Tonight I am going to write about practical kitchen magic. The lammas tide wraps behind us now and the starlitness of it twinkling the dark moon air. It is cousin Chelsea’s birthday on my mom’s side, daughter of my mom’s baby sister, and also Erika’s. This is the first year ever in all the years that I draw the connection that my lil cousin and soul sister share this personal holiday.

In the earlier part of the day the best thing that happens is I get a picture on the PA family text from mom of grandma blowing Chelsea a kiss.

One of the great blessings of my life is being pregnant living with my mom and her mom in the house where this pic was taken. Gram’s 93 next month.

Later in the day I am thinking of making dinner for the girls and how I could use the rotisserie chicken to show our middle girl how to make stock. And then it comes with a yum twinkle feeling, you could show her how to make grandma’s version of PA Dutch Chicken pot pie too, which is actually what most other people call chicken dumplings, or a variation of any rate. Bc that’s our middle’s favey fave.

So then the practical magic is upon me, pulling down grandma’s mom, Great Gram Black’s, bread board and big wood muddle to press the dough for the noodles. Both those items being over 100 years old. I will let you know how it goes but so far the broth, which like I said is PA Dutch style, is already so rich and right. It’s made just with roaster chicken already cooked from Walmart and deskinned, garlic powder, salt and pepper, celery, carrots and parsley. We looked parsely up in one of my kitchn witchn books and it is for purification and protection, so in the mind of the Braucherei and with thanks to the tradition of and to our elders and ancestors, I whispered the good loving blessings of it for our family, over the hearth of this home, which here, now, in this good place near land tended by the Black fam, is the stove.

Happy Birthday Chels! And Erika too, may your new year’s be blessed in ways as simple as family meals that heal the soul, and magical in ways that only your most secret happy desires could dream! All my love this new moon eve xo