rack, or in a cabinet? It all makes a difference in your personal kitchen shrine. Hang up a beautiful decorative tile, or display your fruit in a handmade bowl. Once in a while, buy your kitchen some flowers! She deserves it, and you want to keep her happy.
Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
This is a great way to use up the small bits of tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag! This soup is a well-rounded meal unto itself. The pumpkin seeds provide protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Leftover chicken or turkey (think Thanksgiving leftovers!) goes great in this soup (add small pieces when you add the vegetables).
1 clove garlic
1 handful (or more) hulled raw pumpkin seeds
Olive oil
Chili powder and/or chili flakes
Cumin seeds or powder
Black pepper
Bouillon or broth or water
Tortilla chips
Summer:
1 large pepper (bell or other pepper, but too spicy)
2-3 zucchini or yellow summer squash, or 6-12 of the cute little bite-sized ones
1 ear fresh corn
1 large fresh tomato or several small fresh tomatoes
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Winter:
dried peppers
1 medium or large winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc), peeled and cut into cubes
1 can of corn or about a cup of frozen corn from summer
1 can tomato paste or diced or crushed tomatoes
severable spoonfuls dried cilantro
To prepare:
Dice or cube vegetables.
Grind or crush chili flakes and cumin seeds, if using.
Heat some oil in large, heavy pot. When hot, throw in pumpkin seeds, chili powder/flakes, cumin, garlic clove, and black pepper. The pumpkin seeds will pop, and you should stir frequently. When most of them have popped, or when they begin to turn brown, add the fresh or dried pepper and squash. Stir every few minutes for about ten minutes. Add the fresh corn kernels or the whole can of corn (including liquid). Then add water or broth or water and bullion until the vegetables are just covered. Bring to a boil.
Dice tomatoes and cilantro while the water boils. Add cilantro, stir, and remove from heat. Serve hot with diced tomato, fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips on top.
Tip: Don’t add salt while cooking the soup; the tortilla chips often make this soup quite salty (especially if you use the end of the bag). You can always add more salt later, but you can’t take it out! Also, watch out the for the garlic clove; if it’s a romantic dinner no one should eat it; if you’re sick, you should seek it out.
Versatile Oatmeal Cookies
This cookie recipe is incredibly versatile, yielding a pretty much infinite combination of cookie flavors by following the basic steps. Since it uses nut butter, you can alter the nut butter alone for variety of cookies: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Almond Oatmeal Cookies, Cashew Oatmeal Cookies, Sesame Oatmeal Cookies, etc. But when you get to the mixings, you can really have a hey-day! Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Raisin Almond Oatmeal Cookies, Cranberry Cashew Oatmeal Cookies, and so forth. (Chocolate Chip Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies… it’s endless!)
Mix together in a small bowl:
1/3 cup nut butter (peanut, cashew, almond, etc)
2 tablespoonfuls canola oil
1 cup sugar or other sweetener (if using liquid sweetener, use a little less milk)
1/3 cup milk or milk alternative (soy, almond, oat, etc)
Vanilla or almond extract, if desired
Sift or mix well in a large bowl:
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat or combination)
½ teaspoon baking soda (can substitute baking powder)
pinch of salt
Pour the liquid from the small bowl into the large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Mix in with a spoon:
1 cup oats (whole or rolled, not instant)
Finally mix in ½ to 1 cup (total) of any of the following, if desired (I’d stick to one or two):
Chocolate chips
Nuts (walnuts, sliced almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, etc)
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Diced dried fruit
Spoon onto an oiled baking sheet, making approximately two dozen cookies. Bake for 8 minutes; do NOT overcook! Take them out after 8 minutes as the tops begin to crack, even if they don’t look quite done. Otherwise, they get very hard.
Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to wire rack or a plate.
Plenty of delicious meals can be made from just a few ingredients. These are the basics of a healthy diet, and while they are delicious when cooked up in various combinations that are also refreshing and satisfying served on their own. When purchasing ingredients for recipes and spells, always keep in mind your connection to the things you are bringing into your life, and very likely your body. When you buy a banana, you are connecting yourself to the grocery store that stocked that banana, the truck and the driver that delivered the banana to the store, the plane or ship that carried that banana to the truck, another truck and driver in the land that grew that banana, the farm where the banana came from, the farmer the cared for the banana as it grew, and the family that farmers supports with his wage. Wow! What a banana, huh?
