How Can the Kitchen be a Creative Place this Time of Year? Enjoying the Chaos!
Welcome!
Unsure where to channel your creativity?
Do you believe in a myth that you have no creativity?
Want to add more spark to your life?
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Cooking and Creativity
I love food. I love eating good food. I love making good food. Especially, this time of year.
For me, cooking is a highly creative process, and I’m a mish-mash-cooking kinda gal. However, traditions stand strong in our family. When friends and family arrive, I pull well-worn recipes from the drawer and, for a minute, follow an actual recipe. Mom’s jeweled swirled Jell-O cookies and her molasses ginger buttons are must-haves this month and worthy of following the rules. However, the real creativity comes without using a recipe.
Most of my meals are an opportunity to play with food. They’re a complete toss-together of flavors, textures, and colors. Are there flops and fiascos? Absolutely. But that’s all part of the creative process.
It doesn’t take much to make a grilled cheese sandwich but layering it with tomato, bacon, scallions, and a dash of kimchi makes it quadruple yum. The flavors and textures change again depending on the kind of bread used. Indian flatbread? Olive sourdough? Buttery challah? Different every time.
The creative piece happens with practice and experimentation.
When my kids were younger, we often hosted Top Chef challenges. When they gathered with cousins or friends, they’d split into teams, be given $10, and sent off for two hours to create some kind of extravaganza. The results were awesome: bubblegum ice-cream sodas, ginger soda-soaked berries and granola, and invariably, an Oreo-infused something or other.
Food fun not only unleashes one’s creativity, but it sometimes comes with story. Christmas morning in our house is not complete with my mother’s Danish. When my friend heard the story behind the dish, she appropriately changed the name to Spy Cake. Early in the fifties, my parents were briefly in the CIA. They rendezvoused in a DC diner during their training. They became regulars, comparing notes over homemade Danish pastry and black coffee. Eventually, my mom secured the recipe and made it on Christmas mornings, topping it with festive red cherries.
Whether you wing it in the kitchen or rather use a recipe, try something new this holiday season. Surprise yourself. Surprise others. Your creative taste buds will thank you.
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Quotes!
“A cook is an artist who creates eatable pieces of art. ”
“Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity. ”
“The way you make an omelet reveals your character. ”
“People who love to eat are always the best people.”
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Check out all the options on my website and contact me if you’d like a private art, writing, or journaling workshop.
What folks say:
“I haven't had this much fun playing with art since kindergarten”
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“Carrie’s process and philosophy about creativity with both art and words is hands-on, accessible, and welcoming. I’ll take more classes with her!”
Thanks for reading. Creativity is not a command performance, but I hope you’ll stay and become inspired. If you know someone interested in creative endeavors, please forward this on!
Yours in spirited creativity,