Apple Pumpkin Stew for Luck in Your Love Life | Sara's Kitchen Witchcraft

Because we could always use some more love in our lives, no?

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So, normally I never buy the magazines I see in the grocery store check-out aisle. Really, why bother when you could just Google stuff and find whatever you want for free, right?

But then... there she was. A beautiful, thick volume from Better Home & Garden that was entirely about recipes with pumpkin. How on earth could I pass that up? How? Especially since I know all kinds of things to do with apples, but hardly any (outside baked goods) to do with pumpkin!

I bought it, took it home, and to my mild disappointment, I found that most of the savory dishes were just normal stuff with pumpkin awkwardly lumped in: stuff like chili or casserole or something that just happened to not get ruined if you dropped a can of pumpkin puree in there. Meh. I could've figured that out, I'm sure, but since I don't have an infinite supply of pumpkin, these aren't the types of things I would necessarily seek out—save for one dish.

One delicious soup. One with apple cider, of all things, and a can of pumpkin, and otherwise pretty classic soup ingredients.

I had to know how that was going to turn out, so naturally, that's what we got on the menu today. This isn't their exact recipe, if only because I only glanced at the ingredients for inspiration, but it is basically what I imagine it was supposed to be, so we can still give them credit for this. However, no matter where it's from, we're looking at some lovely (ha!) ingredients for our magic: apple, carrot, pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger.

Magic in Apple & Pumpkin Stew

With Libra season rocking through the end of September and most of October—peak pumpkin and apple season—it's good to remind ourselves of the power that comes with Libra's ruling planet, Venus. Venus is associated with fruits like apple, and as a planet named after a goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, it's easy to draw those associations into the magic of today's dish. More, with Libra being the Scales of Justice, it's specifically a time to focus on the actual partnership, equity, and social standing part of a relationship (vs. Taurus's more creature comfort approach to all things beauty and romance).

Specifically here, though, the elements we're working with are ones of opposites: water and fire. Likewise, the planets are equal parts Venus, equal parts Mars, with one touch of Sun (cinnamon) to shine over it all. While we have just a little bit more fire than water, what matters is that we get the optimism to keep growing our love, as well as the passion, creativity, and fun to make it interesting, and the still emotional waters to best reflect and come in tune with our most sentimental selves. There's nothing better for starting or maintaining relationships than that!

Apple & Pumpkin Stew

Prep time: 30min

Cook Time: 45-60min

Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples, peeled & diced

• 1 large onion, diced

• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 full links of full fat sausage (like andouille or polska kielbasa)

• 3 large carrots, peeled & chopped

• 4-5 ribs of celery, washed & chopped

• 1 15oz can of plain pumpkin puree

• 1 cup of apple cider

• 2 cups of chicken stock (or water & chicken bouillon)

• 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 Tbsp curry powder

• 1/2 Tbsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp ginger

• 1/2 tsp allspice

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Note: measure with your heart, okay? Just know that you gotta use 1 part ginger to 2 parts cinnamon, and only a quick two back-and-forth shakes of the nutmeg and allspice.

Directions:

1. Slice sausage thin and fry in a pot until they release their fat and brown on each side. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside in a paper towel lined bowl. Repeat this step in batches until all sausage is fried.

2. While sausage is frying, prep and chop your vegetables.

3. Once all sausage is fried, pour in onion and fry in the sausage's fat until soft.

4. Add garlic, frying until fragrant, then add the apple, carrot, and celery and cook until softened.

5. Add sausage, spices, pumpkin, cider, and chicken stock to the pot and stir.

6. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for at least 30min on low.

7. Serve hot and with bread on the side!

I'm not gonna lie: this tasted like the final boss of autumn recipes. Sweet, yet savory. Apple-y, yet pumpkin-y. Filling, yet not murder on the stomach. Cozy and comforting and nutritious. No doubt this'll help spice up your approach to love, as well as help you love yourself. Try it out! ♥

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Sara Raztresen is a Slovene-American writer, screenwriter, and Christian witch. Her fantasy works draw heavily on the wisdom she gathers from her own personal and spiritual experience, and her spiritual practice borrows much of the whimsy and wonder that modern society has relegated to fairy-and-folktale. Her goal is to help people regain their spiritual footing and discover God through a new (yet old) lens of mysticism.

Follow Sara on Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube, and explore her fiction writing here.