Resolutions - Update

I am re-posting this list of things I want to bake/cook, as a reminder to myself.  You might notice that not much progress has been made.  I'm hoping I can start working on the list in the next few months.  I'm hoping I can make macarons sometime soon - one of my good friends actually has a gorgeous macaron cookbook, and I think I got her excited about making them!

* Souffle (savory and sweet)
* Pate a choux pastry
* Profiteroles with above pastry
* Croissants
* Pound cake
* Cake with fondant
* Stuffed mushrooms/peppers/tomatoes
* Cheese fondue
* Shortbread
* Latkes
* Burger buns
* Soft pretzels
* Salsa
* Macarons
* Macaroons (no I did not list the same thing twice)
* An interesting unconventional ice cream flavor
* Yogurt cake
* Profiteroles
* Candy (some kind of old fashioned caramel)
* Pot de creme 
* Artichokes
* Tiramisu (or other type of trifle)
* Baked pancake
* Babka
* Baklava
* Brioche
* Creme Brulee (I have the torch, just need some propane for it!)
* Jelly Roll
* Panettone 
* Old fashioned popcorn (the kind that doesn't come from a bag in the microwave)
* Whoopie pies
* Cauliflower (I know - it's crazy I've never cooked with it!)
* Panna Cotta (I had some for dessert on New Years and it was AMAZING)
* More artisan bread
* Parmesan cheese crisps
* Polenta croutons
* Ice cream sandwiches
* Sesame noodles
* Tortellini
* Calzones
* French onion soup
* Split pea soup
* Lattice top pie
* Eggnog
* Custard Pie
* Dinner rolls
* Flavored pasta (I have tried once and it was extremely unsuccessful)
* Poached pears
* Baked and stuffed apples
* Caramel sauce
* Pecan pie (without the use of corn syrup)
* Shortbread cookies
* Veggie burgers
* Poptarts
* Bundt cake
* Naan
* Pad Thai
* Gougeres
* Crabcakes
* Coconut cake
* Angel food cake
* Savory cheesecake

Quirks

Just some weird things I've been thinking about lately.
For example - why in the world would anyone advertise aged cheese as "old cheddar?"  I have actually seen one brand in the grocery store call it "really old cheddar."  No kidding.  I'm going to have to take a picture of it if I ever see it again.
Also, I am a major hypocrite when it comes to choosing recipes from blogs.  I'm a major photo snob.  I will often veto recipes when they don't have stellar pictures.  Umm, has anybody noticed my pictures?  Let's just say it's usually a combination of bad lighting, poor focus, and a big mess in the background.  If I came across my own blog, I probably wouldn't make any of my recipes.
I also veto any recipe that has a component I'm not a fan of, even if it's something I could probably easily change.  Like bacon - for some reason that's been a huge craze lately, and since I don't eat meat, I definitely won't be sexing up my food with bacon.  I'm sure it would be pretty simple to just remove that crumbled slice of bacon from the recipe, but I just skip it.  And with recipes including apples - let's just start off by saying that I love apples.  I love them raw, mashed in sauce, apple cider, in pies, etc.  But when it comes to oatmeal or bread, I refuse to eat apple chunks.  I think it's a texture thing.  So of course, it would also be simple to just change the recipe so it includes shredded apples instead of diced, but I prefer to use recipes where that change has already been made.
So I admit it - I am a judgy*, hypocritical blogger.  Who finds old cheese humorous.  And I have all kinds of other quirks that I'm just mentioning right now, food related and otherwise.

* I don't know if I had ever heard this word (at least not in this form) before hearing it about 10 times per episode of The Vampire Diaries.  Are you judging me for watching the show?  Then that makes you judgy too :)

Resolutions

So let's forget about the fact that I haven't posted A THING in almost 3 months.
It's a new year, a new start, so I can be forgiven, right?
Since it's the new year, that means I can make some resolutions.  And no, not resolutions to actually stick to a diet and get back to the weight I was a year ago.  Because then when I fall off that diet, it would just be a failed resolution and that's so disappointing.
But I am going to make some cooking resolutions.  Things I want to bake/cook in the next year.  I don't have to do all of them, but I would love to try!
What are your resolutions?

(In no particular order)
* Souffle (savory and sweet)
* Pate a choux pastry
* Profiteroles with above pastry
* Croissants
* Pound cake
* Cake with fondant
* Stuffed mushrooms/peppers/tomatoes
* Cheese fondue
* Shortbread
* Latkes
* Burger buns
* Soft pretzels
* Salsa
* Macarons
* Macaroons (no I did not list the same thing twice)
* An interesting unconventional ice cream flavor
* Yogurt cake
* Profiteroles
* Candy (some kind of old fashioned caramel)
* Pot de creme (made one the other day so crossed off the list!)
* Artichokes
* Tiramisu (or other type of trifle)
* Baked pancake
* Babka
* Baklava
* Brioche
* Creme Brulee (I have the torch, just need some propane for it!)
* Jelly Roll
* Panettone (also just made this!)
* Old fashioned popcorn (the kind that doesn't come from a bag in the microwave)
* Whoopie pies
* Cauliflower (I know - it's crazy I've never cooked with it!)
* Panna Cotta (I had some for dessert on New Years and it was AMAZING)
* More artisan bread
* Parmesan cheese crisps
* Polenta croutons
* Ice cream sandwiches
* Sesame noodles
* Tortellini
* Calzones
* French onion soup
* Split pea soup
* Lattice top pie
* Eggnog
* Custard Pie
* Dinner rolls
* Flavored pasta (I have tried once and it was extremely unsuccessful)
* Poached pears
* Baked and stuffed apples
* Caramel sauce
* Pecan pie (without the use of corn syrup)
* Shortbread cookies
* Veggie burgers
* Poptarts
* Bundt cake
* Naan
* Pad Thai
* Gougeres
* Crabcakes
* Coconut cake
* Angel food cake
* Savory cheesecake

And after all of that food talk, I would like to run in a few 5ks this year.  But I think that can wait until the weather warms up...

Oh and can I just say that I had this post open for several days, so I could keep on adding things I want to try!  I eventually decided that I could probably keep adding things forever, so I should probably just post already!

My first blog!

I read more food blogs than I can count, and I finally decided to start my own. Coming up with a title was probably the hardest part. It took me two weeks just to get here, and there's a good chance I'll probably change it more than once :)

Okay, so I should probably introduce myself first. I'm Jen, and I'm halfway through my first year of a Ph.D. program at the University of Virginia. I moved to Charlottesville in June '09 and absolutely love it here! I started cooking a few years ago - in my senior year of undergrad. Since then, I realized how much I really love cooking (especially baking). Life can be stressful at times, especially because of my program, and trying a new recipe acts as a stress reliever. (Of course until it's time to do the dishes.)

I wanted to start a blog to keep track of what I've made. This is mostly for my own sake - so I can take note of what worked and what didn't. I would love to start being more adventurous in the kitchen - try new techniques, new ingredients. The farmers markets and local produce here in Cville is great, and I want to try to take advantage of that.

I would love feedback - if you try a recipe, please let me know how it turns out, good or bad!

The next few posts are about food I've cooked in the past two weeks - just because I couldn't think of a title, didn't mean I stopped baking!

Enjoy!