I thought, “Maybe I’ll pave the way for a future cookbook? Maybe I’ll meet some interesting people? Maybe I’ll uncover talents that I didn’t even know I had or build skills that I didn’t even know were necessary?” It was honestly just about letting some creative urges loose after keeping them pent-up for so long. There wasn’t a script.
Operating without a script was (still is) pretty uncharacteristic of me. The irony is that in creating Off-Script Recipes, I took my unscripted cooking and turned it into recipes (uhhh… kind-of like scripts) in order to help others be a little more creative and courageous in the kitchen. So, my Type A-ness won out after all. But honestly, the vision is still wide open. Yes—I’ve taken steps to put pen to paper (or rather, pixel to screen) on some of my favorite unscripted recipes. And, yes, I’ve nurtured food styling and a culinary repertoire into my professional life. But all in the spirit of letting my creative urges take shape so that they can continue to evolve. Ya, dig?
to off-script or to go off-script (verb)
: to do something out of pure creative impulse and see it through.
“Seeing it through” is an important part of off-scripting. It means that you follow the manifestations of your creativity on to the next possibility.
For my left-brainers out there, let me land this plane. Have you ever done something on a creative whim and stuck with it—faced the uncertainty of not having an endgame and continued to do it because the momentum of new creative juices (i.e. ideas and solutions) takes you there? For you, perhaps this pure-of-heart perseverance is at the piano, in a basement workshop, or through the lens of a camera. Or maybe—because you read this newsletter (and perhaps a hundred more like it)—your creativity bubbles over in the kitchen.
Let’s see about that. We’re living in some pretty uncertain times these days. Many of the scripts that we once had have been ripped to shreds and evolutionary history would indicate that there’s no point in trying to piece them back together. Strangely, the undefined and unfinished creative urges inside each of us are probably some of our most solid truths right now… those and the fact that we’re probably doing a lot of cooking at home for the foreseeable future.
I don’t mean to make light of what is going on—but in the same breath, I do. Let loose! Let your creativity overcome you. Find ways to ease the muscles at the back of your neck and deeply breath-in the aromas, sights, and sounds of something you created. Perhaps that starts in the kitchen.
Below are six of my favorite Off-Script original recipes. I perfected these to my tastes and characterization of “delicious, interesting, feel-good food.” Now, it’s your turn—give them a spin in a direction that suits you. If you’re new at this, I recommend trying a recipe at least once true to script (I promise you, every ingredient or step has a job to do unless explicitly stated as “optional”). Then, pick one thing to change-up—not because you’re missing the ingredient or want to speed things along—but because you think it will be an interesting variation or more to your tastes. Then perhaps change 2 things, 3 things—that’s off-script cooking! Have fun and email me with any questions (or better yet, ideas!). I have some “Off-Script Tips” built in to many of these recipes so start there if you’re feeling hesitant. Til next time.
