Let's take a hypothetical situation that can be queried to all ages, races and genders: It's Sunday afternoon and you are having a quiet, reflective moment contemplating your upcoming week. As you ponder, your mind naturally shifts to food. That turns into a craving for a specific type of food or cuisine, probably something you haven't had for a while. Then you can see it in your mind's eye sitting on your plate, so real you can almost taste it. Your mouth starts to water. You can smell the aroma. All your olfactory receptors start firing off an electrical impulse to your brain.

Now what? Do you reach for an actual cookbook? Pull it up online? Watch a YouTube video? Make a reservation?

Here’s why I ask. I was speaking with a friend who had recently written a cookbook and was kind enough to share a copy with me. After reviewing this labor of love, I queried his experience in writing and getting it published. He shared the whole process from start to finish. His final conclusion was surprising: There were many trials and tribulations as it took more than a year and a half to complete this work for very little gain. “If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't do it,” he said. Hard copy books are too expensive to produce and 95% of the people he was trying to interest don't buy hard copy cookbooks anymore. They'll simply download something to their laptop.

I agreed. As part of that 95%, I seriously don’t remember my last purchase of a hard-covered cookbook. Most of my research is done online. I do revert to my rather large bookshelves for inspiration though.

Back to that food craving. Assuming you’ll cook, are you one of those people that only uses a recipe as a reference/a kind of a refresher? Or do you follow every single step? I urge you to try something a little "outside the book" for 2020 and pick something new. Maybe change up or add something to that cravable food.

Or, how about a new cuisine, something that piques your interest? Then, get a general idea of ingredients and methodology, look what you already have in your fridge and just go for it. It could turn out amazing — or not. The important thing is the creating part, seeing what you come up with, thinking outside the book.

So, I ask, will you let your creative food flag fly and cook outside the book? Let me know what you make and how it turned out if are you willing to try!

Live well.

Are you willing to work outside of the book?

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