“I do not deign to claim that I am half as wise or as studied or as brilliant as my beloved, Connla, or my best friend, Michelle. They have been at this far longer than I. I would not try to stand alongside the likes of Christopher Penczak or Mat Auryn; Heron Michelle, Storm Fairywolf, or Laurie Cabot. They are trailblazers, with far more magick and wisdom than this little Kitchen Witch, but they inspire me every single day. I see them working, teaching, and moving the magickal community forward. And that is what needs to be. We can visit our ancestors via trips through the roots of the World-Tree; we can learn of what our DNA has given us genetically and what our families did to build new lives. We can share and draw-in other cultures that touch our lives through the heritage of our families, friends, and our children. My children carry my heritage and that of their fathers: my son, Norwegian, and my daughter, Irish Italian. I have nieces and nephews of varied cultures as well as friends from all over the globe. I do not just cook the foods of my heritage: I cook what calls to me; what I know those I love would cherish and enjoy; what will nourish and excite; what makes magick. I have learned from reading, meeting, and taking classes with all of these amazing witches and so many more. We are so lucky to live here, close to the Temple of Witchcraft in Salem, NH, and to so many shops in Salem, Massachusetts. We have gotten to know people of many paths and I have worked over the last several years to figure out where I fit spiritually. It has been a bumpy road, full of tears, failures, insecurities, and revelations. I began walking a Norse path in 2018, and I have found that, despite some of the crappy racists screwing it up for the rest of us, the path of my European ancestors fits me well. But I cannot stay on just one straight and confining path. I am a ‘mutt of cultures’, after all. It is just not how I am wired. There is a new generation coming forward, disenfranchised from the faith of their youth that has rejected them or that is so mired in a 2000-plus-year-old book that they cannot see the change in the world. We should all be moving forward: writing, creating, meeting, and learning from each other. We need to all build new cabins to shelter those in need and to create foundations for them to grow and change the world. We do not need to be living in cabins without running water or indoor toilets. We need to be creating the new stories, the new magicks, the new sagas. Don’t toss the old ones out–no, they are as precious as old photos from our childhoods, long-gone-by. But take new snapshots for our children and their children to look to for wisdom. Take the foundations we have, and build a new spiritual house!”

On Hearthmaking: “Anytime we enter a place of worship, be it a church, a mosque, or a ritual space, there is a spiritual ‘welcome mat’ of sorts. Our homes should feel the same way. Of course, we want people to feel welcome in the home that we have worked so hard to decorate, clean, and make our own. This is where Hygge comes into play. Hygge is a Danish word (pronounced Hue-Guh) that basically means a feeling of warmth or a moment of intimacy. We want our homes to have Hygge. We want to be complimented on our décor; our special touches. We are, after all magickal beings: all of us! We want our guests to feel our magick.”

On Inclusive Spirituality: “I have a multicultural life. I believe that we all do, in some ways, if we are truly practicing Hearth-Keeping and Kitchen Witchery. How boring would it be, to only cook one type of food? Our spiritual paths should work the same way.”

On Kitchen Witchery: “Food is faith; food is love; food is magick. I love when the kitchen smells good, and I can feel the presence of the spirits I am blessed to have around me, and a contingent of Puckwedgies and Husvaettir dance gleefully at the sight, smell, and taste of what comes from my cauldrons. I love giving the gift of food; of nourishment; of magick; of faith. Every dish, whether a meal, a dessert, or a snack, is a beautiful intermingling of ingredients. I have read what Kitchen Witches’ cookbooks I can find, and I love them. What I don’t always love is the process of giving a long blessing to every single component of the dish. I am not saying they are doing it wrong; I don’t tell people they are doing it wrong. You can do a recipe incorrectly–it will let you know you forgot something–but you cannot do a blessing wrong. You do you! So, if you love to give blessings that address each ingredient as you prepare a dish, you can, of course, do that. I work a lot of hours and have a busy life outside of work. I raised two kids with my now ex-husband working grueling overnight hours, so, oftentimes, I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare meals and do homework, housekeeping, and actually sit down for a moment and enjoy my kids. So, for me it has always been the KISS method: Keep It Simple Sister! I try to keep things simple and quick as much as possible. I do my big, complicated cooking on the weekends to the best of my ability. I was a working parent of two small children, so I know that simple and fast work well. Kitchen Magick is for sharing, so grab your cauldron and your wooden spoon, and let’s get started!”