Fairytale Eggplants & Forgotten Hobbies

On creative dry spells and what I’m cooking this week

I’ve never thought of creativity as something you “find.” In my experience, it always just snuck up on me and usually not at the most opportune times or for very long.

Over the past few years, I’ve been trying to figure out how to hold onto that spark long enough to actually finish something. To channel those flashes of inspiration into creative work I’m proud of—and that lasts longer than a single weekend rush of energy. It’s hard.

That’s why I started writing my first novel, A Recipe Called Home. I wanted to prove to myself that I could commit to a creative project for more than a few weeks. That I could stick with it, even on the days when the inspiration didn’t come easy and when my job wasn’t on the line. When there was no lightning. Just me, the blank page, and the choice to keep going.

To know me is to know I have an entire room dedicated to abandoned hobbies. Two Cricut machines. A dozen blank canvases (still shrink-wrapped) and the paint to go along with them. Enough beads to open an Etsy store. At least three watercolor kits and a few abandoned WIPs. A fully stocked calligraphy cabinet. You get the picture.

At the start of something new, I go all in. I hyper-focus. I obsess. And then…I burn out. Every. Single. Time.

Except with writing.

It’s arguably the simplest hobby in terms of tools required, but one of the most creatively demanding and rewarding, in my opinion. I even made a career out of it, working as a speechwriter and leading comms teams. But writing creatively? Sharing it publicly? That felt too vulnerable. Too risky.

Then last year, I lost my mind (kidding…mostly) and quit my full-time job as a Managing Director of Creative Services to pursue a slower, more intentional life built around writing. And you know what? I love it. Most days.

Other days, the creative well is bone dry. Like, full-on Sahara Desert energy. And on those days, I’ve learned I have to find my way back to inspiration, not wait for it to find me.

This past weekend was one of those dry spells. So I did something simple: I went to the farmers market.

It wasn’t words on a page, but I turned it into a little thought experiment. I asked myself: What would it be like for the main character in my current WIP to visit this market? What would she notice that I wouldn’t?

She’s a young aspiring chef in 1960s Chicago, so I scanned the vegetable stands through her eyes. Suddenly, everything looked different. There were even a few ingredients I knew she’d never seen before, so naturally I bought them. Fairytale eggplant? Yes. Frog skin watermelon? Of course. Tomatillos? Absolutely.

Now, I’m planning meals around my little harvest and channeling her as I cook, getting into her head, and imagining how she might learn, fail, or get inspired. That one random morning at the market sparked a few new scenes and helped me understand her a little better.

All of which is to say: even when the well feels dry, creativity has a way of sneaking in through the side door, if you let it.

Thanks for being here and reading along. If you’ve ever found inspiration in an unexpected place, I’d love to hear about it, hit reply and tell me. Or let me know what’s currently feeding your creative well.

Until next time,
❤️ Stephanie

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P.S. - here’s a recipe I’m trying tonight with the fairytale eggplants from Justinesnacks.com

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce block of firm tofu

• 3/4 pound fairytale eggplants or normal eggplant, sliced

• 6 tablespoons brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sambal oelek

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon white miso paste

• Extra-virgin olive oil

For the cucumber salad

• 1 large cucumber

• 1 small serrano pepper

• 2 large scallions

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• Diamond Crystal kosher salt

For serving

• 4 servings of steamed white rice

Instructions

1. Drain and lightly press the moisture out of the tofu with a paper towel. Slice the tofu into 1-inch square cubes.

2. Add the cubes to a towel-lined baking sheet. Cover with another layer of paper towels (or a lint-free dish towel) and add another baking sheet on top. Add a book on top and set this aside to press.

3. While the tofu is being pressed, halve the fairytale eggplants and set them aside.

4. Whisk together the sugar, sambal oelek, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and miso paste. Set to the side.

5. Before beginning the cooking process, prepare the cucumber salad. Thinly slice the cucumber, serrano pepper and scallion greens and add them to a bowl. Season with the rice vinegar and a pinch of salt. Mix and set in the fridge.

6. Next, place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil to coat the surface. When the olive oil is just below smoking, a little whispy, add the tofu.

7. Cook the tofu for 2-3 minutes undisturbed, when it's ready to flip, it will release itself from the pan and look all golden. Shake the pan to cook the tofu on all sides, this will take about 6-8 minutes. When the tofu is ready, transfer it to a bowl on the side.

8. Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan if needed, then add the fairytale eggplant. Cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, until browning on one side. Then stir the eggplant to cook all sides, another 2-3 minutes.

9. Add the tofu back in with the eggplant, then pour in the sauce. Stir to coat. The sauce will be thin, but let it simmer and reduce for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

10. When the sauce begins to look thick and "sticky," the tofu is done. For bonus points, and for extra burnished and delicious bits, feel free to throw this under the oven broiler for 3-4 minutes. It's not necessary. I just like what it does to caramelize the edges of the eggplant.

11. When you are ready to serve, scoop the tofu over white rice and garnish with the cucumber salad. Enjoy!