There are so many different cooking techniques, styles, and ways to do things in the kitchen that no one person can ever know them all. In fact, some things are so hard to learn that ramen chefs spend years learning to pull the perfect ramen noodles. I don't intend to do any one thing for that many years that intensely, but the idea of trying one new thing a month, maybe a few times to really get the hang of it, sounds reasonable. Some of these achievements are in the kitchen, some are out in the wild, learning new information and seeing new things!
12 cooking goals, 1 per month
January: Get a cookie decorating set together
My cookie decorating accoutrements are all cobbled together over the years, over different brands. I'm not sure any of it goes together, and having a cohesive set that I know works will go a long way to encourage me to get back on the royal icing decorating train. I love doing this, but don't indulge in it too often, even though I have some pretty funny cookie cutters. Aren't these pretty hilarious? Imagine if they looked much smoother!
February: Plant three new plants from seed
It's time to think about gardening, something I didn't do much of last year. I want to grow arugulua and snow pea microgreens in shifts, using big tub containers. It would also be nice to have a steady supply of cilantro at the ready, but that's been an herb I've had trouble growing continuously in the past. But now is the time to get seeds started inside, especially for cooler weather tolerant plants like lettuc
March: Make bahn mi baguettes
Bahn mi is barely on the radar in Columbia — I have to go to Charleston at least to get a good bahn mi, so I don't have it too often. I've made them before, but never with the proper type of baguette, which I only read about late in 2019. I wasn't aware of the differences, and thought they were just made with a regular old French baguette. Due to the time intensive nature of these and the fact that it takes more than once to make a good loaf, this will probably only happen on the weekends in March. And of course I'll be pickling daikon and carrots beforehand. Can it be March yet?
April: Visit a SC cheese maker
There are several cheesemakers in South Carolina, believe it or not! One is in Charleston, many others are up in the far reaches of the Upstate, an area I haven't spent much time exploring. It would be fun to take two days and fit in as many cheese visits as possible.
May: Learn to make a restaurant style salad
You know how salads in restaurants are infinitely more haute than ones you flop together at home? I want to find out the secrets of how they make it so awesome so I can translate them into at-home salads that I actually can't wait to eat.
June: Visit a farm on the SC farm tour
The annual South Carolina Ag+Art tours take place throughout the month of June, and each weekend a different set of counties and their agricultural and artistic offerings are highlighted. I might not make it to the far corners of the state but going to a neighboring county will be very educational and help me learn more about the produce that's coming from nearby.
July: Learn to poach an egg
But without the safety net of an egg poaching boat, that is! I imagine it turning out a lot like this egg poaching scene in Julie & Julia. Better get a crate of them from the farmers market for this.
August: Make bao
I've never even attempted to make this, but they look like they'd be a tasty little challenge.
September: Work on ravioli
Much like bao, this will be a similar experimenting in properly pocketing stuff into dough. I'm not going to get all Salty Seattle on my ravioli designs, but I might use some of her recipes for fun solid colored ravs.
October: Make cheese curds
The ultimate poutine topping, fresh cheese curds are something I want to enjoy. I've had frozen ones, fried ones, and refrigerated ones shipped from Wisconsin, but I've heard fresh cheese curds are a treat to behold.
November: Make a fancy topped pie
The trend of ornate pie toppers is kind of 2018 but I still have never even made a lattice topped pie. I'd like to get a little creative with a pie topping, and just in time for Thanksgiving too.
December: Make a charcuterie chalet
I saw this silly meme in December of 2019 but the thought stuck with me. Wouldn't it be cool to actually made a charcuterie house as a Christmas display? Of course it would have to be actually edible, no glue on crackers here. Plus I just want to see how my mindset has changed by December 2020. Maybe I'll read this goal and be like, WHAT WAS I THINKING?!!
Less food waste
Overall, my bigger food goal is to waste less food. I try to eat everything I make for this blog, or take them to friends and family to eat, but sometimes I miscalculate and have to eat the same soup for five days. No matter how much I love it, I definitely stop loving it after that many servings. Except this vegetable soup, I can and have eaten it for multiple days in a row with delight.
So expect to see smaller serving portions here for meals and snacks this year, because there's only two people in my household, and Patrick doesn't always want to eat what I make.