Cooking and Creation
On Monday, I made red beans and rice for dinner. It felt appropriate - it's a favorite in our house and has Monday origins. More importantly, I had the day off to cook and had sausages leftover from our 4th of July cookout the day before. Leftover sausage simply demands red beans and rice.
We go through cycles of eating out, but recently I've been making dinner at home more often than not. I don't mind at all. I "got into" cooking a couple of years after college and really enjoy it. When our kitchen runs smoothly, stays tidy, and produces tasty meals in the process, it's a very satisfying thing. I don't tackle anything over the top as our tastes are pretty simple: lots of veggies, rice, beans, and seafood. Homemade pizza is always a winner, and my better half has been known to turn out some delicious baked goods on a whim (I never complain). In these warmer months, we keep our grill busy as many evenings as possible and tailor our menus accordingly.
One of my five daily goals is to "engage creativity." Usually, this happens through music or writing, but lately, I've been considering cooking in this category, too. Truthfully, the feeling that I get from making a good meal is not altogether different from the feeling after a musical performance. In both cases, I'm grateful for the opportunity to use the tools and techniques at my disposal to produce something enjoyable, especially if I can share it with others. Don't get me wrong - I still try to play some music or write every day. But if I don't get it done because I was working in the kitchen that evening, I don't really sweat it anymore. Instead, I lean into the joy of a full stomach, a clean kitchen, and the rich diversity of creative expression at our disposal.
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