Of Grandmothers and Magic: Recipes and Tales of Nourishment

Grandmother, Grandmother

Grandmother, Grandmother

I call upon the four families

I invoke the elements

Sound and sky

Flame and flicker

Wave and witness

Earth and energy

I am a kitchen witch; there's no getting around it. My life revolved around cooking and food starting at a young age. Family gatherings could number in the 40s for normal dinners and pass 100 people for special events. Both of my parents come from large families with lots of history known about our ancestors. 

When I was born on a blizzardy Christmas in '84, I was fortunate to have eight grandmothers still living, including greats and great-greats. They paved the way for growing food, preparing it and serving hungry mouths. Each one had her own unique gift to the world of cooking and hosting. To this day, radishes and peas plucked right out of the garden are some of my favorite foods and bring so many memories. Food not only feeds our bodies but our souls as well. Sitting around with family or friends, enjoying a meal brings out story and memory and history. It is the bond of the village (no matter if it's blood or other) that fuels our joy and passion. It gives me purpose to feed people.

The ritual words starting this blog are my own. I created a meditation guide for myself to chat with my ancestors. Sometimes, it is nice to hang out with strong women in spiritual form when I need a break from the buzz of life. At the age of almost 40, I have no living grandmothers left. It matters even more that I hold on to their traditions and cooking styles to create my own techniques.

So, today, I call upon the four families, the grandmothers to help me nourish the world! I am working on a cookbook venture to capture the family stories, the history of food in our traditions and some funny tales involving food adventures along the way. And of course, my favorite recipes. It will be up for pre-order in a few days. It is my hope to send out gifts along the way to those who pre-order (recipe cards, cooking things, sneak peaks). My goal is to have it finished by holiday gift time (though, it depends on how busy the rest of life gets for the fall season).

In the meantime, any support/sharing is welcome. Check out other items I have for sale on the site. Give me suggestions for other gifts you might like to see in knitting or sewing world or cooking. Thank you all!

Food is magic!