It’s that very special night of the week (the specific day varies) when you open up the refrigerator door, poke around for a few minutes (sometimes more than a few), stare blankly at what you find, and close it again in defeat.  As my sister likes to say, it’s “challenge night”!!!

Challenge night can be your worst nightmare or your favorite way to spend an evening, depending on your penchant for cooking…and for puzzles.  At its core, it’s just a culinary puzzle waiting to be solved.

Come to think of it, challenge night is a great metaphor for conquering moments of doubt in life.  I wrote a couple of weeks ago about things I do to deal with self-doubt.  I’d like to add challenge night to the list; because I’m thinkin’ that if I can whip up a passable – even yummy – meal from the random stuff left over in my kitchen after two weeks of no grocery shopping, I can piece together the sometimes random bits of my life in the same way.  All it takes is a little creative spark and faith that the pieces will somehow fit.

Cool.

Gotta go.  Challenge night awaits!

 

P.S. For all you other challenge night fans, I have to recommend the coolest book ever written (for cooking anyway) – The Flavor Bible.  Check it out.  It will change your cooking life…especially challenge night!