Winter Joy Retreat-Day 14: Food and Creativity

I'm participating in an online writer's retreat, thanks to Nina Badzin's blog. The topic is "Edible Memories," so all the posts will be about food. I will try to post every day to keep up, but there are some I might come back to later, depending on my schedule and when inspiration strikes.

Today is the last day of the retreat. I plan on sharing some thoughts about the experience soon.

Today's topic:
What happens when you improvise in the kitchen (and in life)? Where do you keep your creativity on a leash, and when does it get to run wild and free? Tell us about a memory where food and creativity are linked forever.

I must admit that I'm not creative when it comes to food. I'm happy to make something that comes out the way I want it to, taste and texture-wise. I can't decorate cakes or make cookies look like my kids' favorite cartoon characters. I openly admire (and envy) people who have the time, energy, and skill to be creative with their food.

Having said that, there was a time I had to improvise and it worked out really well.

On Rosh Hashanah in 2010, we were hosting people for lunch on the first day. That morning, I realized the only thing we had for our salad was lettuce. We observe Yom Tov similar to Shabbat, so I couldn't go to the store and purchase vegetables. I was panicking for a bit, but then I went into the pantry and noticed that we had cans of baby corn and water chestnuts, as well as some snack cups of Mandarin oranges. I had a salad dressing recipe from this really good Asian slaw, so I put that together for this new Asian style salad. I also found a can of La Choy chow mein noodles and added that into the mix.

The salad turned out really good, and it has since become my go-to salad for Shabbat and holidays. It's so easy to make and everyone likes it. My in-laws request it every time they come in for Shabbat and can't seem to get enough of it.

This is about as creative as I get when it comes to food. Even though my husband helps with it a lot, he still credits me for everything.