Finding New Joy in the Kitchen
New Year, New Recipes!
Happy January!
To be completely honest with you, I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to.
Shocker. I know.
Blame it on the holidays or the New Year’s funk everyone goes through.
A part of that could be possible burnout. A part could embarrassingly be that some of the last few dishes I’ve made have downright sucked.
Like, “My tummy hurts and I gotta throw this away because there’s something wrong with this dish” sucks.
A part could also be that I am allowing myself to step back from the thing I love to continue finding joy in it, to continue loving it.
I don’t believe I’ll ever stop loving to cook and bake. But I have to remember I’m a human being with varying emotions and feelings. And right now? The desire to cook for the last few weeks hasn’t been there.
Until a few days ago…
You know those foods that feel like somebody put the biggest bandaid on your internal organs? Or that scene in Tangled where Flynn Rider’s body GLOWS from the inside out at the end of the movie?
Food can heal your body, and heal your soul. It sounds hippy-dippy to say, but I believe it!
I was lying in bed, “resting” (aka scrolling on TikTok) when I saw the most beautiful bowl of oatmeal by Nasim Lahbichi.
It’s his take on “Haldi Doodh Oats”: an homage to turmeric and toppings.
If you’re able to, check out this recipe and the rest of Nasim’s work, He’s such a talent!
Using what I had, I replicated the oats. Topping them with some berries I scavenged for in my Aunt’s fridge mixed with the last bits of a “Holiday Jam” I bought at a market last month, plus tahini and a little maple syrup.
Dreamy. Complex. Comforting. Tart. Sweet. Aroma-y, TEN OUT OF TEN.
I can’t wait to make these again! As soon as the first bite hit, HEALED.
Healed from life burnout, kitchen burnout, and was ready to kickstart the day.
To sum it up: kids eat your breakfast.
Another rejuvenating moment was earlier today.
After my first shift at my new job (she’s a barista again, surprise surprise), I stopped at HEB for some produce and a post-work treat. I picked up some yellow squash and immediately knew what I wanted to make.
This yellow squash, red pepper lemon orzo has been swimming in my brain for the last few days, and BOY was it good.
More than just good! It was healing.
While heavy on the pasta (and butter) side, I think we forget how healing food is for our souls. My Siti was a believer in this. Not by word, but definitely through action.
Y’all. I literally took notes when I ate this so I could remember how dreamy it was when I would sit down to write about it.
WARNING: They’re kinda cringey but they’re honest.
To wrap it up, I’m excited about all the new dishes this year has to offer. I look forward to even more, food-healing moments, guffawing over new recipes, celebrating deliciously, and more importantly, with others.
That’s it!
With Love,
Cara