It’s Monday! How was your weekend? We had a great snow over the weekend, but now it’s completely socked us in…. I always forget that around here in the South, even though we may not get much snow with each storm, there is not enough equipment to clear all the roads. So our street is a complete ice rink as is every parking lot. So we’re stuck for a few days until it all melts. Thankfully, my husband had cabin fever yesterday, so I sent him to Costco for some extra supplies!
I love to cook and bake, but I often get stuck in a rut with what I make. So with the start of the new year, I have gotten an itch to have a few “resolutions” when it comes to cooking!
1. Use my cookbooks more | I have so many favorite cookbooks (like The Forest Feast, or anything from Ina Garten) as well as a few new cookbooks (like The Southern Vegetarian) and I’d love to encorporate them more into my weekly meal plans. I often gravitate towards Pinterest when I want to try something new, and I have gotten out of the habit of referring to cookbooks. So 2017 will be the year of going back to the ol’ cookbook!
2. Try making homemade bread | I LOVE bread!!! I could live on bread and potatoes for every meal. And there is something about homemade bread, baking in the oven, that just feels so comforting and cozy. I got into bread making when we first moved here to North Carolina and I would like to get back into it again. Anyone have a favorite bread recipe??
3. Make delicious desserts more often | Life is too short to avoid desserts. I want to make desserts more often. I’m not talking about the usual cookie or even a fruit crisp (my fav!). I’m thinking decadent chocolate desserts. Desserts with little swirls on the plates. Fancy. It would just be fun to end a weekend with a fancy dessert, right?
4. Freeze more, but don’t let the pantry get out of control | I got in a rut this last year with overbuying pantry supplies (like spaghetti, beans gallore, specialty sauces) just because it was on sale. There was so much it was hard to see what I had on hand, which meant ingredients got left behind. I don’t want that to happen again. I want to have a small supply of pantry goods, but I don’t want a mini-Costco in my garage. If I am to stock up on things, I want it to be doubling up on dinners I make to then freeze! I’d love to have a few more freezer meals tucked away for those emergency evenings where I just have zero energy to make dinner.
Any resolutions for you in the cooking department? What are you going to try this year? I’d love to hear it!
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I used to make 95% of all of the bread we ate. I have really gotten away from that though and would like to start making more of it again
Well then I need all of your bread tips!! I’ve only dabbled a little, so I feel like a true newbie.
I LOVE this easy recipe for bread. My husband is not a bread lover and he could eat the whole loaf. http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-artisan-bread-325571 It’s super easy too! I need to clean out my pantry–I tend to stock up and then just keep buying more! It is handy when we are snowed in too though. 🙂
HAHA I have totally worked through my pantry with this snow/ice storm. It was handy 🙂 Thanks for the bread recipe!! It does look super easy.
I really need to start using cookbooks more often. I love flipping through a great cookbook, but I typically gravitate toward Pinterest as well.
Baking a great loaf of bread is one of my goals this year! While not a loaf of bread, if you like flatbread I’ve made this focaccia several times and it’s really good! http://www.ruchiskitchen.com/recipe/focaccia-bread-recipe/
Pinterest is just so easy to flick through, but a cookbook is just so delightful. I have made focaccia a few times and loved it! I even remember freezing the loaves and it worked well. I need to make that recipe! Thanks for the link!
I always need a reminder to use my cookbooks more.
I’m sure I’m missing out on some great recipes because I’m not flipping through them as much.
Great goals! I’d love to try 2-3 new recipes a month, make delicious desserts, use my cookbooks and I’d love to be a better bread maker. My grandma offered me her bread maker so I may have to take her up on that offer.
A bread maker would be cool!! Certainly easy to just set and walk away.
This is such a fun idea! An resolution that ends in fancy dessert has to be a good one. 🙂 I love your goal to freeze more meals. My sister is coming to visit this week and we’re hoping to do a big freezer cooking day and then split the proceeds. Good luck on your yummy goals!
Smart to divide and conquer! That’s a great idea. And we just need more desserts around here. True story. 🙂
Mmmmm! Yummy goals! I am okay at making buns, but not great at bread.
Buns! I should add that to my list.