Cooking Ambitions for 2013

I read this list of cooking ambitions for 2013 and really liked a few of them. Editing their list, I resolve to:

Stop being afraid of making cakes. 

When I first met Jake, I told him that I didn't bake; it took too much precision and I don't really have a sweet tooth. But now that I have kids - and I refuse to let them eat store-bought cakes with more frosting than taste - I do make cakes.

Dylan's Birthday Bûche de Noël

Make friends with dough, especially sourdough.

I have made progress on this front, even making my own baguettes this year. But sourdough...yes, that's on my to-cook list this year.

Baguettes, Colwin-Style

Use our slow-cookers way more.

I don't own a slow-cooker. Sorry, Soraya. It was the victim of our great downsize...and I don't miss it.

Make sauerkraut.

Hmmm...I love sauerkraut. Okay, I'm on board with this goal.

Continue our quest to love anchovies.

Salty, little buggers. Okay. I'll find a few more ways to use these than on top of pizza!

Drink more/learn more about wine, especially white wine, because we sometimes ignore it.

I am guilty of ignoring whites, certainly. So, I'll agree to this one.

Here's a Cima Collina wine from the Pop-Up at La Balena...

Sharpen our knives more often (doing it ourselves, on the wet stone) instead of just complaining that they're getting dull.

No arguments here.

Cook at least one recipe from all the cookbooks we "collect" and never use.

I'm glad to see that I am not the only one with this affliction. My cookbook collection is out of control, especially since I began reviewing cookbooks this year. My solution: I took a bunch of cookbooks off my shelf - some have never been opened - and decided that they would find homes with other friends as gifts. For instance, I'll put an Italian cookbook in a basket with some pastas and other Italian necessities. Makes sense, right?

My first cookbook review for Quirk Books: 
Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever

Buy one new kind of cheese per week. Think about it, that's 52 new kinds of cheese in a year.

No need to say anything here. Caseophiles'R'Us. Just yesterday we went to The Cheese Shop and I said, verbatim, "Okay, boys, I know you have your favorites, but I want you to try at least one new-to-you cheese today." Riley discovered that he really like a Sicilian peppercorn pecorino while Dylan found a local Swiss-style from Schoch Dairy in Salinas that is his new favorite!

Eat all our produce before it rots.

Most of the time I'm not guilty of this, but it does happen from time to time, especially when I shove things into the bottom shelf and forget what's behind them. Whoops.

Have a fondue party.

Is is a party if it's just my family?!? We love fondue. Who doesn't like dipping, dunking, and swirling?

Cook more, but really cook (pizzas and quiches don't count).

I don't think I need to cook more, per se. But I do need to cook more with purpose. We only managed to make it through the Ks on our Cooking Around the World Adventure. We need to knock off the rest of the globe this year.

My boys making pasta with their new pasta machine

Make vin d'orange for summer entertaining. (Vin d'orange is a dangerously strong cocktail, that tastes just right on a summer day. It takes a couple of months to make, and so requires thinking ahead.)
I have no idea what vin d'orange is. That, in itself, makes it a worthwhile resolution for me! I'll keep you posted.

Start composting.

Once we get back into a real house with a real yard, this is a no-brainer. For now, in our postage-sized townhouse. I'll just have to be a little less green. Sorry, Earth.

Perfect our chicken tortilla soup recipe.

I don't like chicken tortilla soup.

Make spicy pickles.
This goes along with my 'make sauerkraut' resolution.

What are your 2013 cooking ambitions? I'd love to hear: constantmotioncamilla [at] gmail [dot] com.