Inspiration & a Balti Spice Mix to Inspire You

I've been blessed with an abundance of the invigorating surprises of inspiration lately.  Inspiration that comes when you least expect it is usually the most jarring.  Its the sort that makes my insides feel like they're spiraling outwards in my chest, growing bigger until an inner driving force propels me to create something.

Work in Progress

This sudden influx feels like its been a long time coming.  Some of you may know that I started this blog as a response to an artist's block that happened almost a year ago.  I needed something to do that was creative, so I thought writing about my passion of food, health, and cooking would be a good way to put my energies in a different sort of art -- the art of writing, recording, cooking, photographing, baking, and tasting.  Blogging about food is a wonderful combination of creative pursuits.  It has kept me happy, although I admit I've gone through periods where I couldn't focus on it as much as I've wanted to.  I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever feel the same about drawing again.  It took me a while to reconcile with that, but eventually I knew that, if the drawing was going to happen, it was up to me.  I just needed to get inspired.  After drawing predominantly maps for the past four years, I needed a new source from which to glean.

Then the perfect combination of events happened at perfectly spaced intervals to allow me to properly digest their impact.  Small things, almost so ordinary that their surprise makes their inspiration more meaningful.

Also, this influx of art inspiration has made me want to focus on this blog, on the beauty of the process of cooking and eating, of nourishment, and documenting it all.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.
Inspiration number 1 happened with a video that, in all honesty, had been shared by perhaps six of my friends on facebook before I finally watched it this past Saturday.  It was of a moment in nature that would make anyone pause and take in its sight -- a murmuration of starlings.  I know I've already shared this video with you in Monday's post, but it was a turning point for me.  Immediately, I wanted to draw the formation of the birds -- their clustering and shape-shifting as a whole was so remarkable that I wanted to study it through drawing.

Then, I reflected on the video.  Someone was ready, ready to capture a moment.  It probably took them by surprise too, to see those starlings move in the sky like that.  She documented it, shared it, and now thousands have gotten the pleasure and gift to watch along with her, to sit in awe at this moment.

And that got me thinking about blogging.  About capturing moments in my life in my kitchen and on my table.  About sharing more than recipes but also what's surrounding the recipe.  The ability to be able to share that with you, dear reader, is an incredible thing.

A drive to a bookshop, where I got to peruse the cooking and art section with some green tea was my second inspiration.  A gorgeous sunset my third.

starting off on sewing the drawing -- in progress

And then I did it.  I sat down to draw.

work in progress with a finished piece

Another inspiration came when I discovered a fellow food blogger - Kelsey.  Her project, Happy Yolks is a place you'd want to go and hang out for a while.  Just visit it and you'll see what I mean.

Those precious and intimate moments of creating nourishment are captured so gorgeously.  She writes with an open honesty that makes me wish I could sit with her over tea and gluten free bread, exchanging recipes and the stories surrounding them.

Balti seasoning has been inspiring me in the kitchen.  Originally a Pakastani combination that is named after the type of pottery that would cook the food that it would spice, it's a relatively new flavor combination for me. A long list of lovely spices, they all blend together to form a complex and earthy taste.  The aroma of it alone just smells delicious.  I think a couple of pinches of it would even be good in a bread or cookie recipe.  You can easily make Balti Curry Seasoning at home.  I hope that you do, and that it inspires your cooking -- that it makes your favorite dish taste new again.  Enjoy it and savor it, or perhaps give it as a gift.  Your bulk aisle spices are your best friend for this recipe -- just buy what you need and it won't be so pricey.

 Balti Seasoning

• 4 tablespoons mustard powder
• 4 tablespoons coriander
• 3 tablespoons powdered garlic
• 3 tablespoons ginger powder
• 3 tablespoons cumin
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cardamom
• 2 tablespoons ground fennel (or whole seeds if you like)
• 2 tablespoons ground anise (or whole seeds if you like)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Mix all spices together thoroughly.  You may add water to a couple of tablespoons of this mixture when you are ready to cook with it to make it into a paste.  Can be used at the beginning or end of any dish that you think would be benefited by some spice.

What has inspired you lately -- in the kitchen or otherwise?