The other part of creating your kitchen shrine is the aesthetic of your kitchen. Keeping your kitchen clean and functional is part of that aesthetic. But more than that, it’s how you decorate and design your kitchen. Do you store your pots hanging from a rack, or in a cabinet? It all makes a difference in your personal kitchen shrine. Hang up a beautiful decorative tile, or display your fruit in a handmade bowl. Once in a while, buy your kitchen some flowers! She deserves it, and you want to keep her happy.
Tex-Mex Tortilla Soup
This is a great way to use up the small bits of tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag! This soup is a well-rounded meal unto itself. The pumpkin seeds provide protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Leftover chicken or turkey (think Thanksgiving leftovers!) goes great in this soup (add small pieces when you add the vegetables).
1 clove garlic
1 handful (or more) hulled raw pumpkin seeds
Olive oil
Chili powder and/or chili flakes
Cumin seeds or powder
Black pepper
Bouillon or broth or water
Tortilla chips
Summer:
1 large pepper (bell or other pepper, but too spicy)
2-3 zucchini or yellow summer squash, or 6-12 of the cute little bite-sized ones
1 ear fresh corn
1 large fresh tomato or several small fresh tomatoes
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Winter:
dried peppers
1 medium or large winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc), peeled and cut into cubes
1 can of corn or about a cup of frozen corn from summer
1 can tomato paste or diced or crushed tomatoes
severable spoonfuls dried cilantro
To prepare:
Dice or cube vegetables.
Grind or crush chili flakes and cumin seeds, if using.
Heat some oil in large, heavy pot. When hot, throw in pumpkin seeds, chili powder/flakes, cumin, garlic clove, and black pepper. The pumpkin seeds will pop, and you should stir frequently. When most of them have popped, or when they begin to turn brown, add the fresh or dried pepper and squash. Stir every few minutes for about ten minutes. Add the fresh corn kernels or the whole can of corn (including liquid). Then add water or broth or water and bullion until the vegetables are just covered. Bring to a boil.
Dice tomatoes and cilantro while the water boils. Add cilantro, stir, and remove from heat. Serve hot with diced tomato, fresh cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips on top.
Tip: Don’t add salt while cooking the soup; the tortilla chips often make this soup quite salty (especially if you use the end of the bag). You can always add more salt later, but you can’t take it out! Also, watch out the for the garlic clove; if it’s a romantic dinner no one should eat it; if you’re sick, you should seek it out.
Versatile Oatmeal Cookies
This cookie recipe is incredibly versatile, yielding a pretty much infinite combination of cookie flavors by following the basic steps. Since it uses nut butter, you can alter the nut butter alone for variety of cookies: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Almond Oatmeal Cookies, Cashew Oatmeal Cookies, Sesame Oatmeal Cookies, etc. But when you get to the mixings, you can really have a hey-day! Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, Raisin Almond Oatmeal Cookies, Cranberry Cashew Oatmeal Cookies, and so forth. (Chocolate Chip Raisin Peanut Butter Cookies… it’s endless!)
Mix together in a small bowl:
1/3 cup nut butter (peanut, cashew, almond, etc)
2 tablespoonfuls canola oil
1 cup sugar or other sweetener (if using liquid sweetener, use a little less milk)
1/3 cup milk or milk alternative (soy, almond, oat, etc)
Vanilla or almond extract, if desired
Sift or mix well in a large bowl:
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat or combination)
½ teaspoon baking soda (can substitute baking powder)
pinch of salt
Pour the liquid from the small bowl into the large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Mix in with a spoon:
1 cup oats (whole or rolled, not instant)
Finally mix in ½ to 1 cup (total) of any of the following, if desired (I’d stick to one or two):
Chocolate chips
Nuts (walnuts, sliced almonds, pecans, cashews, peanuts, etc)
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Diced dried fruit
Spoon onto an oiled baking sheet, making approximately two dozen cookies. Bake for 8 minutes; do NOT overcook! Take them out after 8 minutes as the tops begin to crack, even if they don’t look quite done. Otherwise, they get very hard.
