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Simple Joyful Food

small ideas that add joy to life

live happily

Happy Mood Music to Listen To While Making Food.

May 14, 2021 2 Comments
Mood music for when you’re cooking in the kitchen - main (c)simplejoyfulfood

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There are times when Dennis and I walk into a restaurant, step inside for a few seconds and then look at each other and say, “Nope. Not feeling it.” Yet give us a spot with dim lighting and the perfect moody music tugging at our sleeve and, oh man, we’re ALL IN. 

It’s no secret that music can evoke certain moods. Whether you want to get pumped up, motivated, or just want to get the right tunes for a dinner party, choosing what you have on in the background can make – or break – a moment.

The same feeling can happen when you do everyday tasks, like cooking.

Funny thing is that I’m not a typical “music person.” I grew up loving classical music and as a child and teenager I could hear a score and name the composer. Somewhere along the years during my grown-up life I pretty much turned off the music. 

Thankfully, those ballet shoes still get some use on Saturday mornings now and then and when I like to cook and clean, I slip on my jazz shoes.

A moody mix of vintage jazz and blues.

When I am cooking, I like to bring that same kind of happy mood-making music that’s playing at my favorite restaurants with me, in my kitchen as I chop, stir, sauté, and wash dishes. 

Mood music for when you’re cooking in the kitchen - kitchen (c)simplejoyfulfood

So, who do I listen to? Madeleine Peyroux, an American jazz singer and songwriter who began her career as a teenager on the streets of Paris and twenty-something years later has produced eight albums.

Her style is dreamy music. She sings and you’re transported. Time slows down and you are suddenly one of those people who say they’re “living in the moment.”

Change the channel; shift the attitude.

May I be so bold to encourage you to fully embrace happy mood-making music while food-making? I know, I know. Hang with me on this. 

While cooking, meal prep, and washing dishes are right up there with the never-ending laundry pile scale of dread for so many, it may surprise you how a little shift in atmospheric levity can make a major attitude improvement.

Okay, you know how your mind goes crazy with obnoxious commercials? That’s why we mute them. 

Okay, you know how nice restaurants (and your cool hipster friends) have the perfect music in the background that puts you in the “I’m totally into this tonight and I don’t want it to end” mood?

That’s why we look forward to eating at our favorite places. It’s how they make us feel while we enjoy the delicious food.

An entire channel full of happy mood-making music.

Listening to Madeleine Peyroux personally made me want to discover other artists that had a similar vibe. Thankfully, my Amazon Prime Music learned my tastes and made suggestions for me. 

Then I discovered an ENTIRE channel full of happy mood-making music because Amazon Prime Music has a Madeleine Peyroux CHANNEL! Song after song offers similar artists with that moody vintagy edge and I happily clean my fridge, meal prep, stir dinner on the stove, and wash my dishes. 

I turn on my Bose Bluetooth Speaker (love how it looks and sounds – and it’s portable!), set the volume, and the music streams from my office to my kitchen. It has definitely made me more efficient in the kitchen and – strangely enough – it makes me feel like I have more time. When in reality, it’s the same amount of time spent in the kitchen. It’s just elevated. 

Mood music for when you’re cooking in the kitchen - bose (c)simplejoyfulfood

Here’s the link to the Madeleine Peyroux Channel on Amazon Music. I hope you enjoy it and would love to know what you think!

If you aren’t a Prime Member yet, here are some options

I imagine that many of us already subscribe to Amazon Prime, so good news – so go to your Account and click on Music Library and you’ll have immediate access to the channel as well as Madeleine Peyroux albums.

Mood music for when you’re cooking in the kitchen - amazon music (c)simplejoyfulfood

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Thanks for letting me share one small food joy that I incorporate in my day to add a little bit of happiness to the mundane.

Do you have a favorite mood to cook or clean too?

Do you have a special playlist or channel that you turn on while entertaining?  

Eat happily,

Lyndi

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Trackbacks

  1. Whatcha’ doing for delight today? - Simple Joyful Food says:
    January 24, 2023 at 1:56 pm

    […] If all else fails, even putting on happy mood music to listen to while making food can add a boost of […]

    Reply
  2. The Aftermath of a Good Meal. - Simple Joyful Food says:
    February 14, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    […] probably won’t have that desperate need for a last-minute shower. Dim the lights, light a candle, play happy mood music, and […]

    Reply

My name is Lyndi Fultz, and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, which span Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri.

I like to share small ideas for living simply and eating happily.

You will find that I talk a lot about food because we all need to eat. Why not add little bits of food joy where possible?

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“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. Then you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.” – Julia Child

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