Culinary Resolutions for 2006

[Pontormo]

The new year is two and a half weeks away. Fill in any or all of the blanks below:

In 2006, I will eat__________________

I will make_______________________

I will find___________________

I will learn_________________________

I will teach____________________________

I will read___________________________

This is the year I will try_____________________________

I will taste____________________________

I will use________________________________

I will give________________________________

I______________________

We________________________

My kids_______________________________

[jsolomon]

In 2006, I will eat larb

I will make a couple batches of beer/wine

I will find a real butcher in the area.

I will learn how to consistently cook soups

I will teach my fiance how to make brownies NOT from a box

I will read anything written by Anthony Bourdain

This is the year I will try sea salt

I will taste for salt the way my fiance likes it

I will use more stocks

I will give 110%?

I need to cook with less cream and butter.

We need to eat more vegetables and fruits.

My kids had better not be conceived.

←

[Pontormo]

P.S. This thread is dedicated to Kevin72.

[Chris Amirault]

Kevin72 is, of course, the creator of the Year of Italian Cooking thread.

[jgm]

Great idea for a thread! Okay, here goes --

In 2006, I will eat at three or more new restaurants in town.

I will make at least one recipe from every cookbook I have, and every magazine I buy. (That ought to keep me busy.)

I will find my canning recipe book. It has to be somewhere. Doesn’t it?

I will learn to decorate cookies like a pro, so I can make the very very coolest monster truck cookies for my nephew, with that new monster truck cookie cutter I have.

I will teach my dog nothing, no matter how hard I try.

I will read the cookbooks I got for Christmas last year.

This is the year I will try at least six vegetables I’ve never tried before.

I will taste several kinds of salt to see if I can tell the difference between them.

I will use that specialty cake pan I nearly womped that lady to get, in Williams-Sonoma on the day after Thanksgiving, when it was 30% off.

I will give more thought and planning to my daily menus.

I will stop being afraid I will die before I get to try all the foods I want to try, and just cook as much as I can.

We don’t appreciate the abundance we have, so I will eat more slowly and more thoughtfully, and pay closer attention to what I’m eating.

My kids don’t exist, so I can spend all my restaurant money on myself and my husband!

[Poffertjes]

In 2006, I will eat only the best food I can find and limit my intake of mediocre or bad food.

I will make a new recipe once a week (month)

I will find a a quality grocer, farmers market, meat market, and other suppliers after I move halfway across the country.

I will learn how to make different asian cuisines

I will teach my fiance how to riff on a recipe.

I will read anything by Julie Powell. She got me hooked with Julie/Julia

This is the year I will try ethiopian food.

I will taste as many kinds of cheese as I can find.

I will use new techniques and spices. (Santa won't you bring me Pepin's Technique?

I will give my fiance a chance to cook pasta as much as he likes.

I will share my love of food with others.

We will celebrate the bounty of each season and try not to eat things out of season.

My kids are not even a twinkle in my eye.

[Mallet]

The new year is two and a half weeks away. Fill in any or all of the blanks below:

In 2006,

I will eat: more local/seasonal products

I will make: a dry-cured salami

I will find: a place to get good fish

I will learn: to make croissants

I will teach: my girfriend to wing it

I will read: A Cook's Tour

This is the year I will try: to start a garden on my balcony

I will taste: sweetbreads

I will use: my BBQ in the winter

I will give: ??

I: will throw more dinner parties

We: need to get out more

My kids:don't exist yet

[hazardnc]

The new year is two and a half weeks away. Fill in any or all of the blanks below:

In 2006, I will eat more fruits and vegetables

I will make one soup a week

I will find more locally made/grown products

I will learn to make manaeesh (aka khoubz bil zaatar)

I will teach my son to cook and eat better

I will read recipes more carefully!

This is the year I will try sweetbreads

I will taste more wines

I will use more organic produce

I will give (throw) more dinner parties

I will challenge myself more in the kitchen

We will not eat in front of the TV

My kids will get their friends to try new foods

[ScorchedPalate]

In 2006, I will eat... more food that I can trace to its source.

I will make... time for entertaining friends at home.

I will find... a talented architect to remodel my kitchen.

I will learn... where to find better lunch possibilities near my office, and not just lazily fill my belly with convenient crap.

I will teach... the basics to my friends who want to learn to make Thai food.

I will read.... cookbooks from the library before I buy them, to keep my media budget sane.

This is the year I will try... to cook at least one new recipe a week.

I will taste... , at least once, anything that's put in front of me, no matter how 'weird'.

