I’m not a fan of “Resolutions.” They feel like rules, and I’m not really a fan of rules, and then I just know I’ll end up not sticking with them, so I don’t really like to make them. This year, I decided to just change the way I think about Resolutions by giving them a new feel – bucket list.
So, I’m starting off 2019 thinking about my 2019 Bucket List. It feels to me not as stringent as the almighty Resolution, and more fun, so I made my list comprise of 8 Bucket List items.
Finishing Dishes.
A lot of times, when I’m cooking for friends and family, I finish a dish with lemon or lime and almost always fresh herbs, like parsley. But I rarely do this when I’m cooking for just me and my husband – no idea why! So, first thing on my bucket list is being added to my weekly shopping list: lemon, limes, herbs. My plan is to chop up the fresh herbs, wrap them in a paper towel and keep them in the fridge – no excuses!
Cooking Classes.
In 6th or 7th grade I proclaimed I wanted to be a chef. It didn’t really turn out that way, and now when people say, just go to culinary school, I think they’re nuts. I’m in my, eh-hem, early 30s, and there’s no way I can shake up my life and go to culinary school now, right? Then, a dear friend suggested I just take some classes. Ah, never occurred to me. Stupid, I know. So, in 2019 my goal is to take 4 cooking classes with the Culinary Institute.
Foodie Days.
Sometimes I forget how blessed we are to live just outside of New York City. Obviously the city that never sleeps has so much to offer a girl, from museums to shops to restaurants to amazing shops like Eataly. A friend and I decided that in 2019 we’ll go on 4 Foodie Dates. We’re already planning our first in January and aiming to have a Foodie Day once a quarter.
No-Repeat-Dinner January.
This one is going to be so hard. I mean, really, really hard for me, but this month I’m trying to have a no-repeat-dinner January. This means that in January I won’t make the same dinner twice. Can I just tell you how often we have turkey sausage and peppers for dinner?! At the end of the day, sometimes I just don’t feel like being creative and whipping up something completely unique. I have a formula – protein + vegetable + carb. Mostly around here it’s the aforementioned turkey sausage and peppers or chicken + veg + rice. Really original, right? So if you have EASY dinner suggestions I would love to hear them!
Try a New Cuisine.
This year, I really want to branch out and learn some new cuisines. I tend to fall back on Italian and French, but I’d like to learn something new! Maybe a Korean dish? A really rockin’ curry? Oh, I would love to learn to master ramen! I love Mexican food, too, maybe I can have a full-on Mexican March where we eat nothing but Mexican dishes the whole month? Probably won’t fly in this house, but you see where I’m going!
Try a New Tool.
So, I think I really want to try out a sous vide. It’s a method in which you vacuum seal food and cook it in temperature controlled water. Also, kind of aligned with trying a new cuisine, I’d like to get a tagine and find a few dishes to make with one, which would probably be more Moroccan themed. A two-for-one-check-it-of-the-list!
Read 12 Books
I recently read a stat that said we spend something like 13 years of our life watching TV. I believe something like, ew or gross was my first reaction. I would hate to be 100 and look back at my life and know I spent 13 years of that life watching TV. So, less TV in the background and more music, or really more silence. And more reading at night for entertainment and less TV. I wish I could make this a Read 52 books, but let’s not get carried away. When I worked on the corporate side for a large book retailer, I was reading two or three books a week and loved it, but I don’t have that kind of time anymore. So, we’re going to start with 12. And I’ll share them with you each month!
Have a dream in French.
My only non-food related bucket list item! When we were studying French in grammar school, our teacher told us that once you start to dream in French (or any language you are studying), you know you are beginning to become fluent. I did start dreaming in French in high school, but have since lost my skills. After our trip to Paris for New Years, prior to which I actually did try to brush up on my skills, I’m completely inspired to get my French back! I was able to hold a conversation in French and am completely hooked on the idea of having that dream en Francais this year, so I’m going to spend at least 2 hours per week doing something to get me closer to that goal. I have a few workbooks, because I’m a complete dork and like to study French like you would in school, and there are a few podcasts I’ve come to enjoy.
What are your 2019 Bucket List items?
