New Year, New Look, New Features, New Goals

What?

What is it?

Why are you looking at me funny?

Okay, all right, I’ll admit it (lowers voice, gestures for you to come closer): I’ve had a little work done.

Nothing too major. Brightened things with a new background and color scheme, plumped up the center column, grafted on the extra column of info to the right there. Minor procedures. I did it down in Mexico; it was much cheaper there.

I feel like a brand new blog!

And that’s not the only change that is happening around here. I have also added a Bookshelf page (up top) with some of the books I have been referring to a lot here.  Right now, it's just the books and links (click on the book).  I will add the why's soon.

I am most excited about my plans for the Menu Idea sections to the right there.

The major impetus for me learning to cook was that I was really clueless about how to eat. Every time I was able to assemble a plate that looked like what I thought the Platonic ideal of a meal was supposed to be – protein, starch, veg – I felt triumphant.

Even with all the cooking I’ve been doing, I still fall back into that occasional total confusion as to what the heck to put together for a meal. As I’ve mentioned before, actually writing things down is pretty much the only way I learn something, so I'm hoping the Menu Ideas will help me be a little less mouth-breathy next time I have a guest and need to cook something on the fly.  I know I can't always rely on my brain to remember this stuff, but now I will be able to rely on my blog.

One of the big categories within the Menu Ideas will be what I am calling Slow Fast Food, or making something ahead of time that might be time- or labor-intensive, but that can make for a fast and really satisfying meal with less time during a work week, etc.

So keep an eye on those sections (just placeholders for now) as I will be adding recipes and links over the coming months.

And beyond that, I have some other goals for what I’m doing in the kitchen and therefore on this blog. That’s right: it’s time for some resolutions. For a lot of resolutions, in fact.

I have six cooking resolutions planned for the New Year, and just to be all cutesy about it, they all start with R. For the next week or so, I’ll be posting a new resolution about them. Here’s a sneak peek:

1. Resourcefulness
2. Repetition
3. Research
4. Restraint
5. Readiness
6. Reward

Comments

[Heather]

Great resolution ideas! Even though I can't cook half of the things on your list (too lazy, no oven, no ice cream machine), am enjoying the little song bites. ;)