I will use... my new smoker (you know, the one I hope to get for my birthday) often enough to justify its purchase.

I will give... my time to the food bank, and not just when my company gives me time off to do it.

I... will fill my new garden with as many edible plants as possible.

We... will finally take our long-awaited culinary tour of Thailand.

My kids... are dogs, so their culinary needs are relatively simple.

[gini]

In 2006, I will eat anything new and different including food of which I can't pronounce the name.

I will make a real effort to stop eating cowtails at work.

I will find new recipes to make and consume.

I will learn how to make cheese cake that isn't ricotta based even though that's the only kind I like.

I will teach my honey to be somewhat efficient in the kitchen.

I will read a cookbook that I don't already know how to make the recipes in.

This is the year I will try to actually bake something sweet, including carrot cake

I will taste wine and understand its complexities before downing it.

I will use an apron.

I will give D less of a hard time in the kitchen and remember that I'm not a caterer anymore, I'm just a home cook.

I will cook as much as possible and stop ordering takeout from the same places.

We will run to offset all the food we will eat - perhaps even that marathon we've been training for forever.

My kids consist of one 31 adult man who cannot cook. He will learn or die trying in the next year.

[Daddy-A]

In 2006, I will eat better, but less frequently.

I will make more stuffed pasta.

I will find a real butcher in the area.

With thanks to jsolomon

I will learn more about wine & pairing.

I will teach my wife how to use our new Nuova Simonelli OSCAR Espresso Machine (she's scared of it at the moment).

I will read more recipes before actually starting to cook.

This is the year I will try to make my own sausage and pate.

I will taste life.

I will use up that jar of duck fat in the freezer.

I will give my family more time.

I eat, therefore I am.

We need more people to join us at the Oregon Brewers Festival in 2006.

My kids are the reason I learned how to cook. For that, and for them, I am forever grateful.

A.

[godito]

In 2006, I will eat only when I'm supposed to.

I will make breakfast for the people I love.

I will find a butcher and a fish monger that I can call friends.

I will learn some pastry. Enough with my boring desserts.

I will teach everything I know to anybody that shows interest.

I will read more on food history and gastronomy.

This is the year I will try to delegate in the kitchen.

I will taste everything I can. Just keeping up with my past two or three years.

I will use more latin american ingredients and techniques.

I will give satisfaction and joy to my customers.

I need to loose my inhibitions.

We need to respect each other more and have empathy.

My kids... wait, I didn't even know she was pregnant!

[Badiane]

In 2006, I will eat and laugh and dance.

I will make sense out of the mess that is my pantry.

I will find the pasta machine and start making flatbread crackers.

I will learn how to make a good tasting meal without adding a pound of butter.

I will teach my husband how to make dinner reservations.

I will read all my Bourdain books again. In the bathtub with a glass of wine.

This is the year I will try to stop examining the past and embrace the future.

I will taste as many things from Oyama Sausage as humanly possible.

I will use an apron and stop ruining good clothes by wiping my hands on my butt.

I will give more time to my parents and siblings, and feed them more, often.

I am a very happy person. I will spread the joy with jars of jam and loaves for bread for everyone.

We love each other to distraction.

My kids better not be concieved this year. God Bless the Mommies and the Daddies of the world...I envy you not.

[Gifted Gourmet]

In 2006, I will: eat more things which bring me pleasure and tickle my senses.

I will: make something with yeast, an item which causes me to cringe in sheer panic. I am, of course, a yeastophobe (too hot water? I killed it! Help! Too cold? I killed it! Aaaaggghhh!)

I will find: some recipes to actually attempt in my 128 cookbooks on my counter.

I will learn: to try foods I have heretofore avoided like the plague: okra, eggplant (too gooey), octopus (too chewy).

I will teach: someone who does not appreciate good cuisine to try things and enjoy the results.

I will read: more erudite culinary periodicals which aim higher than the merely mundane and simplistic.

This is the year I will: try to live my life more like Jamie Maw, my role model in all things, except for his women who have divine decolletage (check out his marvelous blog).

I will taste: and savor the finer victuals and viands offered by my city.

I will use: all of my senses in creating new dishes for my guests.

I will give: more time and money to those who need it desperately.

I want to: live my life in an admirable fashion, but not too admirable ...

We: should try to educate those with a true desire to learn from our experiences.

My kid: will continue to eat her vegetarian foods while I attempt to demonstrate more enthusiasm for her cuisine.

[avocado]

In 2006, I will eat wholesome, fresh, delicious foods in reasonable portions.

