As you may know, many of the herbs used in hoodoo are also used for medicine and in cooking. As culinary herbs they can be used fresh, dried, raw, or cooked, depending on their taste, texture and appearance. Cooking with magical herbs is a time-honored form of domestic spell magic, sometimes called "kitchen witchery."

Why do people cook with conjure herbs? The reasons are as varied as people's needs and talents!

Practitioners often prepare foods to enhance love, sexuality, fidelity, and for peace and protection in the home. Some of these foods may contain personal concerns, but many of them are based in the use of ingredients reputed to enhance romance, bless a marriage, or promote peace in the family.

Practitioners have been also known to sneak a not-so-nice trick into a tasty treat they take to an office or work party, to get back-biting co-workera to stop gossiping, to gain control over an unpleasant boss, or to drive an enemy off the job.

Clever practitioners can use similar food-gift tactics to sneak a trick on a troublesome neighbor with a cookie or casserole aimed at shutting them up, getting them to move away, or forcing them to be friendly against their wills.

Practitioners who own shops may offer complimentary cookies, candles, snacks, or drinks to customers that contain subtle herbal inducements encouraging their clientele to spend money on the premises and come back soon.

Maybe you and your family have been cooking up tricks for a while and have a time-tested recipe favorite just ready to share.

Maybe this is your chance to combine your love of food and hoodoo in a recipe created just to enter the Conjure Cook-Off.

If you prepare Hoodoo Foods for your family, friends, or co-workers, here is your opportunity to submit your recipes to the Hoodoo Food! Rootwork Recipe Round-Up and -- if you can come out to the annual Workshops and Party in Forestville, California -- to win prizes by entering your prepared dishes in the May 7, 2011 Conjure Cook-Off.

The Hoodoo Food! Rootwork Recipe Round-Up is the basis for our annual Hoodoo Food! cook book. This is a call for recipes only, to be published and distributed to your fellow magical cooks. You do NOT have to attend the Conjure Cook-Off in order to participate in the Rootwork Recipe Round-Up, so don't be shy -- tell us what's cookin' in your Conjure Kitchen!

To participate in the annual Hoodoo Food! Rootwork Recipe Round-Up, all you have to do is submit one or more recipes in the following categories:

• appetizers, finger foods, savory snacks
• salads and soups
• main dishes and casseroles
• meat, poultry, and fish
• vegetarian dishes
• desserts and sweets

Please send your recipes via e-mail to
robin@luckymojo.com

Deadline for Hoodoo Foods! Rootwork Recipe Round-Up entries is April 10th, 2011.

Be sure to follow a standard recipe format (a list of measured ingredients followed by preparation instructions and serving suggestions) and also include the condition that this magical food trick addresses. Please use ingredients that are easily available in all regions of the USA.

Here's a tip for Students and Graduates of cat yronwode's Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course -- A convenient list of edible herbs used in hoodoo, along with their magical ascriptions, can be found on page 245 of your "Hoodoo Rootwork Correspondence Course" book.

If you are not a student, please see Sister Robin's Short List of Magical Edible Herbs for some tasty inspirations.

What is the Conjure Cook-Off?

Well, like any cooking contest, it is a place to show off your culinary skill -- but in this case, you will also be called upon to demonstrate your MAGICAL skill at the same time.

The Conjure Cook-Off is part of the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church's Annual Hoodoo Workshops at the Lucky Mojo Curio Company.

The Second Annual Conjure Cook-Off is May 7th, 2011

To participate in the Conjure Cook-Off, you must first submit your recipe to the Hoodoo Food! Rootwork Recipe Round-Up for inclusion in the current year's Hoodoo Food! cook booklet. Then, on the day of the Cook-Off, you must either attend the workshop and bring your food in person or send your food for arrival in edible condition on the day, so that it may be judged by our panel of Conjure COoking Workshop attendees.

Please prepare your submitted food according to the recipe you gave us in the Rootwork Recipe Round-Up, and send or hand-deliver it to Missionary Spiritual Church for judging on Saturday May 7th, 2011.

The address is

Missionary Independent Spiritual Church
6632 Covey Road
Forestville, California 95436

The Conjure Cook-Off Workshop will feature several demonstrations of how to cook with magical herbs -- plus group tasting of entered dishes.

The panel of judges will rate the foods on three points:
(1) taste and texture
(2) presentation
(3) skillful use of edible magical herbs.

Finally, just like at a County Fair, prize ribbons and gifts will be awarded to all the cooks who enter and win.

All recipes submitted to the annual Rootwork Recipe Round-Up are collected into a small "church cook book" format publication prepared by the The Ladies' Auxiliary of Missionary Independent Spiritual Church.

All participant attendees at the Conjure Cook-Off on May 7th, 2011 will receive a free souvenir copy of the 2011 "Hoodoo Foods! Conjure Cook-Off and Rootwork Recipe Round-Up" cook booklet.

Non-attendees and the general public may purchase copies of the first "Hoodoo Foods! Conjure Cook-Off and Rootwork Recipe Round-Up" booklet from 2010, as well as the 2nd Annual "Hoodoo Foods! Conjure Cook-Off and Rootwork Recipe Round-Up" booklet from 2011, which goes on sale May 7th, 2011 at our church gift shop.

All proceeds from the Conjure Cook-Off Workshop and "Hoodoo Food!" recipe booklet sales benefit Missionary Independent Spiritual Church.

Wishing You Lucky Cooking,
Sincerely,
Sister Robin
Ladies' Auxilliary,
Missionary Independent Spiritual Church