Friday, January 01, 2010

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010!

What did everyone choose for their New Year's Resolutions, if anything?

I really tried not to have any goals this year. In fact, I had already written a post about how I thought it might be a good idea not to set myself up for failure with a new babe coming, and not knowing what to expect and so forth.

Then, I went and made a goal. It's nothing big, but should be enjoyable! I'm hoping to learn to cook 1 new thing per week. I'm not going to be real strict on the when the week starts and ends, I just hope to have about 50 new attempts under my belt by the end of the year!

I've already tried my hand at guacamole...and it was very tasty! I'll be sure to try that again. It was a first just to gut the avacado instead of having Micah do it for me!

I have also cooked my first turkey! I bought a couple when they were real cheap around Thanksgiving, but waited until last week to actually cook one. Now I've got lots of turkey meat in my freezer waiting to be used. That feels good. :) And, one more to cook!

This week I'm going to try my hand at cinnamon rolls!

Anyone got any suggestions for some other things to try? Some of my ideas include making cheese cake, and using lemon zest in something (I've always thought that was weird - but I hear it's good).

Hope you are enjoying the holiday weekend.

5 comments:

Laurel said...

I like this goal, Magen!
My first suggestion, if you're not comfortable making gravy, is to learn to make gravy/sauce. I got good at this when my in-laws lived with us b/c Mom Smith is allergic to MSG and I couldn't use my (formerly) beloved "cream of" soups.
I posted my gravy recipe (with lots of suggestions for using it) on my food blog awhile back. Maybe it would be a good start - http://loveyoucaneat.blogspot.com/2009/01/good-gravy.html
And in even more shameless plug for my own food blog, I haven't posted a whole lot of recipes there, but the ones I have up are really truly favorites and I'd recommend any of them. If you see anything that you'd like to try and it's just Way Too Much food for your little family, shoot me an email and I'd love to adjust amounts for you!

Unknown said...

Oh Magen! Have you seen Julia & Julia?

What a brave goal with a new baby. I'd suggest, towards the end of the year, that you skip the jarred babyfood, and smash your own sweet potatoes,carrots,etc. into ice cube trays.

For sooner, I'd suggest learning to make your own stock from those turkey parts/bones! Or any chicken odds and ends....

I also prefer to have a stock of basic spices and make my own blends for taco seasoning, italian,etc.

Our new recipes for the holidays were marshmallows and caramels. Don't think we're ever buying grocery store caramels again.

Have fun on your cooking journey!

MagenRanae said...

:) Thanks for the gravy suggestion, Laurel! I'll definitely try it out!

Mrs. M - I haven't seen Julia & Julia, but I just added it to my netflix queue!

Unknown said...

We just watched J&J last week, it was fun. :)

tsbjf said...

Ooooh, I didn't know Laurel has a cooking blog!!! Have to check it out. I've been flirting with the idea of starting my own, but my original needs more love first, and I'd rather like a stockpile of food pics before I started. I would like to learn to make gravy!

Cool goal, I like trying new things too. Keeps things fresh, to break up the same 'ol, same 'ol. Jeremy keeps a list on the fridge of his favorite meals, so if a new one impresses him, he adds it to that list. It's helpful to have when I need ideas while making up my meal plan for the next week.

There are so many good things to try! I am still learning in the cooking department, a lot, and I like to watch a food network show from time to time to get inspired. Or, flipping through a food magazine and I rip out all the things that sound good. One week last year, I made three new dishes from doing that, and two of them made Jeremy's list. And I just realized that I haven't made too many new things this year yet, so I need to consult my unorganized assortment of new recipes.