Thursday, January 7, 2010

2009 culinary recap

I was so busy cooking in the last quarter of 2009, I had little time to blog. Here's a quick highlight of what I was up to between then and now:

* Hosted an epic Halloween party which included two types of punch (both with dry ice smoke), squid-ink pasta, roasted garlic with anchovy paste, and numerous other spooky bites.

* Wrote a 50,000 word novel in the month of November, using dining scenes for inspiration when I was stuck.

* Baked three different types of cookies, some chocolate chipotle brownies, cranberry sauces, green been casserole and saganaki (opa!).

* Got back on the scallops wagon six months after eating some bad ones while celebrating my 5th wedding anniversary.

* Improved my soup-fu (aka improv soup making).

* Made a halfway decent (and somewhat authentic) curry for the first time.

* Fell in love with saba nigiri (mackerel sushi).

* Re-created at home a roasted squash and bean hummus dip that I'd had at a fancy restaurant.

* Lost, then gained back, 4 pounds.

My food goals for 2010 are to:

* Consume wine or cheese older than I am

* Do another "Iron Chef" party with friends, but as a judge, not a competitor

* Master pastry crusts (I'm thinking just about the time that berries and peaches come into season).

* Eat more fish; get more creative with fish meals

* Have more fun with vegetarian food

* Find more fun and delicious local restaurants

* Enjoy food more; worry less

2010 should be a good food year.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Pastry isn't bad! Cooks Illustrated has a fantastic recipe for pie crust that has never failed me and it's yummy! It's turned pie crust haters into pie crust eaters. :)

Carrie P said...

Thanks for the tip. I have that recipe somewhere, but have yet to try it. Hence the need for the resolution :)