The Joy of Cooking and James Beard's American Cookery sent me down a path of creativity decades ago. I'm thinking about that, because having recently been diagnosed with a chronic illness that severely restricts my diet, I've been hard pressed to come up with interesting, tasty meals. But I've found my fundamental knowledge learned from books helps me adapt and overcome. It's getting cooler in Michigan now, and I did my first crockpot of beans last week. I had to make a lot of substitutions, but in the end, the house smelled wonderful, and I had several meals of delicious food despite restrictions.