Let cookies cool slightly, then transfer to wire rack or a plate.
4.1.07
The Marketplace
Anyone who eats, bathes, or laughs can benefit from buying and reading this book. While targeted at a female audience, the women who will enjoy Kitchen Concoctions come from a variety of lifestyles and backgrounds, from young professionals to busy moms to students to girlfriends to cooks to pretty much anyone. Think Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food meets I Like You by Amy Sedaris.
The timing is ripe for a book of this type. Food writing has been gaining popularity over the past decade. Novels such as Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz include recipes as a means of furthering the plot and developing the characters.
Furthermore, interest in the organic, sustainable, and slow food movements is at an all time high. Everyone wants to participate in this growing market, but many people feel excluded by high price or inconvenience. We can see that a food revival is in the midst in literature as well as our society. Kitchen Concoctions demystifies the notion of organic food being unattainable and home cooking being too time consuming. With a little ingenuity and creativity anyone can eat well and live in abundance.
Alegra is connected to chocolatiers, restauranteurs, organic farmers, and a wide array of foodies across the continent (even around the world). Through her network of friends, farmers, and foodies, she will tap into many opportunities to promote her book, from the farm stands to friends' websites to restaurants and shops. She also has an established audience at many of her own websites, where she will promote Kitchen Concoctions.
The timing is ripe for a book of this type. Food writing has been gaining popularity over the past decade. Novels such as Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and Cure for Death by Lightning by Gail Anderson-Dargatz include recipes as a means of furthering the plot and developing the characters.
Furthermore, interest in the organic, sustainable, and slow food movements is at an all time high. Everyone wants to participate in this growing market, but many people feel excluded by high price or inconvenience. We can see that a food revival is in the midst in literature as well as our society. Kitchen Concoctions demystifies the notion of organic food being unattainable and home cooking being too time consuming. With a little ingenuity and creativity anyone can eat well and live in abundance.
Alegra is connected to chocolatiers, restauranteurs, organic farmers, and a wide array of foodies across the continent (even around the world). Through her network of friends, farmers, and foodies, she will tap into many opportunities to promote her book, from the farm stands to friends' websites to restaurants and shops. She also has an established audience at many of her own websites, where she will promote Kitchen Concoctions.
3.1.07
About Alegra Marcel Bartzat
Alegra Marcel Bartzat is editor of a biology website. She has had several works of poetry published in journals and periodicals. She has written scientific essays and journal articles, mostly about ethnobotany and marine botany. She is an ordained minister of Universal Life Church as well as an ordained clergy of Spiritual Humanism, a spiritual organization not affiliated with any church. She celebrates several pagan holidays and considers her kitchen sacred. She is a kitchen witch.
The ideas and guidelines in this book are based on the way Alegra lives. She is a master of L'Arte D'Arrangiarsi, Italian for the art of arranging. Loosely speaking it means the art of making something from nothing: a meal from a seemingly empty cupboard, a spa retreat from household items, a party from leftovers, gifts from things that are lying around, a celebration from the pieces of life.
Alegra cooks at home almost everyday, but rarely goes to the grocery store with a list, and even more seldom follows a recipe. She supports the local and organic food movement with out a lot of thought or effort. She is degreed in environmental biology and creative writing. Kitchen Concoctions captures the essence of her lifestyle.
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The ideas and guidelines in this book are based on the way Alegra lives. She is a master of L'Arte D'Arrangiarsi, Italian for the art of arranging. Loosely speaking it means the art of making something from nothing: a meal from a seemingly empty cupboard, a spa retreat from household items, a party from leftovers, gifts from things that are lying around, a celebration from the pieces of life.
Alegra cooks at home almost everyday, but rarely goes to the grocery store with a list, and even more seldom follows a recipe. She supports the local and organic food movement with out a lot of thought or effort. She is degreed in environmental biology and creative writing. Kitchen Concoctions captures the essence of her lifestyle.
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