Culinary Resolutions for 2011

A new year....New opportunities, both in the kitchen and for this blog. Yes...it's been a while since I've updated this blog, but let's start fresh and begin with some culinary resolutions for 2011.

* Remodel our kitchen.
We have been living in our apartment for two and a half years now and have been annoyed with the lay out of the kitchen for quite a while now. Nearly no countertop space, in desperate need of more storage cupboards....but with a kitchen that is 10 sq mtr we don't have that many options available.
I have been trying to come up with the best solution, but finally understood that we might need some professional help here. So earlier this week all measurements were given to a local kitchen design store. Now we are waiting anxiously for the design they will draw up for us. I can't wait until the next meeting....Maybe it's a lay out we thought off ourselves, maybe it's a completely different and new lay out..... Fingers crossed!

* Cook more recipes from the food magazines I receive and buy each month.
I have been a fan of the Norwegian magazine Maison Mat og Vin for a couple of years now, and have bought the issues I loved at the newsstand for the same amount of time, together with some of the other, mainly British food magazines that I love. I flip through each of them a thousand times, drool over the recipes, plan to try them and then....yes, they just get stored away without the recipes even come onto the table. About time to approach it more meticulously.... I will try to make 1 recipe from each of the magazines that I buy and receive (especially now that I have treated myself to a subscription to Maison Mat og Vin!).

* Cook my way through 1 entire cookbook.
With both my growing cookbook collection and with the movie Julia & Julie in mind, I should try to cook my way through one entire cookbook. Maybe that will help me to stop buying even more cookbooks! Maybe that will learn me a bit more about different ingredients that I rarely buy and use! Maybe that will give me some new skills and perspectives on food!

* Learn a little something about wine and experiment more with cocktails.
After nearly ten years of living in Norway, you know that you have become a bit Norwegian when you find yourself in the tax free department of the airport, desperately seeking after different bottles of wine and liquor to fill up the quota you can import to Norway. (The sales of wine and liquor are state controlled in Norway, which means that the prices on these items are quite high.)
Normally when travelling abroad, I wouldn't pay that much attention to which bottles I would bring back to Norway with me, but in 2010 my husband and I have been shopping more meticulously, and have started to build up a pretty good selection of liquor and wine. Maybe some new favourite cocktails will show up on this blog as we work our way through the book "500 Cocktails and other drinks"!

* Learn more about BBQing.
I barely dare to write this.....Last summer, with all the great weather we got, we didn't use our cute Weber Baby Q at all! I am ashamed...very ashamed! With such a handy gass BBQ at hand, it should be no problem to serve up some great dishes in no time.....So, note to myself: learn more about BBQing and use the Baby Q at hand!

* Make more jams, preserves and other canned goods.
I thought I did good in 2010. I thought I made quite a bit of jam.....But now that we have come halfway through a dark, snowfull winter.....the amount of jam seems not to last until summer reappears. Last summer I turned 7 kg of strawberries, 5 liters of blueberries, 2 liters of blackcurrants and 3 liters of redcurrants into jam, and it still won't be enough! I blame Frosty the Snowman....He's the one making us sit inside in front of the fireplace, enjoying those delicious Norwegian waffles with fattening sour cream and homemade jam..... Ouch...I will have a big job in front of me to get back into bikini shape! Anyway....note to myself: pick more berries, buy more strawberries (and eat less waffles the rest of this winter and the whole next winter)!

* Give gardening another go, as in: grow my own herbs and tomatoes.
Each summer I get bitten by the gardening bug.....The only problem is that it happens a little bit too late. By the time I have gotten infected with "gardener's disease", I should have already planted seeds and nurtured those baby tomato plants and herb plants inside for a couple of months. Which means that I never get to taste my own homegrown cherry tomatoes. Will do better this year, will get bitten by bug earlier....I hope!

* Don't let food go to waste.
I do most of the cooking in our household. I am the one planning the meals and writing the grocery list. I am also the one who is travelling a lot for work and spending several nights each week away from home.....So by the end of the week, I have to throw out some of the veggies and fruit that I planned on using, as they are past the point where they still seem appetizing... I hate throwing away food. I get a guilty conscience, thinking about those who starve...about the environment....Definitely should do better this year!!

* Bake more bread.
I am a pretty good baker...that is, when it comes to cakes, pies, muffins, cookies and everything else that's sweet and yummy.....but I do not bake a lot of bread. It's a shame, especially with the good selection of different types of flours available at a regular supermarket here in Norway. Northern Europe, and maybe mostly Scandinavia and Germany, are known for their great breads. Eating bread each day, I should be able to make more myself..... I will start Project Scandibread....the search for the best Scandinavian bread recipe!

And last, but not least:

* Plan more dinner nights with family and friends.
After the kichen has been remodelled, I hope that we will have more space for dinner parties and entertaining. A passion and love for food should be shared with family and friends, as much as possible!


Well....that should be enough to keep me busy! I will keep you up to date!
 
Have a great culinary 2011!