Cooking is one of those things that seems, at first, to be pretty black and white. You either love to cook, or you don’t. However… After much deep thought, I have come to the conclusion that most of us are actually quite grey on this matter. On one extreme we have the “food network” gurus, restaurant chefs, food bloggers… At the other end we have the folks who still have the factory tape sealing their oven door, as well as telephone numbers for every local take out on their speed dial. Where does that leave the rest of us? Some shade of grey. So – where do you fall?
Personally – I really enjoy cooking; provided I am not rushed. Cooking, for me, is an act of love. I am focused on the person, or persons, for whom I am cooking. I want to be in the moment and enjoy the entire process. A little music, a little wine… (RELAX! I’m talking about dinner! Mimosas are for making breakfast, silly!!)
OK – CONFESSION: I do not clean up as I go. Yep. It’s true. I make a MESS!! None of this cooking show stuff where everything is premeasured in little bowls and things get cleaned up during the commercial break. When I am done cooking, there isn’t an inch of (clean) counter space anywhere!! The good news? I have acquired quite a collection of happy little aprons. (They keep the food from getting stuck in my sequin dress while I’m cooking – wink, wink) Hey. What can I say. Creativity is messy!
I love to read cookbooks and try new recipes that intrigue me. I recently purged rather unsuccessfully, however – so I’m down from “a lot” to…say… something less than “a lot”? OK – Lies. I still have a lot.
Some are stacked decoratively, some are stashed inconspicuously… but they are all scattered about. Here and there. To and fro. They are a part of me; they illicit memories and provide inspiration. One of the weird things that I really enjoy is the challenge of creating a meal with what I have on hand. Lucky for me, my family LOVES (most) food, and they support my creative culinary experimentation. They accept the fact that some dishes are going to be amazing, and others… well… not so much.
So if you are feeling a little “light grey”… perhaps it’s time to just throw caution to the wind and experiment a bit. You DO have an inner creative self. Everyone does. Don’t be afraid to go there. Baby steps. Fall in love with a beautiful new cookbook. Take a “hands on” cooking class. Watch (my fav show) “The Chew”. Peruse Pinterest boards for inspiration. There are NO RULES… Just. Have. Fun.
Great thoughts on cooking. Love your title 🙂 I wish I could be more relaxed while cooking. I’m usually in a rush to get things on the table and it takes the joy out of it for me. I also hate when things don’t turn out because I feel like I wasted my time. However, I do like collecting cookbooks and pinning millions of recipes on Pinterest. Maybe I just need a little more wine 🙂
Wow. The perfect solution right there!!! And, BTW, I ONLY enjoy cooking when I DO have time…. NO when I’m rushed! When they don’t turn out… psh. Who cares. We call those meals practice!