It's hard to do that. I know it sounds weird, because most people would be happy to have all the free time in the world to just do nothing. I, on the other hand, don't mind keeping busy. I think that's why, when I was in retail, I worked so hard. It wasn't just the work ethic I was brought up with and taught in school. I liked being BUSY.
If I sit for too long, I really get bored. So bored in fact that I wind up taking a nap because if I'm not moving I feel like I should be sleeping. Part of the reason I nap during the day could also be because I don't sleep well, when I should. I just can't shut the mind off.
What I really want to try to do is set a couple of days a week to just experiment with food. I've done it before. I've created some good things by experimenting. I have a chili that family and friends rave over and a cookie that is "demanded" every Christmas. I do get the occasional "Baby, that's a keeper", but I didn't write anything down because, honestly, I took a bunch of leftovers and made something just because I was inspired. What could I really have written down?
Take leftover spaghetti sauce, add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, cinnamon, brown sugar and cilantro. Saute diced onion. Cube leftover chicken and heat in skillet with onion. Pour liquid into pan, coating ingredients, and heat thoroughly in skillet. Serve over rice or breakfast potatoes with carrots, basil tomatoes or corn cob.
That's not a recipe, that's a fun time playing in the kitchen. And yes...I have done that before. I know people think I'm crazy. My husband sometimes thinks I'm a pseudo-genius, and that is what drives me.
I'm a people-pleaser. If I find that someone enjoys something I've made, I am sure to make it for them anytime they ask for it. If I wrote it down...
My sister asks for Chicken Estufao everytime she comes home from college for a visit. My father-in-law asks for my super secret chili recipe or my great-grandmother's Spanish rice or her nut cookies. Actually, my father-in-law's list seems to grow every year. LOL The husband...he doesn't care so long as it's good.
Here's the rub, where the dearest, sweet man whom I call "my husband" is concerned. He's happy with boxed meals. He doesn't mind frozen TV-dinners. If it comes in a jar, it's spreadable on bread or a tortilla. If it came in a sealed plastic bag it's snacky delicious.
What's wrong with all that? Absolutely nothing. Except for the fact that I am a "from scratch" kind of girl! I know boxed/canned/frozen is how a lot of people were brought up--heck I was too--but I watched my grandmother and great-grandmother (the few times I actually saw them) create some magical dishes with a recipe and some fresh ingredients.
I LOVE getting my hands dirty...in food. It's cathartic for me. If I'm angry, I can pound some poultry or nuts with a mallet. If I'm sad, making a sweet treat might help me to feel better when I see the look on the husband's face as he munches.
If I'm feeling inspired, who knows what I'll accomplish? So that is what I am going to do for myself as often as I possibly can. Play in the little cave that is my kitchen.
Inspiration is the key to fulfillment!
"The greatest gift is a portion of thyself." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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