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!

This was our holiday card from last year. Telly stood still for about 3 seconds and I snapped this pic. And then she started chewing on them. Such is life.

Hope your Christmas is filled with family, friends, love, good food and tons of cheer.

Christmas peaked for me at very young age.

It was 1987. I was 2. My family still lived in Connecticut. Now I know what you’re thinking: How could you possibly remember Christmas from when you were two? Well it is simple — it was the best. (Also my parents recorded it so I watched it throughout my childhood). But truthfully, I can actually remember parts of that Christmas. And it all centers around one specific thing.

On the right side of the tree, you’ll see a play kitchen. That was my play kitchen and it was the best toy ever. There is footage of me on that recording of me playing with this play kitchen for hours. Making my dad “eggs.” Force feeding plastic food to my then-baby brother (not really, but I tried). This was where it all started for me.

I’ve loved cooking for as long as I can remember. My mom was always making something. Whether it was dinner for the family during the week or something special like cookies on the weekend. And I always wanted to be there with her helping out. And sometimes she let me.

Here’s my brother and I helping my mom baked some cookies. Those aprons are pretty hot, right?

Cooking and food are central in my family. Family gatherings center around eating and sitting around the table. We share stories, we poke fun, we laugh. This is where the memories are made. And I feel like my love of food and my love of cooking was sparked with that little plastic kitchen from 1987. Thanks for that, Santa.

I know it is kinda late but I just wanted to pop on and say “HELLO” from South Florida. We’ve been enjoying a few days in the sun, checking out Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and eating some delicious food. I’ll be back to normal posting Wednesday (I got an awesome soup recipe for you). But for now, I leave you with this mouthwatering photo of cannoli gelato I took at a shop on Las Olas Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale.

Eric and I have a good system going when it comes to deciding what to cook. He’ll let me cook something like quinoa or kale one night and then we’ll make pizza or tacos another night. But there are still some things I can’t get away with cooking when Eric is home, so I take full advantage of the situation when the opportunity arises and I have the kitchen to myself.

This weekend Eric is heading to DC for a weekend trip and I’ve already started planning what I want to make in his absence.  While I could take this as a chance to go out and grab takeout and not cook, these moments of Eric not being home are rare, so I’d rather cook something just for me. When Eric was gone for his bachelor party a few years back, I made sweet potato and black bean chili because I knew it was something he wouldn’t go for. This time around, I am calling on my BFF Martha Stewart and making Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fennel and Garlic.

Oh man that looks delicious. Eric can’t eat too much pork on account of being allergic it and I’m pretty sure fennel is not his jam, so this is what I’m going to be whipping up over the weekend. The weather has turned slightly cooler in Atlanta (we’re talking mid 70s instead of mid 80s) so this dish will be a great compliment to the quasi cooler weather. If anyone wants to come over for dinner, let me know.

Do you ever cook certain stuff when your significant other is away?

PS I had my FIRST pumpkin spice latte on Tuesday (October 8…that is some kind of record for me). And it was delicious.

Work is crazy today, so no time for a full post. But here’s a little mantra to live by, courtesy of Penzey Spices (via my mom).