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Good morning friend,
Wherever you are, I hope this finds you in a moment of quiet coziness..ideally with a warm coffee and delicious treat.
This week I began some small preparations for my thanksgiving menu. It might sound crazy to start working on a meal that is a month away, but I find this makes the holiday itself more enjoyable. Mind you, it was only a small task: chopped fresh ginger for cranberry sauce. I bought a large bag of ginger from Costco, peeled it all and then threw it in my food processor until it was finely chopped. Voila. It took 30 minutes.
The next step was to freeze my ginger into small portions. I used my Souper Cubes, in the tablespoon size, to accomplish this. Now I have perfect, 2tbsp blocks of fresh ginger to use for my cranberry sauce in November, and whatever else I come up with. I’m picturing some amazing curries, soups and simmer pots in my future. This little extra step saves me money and time. And I’ll tell you, it feels damn good to have the ingredients on hand when I decide to whip up something last minute; especially with items I don’t always buy.
“He who is best prepared can best serve his moment of inspiration.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersection of preparation, inspiration and creativity. How often inspiration struck me like a lightning bolt and I was not prepared to follow through on it. And the few times I WAS prepared, the creativity flowed effortlessly when inspiration found me again.
For as long as I can remember my biggest creative outlet has been cooking. In culinary school, when I learned how to best prepare, I found it foundational to executing a recipe well. It’s called “mise en place” or “everything in it’s place”. Before even turning on an oven or the stove you gather and prepare every single ingredient of the dish; measured, chopped and set out before you to grab in the proper order. It was a game changer. And something I still do to this day. Not just for cooking but any project I am starting…and sometimes for when inspiration strikes so I can be ready to create.
This has made Holiday cooking much more fun and way less stressful for me. I recommend early prep for all my besties. I’m curious, what are your tips for getting holiday ready?
Alright my friend, I am off to enjoy the rest of October and I’ll meet you back here…
Same time next week.
— Sara
P.S. A little update on the 40 acres. Progress is slower than expected but I am planning a trip out to my slice of heaven before the year is over. Hoping to have more to come soon…
- S
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