Getting Re-Inspired in the Kitchen

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May 15, 2015 by Sarah

Why is it that you can feel like you’re so wonderfully in a cooking groove, and then all of a sudden find yourself in a total rut? Maybe it’s just me, but I think that I’m just as much in a rut as I’m in a groove. Which, is not where I like to be. At. All. But, with all my time spent in the dismal hole of uninspired-ness, I’ve been slowly learning how to deal with it. So, to remind myself the next time I have no idea what I’m going to cook, I thought I’d share what re-inspired me this time around.

Browse Cookbooks at your Library or a Bookstore 

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Saturday mornings I get to spend all to myself, and a few weeks ago I spent a chunk of it deep in the cookbook section of our local library. I stopped buying cookbooks a long time ago because it’s rare that I find one that I cook more than a small handful of recipes from. I love being able to check out a stack of books, and just copy down the few recipes that really make me want to cook them!

This time around, I was so inspired by Eating Korean, this Korean cookbook, more than any other, has recipes that feel like they could be straight from my mom and aunts’ kitchens. Total comfort food for me, and led me to the Korean store to try my hand at Mung-Bean pancakes, one of my favorites.

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Gianna created her own version.

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I also stumbled upon yet another Ina Garten cookbook (I love that woman) and discovered a new British cook, Lorraine Pascale.

Ask other People what they’ve been cooking lately! 

Oh, I wish I always remembered to do this when I’m in a rut. I tend to make the same handful of recipes over and over again. And what may seem like just the same old, same old to other people as well is new inspiration for me. At a Mom’s Night Out recently, I got to hear from all the other women what their go-to recipes are. Instant inspiration! One of the mom’s gave me the brilliant idea to pick up fresh noodles, stick them in the freezer, and then pull them out and boil them in chicken broth, along with some veggies, for a quick meal for the kids. My kids LOVE noodles, especially long ones, and I’ve already made them this twice.

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So easy. I used Korean kalgooksoo noodles (Korean “hand-cut” noodles), yum.

The other idea that I used right away was for breaded chicken, I ended up modifying a version of Giada’s here. The process of breaded chicken always seemed too labor intensive, but it was actually really fast and very tasty.

Watch a Cooking Show

I’m currently following Farmhouse Rules (a new favorite), Pioneer Woman (my all-time fav), Southern at Heart, and Giada at Home. You can probably see a theme to the shows I watch. While the Food Network is sorely missing cooks from more ethnically diverse backgrounds, I at least get my inner farm-girl needs met.

Most times that I watch an episode, I get ideas for something to cook, or at least have a stronger urge to get in the kitchen!

So, what have you been cooking lately? I would really love to know, because I’ll probably be in another rut in the very near future. (:


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