Witch in the Kitchen: Magical Cooking for All Seasons

by Cait Johnson

A book of recipes, spells, and rituals for celebrating our connection to the Earth and her seasons

• Redesigned to focus on all eight pagan holidays.
• Includes new spells, rituals, and meditations, as well as 80 vegetarian recipes.
• Written by practicing witch Cait Johnson, coauthor of Celebrating the Great Mother (12,000 copies sold).

The beliefs of Wicca are rooted firmly in the earth--in the gradual circling of her seasons and the bounty and blessings she provides. In Witch in the Kitchen: Magical Cooking for All Seasons, practicing witch Cait Johnson celebrates the sacred in each season with more than 80 soul-satisfying and appetizing recipes. In engaging and inviting prose, the author provides rituals, spells, and meditations for the eight pagan holidays, inspirations for creating a kitchen altar, and ways to prepare for each season. She offers ideas for decorating your kitchen with objects of power and magic--eggs symbolizing fertility in spring, dried orange slices as reminders of the sun in mid-winter--to align our bodies, spirits, and senses to the pace and mood of the Earth's changes. Above all are the recipes for delicious, sensuous salads, soups, main dishes, and desserts made from ingredients in tune with the Earth's seasonal gifts. Serve Stuffed Acorn Squash and Fig-Apple Crumble at a Samhain gathering; celebrate Winter Solstice with Pomander Salad and Savory Yuletide Pie; welcome Imbolc with Sprouted Spring Salad and Magic Isle Pasties; or share the harvest at Lughnasad with Spicy Stir-Fried Greens and Sunny Peach Pie. With its recipes, rituals, and reminders of our ancient connections to the seasons, Witch in the Kitchen invites you to honor yourself and the Earth and delight in the magic that comes from sharing good food with good company.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Wicca, Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Plateresca · Rating 4 out of 5]

'This book is based on creativity: trusting our inner self, really taking time to savour and experience food, allowing our inclinations and the nature of the ingredients themselves to determine what we cook.'

All the recipes here are vegetarian. My family is not vegetarian, but we try to cook vegetarian as much as possible, and it has so happened that our festive sabbat food has become vegetarian at some point, so I appreciated the author's approach.

'Perhaps the key is to relax, to connect with the earth and the food it gives us, and to live joyously.'

I loved her 'theoretical' chapters! My kitchen was a nice place before, but hardly sacred. It is so now!

'You are the goddess of your kitchen: you deserve to be comfortable.'

Maybe some parts of this read a bit obsolete, like a mention of women who are afraid to use their kitchen appliances — I don't think this is frequently the case now. Still, even these parts had some use for me. They made me realize that my vacuum cleaner is, in fact, a modern version of the broom :)

'As we give some deep attention to the way we want to live our lives, throwing out any arbitrary rules along the way, we just may find that we have made our lives a seamless and magical whole.'

Generally speaking, I loved her ideology more than her recipes, but this is not because I did not like the recipes. It's just that some of them go something like, 'gather whatever's growing out there right now and make a salad or a bake' — and this is what I already do with what I grow. One recipe that was really new for me was Pomander salad, with a dressing that includes orange juice and crushed cloves; I loved it! I will try some other recipes, too (so you can ask me about them later). And I've set myself reminders to do some of the rituals and meditations when the right time comes.

So, my verdict is: this is a very good book on kitchen witchcraft.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a charming book with ideas for marking each of the eight seasonal holidays. It is a combination cookbook (I count 76 recipes total) and primer on making the kitchen a sacred space, with cooking an act of deep spiritual significance. I don't really use this book when I am looking for a recipe, but more for when I am looking to connect with the seasons.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a fascinating read. I’m not a witch and I don’t plan on becoming one either. I absolutely love the mindfulness that comes from this book though. I think being more mindful, especially in my kitchen, will help me and family immensely.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a cookbook which transformed my kitchen into a magical special place to clean, cook, and just BE. There is a story to each of the recipes and they are all delish!

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Recipes and just a lovely positive can do attitude about the entire way the book was written. I'm really happy I got read this book finally. It's very inspiring and makes you want to run to your kitchen and get to work, no matter where you are. For those that love this already, this will make you love it more. For those of you unsure about kitchen and yourself, this will make you get inspired and find your way again.

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute cookbook with a lot of recipes and a lot of reading which is my favorite kind of cookbook.

[Lilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved this book. I liked the mystical approach to food, how to use each ingredient, kitchen utensils (even your apron) and your intention for cook. I believe that it makes cooking a spiritual and loving experience for you and your loved ones. I already cooked some desserts and salads from the book and they are delicious. In addition, it is divided by seasons of the year, so seasonal products are used very well.

Ame este libro. Me encanta el enfoque místico que le da a la comida, a cómo utilizar cada ingrediente, utensilios de cocina (incluso tu delantal) y con qué intención cocinas. Creo que hace de la cocina una experiencia espiritual y amorosa para ti y tus seres queridos. Ya cociné algunos postres y ensaladas del libro y están deliciosos. Además, está dividido por estaciones del año, así que se aprovechan muy bien los productos de temporada.

[Maddie Hiatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recipes were simple and mostly accessible. I really liked some of the ritual tips/cleansing tips/ideas for making my kitchen my own.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A- An interesting cookbook with lots of reading. Johnson is into rituals of making your kitchen a goddess-like place of enjoyment. While I am not going to do any of the spells she recommended, I will try some of her recipes, and I enjoyed the overall tone of the book. Her writing is quite intriguing and interesting, and makes me wish I lived in some cute house in the middle of nowhere with plenty of time to create lovely, hippie-like meals.

[Rocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decent seasonal recipes, nothing too out of the ordinary. Pumpkin soup around Samhain etc. recipes have been really tasty so far!
The recipes are accessible, easy to find ingredients. Good for beginners in the kitchen as well as a beginner in the craft!
The author is Wiccan but the spells and meditations also seem accessible to non Wiccans.
I wish it had been printed in color, as the artwork seems to be dependent on color.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had interesting ideas on making the kitchen more hospitable to spend time in while working on massive cooking projects. I thought the recipes were good, but I would have liked to see more of them. The rituals and meditations were good; I will have to try the one involving beans and the whole name.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little flaky for those of us who aren't Wiccan but mere would-be kitchen witches. Has some really good recipes, and is a fun read.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has some good seasonal recipes.

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars as a pagan/witchy book, 4 stars as a cookbook (just cuz I'm picky and didn't like all the recipes). I love that it's all vegetarian though, that speaks to my spirituality perfectly.

[Catrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Easy to read, comfortable, homey, down to earth.

[Barbc]

8.5

[Cyd Highfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really awesome recipes. Informative info on festivals/equinoxes and such.

[Betsy Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

a lovely seasonal cookbook laced with ritual and ancient wisdoms. loved it.