the arugula files

Funny Bones Cake (Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting)

I turned 41 years old this year.  FORTY ONE.  It is time to start lying about my age.  Shhh....don't tell anyone how old I really am.  I'm going to start telling people I'm 36.  I'll be like, hey, I'm 36!  Do you believe me?

Now before you go wishing me a happy birthday, please let me say that I celebrated my birthday in January, the month that I was born (36 years ago, EXACTLY).  So, this post is a little, ahem, late for the party.  But I have to tell you about this cake because culinary resolutions list.  

Number #13.  Make a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting.  

After I posted my list I realized that I didn't really want to make a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, per se, I really just wanted to eat one.  So I did what any brilliant person would do, I waited until my birthday and then told my husband he had to make it for me.  FROM SCRATCH, I said.

2014 Culinary Resolutions

It's that time of year.  Time for me to set my culinary resolutions.  I usually follow through on half of them and acknowledge that I'm in love with making lists, which is why I do this.  (My lists from 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010). Here goes:

1.) Eat at Rose's Luxury

2.) Can enough fresh tomato sauce to make it through the winter

3.) Take a bagel or bread making class

4.) Learn how to use my 5D, Mark III.  

5.) Introduce Josie to one new food a week.

6.) Use my pressure cooker

7.) Stop using the phrases "comes together quickly" or "spot on"

8.) Re-do my kitchen

9.) Make some delicious egg salad sandwiches

10.) Start eating oatmeal with mixed nuts in the morning

11.) Find a few turnip recipes I like

12.) Try the new Iron Gate.  Marcus and I had one of our first dates there.

13.)  Make a chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting

14.)  Take Josie blueberry picking

15.) Make homemade naan

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Cooking for Josie (Oh What, Your Kid Doesn't Love Kale?)

My 2012 Culinary Resolutions 2011, Not So Much

Culinary Resolutions 2013

Culinary Resolutions 2013

Culinary resolutions in February? It's of a little late, I know.   I realize that it doesn't speak very well of my ability to complete the list, does it?  It seems from my 2010, 2011, and 2012 lists that I usually finish between 13 to 15 of my "resolutions."  What does that mean for this year's list?  Well, I'm only going to name  15 (instead of 25), of course.

 

1. Experience Omakasse (for Olga)

2. Spend the day in Frederick and eat at Family Meal

3. Stick with my CSA

4. Save enough money to buy a 5D

5. Master the art of ginger syrup

6. Use my pressure cooker

7. Plant some kale

8. Continue to re-design my blog

9.  Eat at Ethiopic (this one is for Maggie, my H Street friend)

10. Make Boston Brown Bread and Clam Chowder

11. Learn how to poach an egg

12.  Buy some cedar planks for my grill.  Cook up some salmon.

13.  Cook more Vietnamese food

14.  Start a cooking for Josie post series

15.  Start a fish on Fridays post series

 

Do you have any culinary resolutions?

Pasta Making Class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow

If I tell you what I did today, you will be totally jealous.  Ready?  I took a pasta making class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow.   Taking a class with Cathy was on my culinary resolutions list from 2011.  So, finally, a few years later, I can check it off.  It was totally fun, informative, and tasty.  Cathy really knows her stuff and shared lots of helpful tips.  We made pasta dough, ricotta and potato gnocchi, and, my favorite, spinach and ricotta gnudi.  Oh, and how could I almost forget? We also made super fancy raviolis with spinach, ricotta, and a soft boiled egg gently placed inside.   You cut into the ravioli and it runs a river of creamy, yolky deliciousness through your pasta, creating a creamy sauce.  How impressive is that?

My 2012 Culinary Resolutions 2011, Not So Much

I'm not going to lie to you.  I didn't do so well on my culinary resolutions.  I finished 13.5 out of 25.  And, let's be honest, they were the easy ones.  Like making whoopi pies with Modern Domestic, buying more pieces for my Russel Wright collection, or eating at Estadio.

What's a girl to do?  Cram.  Just last night I was thinking, I can finish at least six of "the big 25" THIS WEEKEND. Next thought: but do I really want to?  Have I lost the point of it all?  This list isn't a "to do list." It's a "live life list" and if I don't want to do the things on the list, well, I don't have to.  

Yeah! Screw you, list-I-didn't-finish.  

Here's the thing: I still like the idea of having a list.  And who knows, maybe someday I'll actually finish one. So here goes; my culinary resolutions for 2012.  Basically a list of things that I like to imagine myself doing, but probably won't do.  

Some of these are leftovers from 2011 or 2010.

25.  Use my pressure cooker

24.  Make sausages from scratch.  

23.  Eat at Toki Underground

22.  Create a recipe for the Vietnamese meatball like the ones at Shophouse

21.  Take a class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow

20.  Start a Catherineholm collection

19.  Build a backyard pizza oven

18.  Make some fancy popcorn

17.  Paint my kitchen a nice, bright color

16.  Organize my food magazines and get rid of some

15.  Make more salads for dinner

14.  Eat at Ethiopic

13.  Cook fish more often

12.  Eat dinner in another country

11.  Throw a tiki party

10.  Make a gorgeous cheese plate

9.  Make a chocolate cake

8.  Try those blueberry capers at Ripple

7.   Make more dishes that include leeks

6.  Make at least one dish with cauliflower

5.  Share my recipe for lentil soup

4.  Make crab rangoon from scratch (ok, it's true, I already did this one and I'm adding it to the list after the fact.)

3.  Save enough money to buy a 5D

2.  Make a few recipes from Plenty.

1.  Re-design this blog

 

I love reading about people's culinary resolutions.  Like here and here. 

What are your culinary resolutions?

 

Culinary Resolutions "The Big 25" (2011)

It's that time of year.  Time to set new culinary resolutions.  Before we get to 2011, let's see how I did in 2010.  Not so bad with about 15 crossed off the list.  Especially considering I got married and bought a house.   Busy, busy.

Things I should have done, but didn't?  Bake bread.  A good friend bought me this book and I still disappointed the internets.  This year, to stay on track, I plan to monitor my progress with a sidebar.  Stay tuned.

 2011 Culinary Resolutions

1. Master the art of cooking dry beans

2. Try three new vegetables

3. Eat at Estadio

4. Try the brussels sprouts at all of Jose Andres' restaurants (Zatinya, Oyamel, Jaleo)

5. Make gnocchi

6. Plant a garden (for real this time)

7. Eat dinner in another country

8. Expand use of fresh herbs (tarragon, chervil, sage) beyond usual suspects (basil, cilantro, thyme)

9.  Make a chocolate cake

10. Go back to Rasika, again, and again

11.  Learn how to poach an egg, without fail

12.  Make Chana Masala

13.  Build a back yard pizza oven

14.  Grow tons of mint

15.  Make a meatloaf

16.  Use my pressure cooker

17.  Make sausage from scratch

18.  Find a high quality place to buy seafood

19.  Take a cooking class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow

20.  Throw more dinner parties

21.  Add more pieces to my Russell Wright collection

22.  Shop at three farmers markets I've never been to

23.  Make whoopi pies (perhaps I can get Modern Domestic to help)

24.  Organize my kitchen

25.   Make bread (seriously)

What are your culinary resolutions?  And, more importantly, can you help me with mine?

Happy New Year everyone!