Ask the Author: Sarah Copeland
Answered Questions (8)
Sarah Copeland
I wonder if it has always been in me, but I have to credit my fourth grade teacher who made us keep a daily journal in class. I never stopped putting pen to paper since that first day.
Nowadays, inspiration comes to me in the garden, on a walk, on the NYC subway--almost never when I'm at my desk--so I have to rush home and write down everything that came to me. Usually some of it slips away, but the heart of the idea is still there, and that pushes me forward.
Nowadays, inspiration comes to me in the garden, on a walk, on the NYC subway--almost never when I'm at my desk--so I have to rush home and write down everything that came to me. Usually some of it slips away, but the heart of the idea is still there, and that pushes me forward.
Sarah Copeland
I love sitting in a quiet, sunny room, thinking, writing and then re-reading and improving words. Words are my love-language, so being able to sit with them, ponder them, write them, and finesse them feels like home to me.
Sarah Copeland
My summer reading this is heavily about my husband's homeland (Hungary!). I'm reading Hapsburgs (big and meaty, lots to take in!), Goodbye Budapest, and re-reading one of my all-time favorites, The Invisible Bridge.
Sarah Copeland
This is such a great question!
First, take all the "should"s out of the equation. No more "we should eat more fish" or "I should really be making more greens" or "I should make something more exciting..." Instead, (and far better for you and and anyone you're feeding in the long run), start from a place of inspiration.
What gets you fired up about food? What do you love to eat? And what do you actually enjoy cooking? Is it that spicy ramen bowl from your favorite noodle shop? Are you crazy for fall-off-the-bone short ribs? Or Do you love baking?
Start there--I know, we all have families to feed day in and day out and baking a bundt cake doesn't sound like the solution-- but when we are in the kitchen and fired up about something delicious (that we get to eat when it's finished), it can get our engines going in a bigger, more long-lasting way.
Always be looking for the joy in the kitchen--the part that feeds you emotionally and creatively--rather than just focusing on what "must be done."
It's a bit like warming up at the piano with scales before you really start playing. Or stretching before a run. Once you get into it, and you're already making messes, you may find yourself having the energy and motivation for roasting some vegetables (for tonight's dinner), stirring together an easy, one-bowl banana bread (tomorrow's breakfast), and throwing some rice in the rice cooker or instant pot (for grain bowls, easy rice porridge or fast stir-fry dinners all week).
I truly believe in maximizing oven and stove time: if one burner has a vegetable soup simmering, another might have red sauce for tomorrow's pasta and in the oven, I might throw in a few giant sweet potatoes (which need absolutely no babysitting) to roast while I tend to the stove. That way, for my effort and time (about 1 hour), I've got the pieces for three meals, not just one.
That means there are some days I can almost entirely skip, when I'm REALLY not in the mood to cook (it happens), and instead just warm and toss together things I've already made, and still come out on top.
My new book, Every Day is Saturday has tons of the kinds of the kind of recipes, strategies and solutions I think take the chore out of cooking, and bring back the joy, to stay!
Thanks for the question--I hope this helps!
First, take all the "should"s out of the equation. No more "we should eat more fish" or "I should really be making more greens" or "I should make something more exciting..." Instead, (and far better for you and and anyone you're feeding in the long run), start from a place of inspiration.
What gets you fired up about food? What do you love to eat? And what do you actually enjoy cooking? Is it that spicy ramen bowl from your favorite noodle shop? Are you crazy for fall-off-the-bone short ribs? Or Do you love baking?
Start there--I know, we all have families to feed day in and day out and baking a bundt cake doesn't sound like the solution-- but when we are in the kitchen and fired up about something delicious (that we get to eat when it's finished), it can get our engines going in a bigger, more long-lasting way.
Always be looking for the joy in the kitchen--the part that feeds you emotionally and creatively--rather than just focusing on what "must be done."
It's a bit like warming up at the piano with scales before you really start playing. Or stretching before a run. Once you get into it, and you're already making messes, you may find yourself having the energy and motivation for roasting some vegetables (for tonight's dinner), stirring together an easy, one-bowl banana bread (tomorrow's breakfast), and throwing some rice in the rice cooker or instant pot (for grain bowls, easy rice porridge or fast stir-fry dinners all week).
I truly believe in maximizing oven and stove time: if one burner has a vegetable soup simmering, another might have red sauce for tomorrow's pasta and in the oven, I might throw in a few giant sweet potatoes (which need absolutely no babysitting) to roast while I tend to the stove. That way, for my effort and time (about 1 hour), I've got the pieces for three meals, not just one.
That means there are some days I can almost entirely skip, when I'm REALLY not in the mood to cook (it happens), and instead just warm and toss together things I've already made, and still come out on top.
My new book, Every Day is Saturday has tons of the kinds of the kind of recipes, strategies and solutions I think take the chore out of cooking, and bring back the joy, to stay!
Thanks for the question--I hope this helps!
Sarah Copeland
Just write! Even if you don't know what it's for yet, or if (no, WHEN!) and where it will ever be published. Write when you're inspired. Write when you're not inspired. Save it all (it's all a start to something--even if you don't pick it back up for years and years). Then go back and pick out the good bits, and write and rewrite to make them better.
But don't worry too much about being good or even great. The most important thing for now is getting the thoughts down every day.
But don't worry too much about being good or even great. The most important thing for now is getting the thoughts down every day.
Sarah Copeland
I'm currently working on the proposal for two new books, a handful of recipes for the New York Times, and 3 articles for some of my favorite magazines. Also working on breaking my chocolate addiction. :)
Sarah Copeland
The idea for this book, and all my books, came from my real life. EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY came to me while I was the Food Director at Real Simple magazine, working a 9-to-5 in the heart of New York City, commuting both ways, and hustling to get meals on the table for my (then) toddler and my husband--meals we could enjoy and that I could still be proud of. (The struggle is real!) I started cooking better and more long-lasting meals on the weekend to nourish our whole week.
I don't think I'll ever go back to the daily dinner hustle again, and I'm inspired to share with others how they can use their weekend time to help their everyday feel richer, less rushed and more like something to be proud of, too.
I don't think I'll ever go back to the daily dinner hustle again, and I'm inspired to share with others how they can use their weekend time to help their everyday feel richer, less rushed and more like something to be proud of, too.
Sarah Copeland
I deal with writer's block by cooking (or eating)--usually I write my best when I'm a little bit hungry--and hopping into the kitchen is my reward for getting the thoughts all on paper. But, if I'm stuck, a little walk outside followed by a good baking session, always gets me going again.
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