Try the Unexpected

I really don't have an aim for this post other than to encourage you to try something new. I suppose this relates to cooking and life in general.

When I saw chioggia beets in the store I immediately knew I wanted to make a tart with a polenta crust, showcasing the vibrantly hued candy- striped vegetable. However, time got the best of me and I knew the beets would age more quickly than the time it would take me to scrap everything together and actually execute the tarts. 

I pondered if there was anything I could do with the beets in less than 10 minutes. They were sitting wearily in the refrigerator, limp and altogether not very promising on the outside. One was nearly crushed under the neck of a full bottle of wine, placed there days ago to prevent the wine from leaking out. The others were in nearly just as poor shape, deteriorating under bags of lemons and celery root. 

For the first time in a while, I was throwing together vegetables with no plan of what the outcome would be. I know, its just a salad, but I have become so used to meticulously planning dishes that I want to make.

The salad was fresh and beautiful. It also made me notice each ingredient. The beets were crisp, yet tender and very sweet. Its pretty amazing to think about how a root that originated on the rocky coasts of the Mediterranean, named after a fishing village in Italy, came to be in my refrigerator in New Mexico. I know I take for granted the access that I have to so many incredible varieties of food. 

My conclusion: try mixing things up a bit. Combine two items in your refrigerator that you never thought of combining or if you want to go bigger, change up your schedule. Try squeezing something in that you always wanted to do, but never thought you had time for. Check out One by One on the sidebar :)