Intuitive Cooking and Magick
Many times when I make something special for my family, they… ok mostly my husband will ask me what I have put in it. More often then not I have to really think back to dashes of this, and sprinkles of that; and my answer is usually “I’m not really sure actually” This drives him nuts, and now is a bit of a running joke of who can guess what is in mom’s cooking.
But that got me thinking more and more about intuitive cooking and allowing for that flow of space to help guide you during the process. So often I feel that we go though our days without making the connections to the steps that are needed to achieve the outcomes we want. Do you think about the farms when you are getting your groceries? Or the foraging preparations when you are tending to a garden space. How are we connecting with the energy of the task, thus connecting with the energy of the dish?
The concept of intuitive cooking, is really just allowing your senses and your intuition to guide you. But it can be harder than you might think for some people. My husband for example is a recipe follower, and finds it hard to deviate and that is ok. My niece… is a natural! A visit at the beginning of the summer, and along with dinner, I was planning to make a gluten free apple crisp. One that I make frequently so it really is a gather and make it, bake it, sort of deliciousness. She was intrigued, and I asked if she wanted to help.
Grabbing a step stool she looked at all the ingredients and stopped, puzzled she looked at me. “Aunty, where is the recipe?” “Ah, well, here is the thing kiddo, I don’t have one.” At this point she is looking at her mother even more puzzled perhaps thinking she was being pranked. I explained that I didn’t need one, and that I was going to teach her about intuitive cooking, where she was single handedly (except for the cutting with large kitchen knives) going to create this dish for everyone to enjoy.
Her eyes grew large and a smile danced over her face, the pure excitement, there was no denying it. And so we went though the steps, one by one, teaching her to smell the spices, adding a little bit and then smelling again, using her senses to guide her. Tasting the honey before it was added, smelling the rind of the lemon and learning where the pith starts to avoid bitterness. She took her time. Really took her time, carefully stirring intention, talking about what she was looking forward to when family ate it. It was such a lovely experience. She was beaming the entire time.
Dinner was delicious, and the smell of honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and apples was intoxicating. The result? Deeeelicious. Every. Single. Bite. She made sure to let everyone know that she made dessert, and rightfully so. The best part of this whole experience? The hug, and “I want to do this again. Can we?”
I was missing that this morning, when I was putting together the peach/blueberry tart I was making for a birthday celebration we are attending later. Missing her presence, the gleam and spark of enjoyment and learning to trust your gut. I can’t wait to have you visit again sweetheart…
Aunty will have so many more things to teach you next time…