I will make myself lunch to take to work instead of eating canned soup.

I will find a new passion for seafood, which I went off of about two years ago when I had to prep the Thursday night monkfish special...

I will learn to be a better baker. I've no patience and no desire to follow a recipe.

I will teach my friends the joy of the farmers' market.

I will read more MFK Fisher.

This is the year I will try foie gras. I can't believe I've come this far having never tasted it.

I will taste everything I eat, rather than scarfing mindlessly in front of the TV or computer.

I will use the new Cuisinart ice cream maker I know is under the Christmas tree.

I will give more treats to the people I love in the form of dinner parties and cocktail hours.

I, like everyone, need to reprogram my tongue so those transfatty acids don't taste so good...

We should be ashamed a some of the things we put in our bodies.

My kids will never eat Pop Tarts or Lunchables!

[highchef]

In 2006, I will eat__more roasted veggies and play with different sorts that I don't know a thing about. Even if they're ugly.

I will make__the loves in my life their favorite birthday cake and make it as beautiful and happy as humanly possible.

I will find___an easy way to get the foods I want to try, like bookmarking all the web sites and setting up accounts so my orders can be done in minutes and I don't end up changing the menu at the last minute because I did not have the time to find an ingredient!

I will learn to finish a dish like a pro.

I will teach_my sons basic flavor combinations. and how to run a dishwasher!

I will read every issue of Cook's and try to remember the more useful tips.

This is the year I will try_to make simple dishes beautiful and appreciated even if they're only a couple of ingredients. I will make sure those ingredients are the absolute best that I can get and/or afford, or I won't make the dish. Don't you think food is like wine? Why bother with the crap unless you're starving...

I will taste_a real from New Orleans beignet, although I can make my own. Gotta go full circle.

I will use_less throw away stuff and try to be kinder to the environment. No joke.

I will give___all the gadgets that I don't use in the kitchen drawers to anyone who wants them.

I__am going to find a weekend culinary school somewhere and grab my sister and my best friend and have a get a way weekend.

We_are going to travel a lot more.

My kids are going to be grown and gone before I know it, so I must make a home they'll always want to come back to. That's a challange.

[purplewiz]

In 2006, I will eat at one new restaurant per month. Preferably non-chain, but that's hard to do around here. (Carry over from 2005 because it worked so well.)

I will make one new recicpe a month, preferably from one of the cookbooks I own that I've never cooked out of. (Also carry over from 2005.)

I will find a job. *sigh*

I will read more.

This is the year I will try several new vegetables that I don't know what to do with yet, assuming I can find them anywhere around here.

I will taste everything I can.

My kids will continue not to exist.

Marcia.

[Marlene]

In 2006, I will eat a vegetable?

I will make more asian dishes

I will find a really good butcher

I will learn more about french cooking

I will teach my son that cooking is more that a toaster or microwave

I will read every cookbook I can get my hands on

This is the year I will try *shudder* Grits

I will taste caviar

I will use my deep fryer more and my mandoline at least once

I will give up smoking without compensating by eating(ok, I'll try)

I need to excerise again, so I can continue to eat

Weneed to spend more time together as a family

My kid will eat me out of house and home as he continues to morph into the Friendly Giant

[Pan]

In 2006, I will eat more vegetables.

I will make more tea?

I will find a new good felafel/shawarma place in my neighborhood (I hope).

I will learn more about Korean food.

I will teach music -- wait, this is a food site.

I will read eGullet every day (I do already, though).

This is the year I will try some restaurants in Astoria, Queens.

I will taste some wine I've never had before.

I will use chopsticks frequently (but I already do).

I will give more money for disaster relief.

I really should cook occasionally. Maybe I will, if I become part of a "we."

My kids don't exist except in an alternate universe.

[Ling]

In 2006, I will eat huitlacoche.

I will make a spun sugar cage.

I will find the time to cook more multi-course meals for my family and friends.

I will learn how to properly pipe different flowers for my cakes, and also how to make Chinese dishes better.

I will teach anyone who wants to learn how to bake all I know.

I will read Letters to a Young Chef.

This is the year I will try to eat more vegetables

I will taste anything that I've never tried before.

I will use more care in the kitchen, and achieve new levels of perfection.

I will give my love to all who are deserving.

I will try not to eat dessert for more than two meals out of three.

We should all take the time to slow down and enjoy more dinners around the table.

My (future) kids will be encouraged to help me cook, and I hope their childhood memories are saturated with those quiet hours by the stove with mommy!

