K is for Kitchen Witch

I've only started blogging about my experiences as a pagan recently. This blog was created this week but I've been on tumblr for a little longer and I've been practicing longer than I've been blogging. But even though this blog is still new, I want to jump right into making pagan blog project posts. This week is for the letter K.

When I tried to think of a topic for "K" the thing that kept popping into my head was kitchen witchcraft.

Cooking is a pretty big thing in my family. Growing up, my dad used to always say something like "The secret ingredient is love and that's why the food taste so good!" whenever he cooked. (Cheesy. I know.) My brother is studying to be a chef. And I just enjoy cooking as a hobby. I think that it would make sense that I would be drawn to kitchen witchcraft.

But what makes being a kitchen witch different from just someone who likes to cook? This is the question that I am always asking myself as I explore this form of witchcraft. I'm still new when it comes to trying to incorporate witchcraft or spirituality in my cooking so I am still figuring out what it means to me to be a kitchen witch. The rest of this blog post is going to be my own thoughts and experiences with kitchen witchery.

I think that being a kitchen witch requires a little more than just keeping a collection of recipes and cooking or using homemade cleaning supplies.

One way, and probably the most well known way, is to incorporate magic into the cooking process. Some people might say a spell out loud while they are cooking. Others might use special herbs that they've infused with magic. There are many different ways to do this. I don't usually like to say spells out loud when I'm cooking because there are usually other people around. People who would think I've gone off the deep end. But I have said spells in my head or to myself before. I have also tried to select certain herbs and spices for my food depending on what kind of magical affect I want the food to have.

Just the other day I was cooking some breaded chicken. While I was preparing the food I tried to select certain herbs that will protect not only the kitchen but my family (i.e. the people eating my food). I added a little rosemary and garlic to the breadcrumbs for this purpose and avoided things like chili powder.

One think I always keep in mind when doing this though is that one has to be careful about what they put in the food and never put something in without telling whoever is going to be eating the food what is in the food. You never know if someone is allergic to something.
Another way I've thought of incorporating spirituality into my cooking is by dedicating something I've made to a deity. I have not cooked anything in dedication to a deity yet but I am growing some herbs for Ceres and I plan on using those herbs for cooking and magic.

I think kitchen witchcraft goes beyond the food though. It is met to inspire good will in the kitchen and the hearth. The hearth is more than just the kitchen too. It represents the family.