Helen RandellCooking Resolutions
January 19th 2010 05:59
I know we're a little past the official New Year's resolution starting date, but the thing about resolutions is that the ones that last, are often not those made in a drunken haze at 12.03, January 1.
So, perhaps not resolutions, but certainly a list of things to work towards.
In 2010 I want to:
Make lasagna/pasta from scratch It's been ages since I made pasta, and last time I did it I made two giant lasagnas, freezing one lot in handy one-person portions for lunches and easy dinners. Have to get myself organised in this way again!
Make lemonade From all the lemons on our tree. They are just about ready to ripen. I'd also like to make another couple of pots of preserved lemons to have on hand for tasty Moroccan morsels.
Eat and buy seasonally The Adelaide Hill's Farmer's Market is now running weekly just up the road from me and I am hoping to do the majority of my fruit and veg shopping there. I've also been chatting with a few organic meat producers in the area, and hopefully they will start to sell direct to the public in our area soon.
Make my own yoghurt You can buy simple kits, I've seen it done elsewhere, surely it can't be that hard???
Build cupboards in our laundry for use as pantry and storage It's all very well having these lovely things but I need a better place to store them. Unfortunately this project is a little more complicated than just building cupboards - it requires some building work to make another room under our lounge and then some appliance rearranging to create space. But, it's definitely on the list!
Create delicious country/theme inspired menus with my girlfriends This one is already underway with a Thai themed dinner booked in for the beginning of February. We are also looking at a Greek dinner, a French dinner, a Spanish/Moroccan dinner and a Japanese dinner. I love this idea as it is going to be a great way to extend our cooking repertoire and have a great time as well. The idea is that we each bring along a course, whether that's a dessert, main, side dish etc. I'm on drinks for the first one, so if anyone knows of a great thai style cocktail just let me know!
What are your cooking resolutions for 2010?
So, perhaps not resolutions, but certainly a list of things to work towards.
In 2010 I want to:
Make lasagna/pasta from scratch It's been ages since I made pasta, and last time I did it I made two giant lasagnas, freezing one lot in handy one-person portions for lunches and easy dinners. Have to get myself organised in this way again!
Make lemonade From all the lemons on our tree. They are just about ready to ripen. I'd also like to make another couple of pots of preserved lemons to have on hand for tasty Moroccan morsels.
Eat and buy seasonally The Adelaide Hill's Farmer's Market is now running weekly just up the road from me and I am hoping to do the majority of my fruit and veg shopping there. I've also been chatting with a few organic meat producers in the area, and hopefully they will start to sell direct to the public in our area soon.
Make my own yoghurt You can buy simple kits, I've seen it done elsewhere, surely it can't be that hard???
Build cupboards in our laundry for use as pantry and storage It's all very well having these lovely things but I need a better place to store them. Unfortunately this project is a little more complicated than just building cupboards - it requires some building work to make another room under our lounge and then some appliance rearranging to create space. But, it's definitely on the list!
Create delicious country/theme inspired menus with my girlfriends This one is already underway with a Thai themed dinner booked in for the beginning of February. We are also looking at a Greek dinner, a French dinner, a Spanish/Moroccan dinner and a Japanese dinner. I love this idea as it is going to be a great way to extend our cooking repertoire and have a great time as well. The idea is that we each bring along a course, whether that's a dessert, main, side dish etc. I'm on drinks for the first one, so if anyone knows of a great thai style cocktail just let me know!
What are your cooking resolutions for 2010?
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I too want to make my own pasta - always been a goal. Would also like to afford more lobsters
The yoghurt sounds like a good idea - I could then finally make lychee and mango yoghurt - YUMMY
Your theme ideas also rocked - we are trying to get a dinner party like the TV show thing happening - 6 or 8 people - and each "couple" has to cook a meal and everyone has a go during the month and others have to vote. Winner gets taken out to an awesome restaurant and the other couple all come along but have to pay
Now I did some net looking for Thai Cocktails - you could do Mai Thais or this one lady had an AWESOME idea I might use myself.
Sangria infused with lemongrass, some ginger and lychees.
I also had a lychee liquer the other week and it was INSANELY yum - you could do this and make it with some rum and crushed ice blended wack in a lemongrass stick and voila
Best of luck!
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
Food Slate
I want to:
- be more aware about buying seasonally and locally
- make fresh pasta
- experiment (more) with different ingredients (and see what turns out) <lol>...
My mum makes her own yoghurt. It is indeed easy and quick -- even as quick as overnight!
I made my version of a Peach Daiquiri the other night
JK...lychee liquer -- yum!
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking
Your resolutions sound great! I have a couple of friends who have just finished a Japanese cooking class and they loved it - I am sure you will too!
Mai Thais were my first thought, but the sangria sounds awesome! We recently went to a new tapas bar and ordered their sangria and all agreed we should be drinking more of the stuff! Can you send me the link??
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking
I think everyone wants to become more aware of where their food is coming from these days - a fine resolution!
I like your idea of more experimentation - that's why we decided to step out of our comfort zones a bit with different cuisines - good luck with it - I'll look forward to a few Monday Mumbles with odd ingredients!
I think yoghurt will be one of the first things on the list to do - thanks for your comments.
Comment by Samantha Elley
Food Journo
The Sandwich Shak
Vintage Foodie
Little House among the Canefields
When I was living in Sydney my girlfriends and I did exactly the same thing with the dinner parties. Each bringing a course. It improved our skils no end.
My resolutions would include:
- having more dinner parties. Not necessarily themed but having now moved into our new house with big gourmet kitchen, I have alot of cooking to catch up on.
- update my food blogs more regularly
- establish our new vege and herb gardens ready to feed into the kitchen.
Good luck!
Comment by Helen Randell
Rough Cooking
Congratulations on the big gourmet kitchen - you'll definitely need to test it out properly with some parties!
Your herb and veggie patches sound great! We have four big areas of vegetables at our place and they are a great way to put together tasty meals without heading to the shops.
And if you do both of those things you'll have plenty to blog about!