Edited December 16, 2005 by Ling (log)

[Pontormo]

In 2006, I will make a real effort to stop eating cowtails at work.

Of all the posts submitted, this is the one that makes me the most curious, I must say!

Thank you, thank you, everyone who has responded. This is fun !

Daddy-A's is sweet. Ling's is too, in a similar vein, although also in the literal sense that we have all grown to appreciate, especially when she shares the expertise of her sweet tooth.

I find myself identifying with a number of the resolutions, but am pleased as well to see sentiments expressed that are either quirky and individualistic--surprising--or ones that are about adventure and pleasure.

Duty isn't everything.

[I_call_the_duck]

In 2006, I will eat more fish.

I will make pastries more often.

I will learn to use my pasta machine.

This is the year I will try a new recipe at least once a month.

I will taste more types of offal.

I will use my convection oven.

I will give dinner parties.

My kids still won’t exist as I will not procreate.

When eating out, I will call other things besides the duck.

Edited because I didn't play properly before.

Edited December 16, 2005 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[Knicke]

I will eat with mindfulness and pleasure, not simply to assuage boredom.

I will bake my own bread more often.

I will find a decent fishmonger.

I will learn to appreciate liver in some form or another .

I will teach my roommate how to bake bread, as well as anything else she might want to learn.

I will read cookbooks for ideas and suggestions, and less for complete recipes.

This is the year I will try cooking with salt cod (bacalao) at least once.

I will taste a dish containing octopus that I've cooked myself.

I will use up perishables (esp. produce) before they go bad.

I will plan meals with BOTH a sense of luxury AND a sense of frugality (so far, I can only do one or the other).

I will discover (and cook) a lot more of the Alsatian cuisine of my ancestors.

[Pontormo]

Now, let me jump in. I had no idea everyone would have the patience to fill in each and every blank. I know that I don't. So, for now, I'll just mention one thing I would like to accomplish.

In 2006, I will make poolish. I will make poolishES!

A couple of months ago, I lost my copy of Beard on Bread. I can't figure it out. Clearly, I am not a great housekeeper and am writing now on a laptop conveniently placed on a pull-out keyboard drawer so that the broad and ample space on the surface of my desk can accommodate piles of books, papers, receipts, envelopes, pens...along with Buff, or whatever his name is, the buffalo mascot of The University of Colorado, carved out of a grey stone veined in streaks of rust and black with broad bands of cloudy white on his nuzzle and what ought to be a furry coat were it not polished and smooth. Hmmm. Dusty, too.

Perhaps I threw it out, hidden under a stack of newspapers.

In any respect, for many of my generation, Beard made bread less than scary. This enormous, bald guy had an important role in the whole Back-to-basics, anti-establishment culture, especially for those of us who were too young to join in marches and all the other things that made long hair, sandals and tie-dyed shirts so glamorous. I got to watch my mother graduate with a big Peace sign pinned to the back of her robe, but all I ever did was stick avocado green flowers with orange centers on the cover of my loose-leaf notebook.

But later, when I made bread, I could do at least one thing that hippies did when they lived in communes. I played Judy Collins ("I always cook with honey...") and Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell on the stereo and cooked fine-grain bulgur to mix into flour. When I went to grad school, I shopped in co-ops and baked bread on the weekends, trying new recipes until I honed in on the ones I loved best, finally moving beyond Beard to try more.

However, Bread Alone by Daniel Leader and Judith Blahnik has been sitting on one shelf or another for a little more than a decade. It is kind of intimidating and very demanding of one's time since most of the recipes require sporatic care over the course of an entire day. I will resist the temptation to run out and buy something new, like the King Arthur baking guide. In this respect, my resolution resembles a number offered above.

It may be warmer now, but yesterday was bitter cold. It will snow again, I hope. This is a good time to devote a day to following detailed instructions for making a poolish and coming back to it until it's dough rising and loaves cooling on the table.

In between stages, I will get rid of the dust clinging to the brushed fabric of the couch and in the glow of the lights on the small living Christmas tree on the window sill that will not come down until the middle of January, I will read pages in books, not monitor screens.

Then I will move on to chefs and levains.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Pontormo (log)

[gini]

In 2006, I will make a real effort to stop eating cowtails at work.

Of all the posts submitted, this is the one that makes me the most curious, I must say!

←

Cowtails are caramel sticks with a cream center. I had never had one before I came to the company I work for now, and I am sadly drawn to them. I think I'm going to go get one now .

Edited December 16, 2005 by gini (log)