Looking Back, Moving Forward

Thank you for following me through the first year of this blog!  The goal set last January to try one hundred new recipes was exceeded.  The plum pudding marked the 102nd recipe tried in 2011.

Looking back to some of our favorites:
Clafouti in any form
Cinnamon Buns
Black Bean Brownies
Parsnip and Chickpea Indian Stew
Paalak Paneer
Cranberry Phyllo Baskets
Chicken Skewers with Tarragon Pistachio Pesto
Butternut Squash Stuffed with apple and pork
Pumpkin waffles
Souffle stuffed chicken
Chili-mango chicken

I had very few mis-steps, but nothing that cannot be improved upon:
Baked Samosas
Hazelnut pesto
Shrimp Jalfrezi
Gingered Chicken Breast
Hearty Fish Chowder
Miso Glazed Eggplant
Quinoa with Currents Dill and Zucchini

So what do I have to look forward to now?  I know full well that 100 recipes is an easily surmountable goal, even with the tight work schedule I faced from October to December.

But rather than try to increase the number of new things to try, I'm going to up the ante by focusing on a few specific sub-goals.

This new year will bring with it 12 breads.  I've had a lot of success with quick breads: carrot cakes, banana breads, muffins and the like.  However, yeast is still something that throws me for a loop once and again. The year kicks off with a variation on the cinnamon bun tried last year. From there I'll move on to white, wheat, rye, sourdoughs and the like...hopefully finishing out the year with a successful attempt at my mother-in-laws challah bread.

Sauces will also make a larger appearance this year.  I use sauce broadly to include any flavor enhancing condiments from gravy to creams to mustard to chutneys.  On my list to try are wine reductions, hollandaise, aioli, bechamel and bearnaise.

One other treat to look forward to towards the end of January and beginning February...a plethora of Hawaiian classics including spam mususbi, slow cooker Kalua pork, huli huli chicken, huapia, poke and chicken long rice.

Please continue to stop by.  Let me know what your favorites dishes were this past year; and if you have any recipes you think I must try!

Until the first recipe of the new year, for auld lang syne and a happy new year!

A New Year's Resolution

I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to try out new things.

With that in mind I've decided to attempt a new recipe or cooking technique each week in this new year, and document my culinary adventures. Given my inclination to cook most of my meals, this may be a weak resolution. After today's grocery trip, I already have five new recipes lined up for the next week and a half.

The ultimate goal is to try 100 new recipes in the coming year.

One of the challenges I will undoubtedly encounter will be adapting certain meals or recipes for various obstacles. Several food restrictions (including wheat allergies, food sensitivities triggered by medications and diabetes) are found among my co-workers. Finding treats to accommodate everyone is no easy task. But my co-workers are more than happy to share their own recipes and substitutions. Picky eaters as house guests provide a challenge all their own. While I abhor changing plans to accommodate one person, sometimes such an accommodation can lead to new and exciting discoveries. A few friends steer clear of meats, prompting me to search for alternatives to animal protein beyond tofu. And often I find myself returning to phase one and two of the South Beach. The strict limitations on fruits, carbs and sugars during these early phases have lead to the creation of new favorites to add to our meal routines, as well as a much healthier outlook on what we prepare and how we prepare it.

So perhaps these situations should not be perceived as challenges so much as opportunities to expand my culinary prowess.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

Carpe Cibus!