In Our Kitchens

In our kitchens, we often start from a place of love. Wanting to prepare those first purees for a little one who is just beginning to discover food, or whipping up a special dessert for an event, a wonderful meal for a gathering with the people we love. Love is a common driver behind our cooking and it is a way that as home cooks we can share with those we love a little piece of our own creativity. Food is often at every social gathering: we eat when we celebrate, when we’re happy, and when we're not.

Our kitchens are filled with good memories of baking apple pie and having the smell of cinnamon apples fill the space within our homes. When I was first starting this blog I strongly considering naming the website “Teal and Apples”, instead of "Here and Now", because teal is a color that is soothing that makes me think of nature, of the ocean and being present (mindfulness), while apples are a great staple for any foodie to work with. In the end, I decided Here and Now gives the message that we can be mindful, create a life that is meaningful to us, and make great food, the three topics of my blog page, when we are present. Being present is at the core of all these things.

Our kitchens are also a place of refuge, where we can zone out from every day stresses and begin to explore and come up with recipes to please everyone’s taste buds. It is also a place of tradition – making the same recipe that’s been sometimes passed down for generations or preparing for a weekly family tradition like “make your own pizza night” or, our son’s favorite, Sunday morning pancakes. Our kitchens can sometimes be a place of regret. When stress wins and we turn for the comfort foods. When we make choices that we wish we hadn’t.

We often talk about creating a space for meditation or a work space that is free of distractions, but what about creating a kitchen that is not only organized but that inspires us to create? In our kitchen, I have created two framed collages of beautiful food photography which, when I really stop and look, often gets me inspired to start cooking and experimenting. I also decided to make my meditation space right in our kitchen. We’re lucky to have a great big bay window with a seat right in our kitchen, which I use as a little reading nook/meditation corner. I find that if you create a space that inspires you, that naturally brings a sense of calm and happiness, it helps you feel more creative.

Our kitchens have the potential of being a space where we can make choices about how to nourish our bodies and make food taste new, and different, and flavorful. Here are a few questions to guide you next time you step in your kitchen:

What can I do today to nourish and energize my body through food?

What can I create with the ingredients I already have if I think outside the box?

What are some of my favorite memories that were created right here in this space?

Where am I getting my cooking inspiration (family members, new cookbooks, cooking website newsletters, etc.) and how can I seek out more inspiration?

When was the last time I really reconnected with food and where it comes from?

What can I do/use/purchase to make entertaining and plating more of an art and a culinary experience (such as plating techniques, beautiful serving trays/bowls/plates, etc.)?

How can I change my relationship with food and make it about fueling my body?

Look out for a mindful cooking meditation coming in an upcoming blog post in July.