About

Hello and thanks for stopping by The Kitchen Witch! My name is Dana and I am a former teacher, writer and personal chef. I stopped doing all of those things when I had children, and while I don’t regret my choice, my life felt a little empty. I started this blog to remind myself that I still had a working brain, to rekindle my love for delicious food, and to have a space to write in.

My love for food began at a young age; I grew up in North Dakota and spent long, snowy winters puttering in the kitchen with my mother. We cooked to nourish ourselves, to make memories together and, frankly, to stay sane during the frigid months.

My family moved to the Rocky Mountains many years ago, but it’s those early formative years, standing on a chair, licking batter off the spoon and rolling out dough, that ground me today. I’m the mother of three (two of them still young children) and I hope to teach them the beauty of spending time in the kitchen–that food can feed so much more than just the stomach.

What you’ll find on this blog is an eclectic mix of recipes, food memories, family anecdotes, and a healthy dose of snark. The sarcasm comes free, and consider yourself duly warned. It can get a little spicy in here!

I hope, if you like what you see, that you’ll stick around a while, leave a comment here or there. I’d love to meet you!

Follow me on FacebookTwitter, and Pinterest.

{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }

Sarah June 30, 2010 at 7:22 pm

Have I told you lately how much I adore your new About Page? Cause I do. And I should. Cause you’re awesome. In all ways. Plain and simple as that!

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cuci August 9, 2010 at 2:10 am

this is my first visit to your site and i must tell you how much i enjoyed reading your entry (story and backstory) on henry and gramma :-)

all the best !

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Erin August 26, 2010 at 7:34 pm

This is a great blog! I love snarky! I’m kind of in the same position as yourself – three children, two still very small, and I love that you have libations. Beautiful photos, by the way.

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Pam September 9, 2010 at 6:27 pm

Hello Dana –

I am fairly sure you lived a block or so away from me in Golden, but I am equally sure we never actually spoke. Still, I have found your blog via Greg M. – and am so happy with the recipes that I have passed on the link to my husband in the hope he will cook some of these for us! I am not much of a cook myself (although I do have a handful of recipes that I take great pride in), but am an excellent eater of food – and am married to a man who enjoys cooking. I look forward to more recipes!

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Country Wife September 13, 2010 at 6:51 am

This sounds like a great blog. It’s funny how you’re drawn in to read more about a particular blog, only to find out you something in common with the writer. As a South Dakotan, I understand the long winters and the need to stay sane. Your photographs are beautiful, and I have no doubts the rest of you are as well. God Bless you in life!

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Kiyah October 9, 2010 at 1:33 am

Dana-
I just happened upon your blog while living in Africa, but thought that I would say a quick hello…we are fellow North Dakotins, although like you I moved away years ago. Still, it is my home, the place where my family roots run deep and strong. My cooking has it’s roots there too: grounded in the lessons my mother learned helping to care for her father and 4 sisters after the passing of her own mother. Her father (with the help of my mother and sisters) ran a working dairy farm so meals were very much “meat and potato” kind of meals. Thankfully my (and my mother’s) culinary experiments have grown to encompass the foods of my later childhood (spent in Maine) and later adulthood (spent in North Carolina). So, while I do enjoy BBQ pork burgers with a heaping of Ayurvedic Cole Slaw, or fresh-picked Blueberry Pie there is still something comforting about meatloaf, steamed carrots, and bread- fresh from the oven.

Thanks for sharing.
Kiyah

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Michele Barnes February 12, 2011 at 9:17 am

Hi there, I just discovered your blog via Merrilee’s. I enjoyed it, and will be a regular from now on. Thanks, Michele

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pamela June 9, 2011 at 11:41 am

Hi,

What a great site! I love the blend of parenting and memories and childhood and FOOD. Oh, and drinks:) You write so beautifully about all of it!

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Elizabeth@Life in Pencil September 26, 2011 at 10:37 am

Hi, Dana! I haven’t been here in a long time because, well, I haven’t been ANYWHERE in a long time. In about a year because, well, you know why. Anyway, I am glad to see you’re still writing strong, and I LOVE your new site design (though, I realize it might not be that new). Write on, cook on!

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Gandalfe December 1, 2011 at 10:05 am

Food is so sexy and almost as addictive. Nice place you have here Witchie. I gain weight just reading your prose! ;O)

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Diane February 23, 2012 at 1:57 am

OMG I love your blog – Not only is your collection of recipes diverse and delicious, but you are freaking hilarious… I’m adding you to my list of fav’s!!! Thank you for being awesome :-)

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Doshia April 2, 2012 at 8:24 am

Oh my goodness! I’m sitting here this morning, working on a website and looking for the perfect name for a recipe page, and I thought, “What about The Kitchen Witch?” and so…being a good girl and not wanting to rip anyone off, I put those words into a search engine to see if it’d been taken yet…and THIS is what I find! I’m instantly in love! What a wonderful gift for writing you have! Thank you so much for sharing your gift with the world…I’m definitely a fan!

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Anonymous April 29, 2013 at 10:47 am

Okay, so this is the FORMAL announcement to you, even though you technically already know this information,…as promised. YOU know that I love your blog. Well, I’ve told you but I’m not sure if you believed me, but I do. I really do. :-) And for this reason, I nominate you for The Versatile Blogger Award. Here is a link to the post on my blog. http://kuhnstories.com/2013/04/29/the-versatile-blogger-award-moi-cooooool/ ~ Chris Kuhn

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Anonymous August 25, 2013 at 3:17 pm

I went looking online for a kitchen witch to buy for my friend’s house-warming and stumbled upon your blog.

That was two years ago. I read your entries regularly and find your story-telling captivating. I have zero online presence…don’t facebook or tweet or insta-anything. Instead, I prefer to be an online-chicken, quietly observing from the sidelines. I only read a handful of blogs and really enjoy your writing.

I would love to know one thing, though. Do you actually own a kitchen witch and if so, do you have a story behind it? Picture too? Mine was given to me by a friend. It looks very Tim Burton-y and I love it.

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Helen November 22, 2014 at 8:20 am

Just found you via your comment on use real butter. Love your blog. Now I’ll follow you both.

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Mike October 18, 2015 at 9:44 pm

Pleasure to meet you and chat. What to say about our mutual friend. Glad that you’re support is with her.
M

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Katie Jenkins October 19, 2015 at 11:19 pm

Hi there! I found you on the site Aiming Low earlier today. I read that you lived in the Rockies! My husband and I used to live in Denver for a number of years. We moved to San Diego around 2 years ago, but we are missing Colorado and the mountains horribly!!! I especially miss the seasons, considering everyday in SD seems to be 75 degrees and sunny:-( I subscribed to your blog so I am looking forward to your posts!

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Dana Talusani October 21, 2015 at 7:21 am

Hi Katie! Good to hear from you. I do love living here–I bitch and moan all winter, but I think I’d miss the seasons if we didn’t have them. :) Thanks for subscribing!

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Lisa November 13, 2015 at 7:44 pm

Hi Dana
A couple of years ago I was an avid follower of your blog (before life got in the way of me having time to get online). I was wondering what ever happened to your Judy Blume project?

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