Ahhh, don't you just love the beautiful harmony of the simple and the creative. I do my best to be creative in all areas of life but, let's be honest, sometimes we're just plain lazy. Those times call for simplicity.
Let's talk about cooking. Cooking for me is wonderful, magical, exciting, and then again, just darn right challenging! Try as I might, but each time I enter into the land of whisks and knives I find myself holding on for dear life. Most of the time (pretty much all of it) I end up leaning towards the simple rather than the extravagant because (coming back to that first thought) I'm just too lazy to reach into the hierarchy of cuisine.
So, those times when I come up with something simple and great, I just have to applaud myself and tell everyone about it.
So here's the story behind this simple creation...
My husband and I love pesto; it makes everything (well, a lot of things) taste absolutely delectable. A while ago while searching through the fridge for something yummy for lunch it dawned on me that what I wanted most was a sandwich smothered in that basilly (not a word), heavenly schmeer. Unfortunately the odds were against me, and I was short on ingredients, even so, nothing could stop me from getting that delicious green spread!
In my cravenous (a ravenous craving) state, I did what any crazy lady would do and tried to make it anyway :
- half an avocado
- a couple basil leaves
- a few cashews
- a dash of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- and a pinch of lemon juice
To my wonderful surprise I had created something better than I could have ever imagined. It had all the flavor of pesto but it was lighter and creamier, and after distributing a hefty portion to my bread and layering on the meats, veggies and cheeses, it only seemed right to finish it off with a nice grill on the stove.
An avocado-pesto-panini to die for. I'm pretty sure I snapped a picture to my husband for bragging purposes. Yep, yep, I did!
Moral of the story: When in doubt, try to be creative without getting complicated, worst that can happen – you end up at Chipotle because your experimental concoction stunk (literally and/or figuratively).
Happy Creating!