My Journey has no Destination

NO means NO.

I HAVE A S.O. means NO.

NO THANK YOU means NO.

DON’T TOUCH ME means NO.

IGNORING YOU means NO.

GOODBYE means NO.

Just a daily reminder that Witchcraft and Wicca/Paganism are not one in the same.

Wicca and Paganism and the like are religions. Witchcraft is a spiritual tradition of using magic.

You can be a devote Pagan and not believe in or utilize magic.

You can practice witchcraft and not believe in or worship any higher beings.

You can be a Christian witch or a Buddhist witch or a Wiccan witch.

Do paganism and witchcraft often go hand and hand? Yes.

Must they? No!

Mashed Potato Soup

This is quite possibly the best potato soup recipe I’ve ever come across, and the first one I’ve found that doesn’t use chicken stock. It’s a bit labor-intensive, but the end result is so worth it! The original recipe (and photo source) can be found here. What follows is my own adaptation.

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (~2 lbs)

4 tbsp butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups milk (room temperature)

4 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder (to taste)

4 oz. sour cream

Garnish: crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese, chives

Boil the potatoes until tender. Reserve ¼ of the potatoes and set aside. Mash the rest until smooth. (Adding a little margarine helps.)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over MEDIUM heat. (Believe me, use a large saucepan or pot, this soup increases in volume very quickly.) Add the flour a spoonful at a time and whisk until smooth and golden in color. Whisk in the milk slowly and let cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. This takes about 5-6 minutes.

Stir in the cheese and potatoes (not all at once, but big scoops are okay), and add seasonings to taste. Stir until the cheese melts and the soup thickens some more. Whisk in the sour cream and let sit on LOW heat for about 5 minutes. Add the reserved boiled potatoes for texture and stir to combine.

Serve hot and garnish with bacon, cheese, and chives…or however you like your potato soup.