One of the questions I get asked often is where I find my recipe inspiration. Looking for my next recipe is one of my favorite things to do in my spare time. I read a lot of blogs and websites, get daily newsletters and am constantly thinking about what to make next. My mind is always wandering about what ingredients I could play with, what techniques I want to try and what I want to eat for my next meal. Here are a few ways I get recipe inspiration.

Blogs

I read blogs each day and have so many favorites! I love seeing what other people are cooking and the stories they are sharing with each recipe. Sometimes I’ll make a recipe exactly as it’s posted or I’ll make tweaks with what I have on hand to put my own twist on it. A few of my favorites are What’s Gaby Cooking, The Kitchn, Smitten Kitchen, Gimme Some Oven and The Pioneer Woman. The Kitchn has an awesome newsletter that goes out each morning with their posts. I highly recommend signing up!

Roaming the Aisles of Grocery Store

It’s no secret that I love grocery shopping. It is probably one of my highlights each week. When I have a free evening or Sunday afternoon, I love roaming around Trader Joe’s exploring new items, thinking about ways to utilize different ingredients and imagine how things are going to taste together. I’ll chat with the Trader Joe’s employees about their favorite ways to use ingredients and I always leave with new ideas!

Cookbooks

While I don’t reference cookbooks for recipes as often as I would like, I really enjoy flipping through the pages for inspiration. Online you can search instantly for a quick recipe, but with cookbooks it’s more like reading a story. I love to glance at the recipes, pictures, stories and the overall composition of the book for inspiration or ideas.

Restaurants

If I try something delicious at a restaurant or get inspired by a meal, I cannot wait to recreate it at home. I have the privilege of being able to travel for work often, so wherever I eat out I always am looking to gather new ideas for recipes and meals. I’ll take pictures of my food, snap a photo of the menu to remember the ingredients or ask the waiter a few questions about the dish.

Farmers Markets

Similarly to a grocery store, I love walking around the farmers market and gathering ideas for recipes. The best is to talk directly to the farmers themselves to see what they like to do with the produce. These recipe ideas always seem to be the best because the farmers are experts about their fruits and vegetables!

Instagram and Snapchat

I love watching Instagram Stories, Snapchat and skimming Instagram posts to get inspiration. Lately I’m super into following Nikki Dinki, Eden Eats, Dini Delivers, Chef Megan Mitchell, Shutterbean and POPSUGAR on Snapchat. My list is always rotating, but it’s so fun to be live in the kitchen with other food bloggers and chefs to experience their recipes.

Where do you draw your inspiration for recipes? I look forward to hearing! And I hope Gourmet Gab can be a source of inspiration for you each week.

Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela