It begins with allium family, onions and garlic or the lovely shortcut – shallots. Sometimes a little olive oil is first heated in the pan, sometimes it’s a broth or wine. What this amounts to is the start of creating a nourishing meal for my family, a base of opportunity. The vegetables come next – kale, broccoli rabe, squash – all delicious options. Then there’s the consideration of a protein, like chicken sausage or salmon (or what is still fresh in the fridge). Sometimes a grain will be added, or potato, to round out the meal. It’s so basic and it’s how I have created whole meals for many years now.

The joke is that I start by piquing the senses with delicious smells and visual delights, then the rest falls into place. My husband refers to my style as hobo cooking as I can just toss the ingredients together and they are usually tasty (yes, there are the occasional flops). One of our favorite accidental meal concoctions is mashed red bliss potatoes with sauteed onions, garlic, and kale – topped off with baked beans. It is really tasty and belly satisfying on a cold night!

I truly love experimenting with food. Around ten years old, my grandmother would allow me to make what she called, “messy stuff.” I could raid her kitchen pantry for spices, flours and other goodies, add them to a bowl with liquid and see what came of it. Such joy! I could go on for hours with my creations. They were usually goopy brown combinations that were not for eating. It was about the journey of experimentation, not the outcome! Sauteeing onions is the grown up version of  “messy stuff,” just refined and edible!

I came upon what some consider a big number this year, forty. My maturing mindset is this – I am wiser, decisive, and more forgiving as I go up in years. I do not look down upon it, rather embrace it with possibility!  With this has come a nudge for change, a new path to pursue. Just how big does that feel? HUGE! It can feel a bit overwhelming and times and fear of failure kicks in. Like why haven’t I figured it all out by forty, been doing said thing for years by this time, being highly seasoned with experience? Realistically, I think that in this day and age, we go through a number of career changes at many different stages in our lives. Luckily, I fall back on my convictions that I am wiser and powerfully decisive. By this point in life, I can hone in on what makes me energized (what could I do for hours on end) and crowd out what no longer serves me. It isn’t a fast process and I relish in having the opportunity right now to digest my ideas and try them out. My inherent optimism fuels my endeavor to figure it out and run with it.