I swear I won’t start every post with an apology but I totally forgot to write and schedule a Friday Five post before we went to DC last week. I have an alarm set on my phone to remind me and it went off Friday morning and I was rushing out and I was like darn. Oh well. Holidays happen.

We have one more holiday in 2013 and as you can tell by the title of this post, I’m going to be talking about New Year’s resolutions — kitchen style. I occasionally make non-food related resolutions (always trying to work out more or save more or shop less etc etc) but for the purposes of this blog, I figure I would share some of the cooking related thing I hope to do in the new year.

1) I really want to learn the proper way to sharpen knives. Santa was good to me and I did get some nice fancy new knives for Christmas, but I need to learn how to take care of them better. There is nothing worse than a dull knife — well at least when cooking. I am thinking about investing in one of those knife sharpening stones, watching some YouTube videos and becoming a knife genius. If you have seen those knife stones at any place like Home Goods, let me know.

2) Cooking new things is something I do regardless of if I am making a conscious effort or not. This year I baked bread from scratch and tried my hand at cooking farro. I think in 2014 I want to try a souffle. Oh and a standing rib roast (aka prime rib). I guess I just need an occasion when I can do both. Dinner party anyone?

3) I love spices. They are such a great way to flavor dishes without adding a lot of butter and oil. I find that I reach for the same spices over and over again. Garlic. Oregano. Thyme. They are my fail safes. I want to branch out and try some new flavors. I plan on spending a lot of time in the bulk spice section at Whole Foods.

4) 2013 was the year I learned how to grill. What new cooking technique will I learn in 2014? I definitely want to perfect homemade pasta. I have my eye on a pasta press. Maybe I will try to do more from scratch baking. Who knows? The best part about cooking is that the possibilities are endless.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and delicious 2014!