How I Come Up With This Stuff.
This is easily the second most asked question I receive: how do you come up with this stuff?
Well… it’s not like it’s a big secret.
1. I don’t really think about anything other than food. Except for shoes. And what I will have for dessert tonight. Wait. Is dessert food?
2. I have no life.
Okay really… here is an example of how I came up with the watermelon mint soda floats posted today. This is nearly verbatim from my head.
The place: my mind.
The time: some point last week.
I totally forgot about those nectarine mint milkshakes I made a few months ago. That was so good. I have to make another this weekend.
Wait… but maybe I’ll use watermelon because then I can post it on the blog.
Yessss… watermelon and mint. Watermelon mint milkshakes!
Ugh. Do I really have to wait until this weekend? I want one now.
But Jess… you just ate one of those Magnum ice cream bars that your cousin has been telling you about. Milkshake can wait. Go eat a salad.
Oh and let’s be real… you’ve eaten TWO of those Magnum ice cream bars. Wait until the weekend.
…days pass…
You know, watermelon mint milkshakes sound kind of boring. They sound really good, but you already did nectarine mint milkshakes. It’s too similar. You don’t like to do similar recipes like that.
Crap. Now how am I going to make a drink with watermelon and mint? No mojitos, everyone is doing those.
But I’d really like to drink a mojito. And I really want to find some of that coconut La Croix that we had at the beach even though I tend to despise carbonated beverages.
Wait… La Croix! Maybe I can blend the watermelon and mint with La Croix… and add ice cream?!? Smoothie??
I should probably do unflavored bubbly water first though… try the flavored later, give the readers the option.
Yes. Floats. I like floats. Hellllo… Hot fudge root beer floats anyone? Man I hope this works.
Uh oh… but blending the water will make it lose some carbonation. I learned that when I made the beer marshmallows.
Oh well. Try it anyway. See what happens.
And I should probably strain the watermelon stuff. Don’t want to suck seeds through the straw.
Sweet. Do I really still have to wait until the weekend?
No. Now you have to wait until NEXT week because you just ate the third and final Magnum bar. Go do some sprints.
And that my friends… is how I come up with recipes. 98% of the time that is how it happens. Nothin’ special. If it is inspired by/adapted from/stolen, I tell you in my posts. So if you don’t see that note, assume I’ve been talking to myself like a crazy person for the last 8 days.
65 Comments on “How I Come Up With This Stuff.”
this. is awesome.
I do this too, only out loud. to the dog.
he doesn’t answer. only gives the side eye.
Ahahaha – this post cracked me up. I loved the “peek” into your inner thought process – it’s a lot like mine.
Oh, and HOW GOOD are those Magnum ice cream bars!?!?
I could live in your brain
COCONUT la croix?!?!?
I loved being inside your head. Our minds would have a gay old time together.
This was great! :) I’ve often wondered how you come up with all the delicious meals on your site as well! :)
i think the insides of our minds would have quite a party together. :)
This sounds oddly familiar. Except swap Magnum bar for tub of hummus. Or jar of almond butter. Or batch of dough balls. You get the point.
Ha! Ha! Finally your secret is out, although it is exactly what I thought it would be because I do the same thing- I play with my food! :-)
Ha ha ha .. literal LOL .. I love your internal dialogue! Brilliant! Brilliant I say!
haha I love this!
I love it. Absolutely love it. My mind doesn’t work like that at all….which is why I don’t come up with my own recipes. You have a gift :)
This post made me laugh out loud. Literally. This basically sums up the thought processes that travel through my brain, except mine seem to get a bit more repetitive..
AND I went to New Zealand in May and had my first (first 10) Magnums and shortly learned that they were going to be making their debut in the US. My stomach along with my taste buds, but my waistline.. well let’s not mention that.
I love the way your mind works! Aren’t those Magnum ice cream bars awesome! YUMM!!
which ones did you try? I had the carmel ones… EVIL! pure evil!
Caramel. Seriously, I think they put crack in those things. I don’t even really like ice cream that much! Especially ice cream BARS!
You re too funny!! Love those Magnum ice cream bars!!
Haha, this is fantastic. I wish I was creative enough to come up with stuff like this.
hahahaha so funny!!!! Whenever I have a really great recipe idea, I tend to yell or squeal or something and then everyone looks at me like I’m crazy…:P
behind the scenes – LOVE IT! :)
Haha that is hilarious! I love reading your blog, it makes my day. I love magnums! My one trip to Europe I got either a magnum every day or gelato :)
Hahaha, I love this post! I come up with the ideas in the most random places.
