Food For Thought...

I got a very nice email today from a reader who was concerned that there wasn't enough "writing" and enough "art" in "The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton" and that I ought to save the "food pictures" and "pet pictures" for other blogs. She mentioned that she was not a "cat person" and came to the blog looking for jewelry, "not nature observations".

I love hearing from people and I am always open to receiving criticism. While I appreciate the opinions of those who frequent my humble corner of cyberspace, I do think though that the content of my blog should be left to my discretion. It is, after all, my blog. I also believe that my work is inspired by everyday experiences and that inspiration can be found in everything. You could walk into a room and pick up a can of soda... and already you'd have the makings for a thousand stories or a million images. You could talk about the origins of the soda, the history of the company, why it was there at all, if it was opened or closed, hot or cold, a secret pleasure, or if it was flat or fizzy. You could make a piece of jewelry using the colors of the can as the muse or the color of the effervescent liquid. You could smash the can. You could cut the can or pierce it. You could write poetry about it or turn it in for a nickel. Life is Art...

And with that being said, here's what I made for dinner:

I must admit that I don't put a whole lot of planning into my dinner menus. I know a lot of people that when they go shopping, they know exactly what they're going to get. They know exactly how many servings it'll make and on what day they'll serve it and sometimes even on which plate they'll serve it on. I'm not one of those people. Most of the time I look around and see what's going to go bad first and invent recipes around those ingredients. It's kind of like being on a reality game show. Of course, I won't receive $10,000 at the end of the meal, just the satisfaction that nothing went to waste and that it tasted good and nourished the body.

Looking around the kitchen earlier this evening, I saw lots of peppers. The garden has been very generous with them. I didn't have the fixings to make stuffed peppers or pepper steak. I had made a pepper salad the other night and wasn't really in the mood for another. So I made a pepper stir-fry and incorporated half of a grilled chicken. I used fresh basil from the garden to brighten the flavors. Food, I think, is a way of showing your love. If properly inspired, you can turn anything into a feast.

I believe that whatever you're making, whether it's art or dinner... if it's made from the heart, it'll always be delicious.