There have been times when, whether I was making dinner for my family, or preparing for friends to come to a dinner party, I just didn’t “feel” it. I was tired, usually a state I don’t like to admit to, but it happens to everyone. A normal person would just resort to pasta; not me. I would persist with whatever amazing dish I’d decided to make, wrangling it into reality.
Just Add More, And More, And...
Those times were so unfamiliar that when they happened, I didn’t know what to do. So I’d push myself to make something happen and add more. Spices. Honey. Wine. Cream. Onions. I was always determined to make whatever I was doing work, and it would get worse instead of better. It wasn’t spit-it-out awful, it was just not what I wanted to eat or serve.
Sometimes It Escapes Me
It took me years to accept that even though I love cooking more than life itself, sometimes it escapes me. Now, I recognize the moments and do something about it, before I waste a lot of time. Here are my “solutions”:
- Scrap the more involved menu and transform the ingredients into a beautiful composed salad, with olives as an appetizer and fruit for dessert. Super simple; the great products take over for my lack of juice
- Make pasta and serve it with the simplest, best sauce I can think of (one of my favorite: toasted breadcrumbs, olive oil, garlic)
- Go to the freezer and see what’s there; half the time there’s an amazing meal lurking
- Call my friends and see if they can help out by bringing the bread, the cheese, the wine or something. This is a very French thing to do, by the way
- Make a game with the kids by telling them they’re having breakfast for dinner, and serve them soft-boiled eggs with toast OR play that game with yourself and whomever is dining with you.
The Juices Can Disappear for Writing
The same lack of juice can happen with writing. How many times do I come up with the perfect chapter opener or the award-winning sentence, which I note down and proceed to build a piece, a chapter, or a book around. Hours go by as I struggle, writing, reading, re-writing. I duke it out, try to manhandle the words into something I like. Often the result is tepid. Who wants tepid?
Don't Panic
Over the years I’ve learned that if I don’t feel it, it isn’t there at this second and I need to do something to make it come. I don’t panic. I don’t reconsider my career and decide to become a neurosurgeon. I realize it just means that right now I’m tired, distracted, I really want to do the laundry or make some cookies or think about something else. So, here are some solutions that work for me to get the juices flowing: They each involve about 25 minutes away from the struggle which, by the way, is much less of a struggle when you return:
- Take a nap (there is no shame and all to gain from this)
- Get up, get out, and move your body. Bicycling is great, walking is too.
- Do yoga
- If you’ve got a pool, jump in. Save the shower for later, though.
- Mix up a batch of cookies. You can bake them later
- Read the poem that grabbed your attention earlier
- Put on the music loud and dance
You will come up with your own solutions. Or use mine!
What follows is a great cookie recipe.
Good luck and Bon Appétit!
