Food and Cooking of Russia or Witch in the Kitchen

Food and Cooking of Russia

Author: Lesley Chamberlain

Lesley Chamberlain lived in Soviet Russia in 1978–79 and recorded her experiences in the form of two hundred recipes interwoven with details of Russian culture and history and her own practical advice. From blini to cabbage soup, and caviar eggs to “Russian salad,” she reveals the continuity of Russian life, despite political repression, in which the bourgeois cooking of the nineteenth century coexisted with old dishes dictated by the church calendar and new inventions to “make do” with the frequent shortages of vital ingredients under the Soviets. First published in 1982, this fine collection of recipes and entertaining literary quotations has become a classic introduction to the rich culinary history of the region. This new Bison Books edition contains period illustrations and a new introduction by the author.

New interesting book: Chief of Station Congo or Out of the Shadow

Witch in the Kitchen: Magical Cooking for All Seasons

Author: 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 theKitchen invites you to honor yourself and the Earth and delight in the magic that comes from sharing good food with good company.

SageWoman

More than just a cookbook, Johnson has created a primer on how to work with food and kitchen energy in a holistic spiritually satisfying way. She starts with a 35-page ode to the magic of the kitchen altars, cleaning, even how to make a kitchen goddess apron. And then she gets right down to it-the recipes. Organized by season, her year (like the Witches' Year) starts in Autumn. Each season contains meditations, ideas for ritual, decorations, as well as the luscious recipes. First-rate, through and through, with the gentle touch of a truly gifted priestess-and a talented cook. Recommended.

Table of Contents:

Witch in the Kitchen
Magical Cooking for All Seasons

Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction
Part1: Kitchen Magic
Making Your Kitchen a Sacred Space
Putting Down Roots
The Kitchen Altar
Making a Kitchen Witch Apron
Kitchen Rituals
Kitchen of the Goddess
Part 2: Autumn
Setting the Stage for Autumn
The Autumn Kitchen
Early-Autumn Recipes
Mabon Magic
Mid-Autumn Recipes
Samhain Magic
Late-Autumn Recipes
Part 3: Winter
Setting the Stage for Winter
The Winter Kitchen
Early-Winter Recipes
Yule Magic
Midwinter Recipes
Late-Winter Recipes
Part 4: Spring
Setting the Stage for Spring
The Spring Kitchen
Imbolc Magic
Early-Spring Recipes
Ostara Magic
Mid-Spring Recipes
Ostara Magic
Mid-Spring Recipes
Beltane Magic
Late-Spring Recipes
Part 5: Summer
Setting the Stage for Summer
The Summer Kitchen
Early-Summer Recipes
Litha Magic
Midsummer Recipes
Lughnasad Magic
Late-Summer Recipes
Witchy Tips for Acting Out in the Kitchen
Supplies
Suggested Reading
Index

Cait Johnson is an artist and writer who teaches workshops on the Tarot, dream work, and ritual-making. She is the author of Tarot for Every Day: Ideas and Activities for Bringing Tarot Wisdom into Your Daily Life. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York. Cait Johnson and Maura Shaw are also the co-authors of Tarot Games: 45 Playful Ways to Explore Tarot Cards Together, published by Harper San Francisco.