I don’t even need to tell y’all the best thing about Thanksgiving is the food…that goes without saying!!! But as the weeks get closer to the day itself and we start planning our menus and assigning who’s bringing what (or if we’re control freaks telling people not to bring anything because we want to fix it all ourselves), right up there with the food is the giving of thanks itself.
One of my favorite parts of Gumbo Love is the section up front called “Ten Grateful Ingredients for a Bright Life and a Happy Kitchen.” This little list is a reminder to myself in those harried pre-festivity moments to slow down, enjoy every moment, every ingredient, every task, every taste in the kitchen. To remember why we’re cooking and to be thankful for the gift of being able to do it.
Here are the first four Grateful Ingredients. I’ll be posting more soon. In the meantime, I’ll be thinking about these while I start hatching all of my Thanksgiving plans in the kitchen.
1. Believe that life is always working for you, not against you. Years ago, I was catering a meal for over a hundred people. Everyone was waiting for their dessert but my key lime pies simply would not set up. I went into disaster mode, complete with feelings of dismay and failure. Then a member of the waitstaff had an idea: key lime mousse topped with whipped cream and graham cracker morsels served in bowls. It was an absolute hit!
2. You are what you think…and eat. The most powerful thing you can do to create a happy life is to keep your thoughts and intentions positive, especially when you are cooking because your state of mind does affect the food you make. If listening to some good music helps lift your mind while you’re cooking, turn it on, sister!
3. Life is; just live it! Instead of getting tripped up when you find out you’re missing an ingredient, improvise. Be open to the “whatevers” and move forward with what you do have. You might even create something with a different slant or flavor that’s better than the original. I’d bet most every chef discovered at least one of their favorite recipes simply because they were out of some ingredient and were forced to get creative.
4. Trying to be perfect is a setup for failure. I went through a long period of trying to replicate complicated recipes from Gourmet magazine and any cookbooks I could get my hands on. After so much work and worry as I completed every step of every complicated technique, no matter how good the final product, it simply never was good enough to feel worth all the trouble. It was an impossible proposition to create something with taste that matched the intensity of my angst and effort. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous in the kitchen, but don’t hold yourself to outrageous standards either. Just be you. Cook what you love! Then others will love what you cook.
Wishing you all happiness and peace in this coming Season of Thanks! Love, LuLu
