Halloween is once more creeping up on us. It is one of my favorite times of the year. Last year, I told of how Halloween began and some of the traditions and superstitions surrounding the holiday. I am going to go a little more into detail on one of those today. The witch, unfortunately, is one of the most hated and misunderstood symbols of Halloween. This time of year brings about depictions of ugly, old, hook-nosed women surrounding their cauldrons or flying across the sky on broomsticks and casting hexes and causing trouble for all. History tells us the witch’s origins are far less sinister. In fact, those considered witches were often just healers trying to help others. In the earliest centuries, witches were the women who served the goddesses, and therefore were revered throughout their communities. Some civilizations not only worshiped powerful female deities, but it was often women who practiced the holiest of rituals. Trained in the sacred arts, these priestesses became known as wise women, and may have been some of the earliest manifestations of what we now recognize as the witch. These wise women made house calls, delivered babies, dealt with infertility, and were even reported to cure impotence. They were honored women valued by rulers. So how did they fall from grace to be seen as evil? Some scholars believe it to be linked to when Indo-Europeans expanded westward, bringing with them a warrior culture that valued aggression and male Gods of War, which overshadowed the once-revered female deities. Some believe the Hebrews brought their male-centric - and monotheistic - views when they settled in Canaan. They believed witchcraft to be dangerous according to the laws of the bible and banned it as a pagan practice. Around the 1300s, the fear of witches spread to Europe as the plague and mass deaths were taking place. The unexplained deaths caused hysteria in the masses and soon the Catholic Church, who was already spearheading the Inquisition, started blaming the devil and his mistresses-the witches-for the deaths. These women were thought to worship the devil in large, nightly parties where all sorts of debauchery would take place such as dancing naked, feasting on the flesh of babies and wild sex. At the climax of this celebration, it was believed the devil himself would appear and orgy with all participants. The Church went about trying to tame these women and put out a book called Malleus Maleficarum (translated as the Hammer of Witches), on how to identify and punish these witches - women were sexually vulnerable and therefore easy prey for the Devil. While there were other witch hunting books already in circulation, this book made witches gender specific and used vivid descriptions to identify witches. It popularized the belief of witchcraft as heresy, a crime against God. Previously, the courts had mostly pursued witchcraft when it involved harmful acts. With the publication of Malleus Maleficarum and subsequent changes in judicial law, the persecution of witches became the business of the elites and the civil courts and thus witchcraft hysteria began to spread like wildfire. For hundreds of years, this book was used to torture and kill women. When this period ended around the beginning of the 18th century, an estimated 60,000 people in Europe alone had been killed as witches, according to History.com. Talk about persecution and usually for no other reason than having an unusual mole or being a social outcast. Thankfully, the persecution stopped and faded into history. The witch gradually became a symbol for Halloween with her green skin, warts and crooked nose. These days, witches are more socially acceptable. Shows like Bewitched and Charmed captivated audiences for years and made witches beautiful again. There is also a Wicca religion that has reverted to the ancient practices of those healing women using herbs and other natural elements to promote healing, harmony, love, and wisdom. I don’t know about you, but I love cooking with few ingredients, like the fewer the better. Have you ever looked for recipes and been disappointed because they promise 10 ingredients or less and you have 25 ingredients because they don’t count the spices as ingredients? I know I have. As far as I am concerned, everything I pull out is an ingredient including the salt and pepper. This week, I have complied a few recipes that truly are just 10 ingredients or less. These simple recipes pack a lot of flavor into few ingredients. Meet me in the kitchen for these delicious dinners.

Cheeseburger Skillet

1lb lean ground turkey or beef 1 Tbsp. seasoning salt, more or less to taste 1 medium onion, diced 14.5 oz. can Rotel 1½ cup low-sodium spicy V8 vegetable juice 1½ cup low-sodium chicken broth 2 cups quinoa, uncooked 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese In a deep skillet over medium-high heat, cook meat, onion and seasoning salt for 5-6 minutes until meat is browned. If you don’t get lean meat, drain off any excess grease. Remove meat from the pan. To the pan add broth, juice and quinoa. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the meat mixture and Rotel to the quinoa and cook covered for an additional 10-15 minutes or until quinoa is sprouted. Top with cheese, cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from thecreativebite.com

Stuffed Sweet Potato

2 white sweet potatoes 1 chicken breast salt and pepper, more or less to taste 2 cups steamed or roasted broccoli ½ cup shredded Italian blend cheese BBQ sauce for drizzle, optional Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pierce the sweet potatoes 2 or 3 times with a sharp knife. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until tender when poked through with a fork. Meanwhile, season both sides of the chicken and grill in a pan or on an outdoor grill for 5-6 minutes each side. Remove to a plate and tent with foil for 5 minutes before shredding. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully slice the top in a straight line, press each end toward the center to push open. Fill with shredded chicken, broccoli and top with cheese. Turn the oven to broil and place the sweet potatoes back on the baking sheet and in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately drizzling a little BBQ sauce if desired.

Recipe adapted from osweetbasil.com .

Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls

1 can Pillsbury Crescent Rolls 8 slices Swiss cheese 8 slices deli ham 2 chicken breasts, cooked, thinly sliced Italian seasoning to taste 2 Tbsps. honey (optional) 2 Tbsps. Dijon mustard (optional) Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a pie pan or 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray or line with parchment paper and set aside. Remove crescent rolls from can and lay out in a long rectangle. You can also get these now without the pre-cuts on the dough. Pinch the seams together well. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning to taste. Layer first Swiss cheese, then ham and finally the chicken breast on the rolls. Roll up like a cinnamon roll and cut into 8-10 rolls. Place in prepared dish and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Mix honey and Dijon mustard and serve with rolls if desired.

Recipe from momontimeout.com .

Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos

1 lb pork tenderloin, or chicken 2 cans Rotel, or one jar salsa 1 Tbsp. chili powder 1 Tbsp. ground cumin 1 Tbsp. brown sugar ½ tsp cayenne pepper, more or less to taste ½ teaspoon salt 3 cloves garlic, minced Place crock pot liner in slow cooker. Place pork in the base of your slow cooker. In a small bowl, stir together all remaining ingredients. Pour evenly over pork. Cook on low for 8 hours. When done, shred the pork using two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat. Serve in warmed tortillas with toppings of choice. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Recipe adapted from andimitchell.com .

Corn & White Bean Soup

1 Tbsp canola oil 1 cup sliced green onions ¾ cup chopped cooked ham 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 5 ears) ½ tsp salt 2 15oz cans navy beans, rinsed and drained 2 14oz cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 2 4.5 oz cans chopped green chiles, undrained Heat canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ham, and cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in corn and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com .

Mushroom Sausage Pasta

12oz Farfalle/bow tie pasta 2 Tbsps. unsalted sweet cream butter 2 cups button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced 10oz sausage, sliced 1 cup Arugula (or spinach) 4 slices bacon, cooked and diced 1 Jar Ragu® Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce (Classic Alfredo would work too) Boil water for pasta and follow pasta cooking instructions. Melt butter in pan, sauté mushrooms about three minutes, over med-high heat. Add sausage and continue sautéing until sausage begins to brown. Once pasta has finished cooking, drain and reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add pasta and Ragu to pan and stir to thoroughly combine. Continue cooking over medium heat, until pasta sauce is heated through. Add arugula to pasta and cook for another minute or two, until arugula is wilted. If you need to thin out sauce, add reserved pasta water a tablespoon or two at a time and stir until desired consistency is reached. Top with bacon and serve.

Recipe adapted from scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com .