Happy New Year, everyone! Let's talk resolutions....

[Jenise]

May your larders stay full, your ovens warm and your guests congenial.

Any cooking resolutions? I usually start out each year with a goal--a book to cook through, a techique or style I feel driven to conquer. I never achieve what I want to, but forming the objective always guarantees that I make some headway.

This year? I want to dabble heavily with the art of fancy garde manger. Nowhere in cooking does artistry play a more important role except for pastry, and I admire it greatly. Yet I regard a piping bag with something akin to fear. Time to put an end to that.

[David M. Bueker]

A simple resolution - more fresh vegetable dishes.

I just plan to have more time to actually cook most nights. I'm trying to scale back my work life somewhat this year... for many, many reasons.

Jenise, my late ex-mother-in-law was a professional pastry decorator. It was amazing to see what she turned out. I was in awe.

I've usually found "fancy" pastries to be intimidating to make, even though I can make any other kind of great dessert, from cobblers and clafoutis, to pies, cakes, cookies, custards etc.

The chef at my workplace makes fantastic cream puffs, and I keep meaning to watch and learn.

Happy New Year, everyone.
I resolve to actually make some of the recipes on pages I dog-earred last year in Bon Appetit, Cooks Illustrated and F&W.

Cook more.

Blog it.

Build Empire.

Cook more during the week, even if is just me. Not as fun, just need to do it more often.

It's the same resolution I made last year and failed to accomplish to my satisfaction: bake more bread.