P.S. Magnum bars are heaven.
Hahaha I love it!! All I ever think about is what I’m going to bake next!! It’s terrible, isn’t it! Yet so good!!
By the way-Magnum is AMAZING!!! I love their ice cream bars!!
Michelle
http://www.kissedbysweets.com
I am so with you on this. My mind drives me crazy all the time. I always crave salty when I need to make something sweet the sweet when I need to make something salty…it is an endless battle of the senses!
I am the same way! Then as soon as I’m done making the cookies I had been craving for weeks I suddenly want to make steak! Oh, you can never win!
I like your mind. It’s really extra cool. It definitely reminds me of my mind… except my thought process also involves “Is this recipe juvenile enough for my 5 year old brother?” that’s where they all get shut down..
You are so cool…
Love this…
ha! Love your inner dialogue.
I think in recipe development the thought process is very abstract random, meets mad scientist. I love it! I’ve never tried the Magnum bars, but have wanted to ever since seeing Rachel Bilson eat them in the commercial. Although I am sure her tiny behind Doeant eat them in real life.
The best stuff happens in inner monologues. Thanks for letting us in on yours! :)
My sister and I just went on a sister vacation to Florida where we started our relationship with the Magnum bar. Needless to say there were a lot of boxes in the trash. Great post as always!
It’s pretty pathetic how similar we think.
I just had an ongoing debate with my mom about pasta salad. She now thinks I’m insane.
HAHAHA!
Hmm… This is how I always imagined it:
“Why hello, decadent food, how can I
A. Stuff you with chocolate, bacon, butter or cream (chocolate cupcakes with bacon)
B. Make you in a colossal portion (s’mores cake in a jar)
C. Combine you with some other decadent food, creating a Frankenstien’s monster of deliciousness (cake batter pancakes… or half the things on this blog)
”
:) Love.
Lolz…what a fun post. Beware the Foodie Brain!
So far I’ve somehow managed to survived the Magnum epidemic this summer and bought only one box. But on that one occasion I did eat all 3 bars within 8 hours. So…yeah.
Who the in world decided that THREE was the appropriate number to put in the box? Seriously.
That is exactly how I come up with recipes. Except I do 2 a week. You do 6 or 7. I blame it on my FT job and FT parenting duties or seriously, I would live, breathe, eat, and sleep recipe development. I actually like developing and creating them more than I even care about the finished product. Crazy, huh. It’s the thrill of the hunt. The experimentation. That’s what I love!
And per your comment reply to me earlier about using a diff f/stop for every photo and just spinning the lil wheel til it works…loved it. That’s pretty much what I do too, just didnt know if i was missing something. And I can’t believe you actually dislike the photography piece so much! That, and the recipe development, are my fave parts!
:)
That. Is. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! That sounds just like the way I come up with recipes! :D
You know you’re weird, right?
Love the inner dialogue!
Those white chocolate magnum ice cream bars are like crack. Seriously. And a glimpse into your inner thoughts is seriously awesome, I feel lilke I’m in my own head hahaha.
haha yesssss – that is exactly what goes on in my head too!!!
You definitely deserved the shake even though it’s the middle of the week, you worked out really hard the other day (I KNOW I read about it, I just can’t find the post!)
I usually have this inner dialogue when I’m laying in bed and I come up with all these wonderful things to write, can’t turn light on to write it down – husband sleeping, and by morning, it’s usually forgotten.
I think morning milkshakes might help to jog my memory. ;-)
I think the SAME way, except when I get an idea like that I drop everything and make it right away. ;-)
Hahaha, I think I’ve asked you that question a hundred million times. It was fun reading the inner-workings of your mind. You are some kind of genius.
I do stuff like this ALL THE TIME. Except my brain whirs so fast that all of that conversation generally occurs within the space of 2 seconds… so quite frequently I hear, “How did you come up with that?! That’s no where near related to what we’re saying.”
I adore your blog. :)
Love it. I have very similar conversations…and now I’m craving watermelon + ice cream..mmm Have you ever just blended watermelon by itself?? SO freaking delicious. Although, watch how much you drink….it tends to turn things green! bahaha
Yup, nothing like having a constant inner dialogue with yourself about food :)
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What’s the first most asked question? Is it “Will you come live at my house and bring all your delicious creations?” because that is my question.
Hahahah no – do you really eat all of this food?!?
Haha, clearly it’s too good not to. ;)
you are killing me! holy yum!
haha I love this!!
Yes, dessert and shoes – it’s all I ever think about too!