What if we cooked just for the joy of it? What if that’s what it’s all about? What if in the end it’s about creating a more nourishing life?

I’ve been thinking about this alot lately. As someone who is in the business of cooking, it’s easy for that to get lost sometimes because we live in a world where it feels very much about having to perform. To always be putting something new out there to stay ‘relevant’. And to be honest it feels a little exhausting.

Cooking is supposed to be about joy and creativity. It’s supposed to be this beautiful way to nourish yourself and those you love. And sometimes I think that gets lost these days.

Even if it’s something you’re obsessed with (raises her hand) it’s easy to get overstimulated and forget to actually do it in a way that feels good to you because there’s all these ideas and information coming at you all the time. If you’re on any social media platform you know about the algorithms and how it’s all about giving you more of what you consume so there’s always something new in your face - and that’s become a little too much for me lately. I realized that when I’m always looking to what everyone else is doing it blocks my own creativity. It sometimes even blocks us from doing anything at all and then we order from Door Dash because Katy Perry said we should when she sang about it with a block of cheese on her head. *Sidenote - I’ve been watching the US Open this week and I don’t have cable so I don’t usually see commercials - and I remember why now!*

What if we just stepped back from that for a minute? What if we just gave ourselves the space to listen to our own intuition? To allow our own creativity to shine? Because it’s always there if you let it have some space to come out. That’s where the real joy is.

It’s why I’ve been on social media less and less these days. To be able to hear my own creative voice and discern for myself why I’m doing anything, really.

I want us all to be able to find our own unique creativity in the kitchen, and not the celebrity chef, Michelin star kind (ask any of those what they cook at home and it'll be quite different because so much of the restaurant world is often more a theatrical experience than anything). What about the everyday cooking? The cooking that just feels joyful, and nourishing, and yes, creative. Where we have the space to just cook what we actually feel inspired to, not this idea that it has to be anything flashy or instagram worthy? That's what I want. More of us who trust ourselves to cook food where your only concern is creating something delicious to you and in the process it brings a little bit more joy to your day.

Now don’t get me wrong I love being inspired and learning from others in the kitchen, I’m just choosing to be way more intentional about how I do that. Because this is the beauty of having access to anything and everything these days, we have the ability to choose. It’s easy to forget, but we do. And I choose cookbooks and publications where I can decide when I want to consume them. I'm so much more about learning through stories, that means intentionally reading a cookbook or if I choose a recipe its because I've chosen to seek it out not because it's the cool thing to do.

And how about being inspired by life? Trips to the Farmer’s Market to see what looks good, making a trip to a specialty food store to get some new and interesting ingredients to play around with, taking a trip and finding the hidden gem where you eat the best taco of your life and you want to recreate it at home. Inspiration is everywhere and there’s nothing more special to me than coming back to the kitchen and remembering it gets to be exactly what I want to make it - a place I can be myself fully, where there really is nothing to prove, where I have full permission to make a mess and play for the fun of it, where I can see in realtime the magic that happens when you transform ingredients into something new. And it always transforms me in the process.

So where can you reclaim your cooking for the pure joy, creativity and magic of it all?

What’s cooking this week: Tomato Tart

Soak up the last of tomato season with this beauty! To get the crispiest crust, don't skip the salting of the tomatoes. This will draw out some of the moisture and brings out even more of that delicious concentrated tomato flavour.

Flavour tip: mixing the cooked tomatoes with a tomato salad gives you a few different textures and go for different colours to add that visual pop too!

Creativity tip: mix up the variety of tomatoes and you could go a few different ways with the cheese here or leave it out all together if you want just simple tomato goodness.

Tomato Tart

• 1 frozen sheet pre rolled puff pastry, thawed

• 3-4 large heirloom tomatoes. thickly sliced

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes or more heirloom tomatoes (I like to mix the colours), cut into quarters or chopped into bite sized pieces

• 1/2 cup asiago cheese, sliced with a potato peeler

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing the pastry

• juice and zest of half a lemon

Arrange the heirloom tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with paper towel or a kitchen towel. Season both sides of each tomato slice with salt. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Place the cherry tomatoes in a medium bowl and season with salt. Set aside. 

Preheat your oven to 425*.

Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and unfold the puff pastry so you have one large sheet. Prick the pastry gently with the tip of a knife or fork. This prevents it from puffing up too much. Brush liberally with olive oil.

Dry the heirloom tomatoes well and arrange onto the puff pastry leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the outside. Sprinkle with oregano and cheese. You can fold over the corners of the pastry or pinch the edges to make it prettier (have fun with this!) Place on the bottom rack of your oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Meanwhile, drain the cherry tomatoes of any excess water, pat dry and place back in the bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, zest and basil. Toss and season as needed with more salt and pepper. Set aside.

When the tart is cooked, remove from the oven and place onto a serving platter. Pile the tomato salad in the middle and serve immediately. 

Makes 6 servings. 

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